Dear Editor,
People of Antigua and Barbuda, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. I read an article recently where the Prime Minister of St. Lucia was asked about the standoff between Gaston Browne and Sandals, and he seemed taken aback that a head of state would engage in such a hostile relationship with any investor.
In fact, the Prime Minister said that not even St. Lucia’s Labour Party had that kind of relationship with Sandals. You see, these men understand that they are elected to run a country and that a certain type of behavior comes with public office, and I’m not talking about the ghetto, world-boss kind of behavior.
It is any wonder then that Sandals has three resorts in St. Lucia and about to build a fourth? 1,800 St Lucians are employed, and another 700 or 800 will be added to the best whole bean coffee.
That is jobs for over 2,500 people and their families in St. Lucia, and the sad thing is, Sandals was here first, in Antigua and Barbuda. But when Butch Stewart wanted to set up the Beaches resort, he only got opposition from the powers-that-be, because they and their friends (we all know who they are) want everything.
So guess what, Beaches going to Barbados. Barbados, which just got a second hotel. So Over 1,000 people employed in Barbados, soon to be over 2,000 people, while on 700 Antiguans and Barbudans have the opportunity to access jobs. Why? To satisfy one man’s ego, and he has people who should know better, veterans like Yearwood and they running after him.
Shame. And then he wants to sue everyone. They say the truth offends, and our PM seems quite offended lately. First Lady Ivena, then the Observer, then some foreign newspaper, El paid, that print a story about him and the scandal with the Brazilian construction company.
Why are you so offended sir? I write this to you hoping that your news organization, which seems youthful and bright, allow me to have my say, because when we lose our ability to speak up, then we lose our freedom, and we surrender to dictatorship, whether by force or by threats of legal actions.
Mikey Joseph
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Do some research and you will find out that wage bill in St Lucia has a lot to do with why they have so many more than Antigua.
Let’s not be so ready to jump for any investor, we’ve seen how that played out in the past.
It’s always said, don’t watch what people have because you have no idea how the came by it and you may not be willing to do the same.
We’ve been one of the leading economies in the Caribbean and there is a reason for that.
You do appreciate that Antigua and Barbuda is more expensive than most of the other islands, and that is BECAUSE of the ABST.
And if you are indeed ‘young’ – then Sandals was probably here before you were born, so they are no fly-by-night investor. If others have failed us, this company hasn’t. Gaston Browne can walk away from this you know, he already boasts of having 30 million. If he loses office he goes on happy with his life. Now guess who the long term losers will be???
You do realize that Antigua is more expensive than most of the other islands (in certain things) and it HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ABST.
Barbados has BST or the well known word VAT
St. Lucia has SLBST or well known word VAT
so does Trinidad etc.
An Oh Henry chocolate bar in Antigua is waaay cheaper than one the same size in St. Kitts.
LPG in Antigua is cheaper and has been cheaper in comparison to most other OECS countries like Dominica.
What about a box of macaroni and cheese…hahahaha go Dominica you will fart and run come back to antigua…its like a delicacy in DA. Oh i forgot add the grapes, orchad box juice, murdah wait till you see the cabbage bill.
Land is more expensive in Antigua compare with Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada etc.
Salaries in Antigua are much higher than most other caribbean countries for the same qualifications and level of position.
You see if you were to travel, read properly and calculate properly you would have realized that to each country in comparison to another especially within the english and independent speaking caribbean diasporo there are things expensive and things cheaper on each hand. but no. you would not read and calculate. you would just swallow what some politician spew out of their mouth and off of their gangreen tongue. stop that. TRAVEL, READ and RESEARCH for yourself and you would be amazed as to what you never knew.
hey you want to go to Anguilla..let me know…you paying!
Mr. Brown, a guilty conscience needs no accuser.
The tourism department should know that Antigua and Barbuda’s mainstay is tourism and the amount of beds equal the number of visitors staying longer on the islands. Somebody need to stand up to the PM and hold him accountable for all his boofoolary (new word). Perhaps the PM has the millions necessary to support the treasury and the economics of the country.
I would like to know are you upp aligned? Just curious.
Enquiring minds want to know.
Comments are closed.