REAL NEWS – MP Richard Lewis says that Antigua and Barbuda’s economy is in shambles, with numerous problems and issues plaguing the country and its respective communities.
Lewis, who represents the Rural West constituency, says that Prime Minister Gaston Browne and the Antigua Labour Party have ruined the economy with their many bad decisions.
These have caused the inequality in income and the wealth-distribution gap to widen, the MP says.
Lewis recalls that, early in the first term of the ALP Administration, Browne told the people that he would seriously address the issue of wealth inequality to ensure that this gap is narrowed.
However,10 years later, instead of equality in wealth, the poor have gotten poorer while the rich have gotten only richer, making the gap significantly wider, the MP states.
Lewis also points to the country’s crumbling infrastructure – in spite of the Government having received millions and millions from the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP).
He compares Antigua and Barbuda with the smaller nation of St. Kitts & Nevis and notes how that government has been able to use CIP income to develop the islands for the upliftment of its people.
In the meantime, the United Progressive Party MP says, here at home, the various communities’ roads are in a deplorable condition, and the unbearable spike in the cost of living continues.
As proof, he cites the astonishing rise in the prices of simple grocery items, including bread.
With the cost of bread having gone up by almost 10 percent in recent weeks, he says, this is a clear demonstration that the country’s economy is not functioning in the way it should.
Lewis says that the cost for food, healthcare, rent, child care, utilities, and transportation is out of control, and the ALP Administration has done very little to bring relief to the people.
Further, he recalls the promises made by the ALP leading up to the January 18 General Election, including the assurance that public servants would receive a raise in pay.
The Administration even “sweetened the pot” by giving them an extra salary payment in December last year, he says.
However, the election came and went and the promise of a salary hike is yet to be fulfilled.
Not even the back pay due to public servants has been honoured, Lewis says, and he brands the Browne Administration as wicked and cruel.
Meanwhile, Lewis says, the unemployment rate is skyrocketing, with thousands without jobs – including the youth who have left school and now have nothing to do.
He says the Government has a responsibility to create an enabling environment where jobs can be created and young people, in particular, can be put to work.
Instead, Lewis says, the Browne Administration has failed to create opportunities and new school-leavers are on the breadline looking for something meaningful to do.
Finally, the Rural West MP says the country’s crime rate is out of control, and residents are asking what is the ALP Government’s plan to curb it.
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if upp had won in 2014 Richard Lewis would be done with!!! If you have your mind set on party leadership, you have the likes of Giselle Isaac to contend with. You already know how UPP feel about “foreigners” and the fact that YOUR WIFE IS A JAMAICAN does not sit well with upp elitists. Remember the message sent in the group chat to “support Brother Lovell” because they don’t want no JAMIACAN in “fu arwee subben”
Buy up your strong back drink and testicular fortitude, they waiting for you!!!
When is the ALP convention? Asot is out but Chet Greene still has ambitions. Call the conventions now.
Does anyone expect opposition to say govt doing good not dat am saying they doing good but come on u politions are all d same
Well said and highlighted your Honourable Richard Lewis, I have been saying the same said thing about Gaston Browne’s broken manifesto promises and mismanagement; and also one of the main reasons I didn’t want anything more to do with this ‘say one thing and mean something else’ government.
You are also correct when you mention about the distribution of wealth around the country … What distribution there isn’t any?!
Apart from to his the cronies!
You also talk about the last 10 years or so of this administration’s economical mismanagement, but if we go back further to the 40 years of Birdism and Browneism, there hasn’t been any real benefits for the Antigua & Barbuda citizens, one jot or iota.
Richard Lewis looking out for ALL Antiguans. Wonderful👍🏾
With people like you sir, there’s hope for the future …
@Brix … I am now fully convince u are inlove with all all male politician … Little groupie 1 question are you gay… Don’t see u commenting on the Likes Of Pearl And Mrs Potter … U left ABLP .. because the men their are straight … But guess what you lucked out .. only the guy from the upp union might be interested in you … Then again from your choices I see u don’t like fat men… All asking for a friend … Boss lady please stay off the forum ur coming off as a whore.. jumping from man to man
@ Curious, you are a perverted sexual deviant and the DEVIL has got a strong hold of your soul. You need some sort of religious conversion in your life. What a nasty excuse of a human being you are.
Your vile tongue will NEVER stop me: and I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. Beware!
I hope someone prays for your salvation – and quickly!!!
… As your beloved Prime Minister recently mentioned: “Who God bless, no man can curse”
You must remember that your Mob Leader is known to be a gay guy since his poverty days and still is. There was the rice pudding man of the 80’s and the one who thinks that he is entitled to salary increases and Board appointments because of their union. What’s your status in that group?
These are well set out and excellent observations. @Hmmmm, you clowns have no capacity for logical thought. The same UPP you set out to thrash did wonders in 10 years, with less. I don’t have time to highlight them all here. What tve hell has Gaston Browne done in 10 years? What go from being broke to 30 million while the country goes to the dogs? Nothing works here,nothing. Why? Isn’t it because of the mismanagement of over 12 billion dollars?
Well done Richard Lewis.
Richie u are weak. U mek Lovell huff u fu de party leadership. You might be a “book worm” but u SPINELESS and lack balls.
DEAD DARG PICK-UP-CORN PRINGLE might a DUNCE TO FART, but at least he show likkle bit a spine
WATER, THE ECONOMY, AFRICAN REFUGEES, ALFA NERO ETC.
IF HE THINKS HE’S OFF THE HOOK, THAT is a MISTAKE.
We are yet to learn anything from the usual ghost-workers,they are always in cuss mode. The records are there and they are unable to refute Mr. Lewis’ claims so this is their solution. Antigua is really in a quandary; listen to caribbean news .
Hmmmm, Curious (disgusting human being) and smh, is shame you all shame why you writing this drivel??? Richard Lewis, you are absolutely CORRECT!!! WELL SAID! I was wondering if nobody was going to say it! What an utter disgrace, the ablp has Antigua in. I visited St. Kitts recently and felt sick with jealousy! I got a little mad and kept saying “where they get so much money from to do such strong roads and beautiful infrastructure.” I was jealous but the truth is they used the CIP funds appropriately and didn’t hoard it! St. John’s smells and looks deplorable! Don’t believe me, take a walk and see for yourselves.
Well reasoned poisition. Antigua and Barbuda gone to the dogs. No infrastructural development in this country in the past 5 years. The place looks deplorable. Is the worse this country ever look and to hear tgese fools try to convince themselves that things good? Set ah hypocrites. We need a cleansing!
“No one is hated more than him who speaks the truth” some people are so sold out to party they use all illogical bashing on the messenger. The truth could never be a lie and vice versa. Continue to speak the truth !
These cult believe everything Hitler say that’s going to be their downfall for suffering when he enrich himself
Like I always say, The UPP and their minions are living in their own make-believe world. No matter what other external agencies such as IMF, World Bank CDB, or ECLAC say about our economy they still will run and scream, “the sky is falling”. I mean not too long ago the governor of the ECCB paid a visit to Antigua and Barbuda and was full of praise of how our economy has grown after Covid. In fact, he said Antigua may have wiped off all the Coving Losses by 2024. Gaston Browne said he is aiming to do that this year. The governor went even further to announce that we had more savings in our Banks than any of the other currency union members. Antigua banks have $2Billion in savings. And he admonished the bank to start lending out the monies in order to grow the economy from within. And we can now see ECAB and others offering Start-Up loans to Entrepreneurs with Central Bank backed guarantees.
And he also stated that Antigua and Barbuda’s Economy is the fastest growing economy in the region. But what the heck. That doesn’t serve the pollical agenda of the UPP. So, they completely ignore those reports and make up their own reports, based on who knows what. Any young Economic Student would find these people really dunce. But you have to forgive them. It’s in their DNA.
Keep defending the indefensible @ FromTheSideline.
It suits you very well, and independent thinkers wouldn’t expect anything less from you, and aren’t surprised in the slightest.
KEEP UP BEING GASSSSSTON’S MOUTH PIECE. PLEASE!
You are helping highlight his unworthiness for high office, and political WEAKNESSES every single day.
I for one, am very grateful. Thank you 🤜🏽🤛🏽
* … 🤜🏽🤛🏽
Brix, I always tell you, I come with facts. If you have any other facts present them. All I presented to you was what the Governor of the Central Bank said. You can go and look at the tapes on ABS or you can go the ECCB website if you want to. This has nothing to with defending Gaston. Gaston can defend himself.
If Lewis wants to make a fool of himself, I am here to expose him.
When this clown is ousted from office, whatever will become of smh,curious,tennan and all these unpatriotic fools? The Dawg will be up to his ears in legal battles(like Trump) as he’s asked to account for his tenure. All these land grabs, Air Peace, Antigua Airways, NAMCO, 240 million US unaccounted for, 12 million from PLH unaccounted for, the Barbuda Irma funds, unaccounted for; ah, these spineless, brainless voices will be silenced.
… and don’t forget the reported 2 billion dollars made from the unaccounted CIP @ Watching.
This government has so much to answer for.
A lot of money and funding comes to this country; and yet when you travel around (especially in St John’s) there’s no improvement, also not forgetting when travelling to other Caribbean islands there’s MARKEDLY improvements to their infrastructures.
WHEY WE MONEY GONE?
WHAT HAS OUR MONEY REALLY BEEN USED FOR?
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