CMC-The Antigua and Barbuda Parliament will meet on September 17 to debate the existing relationship between the two islands.
A government statement issued after the weekly Cabinet meeting, said that “a Resolution will also be introduced which will address the virtually treasonous submission by the Barbuda Council to diminish or extinguish the unitary sovereign and democratic state of Antigua and Barbuda”.
In recent years, and in particular following the damage caused to Barbuda by the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017, residents and politicians on the island have been calling for more autonomy.
Information Minister Melford Nicholas, speaking after the weekly Cabinet meeting, is welcoming the debate next Thursday.
‘It is a debate that must be had. I think the discussion pertinent to what is taking place within Barbuda is never going to be off the table. Barbuda represents a third of the land mass of Antigua and Barbuda and consequently, we want to ensure that the resources that are available to Barbuda are in Barbuda ….get into the economic mix.
“We are not going to ….shy away from this notion. For Antigua to consider at this stage, the give away a third of its resources…is incomprehensible, it is unthinkable and I think the government’s position will be well laid out in our presentations and the particular resolution,” Nicholas added.
Barbuda, which covers only 62 square miles and the Barbudan People’s Movement as well as members of the Barbuda Council, have been accusing the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) of seeking to consolidate power on the island, particularly over land which is held in a complicated tenure system.
The government had once flagged that it would revise the system to allow Barbudans to but their title deeds for one dollar (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).
Last month, the Observer newspaper here reported that the Barbuda Council had in an August 31 letter to the cabinet Secretary, Konata lee, demanded that the government takes steps towards a separate future for the island after expressing that they were “wholly dissatisfied’ with the relationship between the two islands.
Former Barbuda parliamentary representative, Arthur Nibbs and the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) spokesperson for economic development, Cortwright Marshall, have been quoted by the media here as being against plans for separation.
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Do you live in a real country? Why is the word treasonous used to describe Barbuda’s call for secession. It is not treason and it is their legal and constitutional right to secede from the State of Antigua and Barbuda if they are unhappy with the relationship. Barbuda was a separate entity before it became a part of Antigua and Barbuda in 1981. Gaston Browne and Lionel Max Hurst should stop using the word treason with respect to Barbuda’s call for secession. It only goes to show that they are both either ignorant as to the meaning of treason or they are just wallowing in gutter politics.
Gaston Browne we want Secession, you lied to the people about caring Government, the only thing you care about is our Lands, we tired and drained, can you find out about our sand mining money? What happen to five millions US dollars the PLH gave you? The new airport is not important to us (now) the hospital Lab Need repair , the hospital Kitchen still need pair ,the dentist build still need repair no Bank, What was totally among of money you received for hurricane Irma? You have no respect for us and our councils. I’m one of the youth of barbuda, Time to cut the cord. We have to stand up for something or fall for nothing. Gaston Browne your behavior is very poor when it comes to the ppl of Barbuda. Loose we now. Set us free from bondage.
Summoning Communist China to hastily come Colonize Antigua and Barbuda quite ok. These people are so very dishonest
Stop the damn begging! You sound like a sex-starved eunuch.
It is not Gaston Browne to give you freedom. It is for you and Barbudans to take your freedom from him. He does not own you. He cannot stop you if you want to go your own way. Of course he will try because his success in Antigua is tied with his success with PLH in Barbuda. Tell him you have set a date for the hearing of your petition and whether he likes it or not, all his land-grabbing projects on Barbuda, including PLH, must cease immediately, pending a decision.
And get up off your cotton-picking knees.Grow a pair and start working to help kick Hitler and his gang out of office.
@ HURST and NICHOLAS are more intelligent than You. The word TREASONOUS is used in yhe right context. I welcome the debate. Tabor stRt training PRINGLE now. Let Pringle know the meaning of TREASONOUS before the debate next Thursday. Tabor please hive the Government some CREDIT. Hon.Gaston Browne knows POLITICS. Tabor …you should take lessons from Hon. Gaston Browne.
I support Barbuda…..
PHILLIP 3. Is it now PHILLIP 3 and not PHILLIP G? Anyway, that does not matter. Whether HURST and NICHOLAS are more intelligent than me is irrelevant. Again, the call for secession by Barbuda is not treason just like the call for secession by the eleven southern states in the USA, which led to the American Civil War, was not treason. Hurst and Nicholas was just using the word to cast doubt on the right of Barbuda to secede from Antigua and Barbuda. It is just pure political rhetoric on their part. First they were saying that Barbuda cannot secede because Antigua and Barbuda is a unitary state. Now they have moved away from their initial nonsensical position. Yes, Barbuda can seek secession and it is not treason. It will be difficult to achieve since it will require a referendum because it involves changing the Constitution. However, what Barbudans need to continue to do is to bring international recognition to the issue and the treatment that is meted out to them by Gaston Browne and his misguided development plan for Barbuda. Barbuda do not relent since your cause is right and just. Gaston Browne once said that Barbuda needs to stop being a burden on Antigua. Now they want to secede and stop being a burden so why the HELL are you fighting it. Who has more to lose you GASTON or ANTIGUA.
The example you are giving is such a bad one. The UNITED STATES of AMERICA is just that UNITED. They have states rights. They have even states law. And even their elections are states elections. They have individual states laws. What is legal in one states is not legal in another. Like carrying of arms, or marijuana. And therefore you have Federal Laws. A President cannot tell a state what to do. That is why Obama Care was not implemented in all states.
But when you take country like Spain where they do have separatists trying to divide parts of Spain from the Kingdom. The Basque National Liberation Movement, They are considered for that reason Treasonous. And we have ad many blood baths because of that. The Indonesian Archipelago consist of more then seventeen thousand Islands and many have tried to secede from Jakarta and the result was that they became terrorists and had to flee their homeland. So what you are promoting here for Barbuda is a treasonous behavior that could land someone to be expelled from their own country or put in jail for treason. You have to understand what it means when you take an oath. And the stupid rhetoric that this Gaston Browne administration doesn’t treat the Barbudans right has not basis in fact. Not when you take the facts as they appear after hurricane Irma. When in 24 hours the PM flow over there to see what happened to them, when he was instrumental to ensure all Barbudans were safely evacuated in an operations that we have not seen before. When all Barbudans were than housed and fed for months at the expense of the Treasury. When he Gaston Browne went all over the world and to the UN to plead for assistance to rebuild Barbuda. And to date government is spending millions on the infrastructure of Barbuda. New Airport in coming making them more accessible to the world for that matter. Ensuring investments are coming to Barbuda to ensure they become a net contributor to the Treasury. It is just sad that the politics which you support would like to keep things as is and have a handful of party loyalists benefit from everything. The land myth has been debunked and if they wish they can seek redress at the Privy Council. But they know that route is a losing battle, cause they have been their and lost already. England in their wisdom made sure Barbuda was attached to Antigua as a naval string. If they at that time did not want to they should have protested loudly. Anguilla is still a dependent of England, and so is Montserrat. St. Maarten and Saint Martin are still dependents of The Netherlands and France. Perhaps Barbuda still wants to be a dependent of Britten like Tortola and the BVI. I wish them luck. Doubt England would want to have that relationship. But Antigua would have a hefty bill for England and Barbuda.
From The Sideline everything you have said here is such rubbish that I will refrain from commenting at length. Suffice it to say again that Barbuda wanting to secede from the State of Antigua and Barbuda is not treasonous. And by the way, even if Barbuda wanted to be a dependency of any country, it could not be worse than what presently exist under Gaston Browne and the ALP.
As I told you before you are a sad case of a lawyer and blinded by hate you do not have a reasonable nor logical argument to make. I have stated examples which you just cannot refute. By you calling it rubbish doesn’t make it so. And I only wish them luck if that is the relationship they prefer.
Especially when we say Massa days are here again. I guess you’re one that prefers Massa Days. If so I do understand the likes of you.
I can’t wait to listen to the debate and here what Pringle has to say in support to the BPM’s request. And then Trevor Walker will have to swallow all his lies. Cause they will call him out and present him with facts.
From The Sideline let make the issue of Barbuda’s call for secession easier for you to understand. Firstly, Antigua and Barbuda did not come into existence from the beginning of our history as a unitary State. Antigua and Barbuda became a unitary State in 1981 upon independence as section 1 of the Constitution declares. The Constitution also declares that any provision of the Constitution can be changed once a particular procedure is followed. Secondly, the status of Barbuda in the unitary state of Antigua and Barbuda is not like a village in Antigua, for example, Willikies, Old Road or Cedar Grove. That is why section 123 of the Constituion has devolved certain powers to Barbuda. Did the Constitution give such powers to Willikies, Old Road or Cedar Grove? You should understand the point now that Barbuda is a special case. Now the question is can Barbuda seek secession from Antigua and Barbuda. The answer to this question is a resounding YES. Would that be treasonous, the answer is a resounding NO. I wish that you, Max Hurst, Medford Nicholas and the Prime Minister would stop talking pure nonsense and horse dung by saying that Barbuda calling for secession is treason.
Tabor, sorry for the late response but the madam didn’t allow me to sit behind the computer this Sunday. But you will never make a good lawyer. Your arguments do not have a solid ground. Yes there is no unitary state before 1981 because both Islands belonged to Great Britten. But it is well known that Barbuda was always administered from Antigua. The British never set up an administration in Barbuda. Unlike other Islands. That is why they insist that Antigua walks with Barbuda. They would have love to include Montserrat but that was more of a stretch. I have given you so many examples which you ignored. Ireland went to a civil war in order to break-up. And that is one country. Look at the countries that make up Great Britten still today. Yes they have some autonomy but the Queen remains their Head of State. And see how how thy were against the Brexit but they have no choice. England was smart not to allow Antigua and Barbuda to be seen as two separate Islands but as one. Unlike St. Kitts and Nevis which is a Federation. When you put forward arguments as a lawyer it must be based in legal facts. When a Judge gives a judgement he/she must based that on legal grounds. The BPLM will lose this battle once and for all. They never had ownership of the land. They were given certain rights as tenants. And that was not for the entire Islands. They the BPM are not an authority on their own. They are subject to the laws of Antigua and Barbuda. There are no laws that they can make. Like when they say they lock down Barbuda, it was a joke, and the PM just didn’t want to take them on. They cannot give out leases. All leases have to be signed and approved by the Cabinet. The constitution gives them limited powers to deal with local issues, but it has gone to their head and they behave as if they do have powers equal or more than the Cabinet. Now Gaston can kick the can down the road and don’t deal with this thing, but that is not who he is. He will deal with them. And the country needs to have this issue dealt with once and for all. No matter how ugly it may get. And I see how you and the UPP are hoping to fan the flame in order to get political mileage. But it will not happen. We must give the BPM a final blow not to mislead the Barbuda people any further in believing in this myth and always having this antagonistic relationship with the ABLP government. We are one people.
@Sideline. Lets be clear. I mostly agree with you on this one and I am certainly not and will never be ABLP. In as much as I would like to agree with BPM, I just cannot get past the question of their legal standing concerning the land! Is it or is it not? I dont believe that this is a political thing and once a govt does not see it the way BPM sees things, then its back on the war path again.
I would like to ask those persons talking secession to be careful, especially those getting a salary from the government; who is going to pay them? Also, it is quite unlikely that they will gain indepence. The most that will happen is that Britain reclaims the island and then start selling both land and sand. Be careful what you wish for Barbuda. You are a legitimate part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. Concentrate your fight along that line.
GASTON BROWNE:
“TREASONOUS”YOU SAY.REALLY? ARE THEY TRYING TO OVERTHROW YOUR GOVERNMENT OR ASSISTING ITS ENEMIES IN A WAR. SO WHERE ARE THE TREASONOUS ACTIONS?DO YOU THINK WE ARE ALL IMBECILES OUT HERE IN THE POPULATION.STUPIDITY IS AN EARTHLY GIFT.ONE OF THESE DAYS.YOU ARE GOING TO OUTSMART YOURSELF AND THE END RESULTS WOULD BE GRAVE.YOU LIKE TO PLAY ON WORDS TO GET THE UTMOST ATTENTION.LIKE WITH COVID -19.YOU WOULD SAY FOLLOW THE PRADACALS INSTEAD OF PROTOCOLS.I TOLD YOU SOME TIME AGO.KNOWING WHEN TO USE HONEY IS A PLUS IN LEADERSHIP.YOU CANNOT USE STEEL WOOL AND EXPECT THE SAME RESULTS AS USING HONEY.GOOD LUCK ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA,IN 2020 AND BEYOND.
I guess you have that of your chest.
Hope it made you feel better. Next time I hope they allow you to send in a voice message. So you can scream it out loud, instead of typing ALL CAPS.
And I ask again. Is tabor a real lawyer? He sounds so shallow and with a tag-team partner like BLACK-MAN what gibberish and utterly foolish conclusions!!!! Is he a real lawyer?
Anon the 1st I expected to hear from FROM THE SIDELINE and not from you. Are you the tag team of From The Sideline? I daresay say that I am very disappointed since I must confess that From The Sideline is much better for me to engage since he makes far more sense that you and his writing is more comprehensible. To really engage in a discussion with you is a total waste of my time.
He is just a sad case who hopes to get Gaston’s attention, but the PM is totally ignoring him.
@ TABOR
I believe Tabor wish the Prime Minister would call His name buT Our Prime Minister has IGNORED TABOR. That is why He is so bitter at Hon. Gaston Browne. TABOR and KNIGHT graduate from the same school of HATE
MIDST you have now joined Anon the 1st with your utter nonsense. Do you really think that I am looking for some kind of recognition from Gaston Browne? If that is what you think, then you are not only foolish but also crazy. Why do all you minions and sycophants of Gaston Browne take the slightest criticism of him and the ALP administration to be hatred of Gaston Browne? I disagree with many of his policies, in particular the type of development that he wants to push on Barbuda against the wish of the people. Does that mean that I hate him? Let me make it clear to you one and for all so that you don’t repeat your nonsense about hate, I do not hate your idol Gaston Browne.
Sometimes I do not want to respond to your utterances but if I don’t they will go unchallenged and people may believe what you say is a fact. You know that by law all projects need the approval of the Barbuda people. They had a townhouse meeting and the vote was taken. The project was approve by a large majority. That was both the PHL and the Paradise Found project. So how come you now making a claim that Gaston forced the project on the Barbudans. Just because the BPM lost the vote at that time. That is why I say you do not give a reasonable argument. It is blinded by hate and dislike of the man. If that is how you behave in court you will never win a case.
From The Sideline it is my position that the type of development that Gaston Browne is pushing on the people of Barbuda is inimical to the long term environmental and harmonious status of the island. Let us take a closer look at the PLH project that is expected to be the economic salvation of Antigua and Barbuda. The PLH project will see the construction of 450 residential homes of wealthy CIP citizens (mostly white I should add). Now, let us assume that each home will consist of at least 4 inhabitants, already that number of persons would exceed the local population of Barbuda. Can you begin to see how this type of development would fundamentally change the character of Barbuda as we know it. It is not Jumby Bay we are talking about. The sicial and political dynamics on Barbuda would be totally different. With Barbuda overrun with all these CIP citizens I can just imagine the racial tensions that would be engendered in the years ahead. They are already taking about the need for buffer zones, which will be the precursor for a full blown Apartheid system to come. The environmental degradation that the PLH project is bringing already aside, I maintain that that type of development is inappropriate for Barbuda. Ideally, Barbuda should be pursuing a low density tourism type development coupled with sound agricultural and fisheries development. Gaston Browne’s development plan for Barbuda is misguided and would lead to disaster for Barbuda in years to come. The short term economic gain for Gaston, according to his plan, will turn out to be the bane for the future existence of Barbuda.
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