Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne criticised leaders on Barbuda who are seeking to end the existing relationship between the two islands.
Parliament started debate on what the government termed a “resolution…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”.
The first step would require legislators to vote in favour of the resolution, which was tabled on Thursday afternoon by Browne, who told Barbuda parliamentary representative, Trevor Walker, that he would not be successful whether or not he voted for the resolution.
Political observers say that before it is allowed to separate from the unitary state, Barbuda would need a two-thirds majority in a referendum. The ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) controls 15 of the 17 seats in Parliament.
“Whenever the UPP (United progressive Party) is in government …they go quiet, but as soon as the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party takes over the government of the country, Mr Speaker, they become…totally uncooperative and create unnecessary confusion and chaos.
“Disruptive, they don’t seek any form of consultation with the central government, they try to exercise power that they do not have, they behave as though they have exclusive authority on the affairs of Barbuda and that the Cabinet is redundant,” Browne told legislators, adding “they have no such constitutional or legal rights”.
But the Opposition leader, Jamal Pringle, told Parliament that the unkind words and vicious actions of the government are to blame for the position being adopted by Barbuda.
“I understand and I sympathise with the position that Barbuda has taken because the Prime Minister has done everything in his power to make Barbudans feel unwanted and to dispossess them of what they hold dear, which is their land and their dignity.
“He has used words that no leader Mr Speaker, who believes in unity, equality and respect would ever use to those he considers his people,” said Pringle, who however indicated that he would not be supportive of the resolution.
But in supporting the resolution, Walker told Parliament that even though it was defeated, the fight would continue. (CMC)
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You Antigua still holding onto Barbuda? If they wanna go let them go but they will be back they will now have to find schools for their children and a little thing called a JOB cause Antigua won’t be supporting them nomore. Pay taxes like the rest of us and pay for their houses the government build back hmm sounds good to me
Gaston didn’t rebuild any houses in Barbuda. He said he had no money to do such. Any houses rebuilt was done with foreign aid.
But when he went to Uncef to get money to build those houses you guys was out side of the building picketing and telling them not to give him any money, now they moving in the same houses, UNGRATEFUL , LAZY BUNCH OF PEOPLE
N
And who went out to get the foreign aid. Ungrateful set of people
If you know they are ungrateful, let them go if they want to leave. You say Barbuda is a drain on Antigua so you have nothing to lose, except the prime real estate in Barbuda that the thieving government in Antigua wants.
Please speak facts, we do pay taxes,Please give Gaston Browne a phone call and ask him to let us go our separate way, and don’t forget to ask about our sand mining money.
Sand? On day cruiseship in Antigua provide more money than the and that Barbuda can provide…what economy do you have? You don’t meant hotels, you don’t want nobody go there and invest.. you think selling lobster and sand is enough income to run a country? Are you insane? You don’t have enough qualified person to run a government and all the dependances plus you don’t want people coming overseas to work and invest.. then what noise is that of separation?
Then please pay back Antigua all the monies spent subsidized y’all ungreatful unthankful (so many other words I cant post) people.
Then the Lord said to Trevor Walker, Go to Gaston Browne and say to him, this is what the Lord says:LET MY PEOPLE GO.
Nobody holding on to them. They allow themselves to be in the stronghold of Trevor Walker.
I support Barbuda….
Me can’t figure out what is going on in parliament about this vote on whether Barbuda can leave. Obviously, all the labour MPS will vote this down. Thought Barbudans are the only ones who should vote in a referendum on leaving. Does an abusive spouse have the right to determine whether or not you stay in the relationship?
Maybe tomorrow after a good night’s sleep I will figure out this charade going on in parliament.
It’s about the arguments. if you’d listen and understood you would be wiser today.
Antigua AND Barbuda is one unified state. Nothing left to debate. We are one.
Better yet, vote out Gaston.
When people or groups are all on the same page, working for the same goals and doing the same thing, they are UNIFIED. Nothing unified about Antigua and Barbuda Separation is the way out.
The problem with Gaston is that he is full of pomposity and thinks he is the almighty one and can belittle Trevor Walker and the Barbudan people. Gaston needs to step down from his high horse and learn how to deal with
situations and people who may not agree with what he thinks and does in a dignified manner.
No one has belittled Barbudan people more than Trevor Walker himself. The PM never did such. He has called a group of them deracinated imbecile. And its because they don’t know the meaning of the worlds they thought it to be so offensive. Well lets look it up. Imbecile is a person who behaves in an extremely stupid way.
Deracinated is to pull up by the roots; uproot; extirpate; eradicate. to isolate or alienate (a person) from a native or customary culture or environment.
Therefore he called them Extremely alienated stupid persons. And why he made that remark? Because at the same time that he was trying to get aid for Barbuda, they were protesting against him trying to get the aid. Isn’t that a very stupid person.
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