Newly appointed independent member of the Upper House, Sen. Kiz Johnson is making a national appeal for Antiguans and Barbudans to use the impact on food prices from external conditions, to look within themselves to find creative ways to become more self-sufficient.
Sen. Johnson made the point on Tuesday, during her maiden presentation in the Senate on the National Budget 2023 for Antigua and Barbuda. She attributed the rise in the cost of living in the country to exogenous circumstances such as international inflationary pressures.
Rather than complain, the senator wants residents to be proactive and take steps to ‘help themselves’ out of the situation. “Although efforts have been made, such as subsidies to help cushion the squeeze, I want to implore our people to look within ourselves, as this may be the moment to identify some skill that we may have buried in ourselves, to find ways to create extra income for ourselves and to do something for ourselves! Less blaming, more thinking, less blaming, more doing,” she urged.
Sen. Johnson noted that the situation globally, is beyond the country or the people of Antigua and Barbuda to solve. She asked, “how long are we going to assign blame, as opposed to trying to come up with areas in our own lives that we can say we have a particular talent, that will allow me not only to generate income for myself, but to add value?”
The senator reinforced the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic had created an opportunity for many people to start their own businesses, and that she is relying on this creativity to help residents find a way out of the current difficulties they face. “Increased cost of living may not go anywhere, but we are not blaming, we are doing. We are shifting the mindset, we are thinking and we are bringing our skills to the fore,” she stated.
Senator Johnson ended her presentation, by making a call for both sides of the political divide to come together in the interest of Antigua and Barbuda.
