PM Browne: ‘No public inquiry into migrant issue’

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has reiterated his position that there is no need for
a public inquiry into the issues surrounding the West African migrant issue that has
gripped the country over the past several months.
Speaking in the House of Representatives on Monday in response to inquiries
under the Questions to the Prime Minister item on the Order paper, PM Browne
said all the relevant information on the issue ‘are in the public domain’ and
therefore he will not be putting in place a public inquiry.
“This idea that there may have been some ‘smoking gun’ or circumstantial
evidence of any form of wrongdoing by anyone member of the administration to
warrant a public inquiry; there’s none!” he declared.
He reiterated the point that the air-bridge was established between Antigua and
Barbuda and Nigeria in good faith but that some capitalized on this opening to
exploit the link with nefarious intentions; the smuggling of migrants into the
United States. “None of us had any information about this. In fact, the operators of
the airline tried to reach out to another Caribbean country but were turned down
because the situation here in Antigua and Barbuda was already publicized. It could
have happened to any one of our countries,” he further remarked.
PM Browne called upon the opposition member who raised the issue to provide
even ‘a scintilla of evidence of wrongdoing’ so that he can make a determination
on whether or not a public inquiry is necessary. “If there was evidence of collusion
in human trafficking or migrant smuggling, then fine, but you have not come up
with any evidence,” he stated.
The prime minister made the point that it was not what the opposition member may
think or believe, but that there must be some evidence to verify that need for an
expensive public inquiry. “The reality is we have been very open. We brought in
the IOM (International Organisation for Migration) we brought in the UN High
Commission for Refugees and not one of them, of the more than one hundred
interviewed, said they were part of any human trafficking ring. If they didn’t say
that to the international organization, do you think they will say that to a public
inquiry? I don’t think so!” he emphasized.