Prime Minister Gaston Browne has described the United Progressive Party (UPP)
as the ‘most serious threat’ facing Antigua and Barbuda and he is warning citizens
to ‘be aware’.
Speaking on the Browne and Browne Show on Saturday, PM Browne was
addressing the issue where some UPP members apparently had a role in providing
information for a Newsweek article that he felt, attempted to undermine the
relationship between Antigua and Barbuda and the People’s Republic of China.
The prime minister again underscored Antigua and Barbuda’s close ties with the
United States and the importance of US investments and as the main source for
tourists to the country, but he noted that at this moment, the PRC is the most
important developmental partner the country has.
He admitted to being alarmed that UPP officials would want to jeopardise that
relationship, even though when in government, the UPP sought and attained
developmental assistance from China.
He said elements within the party want government ‘at any cost’ and they are
prepared to figuratively ‘burn the place down’ to emerge from all the ashes.
“This notion that Antigua and Barbuda could be an outpost of China to undermine
the United States interests, that is just a horrendous act of hostility against the state,
coming from individuals who would like to run our country. I am wondering why
individuals within the UPP who are seeking to take over the governance of this
country, can show this level of disloyalty to our state. These people don’t care
about the impact of their statements on the living standards of our people,” PM
Browne stated.
He accused these elements of wanting to ‘take over the reins of governance’
because they failed to plan for their long-term future with no alternative plan to
govern the country.
“I hope the people are paying attention to this because at the end of the day the
level of irresponsible politics that we see coming from the opposition, it is the most
significant threat facing the people of Antigua and Barbuda at this time. There is
no other potential threat that is more dangerous than the UPP taking office in this
country,” he declared,
According to the prime minister the threat from the UPP would be worse than a
Category 5 hurricane making a direct hit to Antigua and Barbuda. “At the end of
the day, we are building capacity and resilience to mitigate against these powerful
storms, but the only way we can mitigate against the damage that a UPP
administration would do is to keep them out of office. I hope the people understand
that; I hope the people are paying attention,” he urged.
He also accused the opposition of spreading lies and mis-information about things
that are happening in the country, especially to those in the diaspora, even while
many independent and credible international agencies such as the United Nations,
the International Monetary Fund and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank all are
giving the government high marks of its handling of the economy, especially
during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently