HURST REPORTS ON CABINET of Wednesday 28 August 2024
The Cabinet began its meeting with prayers, as has been the custom since 2014.
1. The Cabinet examined three pieces of legislation dealing with gangs and youth that will come before the Parliament next week. They will include: i. the Anti-Gang Bill; ii. The Child Justice (Amendment) Bill; and, iii. the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill. The new and amended laws are intended to address the spate of criminal activity by youth, recently recorded. Considerable attention is paid to the likely impact of increased minimum sentences, although the Cabinet conceded that depriving magistrates and judges (who adjudicate criminal matters) of the discretion which they now possess, may not be constitutional. Nevertheless, though the minimal custodial sentence for gun crimes appears to be two years, the Cabinet agreed on a minimum of five years for gun crimes and left the discretion to magistrates and judges to determine the length of incarceration.
2. The Cabinet has agreed to engage in consultation with stakeholders who have a particular interest in deterring crime. Those stakeholders will include Judges and Magistrates dealing with criminal law, the Police, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General, the Bar Association, the Church, the Business Community, the DPP, a representative from the private sector organizations and from the NGOs. One of their primary tasks will be to establish a Criminal Justice Board whose primary function will be to review draft legislation pertaining to crime that will go before the Parliament; bills will, thereafter, reflect broad-based input rather than the informed thinking of the members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament only.
3. The Cabinet invited to its meeting the West Indies Cricket Board, the Manager of the Antigua Falcons, and the CEO of the Caribbean Premier League in order to bid farewell to the CEO of Cricket West Indies who–after seven years—is leaving the post. The Prime Minister, the Attorney General and the Minister of Sports expressed their congratulations for his highly valued management of West Indies Cricket during his tenure; he was invited to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda since he has lived in Antigua for more than seven years. The Cabinet further applauded the outgoing CEO for his work in reviving the Caribbean Premier League, for enhancing the status of cricket among male and female Under 19 and 14 players. The Manager of the Antigua Falcons has promised to make the team an outstanding side that will cause the nation to feel pride; and, the CEO of the CPL indicated that even more interest will be generated in cricket as a consequence of league playing more professional cricket in our Caribbean region.
4. i. The Cabinet was informed by the Attorney General that the Land Adjudication Board started its work in Barbuda today, Wednesday. In order to complete an accurate cadastral survey, the Land Adjudication Board will invite those who have had historical use of the crown land to establish their claim over certain parcels. That work will continue for as long as it takes within a reasonable time to complete the mapping. Sir Clare K Roberts has been appointed Chairman. All land in Barbuda is owned by the crown; the law now allows for crown land to be sold in fee simple to those who have occupied and built homes on those lands. Residents of Barbuda will be able to purchase their plot for $1.00 in consideration.
ii. The Cabinet was informed that the training of fire officers at the Barbuda International Airport is complete and that all systems are in place for the granting of approval, following simulations next week. The authority to ensure that permission is granted will come from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority within two weeks or by mid-September, the Cabinet was told.
5. Ottos Comprehensive School (OCS) celebrates 50 years in 2025. Cabinet applauds the planners who are making arrangements to recall the important role which the institution has played in the lives of its many past students. The OCS was constructed to fill the void created when the St. John’s Girls School was burnt to the ground in 1968. The OCS became a CO-ED school serving multiple communities within the southern portion of the city of St. John’s.
6. The Cabinet has declared Thursday 12th of September 2024, to be a day of prayer for the nation. The Ecclesiastical Commission will announce a programme befitting such a day as the nation seeks God’s continual blessings.
7. The Cabinet has agreed to an Official Funeral for the Honourable Keith Forde, former Attorney General of Antigua and Barbuda who served in the V.C. Bird Cabinet for nearly three terms. He returned to private practice in 1994. 7.i. Parliament will meet on Thursday 5th September 2024. Several bills and amendments to existing legislation will come before the body.
