HURST REPORTS ON CABINET of Wednesday 4 September 2024
The Cabinet began its sitting with a prayer by a Minister of religion who was the first priest who prayed with the Cabinet in June of 2014 when the Gaston Browne administration took office. She recalled that she read from the Book of Ecclesiastes which asked God to guide the decision-making of the ruler. The Prime Minister responded to the effect that God has been faithful in guidance during these past ten years.
1. The Cabinet held a discussion around the APUA billing cycle that moved from twenty–eight days to forty days, causing customers to receive a bigger bill than is customary. The Cabinet invited the APUA General Manager, the Electricity Manager, the Financial Comptroller and the Chief Accountant to address the subject and to mollify customers who have complained. The APUA Team agreed that more press releases and other means of communicating with the customer-base will be forthcoming, in which they will continue to assure the public that the billing cycle for the next period will be only for twenty days; their next APUA electricity bill will reflect an even lower amount than is normally charged each month. The APUA Managers reminded that they will be installing smart meters (in phases) that will allow them to check on usage without entering onto the property, to track daily consumption of all 40,000 customers from headquarters.
2. The Cabinet invited the Principal of the Ottos Comprehensive School (and one of the Executive members of the Past Students Association) to join him in recognizing the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the OCS. Since its creation in 1975, there have been eleven Principals in forty-five of those years; three have passed and eight are still with us. A programme to celebrate their leadership and their contribution to nation-building will take place shortly.
ii. The OCS will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a grand event and is seeking resources to enable a deserving function to take place. The Cabinet has agreed to provide a significant contribution. The principal made it clear that the school has an obligation to save children who are from underprivileged communities and low-income families. The school is trying to raise additional monies to fund the OCS Steelband and other activities that will encourage other uplifting outcomes.
3. Six officials from the Ministry of Social Transformation including the Minister of State, the Hon. Samantha Marshall, were invited to Cabinet to assist in providing information and data on the challenges Antigua faces as a consequence of violence and criminal activity among youth. The Prime Minister shared his experience after meeting with two gangs and the challenges which their members face. Because of the retaliatory actions taken by gang members against one another, several reported not attending school and not travelling alone when leaving their neighbourhood. It was also noted that parents ought to be held responsible for the behaviour of their children, although it appears that many parents are relatively young and therefore do not have the parenting skills to adequately raise their children properly. Poverty, it was agreed, will always be a challenge for families, especially single-parent families; nonetheless, in a previous era, extended families played important supportive roles.
ii. One official from the Ministry of Social Transformation reported that sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) plague young girls, which generate other challenges because the diseases are usually not treated. When those diseases go untreated, young mothers give birth to children with autism, mental health challenges, and are even more difficult to raise. The Cabinet agreed that more public education is required to deter predatory behaviour. The Cabinet agreed that there must be greater collaboration between Social Transformation and Health; more early childhood education, special-needs education and more resources to fund programmes, are all needed.
4. The Cabinet invited the Barbuda Council to dialogue on a number of issues on which all could move forward, having identified common solutions. The Parliamentary Representative of Barbuda led the delegation of 7 officials. He applauded the Prime Minister for improving the engagement with the Council, overcoming an acrimonious relation which had its beginnings many years ago. In the year 2000, a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) was established with the help of the Commonwealth; it consisted of three members of the Barbuda Council and three members of the Government. That proposal was accepted by the Cabinet and the Prime Minister is to be the chairperson (with a casting vote). An agreement was reached to make payments of back-pay up to $500,000. The Cabinet also agreed to provide up to ECD$10 million dollars in roadwork. At present, Palmetto Point is accessible only by the beach or the sea because the road is now within leased property; the Cabinet gave assurances that roadways perpendicular to the sea would create accessibility to the beach, as is the law in Antigua and Barbuda. The issue of land adjudication is now before the High Court and the Barbuda Council’s attorney was not present; therefore, the issue was not discussed. Constructing a Golf Course on the northern side of Barbuda was also put forward. Until there was a map of the area intended to be so utilized, the Council members felt that they could not address the issue.
5. The Chairman and the new CEO of the Antigua Barbuda Airport Authority (ABBA) came to Cabinet to report on the closure of the old airport in Barbuda at sunset on October 2nd 2024. They reported that permission to open the new airport will commence at sunrise on October 3rd 2024. The long-awaited communication signaling the permission to commence flights to and from the Barbuda International Airport was confirmed by the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCA). The new CEO in collaboration with the Cabinet is planning to have a grand opening with flights from Antigua, with government officials, private-sector operators, and many Barbudans on the day of the opening.
ii. The new CEO spoke of establishing an aviation academy here in Antigua, in all likelihood connected to the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus. It would teach subjects related to the management of airports, the safety regulations and other subjects related to operating an airport such as security, crowd management within the aviation sector.
6. The Development Commissioner, with the permission of the Cabinet, invited a group of investors known as the BVI Investment Club, that has been in existence for 30 years, to address the executive body. The Club began with an investment of USD$1,000 from each of its members and immediately purchased a cellphone company that was being sold. Today, the assets of the investment club exceed USD$50 million dollars, and it pays dividends annually that exceed the amount of the initial investment amount. The model utilized by the investment club was being shared with the Cabinet and the private sector organizations in Antigua, in the hope of duplicating its success with others. The investment club has successfully invested in a hotel, a marina, in water desalination and storage, and land.
