Prime Minister Gaston Browne says younger residents of Barbuda are beginning to reassess long-standing beliefs about land ownership on the island, suggesting a generational shift in perspective on one of the country's most contentious political issues.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the remarks during his weekly radio programme, arguing that many younger Barbudans are coming to recognise that they were misled on the issue — particularly regarding land rights and ownership structures that have long defined the debate.
Browne attributed the shift in part to recent legal interpretations and government policies, including land initiatives advanced by his administration, which he said have contributed to a growing reassessment among the younger population.
The comments arrive against a backdrop of ongoing tension over Barbuda's land question, which remains a central and deeply divisive political issue. The government and opposition continue to clash over the island's development model and the nature of property rights there.
Land ownership in Barbuda has historically been communal in nature, a structure that successive disputes and development proposals have repeatedly brought to the fore. The Prime Minister's remarks suggest his administration views the next generation as increasingly open to an alternative understanding of that framework.
