Prime Minister Gaston Browne responded with characteristic humour Saturday to his newly acquired honorific title, telling Antiguans and Barbudans they were welcome to keep calling him by his long-standing nickname instead.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the remarks during his weekly Pointe FM radio programme, after hosts raised the subject of a recently issued Vice-Regal Warrant establishing formal rules governing the use of honorific titles in Antigua and Barbuda.
The hosts explained that under the new rules, prime ministers become eligible to use the title "The Right Honourable" upon assuming a fourth term in office, whether those terms are consecutive or non-consecutive. Browne, currently serving his fourth term, now qualifies for the lifetime honorific.
When one of the presenters offered congratulations on receiving the title, Browne was quick to brush it aside. "I say to the people of Antigua and Barbuda, when you all see me, call me Gassy Dread," he said, drawing laughter from those in the studio.
One presenter responded with a formal "The Right Honourable," while another jokingly proposed a compromise: "The Right Honourable Gassy Dread." Browne settled on "Honourable Gassy Dread" before the programme broke for commercials.
The "Gassy Dread" nickname has become closely associated with the prime minister in recent years. Browne has embraced it openly, previously joking that he intended to change his middle name from Alfonso to "Gassy Dread" and noting that diplomats and government officials abroad have also taken to using the moniker.
The Vice-Regal Warrant was issued this week by Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams, acting under constitutional authority. It establishes a formal framework for the use of appellations and styles across Antigua and Barbuda.
Under the warrant, the title "The Right Honourable" is granted for life to governors-general, former governors-general, prime ministers upon the commencement of their fourth term in office, former prime ministers who served at least four terms, and members of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.
