CABINET NOTES of Wednesday 4 September 2024

HURST REPORTS ON CABINET of Wednesday, September 4, 2024

The Cabinet began its session with a prayer by a minister of religion who was the first priest to pray with the Cabinet when the Gaston Browne government took office in June 2014. She recalled reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes, which asked God to guide the ruler’s decision-making. The prime minister responded that God has been faithful in his guidance over the past decade.

1. The Cabinet held a discussion on the APUA billing cycle which went from twenty-eight days to forty days, resulting in customers receiving higher bills than usual. The Cabinet invited the APUA General Manager, Electricity Manager, Financial Controller and Chief Accountant to address the issue and appease customers who have complained. The APUA team agreed that there would be more press releases and other means of communication with the customer base, in which they continue to assure the public that the billing cycle for the next period will be only twenty days; their next APUA electricity bill will reflect an even lower amount than they are normally charged each month. The APUA managers reminded that they will be installing smart meters (in phases) that will allow them to monitor usage without entering the premises, to track the daily consumption of all 40,000 customers from the head office.

2. The Cabinet invited the Principal of Ottos Comprehensive School (and one of the executive members of the Past Students Association) to join him in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the OCS. Since its establishment in 1975, there have been eleven principals in 45 of those years; three have passed away and eight are still there. A programme will be held shortly to celebrate their leadership and their contribution to nation building.

ii. The OCS is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a grand event and is seeking funds to enable it to perform a meritorious function. The Cabinet has approved a significant contribution. The Principal made it clear that the school has a duty to rescue children from disadvantaged communities and low income families. The school is seeking to raise additional funds 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 assist in providing information and data on the challenges faced by Antigua as a result of youth violence and criminal activities. The Prime Minister shared his experience after meeting with two gangs and the challenges faced by their members. Due to the retaliatory actions taken by gang members against each other, several reported not attending school and not travelling alone when they left their neighbourhoods. It was also noted that parents should 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 properly raise their children. Poverty, it was agreed, will always be a challenge for families, particularly single-parent families; nevertheless, in an earlier era, extended families played an important supporting role.

ii. An official from the Ministry of Social Transformation reported that sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are ravaging young girls, which poses other challenges because the diseases are often left untreated. When these diseases are left untreated, young mothers give birth to children with autism, mental health issues and are even more difficult to raise. The Cabinet agreed that more public education is needed to discourage predatory behavior. The Cabinet agreed that there should be more collaboration between Social Transformation and Health; more early childhood education, special education and more resources to fund programs are all needed.

4. The Cabinet invited the Barbuda Council to engage in dialogue on a number of issues where all could move forward, after common solutions had been identified. The Barbuda Parliamentary Representative led the delegation of 7 officials. He commended the Prime Minister for improving engagement with the Council, overcoming an acrimonious relationship that began many years ago. In the year 2000, with the assistance of the Commonwealth, a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) was established; 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 will be the Chairman (with a casting vote). An agreement was reached to make payments of up to $500,000 in back wages. The Cabinet also agreed to provide up to ECD$10 million for road works. At present, Palmetto Point is only accessible by beach or sea, as the road is now on leased land; The Cabinet gave assurances that roads perpendicular to the sea would provide access to the beach, as required by law in Antigua and Barbuda. The issue of land allocation is now before the High Court and the Barbuda Council’s lawyer was not present; therefore the issue was not discussed. The development of a golf course on the north side of Barbuda was also brought forward. Until a map of the area that would be used in this way was available, the Council members felt they could not address the issue.

5. The Chairman and new CEO of the Antigua Barbuda Airport Authority (ABBA) came to Cabinet to report on the closure of the old Barbuda airport at sunset on October 2, 2024. They reported that the permission to open the new airport will take effect at sunrise on October 3, 2024. The long-awaited announcement 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 Cabinet, is planning a grand opening of flights from Antigua, with government officials, private operators and many Barbudans attending on the day of the opening.

ii. The new CEO spoke about setting up an aviation academy here in Antigua, most likely linked to the Five Islands Campus of the University of the West Indies. It would teach courses on airport management, safety regulations and other subjects related to the running of an airport, such as security and crowd management within the aviation sector.

6. The Development Commissioner, with the approval of Cabinet, invited a group of investors known as the BVI Investment Club, which has been in existence for 30 years, to address the Executive. The club started with an investment of USD$1,000 from each of its members and immediately purchased a mobile phone company which was sold. Today the investment club has assets in excess of USD$50 million and pays annual dividends in excess of the initial investment. The model used by the investment club was shared with Cabinet and private sector organisations in Antigua in the hope of replicating its success with others. The investment club has successfully invested in a hotel, a marina, water desalination and storage, and land.

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