Antigua and Barbuda: PM Browne Condemns Opposition's Silence on Budget Debate

Chaotic scenes prevailed in the parliament of Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday, December 11, when Prime Minister Gaston Browne was seen accusing the Opposition of not showing enough maturity and responsibility by refusing to debate the 2025 national budget that he presented in the Parliament a week ago.  

It was almost a rerun of the scenario that was witnessed on the floor in the National Parliament in December last year when PM Browne, who completed a decade in office this year. He slammed members of the Opposition for being absent during the wrap-up of the previous budget debate and called their non-participation in the key parliamentary discussion “most irresponsible”.

On Wednesday, the Labour Party leader said the budget estimates were available since November and hence the Opposition’s defence that they were not aware or they were not given the documentation doesn’t stand a ground. 

“It would have been good if the members on the other side (Opposition) would have read the budget statement as well as the estimates, then they would have been in a position, to say for example, we would have overspent in certain areas. They could have said we are running a budget deficit and irresponsible and unsustainable,” Browne said in his speech addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Osbert Richard Frederick. 

He added that what is needed in the House is experienced political arguments and it was evident that the Opposition were not interested in contributing.

Recalling his decade-long stay in Opposition, Browne said he would have never allowed as an Opposition leader the government of the day to wrap up a debate without him speaking. 

He said as government members, they have come to the House every year over the last decade to speak. Browne then told the Opposition members that they did not have the right to not to speak but still, if they decided to do so, they should remain quiet and sit down.

The government and Opposition crossed swords a week after PM Browne presented the budget that claimed that Antigua and Barbuda was set for major accomplishments the next year. 

PM Browne’s budget document

In the budget themed “Creating a Resilient, Harmonious, and Prosperous Nation”, Browne highlighted the island-nation’s impressive growth rate over the years and predicted it would record a real GDP growth of at least six per cent in 2024, more than surpassing the International Monetary Fund’s growth projection of a little over three per cent. 

According to Browne, the performance would see Antigua and Barbuda outdoing major economies such as the United States, Euro area and the United Kingdom. 

“Over the past three years, from 2021 to 2023, we have maintained an impressive average annual growth rate of 7.4 per cent. In our region, only Guyana, with its burgeoning oil and gas sector, has exceeded our growth rate. This achievement is a testament to the effective management of our economy and the resilience of our people,” Browne, also his country’s minister for finance, said. 

The prime minister said the 2025 budget is based on four transformative pillars that align with Antigua and Barbuda’s development strategy: strengthening macroeconomic resilience, expanding economic growth, and creating jobs; bettering social and gender inclusion while decreasing poverty and vulnerability; improving productivity by means by access to quality education, affordable healthcare and housing; and adapting to climate change, managing disaster risk and boosting environmental sustainability. 

The Opposition accused the government of showing dictatorial tendencies but they did not help themselves by opting for arguments and chaos. By deciding against speaking, they only allowed the government to dominate them. One of the Opposition MPs even claimed to have left his notes behind, which added to the conviction that the Opposition were unprepared and disorganized ahead of the crucial budget debate.