The Big Issues

Anti-government sentiment over vaccination has gripped many people in Antigua and Barbuda. Frustration with unemployment is high amidst a prolonged Covid-19 recession. The government's spending power has plummeted dramatically. After an acrimonious and very public falling out with the Prime Minister, party stalwart and now disgraced MP Asot Michael has vowed to "not to be pushed out" of his constituency. But his party is polling his St. Peter to install his replacement. Meanwhile, MP Michael Browne is in court for a criminal charge, sacked from the Cabinet till it's resolved. Where does that leave All Saints West? And has Gaston Browne's popularity changed at all amidst this Covid-19 crisis? Did it call for a leader usually seen as callous and scathing, to become a unifying figure?

Or, maybe those are all petty issues. Maybe anti-government sentiment is overestimated. Maybe the holes in the slate will be resolved without incident. Maybe patronage at the constituency level has already guaranteed the victory. Labour MP Lennox Weston says for voters, politics is all about what politicians "do for me personally". Who knows how many people have been done for personally since 2018, and even amidst the pandemic? What do you think? In this episode we ask: How strong will the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) be when it heads into the next general election?

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 8th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Should incoming travellers be fully vaccinated? Will free Covid-19 tests appease government workers who opposed the 'vaccinate, get tested or go home' policy? And was making gyms vaccinated-only venues the right way to go? These are the issues we talk about in this episode. One of our guests says the government ought to be more upfront with the science and the data behind its decisions - decisions which seem to be revised, and amended with weekly regularity.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 8th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The political mood in St. Vincent and the Grenadines could not be more tense. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, the five term Prime Minister of the multi-island nation was struck in the head at an anti-government protest on Thursday, August 5th, as some protesters who began getting violent, pelted his entourage. He was left bleeding profusely and with a concussion, reportedly. He's reacted by condemning not just the thrower of the missile, but the "back room authors" of "violence against my person". SVG police later searched the homes of prominent figures in the main opposition party.

The main opposition, the New Democratic Party (NDP) had already condemned the attack on Gonsalves, now in his seventies. It, along with unions, organised the march against a planned government policy on mandatory testing or vaccination for some state employees. But the march was larger than any one specific issue. Some were against the policy. Some were against vaccination. Some are reeling from the overlapping volcano and Covid crises and how the government has handled itself since. Others still see the governing party as illegitimate, it having won the last election in 2020 although it lost the popular vote. 

In this episode we get fair perspectives on what led to the wounding of the SVG Prime Minister and how things in St. Vincent are likely to develop. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 8th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

"I'm not ready to [go]. And I'm not going to be pushed out." That's what disgraced Labour MP Asot Michael warned his party leader while on his feet in Parliament in February this year. "I come from the bowels of labour!" he bellowed, describing his relationship to the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP). Now that his party is finding his replacement, Michael is remarkably silent. But then again, why show your hand so early? Why give your opponent time to react? Patience and cunning perhaps? Maybe he learned from Joanne's mistakes.

Of course, it could well be that Michael has changed his mind and resolved to take a back seat in political life. Political parties tend to offer up whatever's necessary to get their disgruntled to go away quietly. Ambassadorships. Senatorial appointments. Statutory boards. Commissioners of this and that. But surely, after the Prime Minister Gaston Browne publicly lashed out at Michael, calling him "deceitful" and alleging corruption on his part, there is no way Browne could ever find a place in public life for the disgraced MP. Surely, the PM has more backbone than that, right? 

So what if Michael runs independently? Could he win? It depends. He's known for his patronage, or "helping" people as politicians insidiously call it. Many are endeared to him for that reason alone. He's been St. Peter's MP since 2004, and not only has he won four elections there, but he's increased his majority each time. He won with 58.31% of St. Peter's vote in 2004; 63.24% in 2009; 69.09% in 2014; and 73.90% in 2018 (see source). Though many consider him a moral plague, his shambles of a reputation when it comes to integrity hasn't prevented him from winning an election before. Who's to say he couldn't do it again?

This is not a full episode. It is an extract from the episode titled: Labour All the Way! GB's ABLP Heading for Third Term? The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This is an extract from a programme that first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 8th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Marcus Garvey once said to an audience in New York, "Go to work! Go to work in the morn of a new creation… until you have reached the height of self-progress, and from that pinnacle bestow upon the world a civilization of your own." It was August 1st, 1924. It would have been Emancipation Day, nearly 100 years ago. In his speech, Garvey, as he had done for much of his life, was advocating for Black people to redress the condition in which racism, enslavement, and colonialism had placed them, and create nations of their own, set apart from those of Europe and North America. 

Today is Emancipation Day. It's 2021. On this episode we reflect on the emancipation of African people from enslavement in the British West Indies in the 1830s. We discuss the freedoms gained then, and the how Caribbean freedom is manifested today. We ask whether the psychology (anti-Black) and economy (repressively classist) of plantation society has been eliminated in the Caribbean, or whether it lingers, and in what ways.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 1st, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Poor leadership, out of touch polices, and a fractured party are some of what contributed to the defeat of former Prime Minister Allen Chastanet in the July 26, 2021 general election according to our analysts. His party went from 11 seats in the 17-member assembly to 2 seats. The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) won the election and Phillip J. Pierre is the new Prime Minister. But where did Chastanet's United Workers Party (UWP) go wrong? Dr. Tennyson Joseph, Denys Springer, Stan Bishop and Carlon Knight joined us to discuss the outcome, and whether there are lessons for other Caribbean countries expecting elections - countries like Antigua and Barbuda.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 1st, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

A senator, a doctor, and two commentators discuss the recent anti-vax/pro-choice protests, whether the vaccination debate has become too hostile, whether health education can combat the flood of misinformation, and share their views on people's "right to choose". One speaker thinks the unvaccinated are being "demonised" and blamed for the ongoing pandemic. Our doctor argues that vaccination is the safe and responsible thing for all. The senator urges people to cut through the noise and consult their doctors about vaccination. The other speaker says health education needs to be taken into communities face-to-face.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

The same debate over how to react to the unvaccinated is happening in many places around the world. But the protests demonstrated just how diverse positions are in the unvaccinated camp. One woman said she didn't believe in Covid-19. A man was screaming that someone told him the vaccine would kill people in a few years (false). Many said vaccines were "fake" or "experimental" (false). A young man said the government's actions were part of the "agenda". Other protesters simply supported there being a right to choose, and there being a reliance on education and not coercion.

Here, one of the big problems in the national debate amidst the mess of accurate and inaccurate information available to all of us, is that genuinely hesitant people who only desire a reasoned and informed discussion of the facts, are often lumped in with antivaxxers, who are frequently unshakable, die-hard vaccine opponents too often found to be spreading conspiracy theories. But simply because someone is vaccine hesitant, as a protester pointed out, does not make them a conspiracist. Yet, some of the vaccinated are somewhat fed-up with the hesitant, wondering why are delaying.

There is at least one answer to that question, and that is that many people just don't know what to believe. Few of us are experts, so we rely heavily on the doctors and scientists around us who are experts, or who are supposed to be experts to guide our actions. But in the information age, it is easier to come by misinformation that it is to come by accurate information. Our biases also drive how we process information. If you already have a long-held suspicion of Western governments and large corporations, then you are likely to be less skeptical of information which supports your views, and vice versa. 

So clearly, accurate health information is key. But it's a serious task, especially when talk show hosts and media personalities have their own beliefs and agendas; when media is hyper-partisan, when the public has unfettered access to misinformation on the internet; and when there are many specialists - sometimes not highly regarded in their professional fraternity - who are making misleading claims about vaccines. Combatting misinformation has become its own sector and newsrooms and tech companies now have departments devoted to fact-checking. It costs money, time, and expertise. 

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 1st, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Many people have been saying that Covid-19 vaccines are "experimental" lately. It's an often repeated falsehood. They are not experimental. They were rigorously tested, found to have met established safety and efficacy standards, and authorized for use by competent and respectable regulatory bodies around the world. Key data pertaining to the vaccines and their development is also available publicly and to your local health authorities for their own inspection and analysis. In this 5-minute bonus, we extracted two clips, both from episodes of The Big Issues which aired on July 25th, in which a professor in once case, and a medical doctor in the other case, addressed the false claim that the vaccines available to us are experimental. 

The interviewer is Kieron Murdoch. The interviewees appearing in this bonus are:

Important note: Misinformation and falsehoods surrounding Covid-19 and vaccination against it are everywhere. Around the globe, false information can be shared instantly. Misinformation originating in one place can soon become global by your simple decision to click share. Please go to reputable sources to get international and local news, not blogs and random users or pages on Facebook. 

When you come across conflicting statements about Covid-19 and vaccines, web search to see if something you saw may be misinformation which has already been debunked. If you come across information and jargon which you cannot grasp, then you ought to seek the advice of a reputable medical professional to clarify, or your public health officials.

Random users on Facebook and Instagram, loosely circulating videos, forwarded messages on WhatsApp, memes, and internet jokes are NOT reliable sources of correct information on Covid-19 and vaccination. A post with false information can be written by someone in a minute, and through sharing, it can become a global conspiracy theory in a few days. False information and anti-vaccination sentiment have been around for decades. But repeating something over and over does not make it true. It must be shown to true or false, and withstand scrutiny.

Sometimes, someone may send you to an official website to see official reports with medical or biomedical information which they say proves their claims about Covid-19 or about vaccines. But such reports can be ,complex, easy to misunderstand, and easily taken out of context by untrained eyes, even when information therein appears straightforward. This then creates confusion and mistrust. Please seek clarity from reputable medical professionals and rely on your public health officials.

This bonus episode features extracts from episodes of The Big Issues which first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on July 25th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Do you support the extension of the school day? No? Yes? Until when? 2:30 PM? 4:00 PM? In this episode we discuss the idea of an extended school day for public schools and all that would need to be considered before it could ever happen, if ever it were to happen. Our guests came to the conclusion that any changes ought to be based on data, based on engagement with those affected, and based on a clear objective for what an extension would be meant to achieve.

Would the idea be to help students? If so, in what way? Through more arts, sports and recreation? Or with further class time? Would the idea be to help parents by better synchronizing the work and school day, and allowing them to focus on work till the workday ends? What about teachers? How would they be affected? Surely, they would need to be paid more, and negotiations over their terms of work would need to happen. But at the same time, one of our guests says it should be remembered that teachers are hired to teach, and not to babysit. 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on July 25th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

"I was appalled at what I saw" is how senior attorney, Justin Simon QC, reacted when asked about the now viral video of a woman being arrested, resisting, and being roughly handled by a policeman. Equally appalled were Dr. Celvin Walwyn, former Commissioner of Police in St. Kitts and Nevis, and Nuffield Burnette, former Assistant Commissioner of Police in Antigua and Barbuda. 

"Top rag up the woman!" the bystander recording could be heard saying at different points in the video. The woman, who was accosted for the offense of not wearing a mask (though she claims it was on, but below her nose) has now been given eight charges to answer in the Magistrate's Court, which many thought was excessive. She also claims in the video, that the officer made a pass at her before what happens on camera unfolded. But barring that, and just based in the video, Dr. Walwyn for one, suggested there be an internal investigation into how this arrest unfolded and whether it should have been better handled. He said, "What I saw should not have happened."

But our guests didn't spend too much time on the video, since the matter will be brought to court. More importantly, they talked about what powers the police do and do not have, and how citizens and police officers ought to behave in encounters. The discussion is highly informative. They talk about whether one must give their name and address, what you should do if you feel you are being arrested unjustly, what powers the police have to search you or your vehicle, and whether there are any prohibitions on recording the police. 

On that last question, you should know that our panel - a senior attorney, as well as one current and one former senior police officer - all said they were not aware of any prohibitions against recording an encounter with the police. But all warned against resisting arrest. This episode is an essential listen for any citizen who has ever been unsure of what their obligations are in a police encounter here in Antigua and Barbuda. 

It is also important to remember that the police are charged with keeping order and protecting people. They are not public enemies. They play an integral role in society which ought to be respected, but executed with reason and according to the rules. This discussion is not about painting police officers as enemies, but rather, it is about police accountability, the appropriate use of discretion by officers, and citizens' responsibilities. 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on July 25th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.