The Big Issues

Timing is everything. In this episode we discuss what could happen if a general election were held in 2021. Who would win? What issues would weigh heavily on voters? Which parties are prepared? The conventional wisdom is not to call an election when the economy is in turmoil, and unemployment is high, assuming it can be avoided.

Yet the Cabinet has instructed the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) to get whatever material it needs to hold an election. The Information Minister would only say that the Prime Minister Gaston Browne could call one at any time, so ABEC ought to be ready. And he's right. Browne could call an election tomorrow morning. The question is, what would be the advantage in doing so? Unemployment is rife. The business community has been hurt badly by Covid-19. And an election is not constitutionally due until around March of 2023.

Maybe the government is confident that there'll be a recovery this year - a strong rebound in the tourism sector perhaps. Maybe it'll boost its spending power simultaneously with an international loan, and start paving roads like crazy. Or maybe it thinks this recession will last well into the latter half of next year, in which case some might argue it's best to have the election soon, before it loses more support, if it think it's lost any already. 

Alternatively, a snap election this year could be simply aimed at denying the opposition the opportunity to run a lengthy campaign. A snap election called tomorrow would do just that - prevent a lengthy litigation of the government's performance in the court of public opinion for too long a period before the vote.

Still, telling ABEC to prepare for elections might be a calculated ploy to generate activity in opposition parties, which might fizzle out. But is there any advantage to doing something like that? In any event, aren't the battles won at the constituency level? Doesn't it come down to who shows their face more, who's better at patronage and treating (both of which are corrupt), and who is best at mobilizing the average constituent? If so, then joblessness and the handling of Covid-19 won't matter much to most voters.  

Then there are other questions. Which parties are ready for an election? Will leadership matter? Will the opposition parties mount a united front? And what about Asot Michael and Michael Browne? Will they be running for the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party? We ran out of time before we could get to that last question, but we discussed a lot in this episode. 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on June 13th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

No! Not the IMF! Anything But the IMF! The acronym IMF tends to bring about a sense of doom and woe. It is often spoken of only in the context of economic turmoil and is usually seen as an unfavorable organization from which governments may borrow. But why is the IMF so dreaded?

In this episode we sat down for a one-on-one interview with economist, Dr. Thomson Fontaine, a Dominica national who worked at the IMF for over a decade and knows its ins and outs. It's very informative. The truth is that much of our general understanding of the IMF comes from political rhetoric and only seasonal news reporting. 

While the IMF has made many significant mistakes in its long history, it has improved greatly on how it engages with borrowing countries. And often, a government is compelled to turn to the IMF after poorly managing its finances to the point of insolvency. In other cases, it is a natural disaster or economic shock that sends governments to the IMF. 

The possibility of Antigua and Barbuda having to get into an IMF programme has been mentioned sporadically by Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, since the COVID recession began in March of 2020. Earlier, the Prime Minister, who is also the Finance Minister, had been quite forceful in saying that his administration was opposed to an IMF programme. But within the last week, his tone has softened, apparently in response to favourable discussions with the IMF about the conditions of a possible future loan package. 

Browne is quoted by the OBSERVER as saying that if the recession persists for another year or more, then the IMF may be the only option available. In April 2020, the IMF announced the approval of three requests from Dominica, Grenada, and St Lucia for emergency financial assistance to help address the challenges posed by Covid-19. We discuss all this and more in this episode.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on June 6th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online. Appearing in the cover photo is Dr. Thomson Fontaine.

The government says it plans to allow fetes to resume beginning with one in July. That has alarmed many, who are worried that doing so could mean risking outbreaks of Covid-19 in a population, only around one-third of which is vaccinated. 

In this episode, two promoters discuss at length the planning done and protocols designed to make the event Covid-19 safe, so to speak. Only vaccinated people will be able to attend. A range of other protocols are envisaged. According to news reports, attendees could number up to 300 people and they would be hosted outdoors. In this discussion, a medical doctor and a former Chief Health Inspector joined us to discuss the risks.

The event itself is a test - a collaboration amongst promoters to demonstrate that public gatherings can be properly managed with Covid-19 protocols in force. Their reasons are primarily economic. Events management is a significant industry, and so too are entertainment, catering, vending, and other related sectors. All have been badly affected by the ongoing restrictions on large gatherings. 

But some are not impressed with the idea of this test fete or the return of large gatherings in general. In a written Facebook post, pathologist Dr. Lester Simon voiced his concern bluntly and with wit. Dr. Simon is the Chairman of the Covid-19 Vaccination National Technical Working Group (NTWG). He doubted whether fetes could be effectively policed, whether party-goers could be trusted to observe protocols such as mask-wearing and staying in their own groups, and he warned of the potential for such events to become super spreader incidents. 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on June 6th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online. Photo credit: Trini Jungle Juice. See Antigua Carnival 2018: De Breakfast Fete Party - Part 2

Spare the rod blah blah blah. In this episode we delve into the debate on corporal punishment and whether schools should abandon it. The debate reignited nationally after news reports of two children - one 12-years-old and the other 8-years-old - having been left with injuries far more severe than ought to have been inflicted, after beatings meted out to them by teachers in separate incidents, in separate schools.

Unsurprisingly, there was a public outcry at the sight of photos of swollen purple skin and blood drawn. The issue attracted the input of the Education Minister, Daryll Matthew, who declared that he thinks corporal punishment ought not to be used in schools. Even the Prime Minister, Gaston Browne has weighed in, expressing disapproval of its continued use. A principal, Foster Roberts added his thoughts, arguing in favour of keeping it.

In fact, many are in favour of keeping corporal punishment in schools. Their arguments are essentially that it is quick and effective, and that educators have very limited measures at their disposal for disciplining students in an environment often short-staffed and under-resourced, and with children whose socialization in the home has not inclined them to be responsive to dialogue and other punishments. It is also routinely argued that if correctly, or properly done, beatings won't leave the recipient bleeding or severely bruised. Another refrain is that it should only ever be a last resort. 

Conversely, abolitionists argue that corporal punishment is degrading, humiliating and traumatizing - something we should wish to avoid doing to our children. Additionally, anecdotal accounts suggests that even in schools, it may end up being used for slight offences, or as a group punishment. Is that fair? The Ministry of Education does set standards to regulate beatings. And still, sometimes the blows that take-off do so with too much fuel, or fail to stay on the designated flight path. 

Abolitionists also argue that we in Antigua and Barbuda have a cultural love affair with beating which we need to break-up with - one born of a history of treating human beings like chattel, and of lacking respect for human dignity (just look at our prison). And what about beating at home? Should we abolish corporal punishment in the home? Surely, it is at home, away from the public's eyes, that the worst abuse through beatings occurs. Yet the law gives parents and guardians the right to beat, without any hope of regulating how they do so. We discuss all this and more in this episode.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on June 6th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online. Illustration credit: Clovis, Jamaica Observer, November 30, 2017.

CXC delayed exams. That was a prayer answered for some. For others, it was a deeply vexing decision. No matter what the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) does, it is highly likely that someone somewhere will have been better off if it had acted differently. That's even more often the case these days as CXC - the regional curriculum and examination agency - tries to accommodate multiple concerned groups in various Caribbean countries, all impacted differently by Covid-19.  

The agency was roundly criticized for not being accommodating enough in how exams were administered in 2020, and about the students subsequent grades. For 2021, it got off to an early start meeting with national policy makers, and getting feedback from schools about what needed to change. Recommendations were taken. Timetables were set. 

But by exam time this year, different groups in different countries were asking for additional changes. Many were dealing with special circumstances. St. Vincent and the Grenadines had been coping with the disastrous eruption of the volcano there since April 9th. In Barbados, COVID lockdowns and ashfall from St. Vincent had complicated things. Other countries had grappled with lockdowns as well, with varying effects. 

In light of the pressure from some, many of whom were calling for a reformatting of the exams to make them easier, CXC announced a two week delay. Many rejoiced. Some thought the delay ought to be longer. Some still preferred the idea of reformatting. And many were vexed, having already endured weeks of exhausting preparation amidst the worst teaching conditions of their careers, or the worst learning conditions of their student lives, and having been eager to put this year's exams behind them. We discuss all this and more in this episode. 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on May 30th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The COVID situation in Trinidad and Tobago got very bad beginning in April 2021, prompting another lockdown in the country by the 29th of that month. We are now at the end of May and there have been a total of 470 deaths from Covid-19 with an average of 508 new cases each day of the last week. On this episode, we are speaking to guests in Trinidad and Tobago about the situation unfolding there.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on May 30th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Criminal kidnapping? Extra-judicial rendition by secret agents? An elaborate ruse by Choksi himself? Speculation is rife on how exactly, Mehul Choksi, the mogul wanted on allegations of involvement in a massive bank fraud scandal in India, and who's been living in Antigua and Barbuda as a citizen (through a citizenship by investment programme), somehow managed to disappear on the evening of Sunday, May 23rd, then resurface in Dominica.

He has now been arrested there, reportedly for entering Dominica illegally by boat. But his lawyers there say he did not come willingly. And some would ask, why would he have? He's been contesting the Antigua and Barbuda government's attempt to revoke his Antigua and Barbuda citizenship and extradite him to India. He's been doing so since at least 2019. Legal proceedings in Antiguan and Barbudan courts did not appear to be at the stage where it would have made sense for him to flee. So why leave? And why Dominica?

Choksi has his own version of events - that he was kidnapped - and he's shown evidence to support it. Photos of him in lockup in Dominica have surfaced, his eyes bloodshot and his arms bruised purple. So if his story is true, then who kidnapped him, and why? He's a rich man, but there's been nothing said of ransom. Was it a plot to return him to India? That seems plausible, but no conclusion can be drawn. For now, he's fighting new battles in the courts of Dominica, the foremost among them being, assumedly, to resist being sent to India. 

On this segment, we will be asking our guests: What questions does his disappearance raise, and what does his being in Dominica mean for Antigua and Barbuda? The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on May 30th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online. Illustration credit: Ajay Mohanty.

It has been just over six weeks since explosive eruptions of the La Soufriere volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines began on Friday, April 9th. On this segment we asked a Red Cross worker, a journalist, and a government adviser about the ongoing issues being faced in the crisis response. 

They say people are getting accustomed to the new normal - living in shelters, living with strangers, schooling online, returning to work or finding new work, cleaning ash, staying weary of the volcano. The damage and loss described is saddening to say the least. Agriculture has been decimated. Homes, businesses and infrastructure has been physical ruined. But still all our speakers were nevertheless optimistic.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on May 23rd, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Isn't electoral politics a blood sport? Isn't it a savage game of smear and slander? Isn't it an endless cycle of soul-selling, influence peddling, money begging, and backroom trading? It is for some, and it isn't that way for others. It all depends on who you are and whether you are ready to crumble when your morals are under siege. And believe me, they will be put under siege. So who would volunteer for such a life? And why?

On this episode, we speak to three politicians who aspire to be elected to Parliament in the next election, or in another election to come. All of them are pretty young, and we did that deliberately to try and get a sense of what newer generations of political leaders think about the development problems we face in Antigua and Barbuda. How should those problems be addressed? What strategies have been shown to be futile? What needs to change? That was a major part of our discussion.

We also spoke about what inspired each of them to get politically active and why they chose their particular party affiliation. Sometimes, in the eyes of the public, joining an organisation means inheriting responsibility for defending its mistakes, its flawed legacy, and all its ills. How does one cope with that as new face on the scene seeking to do better? Their responses ought to be heard, so we encourage you to listen to this episode. You may find it ever so slightly refreshing to hear voices other than some of the more established political personalities.

Lastly, it ought to be said that although politics is often a sordid and skullduggerous affair, it is only so because the we make it that way. Sometimes it seems that loudness, crudeness, scandal and slander are more satisfying to us than having accountable leaders and political ethics. There are many places where it is not so - where citizens uncompromisingly expect the highest standards of speech, performance, public conduct and personal character from their leaders. Should we not demand the same?

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on May 23rd, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The Observer Radio has been on air for 20 years. In this episode we talk about why it was a game-changer at inception two decades ago, and about the work it does today. Undoubtedly, more than any other broadcaster, it has the distinction of having consistently delivered the most balanced coverage of national issues, particularly issues of politics and government. That type of coverage was significant 20 years ago given the political climate of that time. 

What was also significant was the Observer Radio's cast of highly-talented career professionals in broadcasting, journalism, news and media, assembled from within Antigua and Barbuda, and from across the Caribbean. They designed and redesigned an impressive line-up of programmes that varied in their target audience, in their content, and in their style. 

Over the years, the Observer newsroom tried to set a high standard for news, sometimes being the most voracious in reporting on critical issues of the day, which were more often issues which a sitting administration was desirous of concealing, or ignoring. At many times, there were some stories which only the Observer had the courage to report. And there are many examples of Observer's staff falling short of the organization's standards in terms of balance, fairness, and accuracy. We admit that freely.

Maintaining a reputation as a politically neutral broadcaster, open to airing all views and reporting on all subjects, has been one of the Observer Radio's greatest challenges. Many personalities have come and gone, each bringing their own biases or neutrality on-air, to the newsroom, or to the management team. The station's management and owners have not dedicated it to any political party or cause. But it is no secret however, that over the last two decades, some of Observer Radio's leaders have been open about their political views, their partisan loyalties or even held electoral aspirations. 

But the Observer Radio is also its team of professionals, not only its leadership. And those professionals have always been allowed to do their work. It is for that very reason, and for its consistent attempt at balanced political coverage, that the Observer Radio has consistently earned the ire of every administration since it came into operation on April 15th 2001. So for us, after 20 years of successes and some failures, the Observer Radio still remains unique amongst national broadcasters, and its work is still undoubtedly valuable. 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on May 23rd, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.