The Big Issues

What do you believe and how sure are you? Is Sir Hilary Beckles the victim of a conspiracy to undermine him and cut short his tenure as Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI)? People have said that. Is the largely ceremonial Chancellor, Robert Bermudez, attempting to gain more power for his office? People have said that. Is there a plan to turn The UWI into a business-focused, profit-oriented, money making machine? People have said that. 

Meanwhile, there's a 143-page, July 2020 report which speaks for itself, but few are listening. It was compiled by a team of highly respected Caribbean professionals. It has raised some serious - and by no means new - questions about failings in The UWI's governance, financing, and several other things. From Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean is steeped in debate about this report. We should all really read it, or at least the executive summary. Do its findings seem far-fetched? Are its recommendations unreasonable? What do you think? Certainly, the UWI needs further reform and this isn't the first report to say so.

In this episode we talk about the narratives surrounding this report, the accusations, the characterizations, and the risk of losing focus of the need to fix the problems the report identified or at least acknowledge that they exist. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on April 4th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

You and I could be paying a hefty bill for the damages due to former Commissioner of Police Wendel Robinson. On March 24th we learned that the High Court had found his removal and denial of pension to be unlawful and motivated by bad faith. The Kelvin John led Police Service Commission (PSC) - which is roundly criticized by one of our guests as being highly incompetent throughout this saga - has promised to appeal. And who knows what may come of it? They may win.

At this stage, what we do know is this: Robinson's sacking was riddled with legal problems from the start, he is now pressing ahead with damages which could be hefty, and he still maintains that the sexual harassment allegations which led to his sacking were the orchestrated effort of now disgraced St. Peter MP Asot Michael, an allegation which has been denied. No, that hasn't gone away. Why? Because we don't investigate such things in our beloved paradise. So unfortunately, the innocent sometimes live under a cloud of suspicion, while the guilty sometimes roam freely. 

In this episode we ask about the implications of the latest court verdict for Robinson, the current commissioner Atlee Rodney, the PSC, and the conspiracy Robinson alleged. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on April 4th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

It's March 28th and the month is ending. And we've had a harsh month - COVID deaths, the 6:00 PM curfew, bars and restaurants shutdown, and virtual schooling throughout. But now, more than 25,000 people have been vaccinated, and active infections have been slowly decreasing, though they are still above 300. New daily cases have been going down too. Now the curfew is being relaxed to 8:00 PM. Schools could reopen in April. Bars and restaurants can seat patrons again. So is COVID-19 officially under control? if so, how can we keep it that way, as restrictive measures are relaxed? 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 28, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Have you ever wanted to invest in a business, big or small? Or some other revenue generating asset? On this episode we talk about investing, and the opportunities for doing so in our small economy, and in our region. We were prompted to discuss the issue by the divestment of shares in the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to the general public. 

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 28, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

We treat prisoners like human chattel on a slave plantation, and what's worse is that some of us seem to be proud of it. Meanwhile prison officer aren't doing so well either. This episode is about the response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Her Majesty's Prison, which has been a series of astonishing failures. To know that, you need only listen to the interviews with prison officers, one of which we included this episode. It's otherwise impossible to grasp the scope and breath of everything going horribly wrong.

Firstly, news of the outbreak actually came from an activist, not the prison administration. Then there was no off-site isolation facility immediately ready to take in infected persons despite the risk of a prison outbreak being known for a year. Prison officers are saying not all of them have been vaccinated. How is that possible? It's alleged that untested people are still being remanded to the prison as if there were no pandemic. Officers are short on personal protective equipment (PPE) and have to wash and reuse them. Two workers who had tested positive were allegedly back at work within days. The litany of alleged failures is truly astonishing. 

But are you surprised? Let's cut the nonsense and be frank about it - the prison is a horrid place. It's an abomination unfit for animals. But we, as a nation, insist of forcing human beings to go there. In this episode we talk about what has gone wrong, what needs to be done now to manage COVID-19 at the prison, and finally, why the moral aberration that we call "1735" ought to have ended a very, very long time ago.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 28, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Should a paternity test be mandatory in child maintenance cases in Antigua and Barbuda? In the Caribbean? Some people think it should actually be mandatory at birth. Do you agree? These are the sorts of questions that arose during this episode which was sparked by the story of a man who claimed he'd been supporting a child that was not his for 15 years. The man's story is that on more than one occasion, he was denied a paternity test to prove he wasn't the father, and was also imprisoned in relation to child support.

That he was reportedly denied a paternity test appears to be the most contentious and indeed, bizarre aspect of the story. In this discussion we ask three lawyers, one of whom is a former senior magistrate, what went wrong in this case. We ask about how the system can still ensure the interest of children, while not being unjust to proven or presumed parents. 

Our panel reveals that ordering a paternity test is within the court's discretion; that there is no statutory "right" per se; that parties are often unrepresented in domestic matters and as such, fail to grasp what's happening in the initial stages; and that once a court settles paternity at the onset, it becomes difficult to challenge it later. Much more is revealed about the nature of these cases, and the sometimes unsavory motives of mothers and fathers.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 21, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online. 

The answer to that question is quite simply no. The fact that it still occurs in Antigua and Barbuda is a testament to how far we have yet to travel on the road to greater accountability from our law enforcement officers. On this episode we talk about an independent police complaints agency for Antigua and Barbuda.

The idea of an independent agency has been suggested twice by Public Safety Minister Steadroy "Cutie" Benjamin, who is also Attorney General. Benjamin spoke of an independent authority back in 2020. His most recent suggestion came around the same time that a video circulated widely in Antigua and Barbuda showed a high ranking police officer confronting a seemingly unarmed man, then a shot ringing out off camera. The police are investigating. But if we're being honest, the public has little to no confidence in internal police investigations. 

The integrity of internal police investigations was an issue in the wake of the Delano Forbes 2020 not guilty verdict in his trial for escaping lawful custody due to the scandalous nature of Forbes' 2018 escape. There was also the scandalous handling of sexual harassment allegations against the former Commissioner of Police Wendell Robinson in 2018. Clearly, an independent authority would do some good. It could remove the risk of bias, foot-dragging, and cover-ups from investigations involving police and give the public confidence in the outcome of such investigations. 

But how should it be led, and how should its leaders be appointed? Should it handle criminal complaints against officers, or just professional misconduct complaints? Who should it answer to? A minister? Parliament? Should it just supervise police internal investigations, or should it have its own investigators to do the job itself? Should it have the power to charge, to arrest, and to prosecute? Or should it merely send recommendations to the Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions? These are the questions we answer in this discussion. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 21, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Politicians could go to prison for giving you free rum, free chicken and free entertainment in an election. Yes. We actually have laws against that in Antigua and Barbuda. But if we're being honest, laws against corrupt practices in elections (or against corrupt practices generally) are just not enforced. Our elections are a carnival of alleged illegality.

Using free food, liquor and entertainment to entice voters is illegal. Giving voters laptops, phones, appliances, cash, and other freebies to entice them is illegal. Giving voters money to surrender their voter's ID cards is also illegal. These are the sort of allegations that surround elections in Antigua and Barbuda. But why did we mention Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit? 

Well, he and other members of the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) just lost a case at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) surrounding whether they have to appear before a magistrate to answer the charge of "treating" during Dominica's 2014 general election in relation to two free concerts before the election. Treating is when you give voters free or subsidized drink, food, or entertainment in order to corruptly influence them to vote. 

The CCJ recently held that Dominica's election law allows for treating to be heard as a summary offense in a magistrate's court, not solely as an issue for election petitions in the High Court. But Dominica's law says someone convicted would be barred from running for a seat, or keeping their seat for seven years. DLP lawyer Anthony Astaphan, who is also a lawyer for the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), is warning of the "risk" to elections across the region in the wake of his CCJ defeat. He says he's even warned Prime Minister Gaston Browne about the implications for Antigua and Barbuda. 

The warning? Spiteful candidates on either side could use a magistrate's court - as opposed to the High Court via an election petition - to frustrate or nullify the electoral process long after the election. But in this episode, the panelists say the CCJ decision is certainly a good thing. It sends a message that MPs are not above the law, and not above being summoned before a magistrate. It also sends a message to Caribbean politicians that they ought to respect electoral integrity, stop the rum and chicken politics, or risk being thrown out of parliament (and maybe into prison).

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 21, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online. 

Political reform has progressed little in 40 years and if you listen you'll understand why. We hear from the ABLP's Samantha Marshall, the UPP's "Chaku" Symister and the DNA's Louis Rivera about their interest, and their parties' interest in parliamentary reform. Chaku says it's a must. Samantha says we need a survey before we can conclude that it's necessary. Louis believes comprehensive reform is vital. This episode is a part two of sorts, of a discussion on parliamentary reform we aired one week before. 

The reason we ask if it is a "dead" discussion in our title, is because discussions about parliamentary reform are actually common. In fact, there is a wholly volunteer organisation - ABCRE - dedicated to raising awareness about the need for constitutional reform, and parliamentary reform is part of their focus. But we still haven't enacted serious parliamentary reform. Why? Because it actually needs to be on a government's political agenda, and neither the ABLP nor the UPP has ever done it. It's as simple as that. 

So, this segment gets stuck on that question - whether parties even support parliamentary reform. If they don't, why not? If they do, why have they not enacted it? Or why didn't they enact it when they were in power? Or why if they argue "the people" must show a desire for it, have they not surveyed the population to gauge support for it? You should really hear their responses.

Our discussion on parliamentary reform is largely about making the executive accountable to the legislature. Our executive is the Cabinet and our legislature is the Parliament. The Cabinet is not accountable to the Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda. Only the most strenuous mental gymnastics could lead someone to think otherwise. The basic roles of a Parliament have been established for centuries. 

Here, we have a system where cabinet ministers must come from parliament. So, there is going to be overlap in the membership of executive and legislature. This is normal. It happens in many countries. What is obscenely ridiculous is that here, because the lower house is so small, the majority of the members of Parliament are virtually always also members of Cabinet. A vital role of any legislature (Parliament) is to scrutinize the work of the executive (Cabinet). How is that possible if the majority of parliament is the Cabinet???

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 14, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

We speak about the value of women in leadership and the lack of women in leadership; about gender equality; about equality in the work place between men and women; about women's health, particularly women's mental health. This was a discussion we had in recognition of International Women’s Day which was observed on Monday, March 8th, 2021, and we invited three women in Antigua and Barbuda to each raise two issues for discussion, one of which became whether the was a need for International Women's Day itself. This is a strong episode with our guests sometimes giving compelling personal accounts of their experiences.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 14, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.