The Big Issues

The Big Issues

By The Big Issues Production TeamNewsNews Commentary
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The Big Issues episodes

  • COVID-19 Vaccine Facts and Myths

    Antigua and Barbuda has received at least five thousand doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine as part of a consignment of vaccines coming into the Caribbean from India – a world pharmaceutical manufacturing powerhouse. With so much myth surrounding COVID-19 and vaccination, what are true facts and the hard science behind the jab? We invite a medical doctor who already received the jab, a professor trained in immunology, and a BBC Reality Check journalist, to talk about the facts and the lies of vaccines. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


    The guests are:

    1. Dr. Jerrol Thompson, a medical doctor from St. Vincent and Grenadines who specializes in allergy, immunology and infectious diseases. He has worked in New York and in St. Vincent as well as in Nigeria and Kenya where he worked to combat HIV and AIDS. He was a member of parliament in St. Vincent for several years and is now works for the government in capacities related to public health.
    2. Professor Clive Landis, the Chairman of the University of the West Indies (UWI) COVID-19 Task Force. He is a Professor of Cardiovascular Research at UWI Cavehill. He is a former director of the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre in Barbados. And he is a past Chairman of the Barbados National HIV and AIDS Commission’s subcommittee on research. Professor Clive Landis was chair of the UWI Regional Task Force on Zika. His PhD is in immunology.
    3. Flora Carmichael, a Senior Journalist at the BBC in London who works with BBC Reality Check. They focus on debunking false and misleading claims circulating in public. She's been debunking disinformation about Covid-19 throughout the pandemic for BBC News.


      4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 14, 2021.

      36 min
    4. A No Hope, No Empathy Budget

      We discuss the parliamentary opposition's response to the 2021 Budget Statement. Calling it a "no hope" and "no empathy" budget, opposing MPs argued that the government had not responded to the pandemic recession and the massive unemployment problem. Our guests discuss the value of the criticisms laid, the calls for stimulus, and the road ahead for Antigua and Barbuda in 2021. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


      The guests are:

      1. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist and Dominica national, currently working in South Sudan. As an economist he worked at the International Monetary Fund for 13 years. His work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management and debt. 
      2. Arvel Grant, a current affairs and political commentator.
      3. Carlon Knight, current affairs and political commentator currently a graduate student studying economics. 


        4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 14, 2021.

        48 min
      4. Me? I Was Vaccinated Weeks Ago, Says PM Browne

        A controversy erupts when Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, reveals that he’s been vaccinated in private, off camera, weeks before government procured vaccines arrived on island, and as part of a private initiative of a wealthy local family to import vaccines for their inoculation. The PM is cryptic and evasive about the issue, delivering snippets of information between radio interviews and Facebook comments weeks apart. When the fact that he's gotten the jab sinks in and the members of the public are outraged, he stonewalls the press. To make matters worse, he's been jabbed with the Moderna vaccine - a higher efficacy, and more costly brand which won't be procured by the government for the general population.


        The debacle is the seeming straw that breaks the back of the Nurses' Association, already at odds with the government over issues to do with safety, pay, and working conditions in the COVID-19 era. It publishes a release calling him out, to which he responds by attacking the association as partisan, saying he showed leadership by taking the secret jab, and arguing he had no obligation to disclose that he had even done so. Our guests are an international anti-corruption advocate, a former minister of health, and a former prime minister. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


        The guests are:

        1. Dr. Denzil Douglas, a former four-term Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and current Leader of Parliamentary Opposition. He is a medical doctor by training.
        2. Alvina Reynolds, a former Minister of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations in St. Lucia.
        3. Akaash Maharaj, an Ambassador-at-Large for the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption. The body is an international alliance of elected parliamentarians, aiming to combat corruption, strengthen good governance, and uphold the rule of law. 


          4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 14, 2021.

          39 min
        4. Sir, You Can't Leave Your Stove There

          One the worst ways in which paradise is ruined is through illegal dumping. It's a pervasive problem with no cheap or rapid solution because it has everything to do with attitudes towards littering and recycling. Illegal dumping covers everything you'd imagine - heavy appliances and cars, household trash, construction waste, agricultural and industrial waste and so on. In Antigua and Barbuda, any unpaved road or patch of bushland is fair game.


          In this segment, we discuss illegal dumping and its harmful environmental and economic effects and we ask the guests about how effective strategies at curbing the problem have been. The host is Kieron Murdoch. 


          The guests are:

          1. Carol-Faye George joins us from Antigua and Barbuda. She was formerly the Environmental Education Officer in the Department of Environment and she holds a degree in environmental law.
          2. Carl Padmore joins us from Barbados, where he is the Public Relations Officer of Barbados’ Sanitation Services Authority. 
          3. Camille Roopnarine joins us from Trinidad and Tobago. She is an environmental management consultant with experience in environmental management across the Caribbean. She has worked at the Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company Limited and was responsible for the development of the company's Quality and Environmental Management Systems.


            4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 7, 2021.

            39 min
          4. Infection Rate: What If We Lose Control?

            Despite another week of sometimes double-digit infection increases, the government refuses a shutdown for social and economic reasons. Active cases of COVID-19 infection, in the 30s a week ago, are now in the 80s. We ask a medical doctor, a former health minister, and a vaccine distribution coordinator how we could be affected if cases continue to rise, and whether the measures in place now are likely to achieve their goal. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


            The guests are:

            1. Dr. Dwayne Thwaites known to many as “Baba Thwaites”. He is a urologist in Antigua and Barbuda known for raising awareness of prostate cancer and promoting prostate cancer screening. 
            2. Raisa Charles, who joined us from Texas where she is a Certified Public Health Educator and Operations Section Chief over COVID-19 vaccine distribution with the City of Austin.
            3. Alvina Reynolds, who joined us from St. Lucia. She was a member of parliament from 2011 to 2016 with the St. Lucia Labour Party, and was minister of health, wellness, human services and gender relations during that time.


              4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 7, 2021.

              40 min
            4. Lessons for Going Back to Virtual School

              Antigua and Barbuda's students will again learn from home, as COVID-19 infections force a halt to face-to-face classes. Low bandwidth, too few devices in the home, a parent who needs to be at work, endless distractions, and disconnectedness from the teacher are some of the hurdles that must be overcome to teach thousands of children online.


              In this segment, a principal, a teacher, and a lecturer in education psychology share their frank opinions about the challenges online school presents to teachers, students and parents. They use lessons already learned from virtual schooling in the COVID-19 era to inform parents and policymakers on how best to manage the virtual experience and problems associated with it. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


              The guests are:

              1. Jacintha Pringle, English language and English literature teacher at the St. Joseph's Academy. She is a former national Director of Education, occupying that office from 2005 and 2015.  
              2. Foster Roberts, Principal of the Ottos Comprehensive School, one of Antigua and Barbuda’s many secondary schools.
              3. Dr. Sharline Cole, a lecturer in Educational Psychology at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona School of Education.


                4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 7, 2021.

                42 min
              4. Will a Biden Presidency Benefit the Caribbean?

                Nations the world round seek warmer relations with the U.S. under a new president. On this segment we ask our guests whether the Caribbean - particularly its English-speaking nations - stand to gain anything from a Biden-administration, or whether the region is too unimportant to U.S. foreign policy interests to merit the new president's attention. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


                Our guests are:

                1. Ambassador Colin Ganderson,  Assistant Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat with responsibility for foreign and community relations. His past Postings as diplomat have been to London, Geneva, and the United Nations in New York. He has headed a Joint OAS/UN Human Rights Mission in Haiti, and election observation missions for the OAS and CARICOM in Guyana, in Suriname, and in Haiti.
                2. Carlon Knight, an Antiguan graduate student with an interest in politics, currently studying economics.


                  3. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 31, 2021.

                  24 min
                3. Examining the Impact of the Lockdown to Come

                  The government stops short of ordering a second national shutdown, instead placing Antigua and Barbuda's residents under a longer indoor curfew - to be inside by 8:00 PM. On January 29, 2021, there were 37 active cases of COVID-19 with three new cases being declared. Eight COVID patients were reported to be hospitalized but the island cannot manage a flood of critical cases. As daily infection reports sometimes reach double digits, some are suggesting a second national shutdown. We ask our guests what the effects are likely to be. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


                  The guests are:

                  1. Sherrie-Ann Brazier, the President of the Antigua and Barbuda Employers Federation (ABEF) and a project management and communications professional. 
                  2. Elijah James, a software engineer and Chief Executive Officer of Voice Publications. He’s the creator of The Local App, a digital destination guide and marketplace solution.
                  3. Jeremy Stephens, a Barbados based economist and financial consultant who's lectured in banking and finance at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill.


                    4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 31, 2021.

                    42 min
                  4. High Aspirations in 2021: The First COVID Budget

                    Gaston Browne unveils a 1.4 billion-dollar 2021 budget promising no new taxes, no austerity, and hundreds of millions in investment despite a global recession and a roaring pandemic. We ask two economists and a political scientist whether its fairly positive outlook is in line with reasonable expectations for 2021, and what its social impacts are likely to be. The host is Kieron Murdoch.  


                    The guests are:

                    1. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist and Dominica national currently working in South Sudan. As an economist he worked at the International Monetary Fund for 13 years and his work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management and debt. He has also lectured in his field  at the University of Maryland University College and at Clemson University.
                    2. Dr. Ankie Joseph-Scott, a Vincentian economist a currently a Lecturer of Economics at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill. Her focus includes economic public policy analysis, public finance, regulation of financial institutions and developing the Caribbean business environment.  
                    3. Dr. Isaac Newton, an Antiguan and Barbudan graduate of Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Oakwood Universities. Among other fields, he has studied economics, administration, social policy ethics, and public policy. He focuses on Organizational Capacity Building, Executive Leadership, Government and Business Relations; and Political Campaign Management.


                      4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 31, 2021.

                      54 min
                    4. What's Changed in Antigua and Barbuda in 100 Years?

                      Reaching one hundred years of age is a remarkable feat, and at least two centenarians in Antigua and Barbuda celebrated birthdays in January of 2021. A lot has happened in the last one hundred years. So on this segment, we ask our panel what Antigua and Barbuda was like 100 years ago, and how it has changed since then. The host is Kieron Murdoch.


                      The guests are: 

                      1. Dr. Paget Henry, an Antiguan Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at Brown University in the United States. Caribbean history forms a large part of his professional writing.
                      2. Bishop Kingsley Lewis, an Antiguan Bishop of the Moravian Church in the Eastern West Indies Province who has taught undergraduate history for the University of the West Indies (UWI) at the Antigua State College (ASC).
                      3. Agnes Meeker, an Antiguan born in 1940, and researcher of the history of sugar plantations in Antigua and Barbuda. She is also the founder of the St. John Hospice.


                        4. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 24, 2021.

                        44 min

                      About The Big Issues

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                      From the remote twin-island paradise of Antigua and Barbuda, weekly guest panels discuss the biggest issues of politics, economy, people and culture, that make its sun-kissed shores famous and infamous.