作者： admin

Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed that his administration has kicked off the second wave of free building material distribution as part of a national social assistance initiative designed to support low-income and vulnerable households across the country. The announcement was made during an appearance on the local *Browne and Browne* radio talk show, where the leader detailed the logistics of the ongoing rollout of the support program. “I’m also pleased to announce that we have the second set of our building material here, and we are now distributing those,” Browne told listeners during the on-air address. While distribution operations are already active across most communities, rollout has not yet begun in the two districts of Point and Villa. Browne confirmed that delivery of materials to these two areas will officially commence next week, giving local officials time to complete pre-distribution registration and logistics preparations. To streamline access for eligible residents, Browne urged community members who meet the vulnerability criteria and have not yet applied for support to reach out directly to government representatives to register for assistance. He noted that Housing Minister Rawdon Turner will lead on-the-ground coordination, processing applications and overseeing the final delivery of materials to individual residential properties. “Several of you will approach me and I will send your names to Mr. Turner, Minister Turner, [who will] assist me in delivering the material to your respective homes,” Browne explained. This targeted building material program is just one component of a broader suite of social safety net initiatives that the current administration has rolled out to address persistent socioeconomic hardship across the nation. Browne emphasized that the construction material initiative works in tandem with other existing social programs, including a widely used food voucher scheme for low-income families and a recently launched program that provides free prescription eyeglasses to eligible residents. According to the prime minister, the overarching goal of all connected programs is to directly address unmet needs of residents grappling with financial hardship, and to guarantee that no vulnerable individual or family falls through the gaps of the country’s social support system. “We’re a caring administration and we have these little pockets of poverty and need. We’re trying to fill them,” Browne said. He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to inclusive support, adding, “He added: “We don’t want anyone to be left behind.” As of the latest announcement, government officials have not released public data on the total number of households expected to receive support through this second round of building material distribution.

A fresh political controversy is unfolding in Antigua and Barbuda, centered on the status of Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle, who remains unsworn in following the April general election. Prime Minister Gaston Browne has broken his silence on the debate over whether Pringle is eligible to receive his parliamentary salary, drawing a clear line between longstanding legal rules and his government’s pragmatic approach to the standoff.

Speaking during his weekly *Browne and Browne* radio broadcast on Saturday, Browne addressed the growing discussion sparked by Pringle’s absence from the first post-election parliamentary sitting and subsequent barring from last week’s special joint parliamentary session. Under Section 48(1) of Antigua and Barbuda’s Constitution, no elected member of parliament may participate in any parliamentary proceedings before they take and formally subscribe to the required oath of allegiance. Pringle, who won his seat in the April general election, has not completed this mandatory step, and the government has stated he must wait until the next scheduled ordinary sitting of parliament to be sworn in.

During the radio segment, the host referenced a landmark Privy Council ruling from a past case in Trinidad and Tobago, a fellow Caribbean jurisdiction, that establishes a clear legal precedent on this issue. According to that ruling, barring extraordinary extenuating circumstances, elected representatives who have not completed the oath of allegiance are not legally entitled to collect parliamentary remuneration for the period before they are sworn in.

Browne confirmed that this precedent aligns with established parliamentary rules, and confirmed that technically, no salary can accrue to Pringle until he fulfills the constitutional requirement of taking the oath. “It has been held that if a member fails to take the oath, that period during which the oath is not taken, that that member of parliament should not be paid,” Browne explained during the broadcast.

But despite affirming this clear legal position, the prime minister stressed that his administration has no intention of taking a hardline petty stance on the issue. “In fact, as far as I’m concerned, you should be paid. But technically speaking, he should not be paid [under the rules],” Browne said. Reaffirming his government’s position, he added, “But again, we’re not being petty. And if they pay him a month’s salary, we will not object to it.”

Browne’s remarks come after he previously defended the decision to block Pringle from participating in last week’s joint parliamentary sitting, a move that stemmed directly from Pringle’s failure to complete the oath requirement. The prime minister’s comments this weekend clarify the government’s stance on both participation and salary, separating the strict constitutional and legal requirements for parliamentary access from the government’s willingness to avoid a petty dispute over salary payment.

The National Youth Parliament Association of Antigua and Barbuda (NYPAAB) has wrapped up a robust, participatory electoral process to select its new Executive Committee, marking a fresh transition of leadership for the island nation’s leading youth governance advocacy body.

After a transparent voting process, Ezekiel Francois secured the position of President, bringing a forward-looking agenda focused on amplifying youth voices and strengthening parliamentary-style practice for young people across the country. He will lead alongside three newly seated executive members: Jordyn Roberts, who takes on the role of Recruitment and Mobilization Officer, tasked with expanding youth outreach and growing the organization’s membership; Lorianna Richards, who will serve as Projects and Events Officer, overseeing programming that connects young people to civic processes; and Janiyah Winston, who steps into the role of Financial Secretary to manage the association’s resources and fiscal operations.

In the announcement of the new leadership lineup, the association issued a public statement of gratitude to the outgoing executive team, whose years of commitment laid the groundwork for the organization’s current momentum. Special commendation was reserved for outgoing Immediate Past President Jessica Zouetr, whose strategic leadership and long-term vision significantly expanded NYPAAB’s reach and influence, setting the stage for sustained growth in the years ahead. The association also highlighted the key contributions of two other departing leaders: former Financial Secretary Amelia Williams and former External Affairs Officer Celine Edwards, both of whom advanced NYPAAB’s core mission of youth civic engagement over their terms.

With this leadership transition complete for initial positions, the organization noted that three additional executive roles—Vice President, General Secretary, and External Affairs Officer—will be filled via separate elections scheduled for a later date. Once those results are finalized, the full leadership team will take office to steer the association through its upcoming term, continuing its work to empower young people and foster meaningful civic participation in Antigua and Barbuda.

Across the transition, association representatives emphasized that every past and current member has played a critical role in building a dynamic, impactful youth parliament, and the organization remains committed to expanding its work as it enters this new chapter.