As I read Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s New Year’s Address, I felt a philosophy of leadership that sat quietly beneath the words. It was not the script of a government scrambling to survive but a call to the people of Antigua and Barbuda to step into our future. By the time I got to the last sentence, the overall message to me was that 2026 is the year we stop acting small.

One line captured it perfectly: “The year before us offers something even greater, the opportunity to turn success into permanence.” Antigua and Barbuda is moving from recovery into consolidation; from managing crisis into locking in stability; from scrambling to standing firm.

Leadership: The Key Tool of Transformation

In the text, the Prime Minister framed leadership itself as an instrument of development. This is in line with lessons from history. Exemplary leadership is a critical success factor when economies transform, and a key plank when economies tank.

When he said:

“Leadership is not privilege. It is commitment… the quiet courage to stand firm, when it would be easier to capitulate, or step aside… to serve my people, lift them up, empower them and keep alight the flame of hope entrusted to my hands.”

He was not talking about popularity. He was talking about change-making.

At times controversial and confrontational, two traits that often unsettle conservative comfort zones, it is clear that Prime Minister Browne has embraced the full burden of moving Antigua and Barbuda beyond what is familiar and into what is possible.

Big transitions are never comfortable. They always upset entrenched interests. They always provoke noise. But no society ever becomes an economic powerhouse by governing for applause.

Why Scale Is a Mindset, Not a Size

I often remind myself that Antigua and Barbuda is not as small as we imagine.

Our landmass is larger than the combined area of globally famous places like Manhattan (23 square miles) and the Bronx (42 square miles). Those places did not become cosmopolitan by accident. They became what they are through vision, planning, and leadership that refused to be intimidated by criticism and resistance.

Dubai did not begin as a global city. It began as a small, localised settlement that evolved to a worldwide symbol of a first-class nation when bold leadership married intentional resource use over time.

That is the lens through which I hear this government’s message. We are not too small to think big. We are too used to thinking small.

From Scrambling to Standing Firm

Those of us who live here know how much this matters.

We have spent years watching our country fight through debt crises, hurricanes, COVID, economic sector collapses, and global financial shocks. Every budget felt like a balancing act. Every year felt uncertain.

Now, for the first time in a long while, the Prime Minister is speaking from a place of relative stability. Not perfection. But stability.

That is why 2026 is being framed as the year to instutionalise progress. Once you reach that point, the conversation changes. It is no longer about what the government must save. It becomes about what a nation must build.

External Factors: the Challenge Maturity

When the Prime Minister turned to the United States visa restrictions, it warranted keen attention.

There was no panic or political theatre. He reassured the public and said Antigua and Barbuda would engage constructively in the quest to resolve the matter.

The position presented removed the feeling of a beggar’s posture in this situation that had plagued me for days. It replaced it with confidence that my government will not negotiate from a position of mendicants outside the door.

Caricom Without the Naivety

I was delighted with the firm statement on regional unity and the commitment to solidarity, mixed with a firm reminder that Antigua and Barbuda contributes economic and political value to the region.  We matter! Our economy, our labour market, and our long history of regional support give Antigua and Barbuda a rightful seat at the Caricom table.

The Real Challenge Is ‘We’

The Prime Minister addressed us directly and our role in our future.  He spoke about discipline, work ethic, skills, entrepreneurship, excellence, and civic pride.

I heard that as a message to all of us: the next stage of development is no longer just about government. It is about culture.

You cannot become an economic powerhouse with poor habits, dirty spaces, weak productivity, and low expectations. 

Nation-building is not a spectator sport. Every one of us has a role. ‘AH FU WE SUBBEN!!  We must answer duty’s call. 

The call includes being analytical and being critical, even!  But we must, even from spaces where we have opposing views, keep on hand to the plough of national development.  We must work, innovate, transform, together.

Why the Stakeholder Society Matters

In the Prime Minister’s dialogue on stakeholder society, a blueprint for a deeper transformation was unveiled.

Foreign Direct Investment is vital, but nationals must have a real stake in economic growth and wealth creation. This is one of the key challenges that is at the forefront of any forward planning.

In the absence of a broad base of willing and able national investors at the highest level, a characteristic flaw of small islands across the globe, we were reminded that the government continues to invest in creating opportunities for wealth creation. Some examples include housing projects, land sales, and divestment of public enterprises.

This is how countries, like Antigua and Barbuda, move from being places people work in to places people own.

My Bottom Line

This New Year’s Address was a statement of national intent.

Many challenges still confront us as a nation.  Each of us can produce our preferred top issues. If we dominate our vision with negativity, it will make climbing the ladder for success difficult.  We must address our weaknesses, but from a position of strength.

2026 is the year Antigua and Barbuda stops behaving like a small, vulnerable island and repositions as a self-confident, investment-grade state.

That journey will not be quiet. It will not always be comfortable. And it will demand leadership that stands firm even when it is lonely and/or unpopular. But that is how real transformation happens.

I will always question, analyse, and demand clarity. I will also recognise when a country is being invited to step into something bigger than fear.

Actively committed to the forward movement of my beloved, Antigua and Barbuda. Standing, “strong and firm, in peace of danger to safeguard our native land”.