“I would rather be an ordinary citizen in a successful nation than the leader of a failed state.”
— Prime Minister Gaston Browne

It is a statement that resonates deeply, my ultimate call to action, a reflection on the delicate balance between leadership, loyalty, and free expression.

Increasingly here at home, there is an observable narrowing of space for open discourse. Legitimate criticism and alternative viewpoints are too often dismissed as disloyalty, and even constructive observations are met with personal attacks rather than policy-based responses and discussion.

On the heels of celebrating 44 years of political independence, a moment meant to renew our understanding of freedom itself, my mind will not let go of a significant tenet: free speech, paired with responsibility, is not a threat to governance. It is a measure of our democratic maturity. A truly successful nation must allow its citizens, thinkers, and media to question decisions and explore new ideas without fear of condemnation.

Critical thinking, objective analysis, and evaluation of issues are critical success factors for national development. That is why Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, our founding father, poured limited resources into education. It is why Sir Lester Bird fought the then opposition, led by the Chamber of Commerce, to ensure that the Board of Education was enacted to support education infrastructure and scholarships. It is why former Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer pioneered the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Fund, and why you, Prime Minister Browne, are now moving swiftly to expand tertiary education, to develop and empower our national human resources.

To then turn around and create an environment of fear, dismantling the right to share different views that challenge policy pronouncements, is to undermine the solid foundation those before you fought to build. And yes, we will not all agree. Some voices will be refined and sophisticated, easy on the minds of listeners. Others may be blunt, raw, or even uncomfortable to hear. But they are all part of the national conversation.

As leader of our twin-island nation, you often speak powerfully, passionately, and with impact. But is it your intention that only your message should ring out? That only those who are mandated, blessed, and in agreement with your positions are allowed to raise their voices?

Why, as soon as there is a difference of thought, must there be a rush to rip apart, to label, to cast everything as political rhetoric? Within the House of Labour itself, many disagree with your leadership style and your handling of dissent. Yet they have walked away quietly into silence — not out of lack of conviction, but to protect their bread and butter.

This move to crush even responsible discourse, amplified by your blessed chorus of political prostitutes, lest they forget where they came from, who have risen to the top by simply telling you what you want to hear, is not the pathway to the Antigua and Barbuda we seek to build.

And yes, I sit on the fringes of Labour. Because I retain my right not to always agree with you, not out of a need to fight or tear you down, but to remind that there are different ways, sometimes better ways. “The unity of Labour, the salvation of the nation” does not mean only one way, one voice, one truth.

Fighting down every differing view does not bring unity. The current concentration of power and control of resources buys silence through fear of losing one’s livelihood, one’s right to eat and live. But that silence may one day be repaid in absence at the polls, or in quiet ballots cast elsewhere.

My Member of Parliament came to be in a storm against mainstream thought. Those lifting their hands with you today were not part of the foundation when you moved against the establishment, raised your voice, and used critical thinking and a pen at a time when Antigua and Barbuda needed to move in another direction. The ‘kissing up effect’ is more about their selfish gain than to offer you a reasoned sounding board, definitely not in yours or the nation’s interest. Whatever comfort levels that have now made you afraid to embrace other viewpoints are setting you and the House of Labour up for failure.

Revisit this road to dictate a single view. It is not who we are. There are more of us who are willing, ready, and able to speak up and build Antigua and Barbuda with you, not against you, for now. Democracy is not perfect. Systems and people will fail, but checks and balances and differing views help to restore them.

A successful nation is not built on silence. It is built on the courage to think, to question, and to speak truth, even when it is uncomfortable.