Dear Editor,

Let’s call this exactly what it is: a blatant dereliction of duty dressed up as “research.”

Kelvin “Shuggy” Simon now wants the people of Antigua and Barbuda to believe that he’s hopping on a plane to Trinidad Carnival for some grand economic study, studying crowd size, revenue, and how Trinidad attracts 100,000 people. That explanation is not just weak, it’s downright insulting.

Antigua is crying out for leadership. Roads, communities, youth development, crime prevention, economic relief, there is more than enough work right here at home. Yet instead of rolling up his sleeves and facing the responsibilities he was elected to handle, he chooses to run off to Trinidad Carnival under the flimsiest excuse imaginable.

Let’s be clear: you do not need to attend Trinidad Carnival in person to study its economics. We live in an age of instant access: data, reports, case studies, tourism statistics, interviews, livestreams, expert panels, all available online. Governments, economists, and planners around the world conduct serious research without wine, music trucks, and masquerade bands.

If the goal were truly academic or policy-driven, it could be done right here in Antigua, without abandoning post.

So let’s drop the pretence.

This isn’t about economic analysis.

This isn’t about national development. This is about skipping responsibility, ducking accountability, and finding a convenient excuse to go jump up, wave, and party while Antigua waits.

And the irony? If he really wanted to understand how Carnival can drive economic growth, he could start by fixing Antigua’s own systems, supporting local creatives, improving infrastructure, empowering vendors, strengthening tourism planning, and showing up consistently for the people he represents.

Leadership is not tourism-by-excuse. Representation is not selective attendance. Public office is not a travel perk.

Antigua and Barbuda deserve present, focused, and serious leadership not Carnival tourism masquerading as policy work.