Opposition Leader Jamal Pringle is questioning the government’s handling of mounting international pressure on Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Programme, arguing that poor governance and a lack of transparency have contributed to the country’s current predicament.
Speaking on Observer Radio’s _Voice of the People_ on Tuesday, Pringle said the government’s response to demands from the European Union to phase out the programme by 2028 reflects years of mismanagement.
“I believe it’s greed, it’s mismanagement and it’s a total disregard for the citizenry of Antigua and Barbuda,” Pringle said.
The European Union has asked Antigua and Barbuda to end its Citizenship by Investment Programme by June 2028 or risk losing visa-free access to the Schengen Area. The government has rejected calls to dismantle the programme, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne maintaining that it remains vital to the country’s economy and that Antigua and Barbuda will not abandon it without viable alternatives.
Pringle, however, said the administration’s approach to negotiations with international partners has lacked openness and accountability.
He pointed to what he described as a pattern of withholding information from Parliament and the public, citing the government’s handling of negotiations surrounding the third-country deportee agreement as an example.
“We would have asked some time ago for the Prime Minister to publish the MOU, lay before Parliament all the information on this matter so that we, as parliamentarians, can be aware of the situation,” he said.
Pringle also recalled that the government had denied reports that visa restrictions were being considered before such measures were later announced.
“I don’t know if you can recall him beating his chest on ABS… and shortly after we were slapped with the restrictions,” he said.
According to Pringle, Antigua and Barbuda’s international challenges require consultation across political lines rather than unilateral decision-making by the government.
“When this whole third-country deportee situation came up, the first thing that should have happened is for the government to call the members of the opposition and start the dialogue,” he said, adding that major national issues should involve consultation with the public because they affect the entire country.
Pringle also criticized what he described as weak transparency mechanisms, saying opposition legislators have repeatedly sought information through Parliament while the Information Commissioner’s Office has yet to become fully operational.
The government has consistently defended its stewardship of the Citizenship by Investment Programme, arguing that it remains one of Antigua and Barbuda’s most important sources of development financing while continuing to engage international partners on concerns surrounding the programme.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Pringle Questions Government's Handling of EU Pressure Over Citizenship by Investment Programme.