Opposition Leader Jamal Pringle is calling for greater public consultation on major national issues, arguing that decisions with long-term consequences should not be made solely by the government.
Speaking on Observer Radio’s Voice of the People on Tuesday, Pringle said the administration has adopted a pattern of making significant policy decisions without first engaging the opposition, Parliament or the wider public.
“When you look at this whole third-country deportee situation, the first thing that should have happened when this came up is for the government to call the members of the opposition and start the dialogue,” Pringle said.
He said national issues require broad consultation because they affect every citizen, regardless of political affiliation.
“They share the information surrounding this situation and you start the consultation with the people. This is not a situation that you handle just as government because it’s going to affect the entire country,” he said.
Pringle argued that governments have a responsibility to present major proposals to Parliament and the public before agreements are finalized.
“It’s for them to come back to us, show us the proposal, show us what they’re hoping to accomplish, what they want to send to the State Department. But it must be people-driven. It must be coming from the people,” he said.
The Opposition Leader said the need for consultation extends beyond the third-country deportee issue and applies to broader matters of national governance, including international agreements and policies affecting Antigua and Barbuda’s future.
He also criticized what he described as limited access to government information, noting that opposition members have repeatedly sought greater transparency through Parliament and have called for a fully functioning Information Commissioner’s Office.
“We would have reached out to the government on several occasions, even utilizing Parliament to ask questions and to ask for them to install the Information Commissioner,” Pringle said.
Pringle said meaningful public participation and parliamentary oversight are essential to maintaining confidence in government decisions, particularly when those decisions have constitutional, legal or international implications.
The government has maintained that it is acting in the country’s best interests in its negotiations with international partners and has indicated that a White Paper on the proposed third-country deportee arrangement will be presented to Parliament. Prime Minister Gaston Browne has also defended the administration’s approach to major policy issues, saying it remains committed to protecting Antigua and Barbuda’s national interests.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Pringle Says National Decisions Require Public Consultation.