Barbuda to respond to PM’s, 'put them in jail', statement

A joint statement is expected today from members of the Barbuda People’s Movement and the Barbuda Council in response to the comments by the prime minister that he will instruct the police to arrest unruly Barbudans.
Yesterday, member of the Council, Asha Frank, condemned Gaston Browne’s radio show comments that included the prime minister describing the MP for Barbuda
Trevor Walker as a public nuisance.
Browne also assigned that label to Kendra Beazer and Asha Frank who are on the Barbuda Council as well as members of the Walker-led Barbuda People’s Movement.
On Saturday, Browne accused the party’s members of trying to derail his government’s plans for that island and he said it will not be tolerated.
“The time has come for us to deal with them. I am at the stage now that when it comes to that, then we should just put them in jail. Anyone of them, Trevor Walker, Kendra Beazer continue with their lawlessness over there they are going to get jail,” Browne said.
The tension between the BPM-led Council and the central government of Antigua and Barbuda, escalated last week Sunday over the use of the Barbuda Fisheries Complex.
The prime minister again added that, contrary to what’s being touted, the Cabinet did not direct the police to take the keys from the Barbuda Council, neither did he give such orders.
Browne said it was time to draw the line where Barbudans are concerned since the government has not done anything, in his mind, to warrant the hostility of which he complained.
“You can protest as much as you want, we have no issue with this, but, the lawlessness, we are going to do something about it. The lawlessness will not be tolerated and that’s a promise to Trevor Walker that if he does anything illegal over there I will send the army to pick him up and put him in jail. Dead serious, that’s a promise. He said he not afraid of me,” Browne said.
Our phone calls to Trevor Walker and Kendra Beazer went unanswered.
Police officers have been living in the Barbuda Fisheries Complex for several months now, following the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma last September.
The Barbuda Council was trying to get them out of the facility by July 1, the start of open season for lobster fishing, a multi-million-dollar industry for Barbudans.
Alternative accommodation has since been found for the police officers, and they are due to move once the utilities are connected at the prospective site.