By Azara Lavia
After a two-year vacancy, a new Information Commissioner has been recommended, and could soon begin fulfilling his duties.
The House of Representatives in Antigua and Barbuda approved Anthony Kurt Athill as the new Information Commissioner.
The recommendation was made by Prime Minister Gaston Browne and requires approval from both houses of Parliament. Anthony Athill will officially take on the role starting October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2027.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne tabled the resolution for Athill’s appointment last Friday. “This Honourable House approves the recommendation by the Honourable Prime Minister to the Governor-General that Mr Anthony Kurt Athill Esquire of Cedar Valley, St John’s Antigua, be appointed Information Commissioner. Two, that this Honourable House further approves the recommendation that the terms of his employment which are to be stipulated on the instrument of his appointment be as follows: The appointment shall be for the period of three years commencing on the first day of October 2024, and ending on the 30th of September 2027. A salary of $54,000, Eastern Caribbean currency per annum, payable monthly at a rate of $4,500. A transportation allowance of $7,752, Eastern Caribbean, payable monthly at a rate of $646.00.”
In addition to the benefits outlined by the Prime Minister, Athill will receive a gratuity upon the completion of his term.
The position had been vacant since the end of Joycelyn Palmer’s tenure in 2021. Palmer, a retired educator, had served as Information Commissioner since her appointment in 2019, succeeding Alister Thomas, who held the position from 2012 to 2018.
The United Progressive Party (UPP) has been advocating for a swift appointment to address ongoing issues, including the temporary relocation of the Development Control Authority and the Ministry of Housing and Lands to Friar’s Hill Road.
This relocation involves property leased by the Prime Minister’s son, Gaston Browne III, through his company IF Antigua, with the agencies paying a nominal rent of $1.00 per month.
The appointment of the Information Commissioner is mandated by the Freedom of Information Act of 2004, a key component of a series of transparency legislation introduced by the UPP government to promote open and transparent governance in Antigua and Barbuda.
Observer contacted Athill for a comment, however he declined to do so until his official instruments of appointment have been conferred by the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, His Excellency, Sir Rodney Williams.
