Tabor condemns PM’s threat to direct law enforcement

Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s threat to employ the use of law enforcement to jail those to whom he referred as unruly Barbudans, did not sit well with United Progressive Party (UPP) public relations officer, Damani Tabor.
“We repeatedly condemn the threat of directing the police and army to harass and detain lawfully protesting Barbudans. This is evidence of the completion of Gaston Browne’s mutation into an autocrat and dictator,” Tabor declared.
He added that in the past, the UPP had cautioned the public that the police were being directed by Cabinet and he sees these recent declarations by the Prime Minister to be confirmation of these fears. He said that it is now on record that there is a breakdown of the separation of powers between the various organs of government and it is quite clear that Cabinet interferes in law enforcement agencies within the country.
On Saturday, during his show on Pointe FM, Prime Minister Browne had harsh words for Barbudans as it relates to the standoff with authorities on the matter of control of the fisheries complex building in Barbuda.
“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.
He went on further to call duly elected Barbudan MP, Trevor Walker, a public nuisance. Browne also assigned that label to Kendra Beazer and Asha Frank who are on the Barbuda Council and are members of the Walker-led Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM).
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 relationship between both parties has deteriorated so much that members of the BPM-led council boycotted a handing over ceremony between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Chinese government and the National Office of Disaster Services on Thursday.
Wade Burton, chairman of the Barbuda Council, said that his colleagues refused to attend the proceedings as an act of protest against what he considers to be hostile pronouncements from Prime Minister Browne.