The sunshine government propounds security and strength
In 2004, the United Progressive Party led by the Honorable Baldwin Spencer made history by replacing the Bird family who had held office in Antigua and Barbuda since the country’s independence from Britain in 1981.
A lifelong labor activist, Baldwin Spencer was born in the working-class community of Green Bay. A man of the people, Honorable Spencer is renowned for working "for the people" of Antigua and Barbuda. Mr. Spencer came to office with a new goal of transparency and promise to fight corruption. Since taking his seat, the economy of Antigua and Barbuda has been placed on strong economic pillars and the country has experienced the highest growth achieved in 28 years.
Q. A few months ago, on November 1, Antigua & Barbuda celebrated her Silver Jubilee, marking your country’s first twenty five years of independence. Now looking back on those years, in your opinion, what are the most important lessons people of Antigua & Barbuda may have drawn from this experience, and to what degree has that knowledge influenced your government’s Agenda for Change?
A. Well first of all, one has to look at it against the backdrop of significant changes that have taken place in the world over the past twenty five years, and as a small vulnerable developing state we had to contend with those rapid changes that have been taking place in various fields, economic, social, political, environmental etc. It is against that backdrop that one has to look at how we may have been able to survive over the past twenty five years. But I think the most important aspect that one has to look at is the fact that the people of Antigua & Barbuda had to contend with the fact that they have to be more self-reliant, in other words, independence meant what it really stands for - that you are basically in charge of your own affairs, and that you have to ensure that you are able to support your own development. I think this lesson has been learned. We are aware of the fact that we are a small developing society, and we are faced with the situation where the world around us cannot be ignored, because to a very great extent, whatever happens in the developed world will have an effect on us, positive or negative. For this reason, we have sought over that period to engage the international community by developing relationships and ensuring that we find our niche and our way in the world by collaborating and cooperating and working with our Caribbean brothers and sisters, as well as wider international community in order to ensure that we are able to survive and at the same time improve.
In terms of whether or not we have made a success of it, I would think that the experiment has worked in the sense that people have recognised that they are in charge of their own affairs, and that they have to work together in order to accomplish whatever they want to accomplish. We have made some progress. The economic social situation in the country has improved, but of course we are always looking towards further improvements and a brighter future for all our people. This has come with a great deal of challenge that we have to overcome. All in all, when one looks back on those 25 years one can safely conclude that Antigua and Barbuda is better off as a result of that giant leap it took 25 years ago. It gave us the opportunity to re-examine where we were in terms of our economic and social priorities and to re-focus and reshape the economy because we basically moved from a sort of one-crop economy (sugar and related services) to a more diversified economy. We are still relying heavily on tourism and related services, but certainly there was a significant shift. We have determined that the economic future of Antigua & Barbuda will be dependent on provision of services of various kinds: tourism, financial services, IT etc. Basically, ours is a service economy, and we suspect that it will continue to be so well into the future. So, we have carved our niche area that we believe we have a potential to develop, and give it our own shape.
Q. Where do you see Antigua and Barbuda’s place in the world and where would you like to be by the end of your term?
A. Antigua and Barbuda has a significant role not only in our regional groupings of CARICOM and OECS but also in the international arena. We have established ourselves as a major player in organizations such as the OAS and the United Nations and with these positions I believe that we can contribute significantly to international peace. As far as Antigua and Barbuda is concerned, I believe that we will become a major economic power within the region and highly respected by other countries around the world. The work my party has started in Antigua and Barbuda will only be half complete at the end of my first term in office. Therefore, I expect that I will be putting myself forward to the population once again in order to continue the work of reconstructing the economy of our nation.
Q. What type of relationship do you have with the United States and how would you hope to further develop this?
A. We consider ourselves to be a major ally of the United States of America and we consider our relationship to be at an all time high. We have collaborated with the US on a number of important matters and it is my view that we can build upon this relationship to the betterment of both of our countries.
Q. What is the strategy for the United Progressive Party Administration in reconstructing the economy of Antigua and Barbuda?
A. The first step, we believe, is for the country to be able to sustain itself. One way to do so is to get rid of the sizeable debt burden that we met upon taking office. We are also working on restructuring the nation’s tax system and making it fair for every Antiguan and Barbudan. Once we have done this, it will pave the way for us to empower a significant number of our people to contribute fully in every sector of the society.
Q. Being a small country, trade liberalization and globalization are important issues. How are you working to facilitate open trade and increase Antigua and Barbuda’s presence in the global market?
A.Because Antigua and Barbuda’s economy depends on services, we are working to ensure that we operate on a level playing field with every nation that depends on this sector, whether it is in financial services or the tourism. We believe that it will be a benefit to our nation for us to participate in all negotiations and forums that deal with liberalizing of the trade industries impacting our economy.
Q. What do you hope will be accomplished at the Conference on the Caribbean in Washington, DC in June 2007?
A. It is my hope and that of my CARICOM colleagues that we would be able to strengthen the existing relationship with the United States in areas such as trade and investments. With the advent of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy in 2008, we aim to develop a framework whereby we will be able to dialogue with the US as a stronger unit. We also believe that by meeting with US lawmakers, we will be able to change the perception of the Caribbean that many have in the United States.
Q. What efforts is Antigua and Barbuda making to attract additional foreign direct investment?
A. One of the main foreign policy positions of the government of Antigua and Barbuda is foreign investment. Our Ambassadors and Consuls General have that task at the forefront of their duties. On a daily basis they are working to attract investment. Here at home we have devised laws that make doing business much easier in Antigua and Barbuda and our concessions portfolio is also very attractive to investors.
Q. Would you like to make any additional comments to the policy makers in Washington?
A. Policy makers in Washington must recognize most of all that the countries of the Caribbean are a significant aspect of American security. Our location is vital to maintaining peace in the US and, as such, lawmakers must collaborate with us to ensure that we too remain safe by providing assistance in border control and security. Safety demands the expending of large financial resources, which are not readily available to countries in our region. The US can help for the good of both of our countries.
