Fellow Antiguans and Barbudans, my beloved constituents of St Peter… as we gather with family and friends in this season of reflection, I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Ending one year and beginning the next is always a time of hope that, notwithstanding the clouds and storms of the old year, brighter days are ahead of us in the New Year.

For many of us, 2022 was a year of great challenge to meet the requirements of a normal, comfortable life. But the experience of 2022 enlivened the spirit that each of us has the courage and determination to rise up and meet our challenges.

The light of that spirit shines bright at the dawn of 2023.

In the words of Edith Pierce:

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day”.

In less than 3 weeks; 18 days into the New Year, Antigua and Barbuda will elect a new Government. In the face of real and very serious challenges, we simply cannot afford an election campaign of petty grievances, lies, deception, accusations and false promises, that have strangled our politics.

It is true that at 41, we are still a young nation, but we are old enough for adults in leadership to set aside childish things. Like the games of self above country; representing not to serve but to be served; short cuts; faint hearted effort; all play and no work; and pursuing the pleasures of fortune and fame.

We need to move past the misfortune of leaders protecting narrow personal interests and postponing difficult decisions in their abuse of public office for private gain. Starting this year, we must dutifully begin the work of renewing Antigua and Barbuda with the risk-takers, the doers, the builders, the makers of things that will lead us to progress, prosperity and freedom.

For everywhere we look, there is a much to be done.

The state of the economy calls for bold, innovative action, to create new jobs and reset the foundation for growth. We need a proper road network. We need proper water, electricity and digital services to feed our commerce and bind us together. We need to improve the quality of health care and lower its cost. We need to harness the sun, wind and the soil for renewable energy to power our homes, fuel our vehicles and run our businesses. We need to transform our schools and colleges to meet the demands of our time.

And so, the questions to be answered in this New Year election campaign are very simple:

· Are those who represent you working for you?

· Are you better off now than you were in 2018?

· Are you representatives helping families find jobs at decent liveable wages?

· Do your representatives facilitate provision of proper education, affordable health care, and reliable utility services?

· Are those who manage the people’s money accountable to the people?

· Are they spending the people’s money wisely and fairly for the benefit of all?

· Have your representatives conducted the people’s business in the light of day?

· Do you trust your representatives to make the changes that need to be made to improve your quality of life and standard of living?

Get simple answers Yes or No to these questions and on election day 2023, vote for yourself and for your families in a choice of your hope over the fear spread by others to confuse you into supporting actions and behaviors in leadership that have not worked for you and people like you.

This year, I am contesting the election as an independent candidate in the constituency of St Peter, a constituency in which I have won four straight elections over the last 18 years as the candidate of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party. The circumstances of my unlawful removal from the slate of candidates of the Labour Party this time around hold extremely important lessons for citizens who are serious about securing good governance with integrity for the development of our beloved country.

Gaston Browne portrays himself as an expert on good governance which is, quite simply, governing in right and just ways. Yet he is a serial violator of the principles of transparency, accountability and adherence to the rule of law which are pillars of good governance.

Gaston Browne claims to knows that adherence to the rule of law is essential in any government and breach of its principles lead to chaos and violation of fundamental rights. Yet, he has willfully violated the Constitution of his own party to cancel my rights as a member, and when the Court ruled that his actions were unlawful, he ignored the Court so that he can do as he pleases anyway.

With his unlawful imposition of Rawdon Turner as the ABLP candidate for St Peter in the upcoming election, Gaston Browne is making it quite clear that the Constitution and rule of law in Antigua and Barbuda are of no consequence to him. He will breach them with impunity to have his way.

In this election campaign, the people of Antigua and Barbuda need to understand the seriousness of the good governance flaw with which Gaston Browne operates and the clear and present danger he poses to civic, cultural, economic, political and social rights.

He knows that if Asot Michael is unfit to be a candidate of the ABLP in the St Peters constituency that has elected him with overwhelming majorities in the last four general elections, then Gaston Browne is even more unfit to contest elections in this democratic country. So, this is not just about Asot Michael. This is about something dark, ugly and destructive for the unsuspecting people of Antigua and Barbuda.

As Prime Minister, aware of the neglect suffered by the people of the St Peter’s constituency under different administrations over six decades, Gaston Browne told me, after the Labour party won the election in 2014, that St Peter is a strong Labour seat and so nothing needs to be done there before other constituencies are taken care of. A man in the Office of Prime Minister, a self-proclaimed expert on Good Governance calculatedly setting aside the economic and social rights and entitlements of the people of St Peter.

The nation recalls the appalling treatment of the constituents of St Peter by the ABLP under Gaston Browne that came into government in 2014 after I worked tirelessly day and night for 10 years in opposition and utilized millions from my family resources to secure victory.

Under Gaston Browne’s direction, St Peter got absolutely no infrastructure improvement from the resources of the state between 2014 and 2018. Whatever good governance Gaston practiced in his first term in office was not for the people of St Peter. Whatever was done, was done by me from my own funds and my family resources.

The Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party led by Gaston Browne became the government again in 2018 and, notwithstanding his many tall tales of good governance, the neglect and abandonment of St Peters continued.

Right before the eyes of our party history was repeating itself. The same neglect and abandonment of the constituency that Joseph (Uncle Joe) Myers endured under VC Bird 40 years ago is exactly what I have experienced for 8 years under Gaston Browne. He has willfully led the discrimination against the constituency of St Peter, while people, in recognition of the calculated neglect and abandonment, ask what has Asot Michael done for St Peter.

As Parliamentary Representative of St Peters since 2004 my commitment to improving the quality of life for all constituents is evident in the assistance, I have provided throughout the constituency in the absence of government support, including but not limited to:

• Full scholarships to secondary school, college and university
• Primary and secondary school supplies
• Laptops, tablets and IT connectivity
• Financial assistance for medical attention locally and overseas
• Financial assistance for home construction and repair
• Sponsorship of sports teams and events
• Sponsorship of artistes and musicians
• Cash grants for small business development
• Cash grants for the payment of utility bills
• Livelihood income support for the vulnerable
• Annual care and goodwill packages for all households
• Road repairs, de-bushing and land clearing utilizing heavy equipment a cost of millions of dollars

No politician in the history of Antigua and Barbuda has done more from personal resources for the constituency he/she was elected to represent in Parliament.

Asot Listens. Asot Understands. Asot Cares. Asot Delivers. Gaston Browne knows that.

On December 21st, 2019, one year and eight months after I left his Cabinet for the second time in 5 months, on account of accusations for which no charges have been brought against me 5 years later, he remembered the significance of my good governance contribution to the revival of the Labour party and the economic successes of his 2014 administration:

I appreciate the fact that we worked together over a ten-year period when the Labour Party was at its lowest ebb when it needed energy it need intellect at that time we traversed the entire country and we did a lot of work… and for me that partnership was a splendid one we stuck together we bandied together and we emerged triumphant…And clearly Asot would have played a major role not only in us regaining the governance of the country in 2014 but even your own contribution as minister of tourism we know that you did a great job in order to revive that industry and I want to thank you on behalf of the government and people of Antigua and Barbuda.

On July 4th, 2020 on his Radio Station Pointe FM, he told Antigua and Barbuda I have no equal in Antigua in the good governance responsibility of building investor relationships for the benefit of the State:

“They talking about building relations… The only man that has that skill and is superior to me is comrade Asot Michael… When it comes to building relations and leveraging connections comrade Asot Michael is the absolute best… I can say without any fear of contradiction that there is no one in this country within the UPP or any other political or non-political institution, private or public that have the type of capacity to build relations for the benefit of the State, compared to… comrade Asot Michael. None!”

Within a year of that statement, he vowed to destroy me because I dared to question the source of his wealth since he became Prime Minister. Because I dared to raise the good governance issue that since coming to office, he has claimed multi-million-dollar wealth for himself and other members of his family that cannot be explained by their legal income.

He speaks as the ultimate exemplar of good governance and a champion against corruption in public office. Yet, no other leader in the history of Antigua and Barbuda amassed the kind of wealth Gaston Browne now boasts about to a Nation concerned that such wealth could only come from the abuse of office for private gain in the last eight years. He actually said that he had 30 million dollars at the time he entered government but the credibility of that claim is destroyed by the evidence that his checks were bouncing all over the place while we struggled in opposition.

Gaston Browne is the single largest beneficiary of my political capital within the ABLP derived from my family’s legacy as foundation pillars of the party. It was that political capital that I leveraged to rally the base of the party against my own surrogate father Sir Lester Bryant Bird. This was done so that Gaston Browne could emerge as the party’s Political Leader and subsequently Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Motivated by what was in the best interest of the Party and the Nation, I spent millions and worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Today, the promoter of ENTREPRENEURIAL SOCIALISM and EMPOWERMENT CAPITALISM for his family and friends… the man who helped himself to a multi-million-dollar farm, and numerous assets in the name of family members since 2014, while he directed discrimination against St Peter, is obsessed with cancelling me… Me of all people! Me Asot A Michael who was born into the labour party, who believed in you, supported and elevated you, like Judas … you betrayed me and the people of this nation. Sadly for you… you will not hijack the Antigua and Barbuda labour party, which was built on years of hard work and integrity. I Asot A Michael will continue to serve the people of this nation independent or otherwisem as i am a man for the people, and on behalf of the people… I will continue my national service.

He wants to tomp me in my face because I am in his personal space… a space at the residence of a constituent of St Peter he has never visited before where I spend time regularly. Meaning, in the mind of the tyrannical dictator, the country and everything in it belong to him.

My late mother gave him a loan of 200 thousand US dollars 12 years ago for refrigeration and air conditioning at South Mall, when he was supposed to be making millions. To date, the amount has not been repaid. His brand of good governance entitled him to it.

As Prime Minister in 2015 he approached me while on my sick bed at Mayo Clinic in the US, to release television equipment from my company Caribbean Times Ltd. to ABS TV. He then used Cove Head Limited, a company owned by one of his family members to fraudulently request and receive payment of approximately 150 thousand U-S dollars from the treasury for equipment he did not own. He said there was nothing wrong with that because I didn’t need the money. His brand of good governance entitled him to it.

But this act of grand theft is a much bigger scandal than the alleged over-priced purchase of two steel frame buildings for 52 thousand EC dollars for the Ottos Comprehensive School, purchased from Maurice Michael for which Sir George Walter was jailed by the Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party on February 1st, 1979.

In the spirit of good governance, we ask:

• Who are the real beneficial owners of the 25% shareholding in West Indies Oil under the name of Fancy Bridge limited of Xiao Jianhua who is currently serving jail time in China
• Who are the local investors that purchased 30 percent of Jolly Beach Hotel?
• Why didn’t he name them in Parliament?
• What else does Antigua and Barbuda need to know about the Gaston Browne administration’s relationship with Odebrecht in respect of which Ambassador Casroy James is still under house arrest in Miami?

The concoction of lies, deception and slander against Asot Michael is Gaston Browne’s way of using me to trick the people of Antigua and Barbuda into believing he is a fearless, righteous and just leader committed to preventing corruption at all cost and protecting the public interest. But in truth and in fact, Gaston Browne is a brutal dictator. He is going after me not because his shortcomings are any better than mine but because in fighting to bring me down, he expects to gain credibility for the fake good governance posturing he has engaged as step one in the establishment of his dictatorship in Antigua and Barbuda.

The events to come for the people of this blessed land are casting their shadows. Dictators destroy freedom and democracy and brutalize people into dependence and hopelessness for their corrupt personal gain.

Gaston Browne has no respect for the people of Antigua and Barbuda. As far as he is concerned the people exist only to be exploited and abused by him for his personal benefit. If you don’t agree with him, he will publicly crucify you with hate speeches in the most offensive language and ensure that you do not progress in your country.

In this fight that Gaston Browne has picked with me, I stand firmly against one man rule in Antigua and Barbuda. I stand firmly against the denial of the people’s right to choose their own representatives. I stand firmly against the corrupt control of the resources of Antigua and Barbuda for the benefit of one man and his family and friends. I stand firmly against Gaston Browne’s commitment to destroy with impunity, any citizen or organization that questions him, criticizes him or does not agree with him.

As Gaston Browne seeks to amass his wealth, with land grabs for family members and cronies under various companies, our democratic way of life is under a systematic and sustained attack. At this time Asot Michael is the focal point, but if left unaddressed, there is much more to come. The German poet Martin Niemöller cautioned many moons ago, what happens when, in the face of injustice and oppression, we look the other way and fail in the practice solidarity with each other

• First, they came for the socialist, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist
• Then they came for the trade unionist and I did not speak out as I was not a trade unionist
• Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew
• Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.” Martin Niemöller

I speak out now and the dictatorial machinations of Gaston Browne will not intimidate me into submission to his will as part of the plan to secure the long-term benefit of massive wealth creation from the resources of the poor, struggling people of this Nation.

And so, 2023 begins with a general election and a lot of work to be done in Nation building which will involve protecting our country from the clutches of dictatorship. For me, it will be a labour of love on behalf of the people of St Peter in particular and the people of Antigua and Barbuda in general, knowing as Barack Obama counsels that we can be confident in God’s call on us to shape an uncertain destiny:

“Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations”.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

ST PETER, I love you… I thank you

God Bless You.