He Who Knows Not Is …?

Last Tuesday's sitting of Parliament exposed an information gap of frightening proportions, leaving many of us wondering who – if anyone, at all – is steering the ship of State. 

On a day when we witnessed an unusual form of protest action – big vehicles and irate men blocking the streets around the Public Works Department and demanding their money – the prime minister told Barbuda MP Trevor Walker he did not know about it.

Strange, to say the least, as the minister of works was absent from the sitting at the time and – we imagine – was busy being briefed on the protesters’ grievances and coached on how to respond.  Hard to imagine, in this technology age, that she would wait until he got home to tell the prime minister – who, ultimately, owes the contractors, since he is also the minister of finance.

Our alarm about this portfolio was further heightened when the finance minister, in essence, told the Barbuda representative that he also did not know about the US$1 million  donation to post-hurricane Barbuda – about which, incidentally, Barbudans had not known, for years, until the donor blew the whistle. 

Imagine our consternation to learn that “the money dead,” since its demise had never been recorded in the ABS obituaries. So we must assume the Nation’s Station had no idea, either. Unfortunately, we cannot, in good conscience, say “Rest in Peace.” Rather, we hope the person who murdered that kind and still-necessary million is found, tried, convicted and sent to 1735.

Given that its last known residence was a certain offshore bank and recalling in whose company it was last seen, are we to assume the place of abode is also as dead as the donation?  

You see, it wasn’t very long ago – six weeks, maybe – that the minister of finance announced that the bank had found a generous investor and about US$100 million was about to become available for expanding the institution. So no one could blame the Barbuda MP for expecting Lazarus to be coming forth any day now.

To be told that he stinketh is bad news, indeed. The question now arises: Does the finance minister know whether there will be a requiem for the offshore bank – gravely weighted down with legal baggage –  too?

And then there’s the minister of works again: Apparently, she did not know that over $27 million had been apportioned to that Government department for completion of the Sunshine Hub Car Park until she saw it on a Facebook post. 

Now, we do not know where she was when the Lower House sat. But she returned or emerged not only to say the money was assigned to that ghost once known as NAMCO – but to threaten legal action if that taxpayer kept asking questions about things she knew not.

Funny enough, the 2024 Budget Estimates lists this “ongoing” project among those falling under the remit of the Ministry of Works. But it is quite possible she did not know, as she had been otherwise occupied looking over the fence of the police stations.

The information deficit continues: According to some people in strategic places, the switch in Resolutions on the deportee issue was not known ahead of time – except to the few.  Those who stood unscripted to defend the last-minute document did so on sheer instinct, rising to assure their leader that his change of heart automatically was theirs, and having prior knowledge was only for troublemakers like the Opposition. 

Interestingly, in the only demonstration of, prior knowledge that morning, it was the Opposition MP who seemed to know that the prime minister, in negotiating with the United States Government, held neither cards nor the box the cards came in.

It appears the Barbuda MP was right, because, just days later, it appeared that the minister of tourism and aviation did not know JetBlue was going to dump Antigua and Barbuda right at the start of the 2026-27 tourist season.  Although I strongly suspect he did know but didn’t want us to know … before April 30 was safely out of his way.

And, since ‘tis the season, consider that ABS, the station funded by taxpayers, did not know that it should not have listened to whoever decided it could not broadcast the Carnival shows live to taxpayers – until it was told, by the Cabinet, no less, that it should. Now we’re wondering which minister did not know that he did not know who really run tings here… .

The minister of education should take a cue, because we understand he did not know – notwithstanding being stripped of the Festivals portfolio – that he would be required, come September, to police the public and private schools to make sure no imperfect student is able to take advantage of the Government's campaign promise to pay all examination fees.

Look ah work! Boy, if I were you, I’d throw in the towel and just go into the hotel business – assuming you already know how the tourists plan to get here.

… All these knew-nots within the first 80 days of a new administration?  But it’s Carnival, Baby, so let’s just listen to what Boldface had to say about that again… .