Jamal Pringle, the leader of the Opposition has said that yesterday’s Throne Speech was disappointing and failed to impress anyone, saying further that it seems to have been a regurgitation of other thrones speeches from the past.

Pringle said he expected to hear more about the economic situation and address the issue of the high cost of living.

“A lot of things at the Throne Speech we have heard over the last five years. We were hoping that we would have heard at least the outline of policies that the government intends to use to revitalize the economy,” he said.

Pringle said there was no indication in the Throne Speech as to exactly when the water woes affecting the people of Antigua and Barbuda will end.

Where water is concerned, Governor General Sir Rodney Williams said during his speech that the government intends to meet the required production levels through several means including improvements to the R/O plants, the timely repair of damaged valves, leaky mains, the installation of pumps at well-placed intervals in elevated areas so that there can be a more equitable distribution of this precious commodity to all consumers.

He said more than 7 million gallons of potable water are currently produced daily, and another reverse osmosis plant producing 3.5 million gallons daily is to be added at Bethesda in short order.

But “that is something we have been hearing about this since 2014,” Pringle said, adding, “we are still hearing about it but we are not seeing or hearing exactly how the government will address the issue”

Pringle said from all accounts, the government always seems to be long on words and very short on actual work.

But Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the Throne Speech was excellent, full of substance, and well delivered.

He also brushed aside suggestions the speech was underwhelming.

“You cannot expect individuals who do not have the intellectual depth to come to any other type of conclusion. The lacking of depth is indicative of the lack of intellectual depth in the party of the Leader of the Opposition. He is still learning. He has a long way to go and clearly, I don’t think that he is in a position up to this point in his career, to speak intelligently about the depth of any issue so I am not surprised he would have made what is a shallow statement in the light of the physical evidence of our performance,” Browne said