By Aabigale McIntyre
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne is accusing some regional countries of acting in a way to destroy LIAT
Browne said that some of these Caricom countries “want it all”.
He used a CARICOM ceremony recently to admonish these countries to temper their ambition, saying that there seems to be narrow-mindedness in the regional bloc.
Prime Minister Browne, who is responsible for services in the Caricom quasi-cabinet, said he finds it untenabl that even though the treaty calls for equitable benefits, some countries within the region are trying to not only compete but to displace Antigua and Barbuda as a provider of transportation services.
“So instead of cooperating with Antigua and Barbuda to restore LIAT, or for that matter, to start a completely new entity, you will have countries going outside of the region to facilitate and to establish other private entities to destroy LIAT”, he said
Browne has tried without success to get regional governments to buy into the idea of a new LIAT but he has not received the support he expected
“You want to also decimate our small transportation sector. That is not in keeping with the spirit of the Treaty of Chaguaramas. And I want to call upon my colleagues to manage their ambition…You can’t have everything”, Browne said
The prime minister believes that such behavior undermines regional integration
“And notwithstanding that, Antigua and Barbuda remain committed because we understand that, ultimately it is this integration movement that will help to improve our people. We recognize that generally speaking, we have benefited from functional cooperation”, he explained
Although he did not single out any specific country, the prime minister called on those guilty countries “to stand down and allow the integration process to work”.
We who live in the U. S. Virgin Islands-and travel frequently , were more than disappointed when LIAT failed, and discontinued its service. Most of us were actually ANGRY.
Notwithstanding that for years we were forced to tolerate LIAT’s NON-punctuality, and sometimes CATASTROPHIC LUGGAGE HANDLING, we all still appreciated the ability to “get home”.
We all cursed and loved LIAT, because as inefficient and MISMANAGED as it was, it was OUR AIRLINE
We all joked about LIAT’s faults, and would say that LIAT stood for. LEAVE ISLAND ANY TIME.
There are those who believe that LIAT was cursed from the start, so CHANGING THE NAME and SEEKING GOD’s BLESSINGS are Excellent Ideas.
Confer with the other CARICOM supporting nations in choosing a name. You can even ask the public in each of the islands to Send in suggested names before a deadline. It is a way of involving all concerned, which will encourage their support.
We can start small. We don’t need super jets right away. We can grow into that.
The LIAT Planes that are still AIR WORTHY can be maintained., re-furnished and re-painted. We already have capable mechanics, we will hire and train more.
My personal suggestion for a name is
UNITED CARIBBEAN AIR LINK. …
It would be wise to confer with all the POTAL AGENCIES that serve these islands, to determine the way forward to improving CARIBBEAN MAIL SERVICE.
FINALLY , We have been blessed with an ULTRA MODERN AIRPORT , which sits there like a pink elephant and is operated like a “Bus Shanty”.
We need to hire and train operators for the MOBILE GATES for boarding and unloading passengers.
Remember that all passengers are not physically fit to walk down the aircraft’s stairs, 100 yards across the tarmac, and then up a ramp or stairs to the second story level, before arriving at baggage claim and immigration.
The Facilities are there, but they are not being used. AGAIN. Mismanagement.
May Almighty God Bless us as we support the relevant changes We are all involved.