Prime Minister Gaston Browne has expressed concerns over the possibility of people using the water issue in Antigua and Barbuda for political gain.
He recently revealed that the water supply in the St. Mary’s South constituency was abruptly turned off without any reasonable justification just before the By-Election.
The Prime Minister suspects this was done deliberately to influence the election outcome.
“On election day, we had no water. The water was shut off since Thursday. Monday night, I called the management of APUA, and I asked them to please turn on the water. I spoke to the general manager, I called him at about 7:00, and he said they had powered up the plant at about 5:00, but I don’t know how this happened.
He said APUA sent water to Jennings, but PM Browne said if the water came from Frairs, how could it have gotten to Jennings and bypassed Bolans.
“I don’t want to accuse anybody of weaponizing water in this country, but I found it astonishing. And the night before the election, people went to sleep without water. They did turn on the water at about 11:00 because I was following it. We found a valve guy. I had to send the police to get the valve man”, PM Browne revealed
“When we found him, I had to tell him to go back and see what’s happening with these valves. And he went back. In fact, he told me he had finished working at about 12. I said to him, if you are to work at 2:00, just get the water on, please. By the following morning, water off again. They said that there was enough water build up in the in the tanks.
The suspected deliberate turning off of water valves have been a major issue during the last general elections
I think this PM is mentally sick. It was the same water situation they campaigned on into the 2014 election. There is video still going with Robin Yearwood condemning the UPP for not providing water to the people of Antigua and Barbuda on a daily basis.
Gaston more than sick. Has he now become a fictional author? So people only entitled to water because it’s Election Day? This is the same man who said we would get water in 14 days. Leading up to the last election he gave so many deadlines as to when the water problem would be fixed. He is no better than UPP. He wash his mouth on people and now can’t do any better.
So now he’s concerned about the lack of water?! Chips! This is a battle that all Antiguans face on a daily basis. Shame on him and his administration for not consistently providing such a basic necessity.