PM Browne slams Richard Lewis calling him “supremely arrogant”

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says there has been a noticeable change in the behavior of the Parliamentary Representative for St Johns Rural West, Richard Lewis, for the worse.

Specifically, the Prime Minister has expressed concern that Lewis has begun displaying increased arrogance lately.

Lewis has been persistently questioning the Prime Minister about a concerning issue that has been plaguing the government in recent weeks.

The issue pertains to an arrangement allowing the Works Ministry to pay $1 rent for a building the Prime Minister’s son reportedly owns. Despite facing resistance from the government, Lewis has not let up on his pursuit of clarity.

In his most recent efforts, he has formally requested answers and supporting documentation from various government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Urban Renewal, the Ministry of Works, and WIOC.

However, despite Lewis’s efforts, the Prime Minister has dismissed the issue, stating that Lewis is beating a dead horse and that there is nothing untoward about the matter.

“Richard Lewis is looking for something to hang his political hat on, hoping that he can take over the leadership of the UPP. For some reason, sometimes you think people have humility. But just give them a little power. He has no power yet, but notice how he has changed his demeanor because he believes that he will defeat Pringle. But don’t be surprised if Pringle beats him. He has become supremely arrogant…”, Browne said

“He is accusing Lewis of taking on the same line posture as his predecessors in the UPP and trying to make an issue out of nothing. He knows better”, Browne added

Lewis raised concerns earlier regarding the agreement. He pointed out that the property was sold by the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) , which has Maria Browne, the PM’s wife, as a board member.

The property includes three government offices that fall under Maria Browne’s ministerial portfolio.

Despite this, Lewis claims that PM Gaston Browne has not provided satisfactory answers, which has led to further questions regarding the deal.

However, Browne insists that all the information Lewis is requesting has already been made public, and there’s nothing new to report.

“He has written to various government agencies. Finance has nothing to do with that. Public Works has already responded…All the information is in the public domain…But he is giving the impression that we have something to hide,” Browne added

Lewis said irrespective of what the prime minister says, he will continue to pursue the matter

“Richard wants to know if my son or myself or my families have shares in WIOC. The answer is no Richard. We have no shares in WIOC. I am the one who fought hard to acquire the company and then to divest it so Antiguans and Barbudans can have shares in there,” he said

WIOC has three major shareholders that own approximately 90% of its shares. These are Fancy Bridge, a Chinese firm, and the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Venezuela.

The remaining 10% of the shares are owned by Antiguans and Barbudans, comprising only a few hundred individuals.