Director of Communications Maurice Merchant has come to the defense of Public Works Minister Maria Bird Browne, describing what he calls “unwarranted attacks” against her as politically motivated and intended merely “to name and shame.”
Merchant made the remarks during Thursday’s Cabinet press briefing, in response to growing public and opposition calls for a full independent inquiry into the alleged irregularities surrounding the procurement and sale of government vehicles — a controversy widely referred to as “Vehicle-Gate.”
“The unwarranted attacks on the Minister of Works, who uncovered these irregularities within the government system. Where have you heard that the whistleblower becomes the individual suspected of a crime or abused and maligned, attacked for uncovering something of that nature? And that is what’s happening to her,” Merchant said.
The Director of Communications emphasized that Minister Bird Browne, rather than being complicit, was in fact responsible for exposing the questionable transactions that have dominated headlines in recent weeks.
The issue has drawn sharp criticism from the United Progressive Party (UPP) and civic activists, who continue to insist on an independent investigation.
They argue that several government officials and departments may have been involved in the alleged mismanagement and sale of close to 100 vehicles linked to the Ministry of Works and other government departments.
However, the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has taken a different stance, indicating that it sees no need for an inquiry and instead intends to pursue restitution from the affected dealerships.
“All these calls are worthless in the view of the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda,” Merchant declared. “You ask yourself, is it the need for a name-and-shame affair, or is it restitution via the return of revenues, which the car dealers recognized had errors and discrepancies.”
The government maintains that corrective action — not political spectacle — is the appropriate response, even as pressure mounts from opposition figures and sections of the public demanding greater transparency.
Give a a dam brake,when things goes wrong does in charge will get the blame,if she can’t handle the heat,get out the kitchen,the same will go if the other party was in power.
Boy what whistleblower you talking about. How can the boss be a whistleblower for something that she should be very much aware of.
Another pompous, arrogant idiot. Pixie is involved because it all went down under her watch. She should step aside until the investigation is completed. The Dawg’s nose is in everywhere and in everything yet he’s claiming ignorance about this vehiclegate scandal? 75 million disappears in Ebooks and he, the minister of FINANCE, knows nothing? Come on Antigua. Asot Michael called him out for being corrupt and presiding over a corrupt government. We know how that ends.
I swear I have a headache. This is too much for me to comprehend
Every time something happen, we get speech, not action. People struggling out here while government playing blame game. Who refunding taxpayers?
Why waste time defending Tom, Dick and Harry instead of pleading for an inquiry into the $15 million vehicle sandals? We, the people, need to know where our $15 million vehicles are, who receives them, and why such a large purchase was made in the first place. We hire a government to handle our country’s affairs, and we need better accountability and transparency on how our money is being spent and why.
Whether she whistleblow or not, the issue still serious. A full investigation would clear her name if she innocent so why resist it?
At last someone said it. If Minister Bird Browne uncovered the wrongdoing, she deserves credit, not condemnation. Too many people just running with political gossip without the facts.
One man is running his mouth and a large number of people are involved. Maria Brown is the presiding minister of Public Works. Silence. By the way, where the hell is Damani Tabor? Isn’t he the mouthpiece for Works? Silence. We can not know the facts without an investigation. Duh! Until the truth is uncovered, speculations will continue. The Laboratories are trying to defend this mess,even when to a grade Six education would conclude the opposite.
Pixie did not uncovered anything. That’s just Gaston Brown lying as he always does. Have we forgotten Choksi? The Alpha Nero? The African smuggling scandal?
This same voice was painting the narrative. Hmmmmm?
Political attacks are part of the game, but the public deserves transparency too. Defense is fine, but facts should come first.
Maria is soft. She haven’t learned from her husband. She need to be like the iron lady,, she needs to watch and emulate women like Mia and Portia. She needed during that protest to walk out of her office and body address the people and put the UPP upp Shame. Maria darling learn from your husband. Don’t be shy. Politics is not for the weak.
The truth must come to light not through noise or name-calling, but through proper procedure. Let the evidence speak.
If wrong was done, let restitution happen. But government also need to publish the findings so people stop speculating. Silence only fuels mistrust.
So the whistleblower gets dragged while the real culprits hiding in the shadows? That’s not justice. People need to separate politics from truth.