Merchant Defends Minister Bird Browne, Says “Vehicle-Gate” Attacks Are Political and Unwarranted

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.