St. John’s, Antigua — November 19th 2025

After a two-year absence from active politics, I have made the deliberate and heartfelt decision to renew my membership in the United Progressive Party (UPP) and re-enter national politics at a time when our country stands at a moral and political crossroad.

This decision comes after much reflection and with the support and encouragement from ordinary citizens, community leaders, and supporters across Antigua and Barbuda who continue to believe that our country deserves better: better leadership, better governance, and a renewed sense of national purpose.

In recent years, I have observed with growing concern the steady decay of our political culture under the administration of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), led by Prime Minister Gaston Browne. What was once promised as an “economic powerhouse” has instead become an economy struggling under the weight of mismanagement, inflated promises, and deep social inequality. The absence of transparency and accountability, the pervasive corruption and abuse of public office, and the blatant acts of nepotism and cronyism have eroded public trust and undermined the very institutions that sustain our democracy. We can see that many have benefited from this but the greater majority of our people have not!

The current administration has presided over one of the most troubling periods in our modern political history; marked by scandal, rising poverty, and a cost of living that has placed unbearable strain on working families. Ordinary citizens are being forced to bear the consequences of reckless governance, while dissenting voices are silenced through intimidation, public bullying, and character assassination. Freedom of expression, once a hallmark of our democracy, has been steadily eroded by an increasingly volatile and authoritarian leadership style that seeks to dominate rather than serve.

So I ask, have we forgotten who we are as a people? When have we just laid still and sit quiet as our children’s patrimony is callously siphoned off by the very people who should safeguard it? My people, are we now so desensitized to these acts of national betrayal? Well the whisperings I hear from my fellow citizens tell me clearly that we have not! My friends, my family, my fellow citizens and residents, indeed they have gotten a long long rope, it is time to remind them  who hold the handle. Let us rein them in!

At the same time, I recognize that the United Progressive Party, the movement that gave me my first platform to serve as a Senator, is not without its own challenges. The UPP today stands divided in spirit and weakened by internal fractures. Yet it remains, at its core, the most credible and viable vehicle for national redemption and reform. I am rejoining the UPP not to relive the past, but to join the real effort to rebuild, refocus, and reimagine what it can be – even greater than it was – a people’s party rooted in integrity, service, and fairness.

I hold no illusions about the challenges ahead. But I have always known that leadership begins with courage – the courage to stand for what is right even when it is unpopular, the courage to speak truth to power, and the courage to work for unity where division has taken root. I am not afraid.

My decision to return is guided by conviction not convenience. It is driven by a belief that our country cannot afford another decade of corruption, fear, and economic dependency. We must begin the hard work of restoring public confidence in leadership – leadership that listens, unites, and delivers.. Together, we will help strengthen the moral and strategic foundations of a party that has, at its best, stood for the dignity of ordinary people and the right of every citizen to have a fair share in the nation’s prosperity. I do so fearlessly and with a sense of duty.

It is in the ranks of a resurgent UPP that I will advocate for transparency, equality, and civic empowerment. I am happy to stand with actors in the UPP who have demonstrated their resilience, their integrity and their capacity to govern Antigua and Barbuda in line with the aspirations of you the people.

My people, Antigua and Barbuda stands at a defining moment. We can either continue down a path of decay and division or we can rise together to restore integrity, hope, and progress to our beloved nation.

It is time to rein in the unruly and the unconscionable and loudly reject the vulgar disrespect towards you the people. Join me!

Malaka Parker
Former Senator | Community Activist | Political Reformer