Prime Minister Gaston Bowne at Thanksgiving Church Service.

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Prime Minister Gaston Browne led the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) in a Thanksgiving service at the House of Restoration Pentecostal Church, crediting divine guidance for the party’s general election victory and calling on all Antiguans and Barbudans to set aside political divisions in pursuit of a shared national purpose.

The Prime Minister remarked that the victory belonged to the people, particularly the working class, and carried with it a renewed obligation to govern with greater faithfulness.

“We do not see this resounding victory as a gift. We do not see it as the opportunity to be slothful or for that matter to abuse public resources. We see this as an opportunity to serve you more faithfully,” PM Browne said.

He acknowledged what he described as a campaign marked by pressure, hostility and vile attacks, saying divine intervention had carried the party through each challenge.

“Through every challenge, God gave us wisdom to lead, strength to endure, courage to persevere, and the calm assurance that truth, service and genuine love for people would prevail,” Browne said.

He reserved thanks for the prayer warriors within the congregation and across the country, saying their intercessions had been central to the party’s success.

“While elections are fought in public, prayer with works secures victory,” he said, adding that their spiritual covering had helped guide the administration through the storms of the campaign.

The Prime Minister used the occasion to reiterate his administration’s central development vision, calling on all citizens to commit to building what he described as a lifestyle superpower.

He outlined a nation where education, healthcare and housing uplift the masses, entrepreneurship expands the middle class, culture thrives and young people can dream without limits.

“With the efforts of each Antiguan and Barbudan, we can build a nation that will be the envy of others globally,” Browne said.

He tied the vision to what he called a Renaissance — a renewal of national confidence, infrastructure, culture and creativity, economic strength and social upliftment, and the country’s spiritual foundations.

He said these elements would together produce a new era of progress for Antigua and Barbuda.

Browne also issued a direct call for Antiguans and Barbudans to seize the opportunities the government intended to create, citing education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and increased ownership as pillars of the development agenda being built exclusively for citizens and residents.
“Do not allow others to come from abroad to seize those opportunities,” he said.

He closed with an appeal for unity that extended beyond partisan lines.
“Let us not move forward as different political institutions, different religious denominations, but as reborn Antiguans and Barbudans who are working harmoniously to build this country,” Browne said.

“Not as Labour people alone. Not as supporters of one party or another. But as proud citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, determined to build a brighter future for generations yet unborn.”