Prime MInister Gaston Browne on weekly radio station Saturday
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended the government’s decision to make Spanish the official second language of Antigua and Barbuda, saying the policy addresses economic integration, diplomatic competitiveness and the social inclusion of a Spanish-speaking population he estimated at roughly ten percent of the country.
Cabinet approved the initiative on May 14, directing the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to begin restructuring the national curriculum so that Spanish becomes a compulsory core subject from pre-school through secondary level.
The Cabinet also approved a Dominican Republic Integration Programme, known as DRIP, to formalise economic, cultural and institutional ties between the two countries.
Speaking on his weekly radio programme on Point FM, Browne said the policy had drawn criticism he considered misplaced.
He pointed to the existing linguistic reality of Antigua and Barbuda, where Spanish is already the most widely spoken second language among residents, driven largely by a Dominican-origin community whose members he said are descended in part from Antiguans who emigrated decades ago.
“The most popular second language that is spoken in Antigua and Barbuda is not Mandarin or French. It is Spanish,” Browne said.
He argued that teaching Spanish would open market access in South America, support Antiguan candidates for positions in regional and international organisations and help integrate the Spanish-speaking community more fully into the economy.
He noted that Antigua and Barbuda had sponsored Ecuadorian diplomat and former foreign minister Maria Espinosa as a candidate for United Nations Secretary-General, describing her multilingualism as a key qualification.
Browne also pointed to the country’s historical connections to the Spanish-speaking world, including Antiguan labourers who helped construct the Panama Canal, and Caribbean links stretching through Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
“If our Antiguans and Barbudans in the future are going to become secretary generals, or viable candidates to become secretary generals of the UN, of the OAS, and so on, they have to have a second language,” Browne said.
He rejected the suggestion that Antiguan dialect should serve as the country’s second language, saying it develops naturally and does not require formal instruction.
He also dismissed concerns that the policy would create implementation challenges, pointing to the existing network of Spanish instruction at the Venezuelan Embassy and the longstanding presence of Spanish classes in Antiguan secondary schools.
You can’t defend common sense to people that intentionally lack common sense. We always crave progress then fight it. This step is very economically strategic and a solid move showing inclusion of other nations and their cultures, into our own. I love this for us!
It should be thought in school but it shouldn’t be declared as a second language, we know why but.
So now our third language is gonna be Arabic?
And for persons who are interested in learning Spanish not going to school and can’t afford classes, will there be an avenue for them to learn knowing its a must learn?
It makes sense to me because of our large Spanish population
Why not have the Spanish community learn English and our dialect? Many Spanish speakers migrated here, and they cannot speak English. I am wondering if they were taught English in their country’s school system.
I don’t have a problem with foreign languages, but making it the country’s second language, I don’t agree. The Spanish language can get a rank in the country, but not second above our dialect. The majority of the Spanish-speaking community in Antigua speaks broken Spanish—their dialect, similar to our broken English.
I remember when I was doing my associate’s degree, I had to take Spanish. My Professor said to the class that the Spanish we hear spoken around us daily is broken Spanish.
You are correct Donna
PM i dont agree with you on this one
Coming from a country with dual languages forced upon you…money is the factor. All labels, staff, shipped products, the list is long and everything has to be printed twice.one in English again in espanol. This is expensive. Never mind the government employees with have too be proficient or it is all lawsuits and disruption. Never mind the split on society over who is getting the most from the government for their language.
As much as I support the idea to be multilingual and it benifits since I am but I think your push for this is for political gains. One time I heard you say there ain’t no such thing as indigenous Antiguans in which was an insult to me who came from a family far back 10 generations +. You are into ethnic cleansing of the population in which indigenous Antiguans are least important to you, most of the economic power are in the hands of migrants. All I can say Indigenous Antiguans are not in the majority in the population and their days are done unless something is done about that cleansing soonest.