Antigua and Barbuda has an estimated population of 96,286, a number that seems significant but in reality, is smaller than some cities. Disparities in living conditions, public works, streets, and sidewalks are strongly felt. In 2017, the island of Barbuda was devastated by Hurricane Irma, whose 295 km/h winds destroyed 95% of the islands' buildings. Nearly every resident of Barbuda was evacuated to Antigua, and efforts to rebuild are still ongoing. Meanwhile, Parham is often called the "first town" of Antigua and home to the majority of the inhabitants of St. Peter's Parish is a city that has been in dire need of repair and renovation for decades. All of this is on Asot Michael's mind when the MP for St. Peter's closes out his argument in the debate of Antigua and Barbuda's budget for 2021. Where earlier in his statement, MP Michael critiqued what he felt to be an oversight in tax concessions and a misplaced prioritization of meeting excessive demands of select private sector interests, he now turns his attention to areas most in need of assistance: the island of Barbuda still in shambles after the hurricane and his own parish, the bedrock of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party.

Asot Michael shows Solidarity with Barbuda

Barbuda has never had it easy from its colonial origins as an island where slavery was so commonplace, its inhabitants were exported to other islands and the continental united states to its near-complete architectural eradication in 2017. It was after the unmitigated disaster that was Hurricane Irma that Trevor Myke Walker of the Barbuda People's Movement was able to regain his position as MP of Barbuda for a third term. His impassioned statement during the 2021 Budgetary Debate struck a chord with Asot Michael, who took the opportunity in his closing remarks to renew the house's focus, not on hypothetical development of resorts, but the real needs of people brought low by environmental disaster and global pandemic.

Post liberation, the newly freed people of Barbuda were left abandoned on their island for years without aid. This feeling of being abandoned by their neighbors has been an undercurrent of their history and relationship to Antigua, even unified under the banner of one country. Now Trevor Walker fears for the diminishing agency of the island as Prime Minister Gaston Browne announces initiatives for development there. A frequent complaint from the Barbudan council is that PM Browne will not meet with them to discuss the future of their land. Asot Michael takes this complaint to heart and advocates emphatically for their ability to solve any issues between the central government and Barbuda diplomatically. "There are differences of opinion but none of them so serious that they cannot be resolved through diplomacy and negotiation in which both honorable gentlemen are skilled practitioners," MP Michael argues. The worst-case scenario for the nation would be an escalation in conflict and potential secession.

Asot Michael understands the danger if the relationship between the central government and Barbuda ever deteriorated to that degree. In light of that, he emphasizes solidarity with the island of Barbuda, taking the impassioned speech of its MP to heart. Agency is at the heart of the anxieties surrounding Barbuda. As new development initiatives are executed on the island, Barbudans do not want to feel as though their agency is being stripped away. As new policies concerning land ownership become legal precedent on the island, locals are terrified of being priced out of their homes. Development is inevitable, but Asot Michael believes that if the MP of Barbuda and the Member for St. John's City West put their differences aside, development can occur in the least harmful way possible for the locals of Barbuda, who have had an especially difficult half-decade.

Asot Michael wants Parham restored to its Former Glory

The MP of St. Peter's comes from a long line of Labour members and supporters. He frequently credits their work over generations as being integral to the bedrock of the party: "The union of Patrick Michael, Asot Michael, and the Antigua and Barbuda Labour party is no accident. It is a product of dedication to the politics of Labour in the advancement of Antigua and Barbuda." Coming from this lineage, his speech displays a keen understanding of the broader narrative of Antigua and Barbuda. So much of what has been built in Gaston Browne's administration was repaired after "10 years of neglect under the UPP [United Progressive Party]." In that time, his constituency of St. Peter's suffered under neglect and disrepair. Now, with five years of Labour Majority, not much has changed.

Parham, the largest town in St. Peters and the oldest town, historically, in Antigua has the chance to not only become a major attraction but a cultural hub. Plans were made as far back as Lester Bird's administration for what MP Michael calls "the complete refurbishment and modernization of Parham," including the development of a waterfront, marinas, duty-free shopping facilities, arts and crafts, and the refurbishment of historical buildings such as the St. Peter's Anglican Church. With an emphasis on preservation of local history and culture, this is a use of government funds that does what stimulating private development in the region will not by supporting the local population over foreign developers and eventual tourists.

Closing Statement

Asot Michael's closing statement is a re-affirmation of core Labour Party values and a staunch defense of his legacy. It's evident in his disdain for excessive tax giveaways to select corporate interests and his passion for native Barbudans and the people of his constituency, that he cares more for the everyday worker than the wealthy and privileged. In a world of growing ecological instability in which a global pandemic can indefinitely change the nature of global tourism, the old ways, which were shaky to begin with, will no longer function for Antigua and Barbuda. Michael not only believes in the ability of the Labour Party to adopt but in its ability to see past decades of tension and animosity in order to reach the best possible outcomes. In his final statement, he reasserts his faith, a cornerstone of his politics and a crucial part of his message to a majority Christian population. "I serve a righteous God and his people in this blessed land," MP Michael concludes, "In that cause, I stand firm for health, wealth, progress, peace, order, justice, a level playing field, and caring, accountable governance for all."