In this episode, we discuss the reasons why many continue to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. This discussion was organised in partnership with Amplify Caribbean. The Big Issues is proud to provide a space where civil organisations such as Amplify Caribbean can engage in meaningful discussions on issues which are important to our society.

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. A’Shante’ O’Keiffe, Head and Co-Founder of the organisation, Amplify Caribbean. 
2. Pete-Semaj McKnight, an attorney-at-law and Litigator. His areas of practice include, but are not limited to criminal, civil, and immigration. He is also a cohost of a radio program called Life Law & Music (LLM) which covers different areas of life, with a little law & Music
3. Kadeem Joseph, a journalist, activist, and a United Nations (UN) gender advocate.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

A mega wealth tax on local elites and wealthy economic citizens has been proposed as an alternative to the increasingly controversial citizenship by investment programme (CBI/CIP). In this episode, we ask: How viable is the idea of further taxing the wealthy in our society in order to improve the lot of all? could this really work in Antigua and Barbuda? Our guests explored the possibilities thoroughly and offered strong critiques throughout.

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Anthony Stuart, the 2nd Vice President of the Democratic National Alliance, and one of its founding members. Anthony Stuart was formerly a government senator during the Spencer administration. He's a financial consultant, a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He’s also an Adjunct Lecturer at the UWI Five Islands Campus.
2. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist currently working in South Sudan. As an economist, he also worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 13 years. His work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management, and debt. He is from Dominica and was a Senator there previously.
3. Peter Queeley, a Montserrat-based economic and financial analyst, and a social and political commentator. Peter Queeley once worked within the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in the areas of budgeting and economic management. 
4. Dr. Dalano DaSouza, Assistant Lecturer in Economics at the UWI Cave Hill. Co-host of the ‘A Lawyer & a Policy Analyst Walk into a Bar’ podcast. This podcast raises awareness about Caribbean economic, political, legal and social issues in a way that any citizen can understand.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

One of Antigua and Barbuda's most renowned musicians and Calypso icons, Sir McClean Emmanuel marked his 80th birthday recently as it was suggested that he ought to be made a National Hero. Some ask if he is worthy of the status. In this episode, we ask: What defines a national hero? And when is someone worthy?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Krystle Howell, a Barbadian Certified Internal Auditor. She's an advocate for integrity and accountability in government.
2. Barbara Arindell, an author, a literary enthusiast, and a cultural enthusiast as well.
3. Professor Don Marshall, political scientist with a Professorship in International Political Economy and Development Studies. He is currently the Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute at the Cave Hill Campus of the UWI. 
4. Rev. Canon Reid Simon, an Anglican priest serving in the island of Anguilla. 

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Disgraced Labour Party MP Asot Michael has won again in court, defending an injunction secured against the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), and triggering another rebuke of the MP from the Prime Minister Gaston Browne, his former political ally and personal friend. In Parliament, Works Minister Lennox Weston told Michael in jest that he should spend his own money to improve his constituency, saying it was the Labour Party that made Michael a millionaire. Government MPs casually laughed off the comment, even applauding it. Meanwhile, the United Progressive Party (UPP) and the ABLP are both promising solutions to the water crisis. Strangely, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) is yet to reveal all its candidates, and both it and the UPP have dismissed collaboration in the upcoming election. In this episode, we discuss the politics of late and how it will impact upon the next election.

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on March 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Carlon Knight, political and socio economic affairs commentator.
2. Dr. David Hinds, political commentator; Associate professor of African and African American studies with a concentration on Caribbean and African Diaspora Studies at Arizona State University. 
3. Dr. George Brathwaite, Lecturer in the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology at The University of the West Indies, Cavehill. Former Consultant Editor at the Caribbean Times in Antigua and Barbuda.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

A multi-sectoral committee has been invited by the Labour Minister to formally discuss the prospects for raising the minimum wage in Antigua and Barbuda. In this episode, we ask: What would raising the minimum wage achieve? Is it prudent at this time? Is it feasible and is it overdue?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 27th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Jeremy Stephen, a Barbadian economist and financial consultant. 
2. Samuel James, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Free Trade Union (ABFTU).
3. Peter Queeley, a Montserrat-based economic and financial analyst, and a social and political commentator. Peter Queeley worked with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Antigua and Barbuda in the areas of budgeting and economic management. 

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

A dispute over ride fare between a driver and an foreign medical student became violent with the driver caught on camera attacking the other man with a stick. The driver has now been charged. Yet, there are many issues to be explored. Has this sort of thing happened before? How many unassociated drivers are there running solo ride services and how can they be held accountable for their conduct? Why did it escalate to the point of such violence? What ought the driver to have done differently? In this episode we discuss these and other issues. 

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 27th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Elijah James, an Antiguan and Barbudan businessman and activist.
2. Ian Joseph, President of the United Taxi Company (UTC) which operates from the V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua. He is also vice chair of the public transportation union. 
3. Kadeem Joseph, journalist and Health editor here at the Daily Observer and the Observer Radio, and a past student of the America University of Antigua, A.U.A.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Russia has invaded its western neighbour Ukraine, with the Russian President Vladimir Putin vowing to "demilitarize" the country and remove its elected leadership. Though it had been building up to this point for months now, many still doubted the Russian leader would unleash a full scale war, but rather, thought that he was flexing, so to speak, in order to seek concessions from Ukraine. The invasion has sparked a crisis in Europe. Commentators expect refugees, death and carnage unlike anything the continent has seen in this century. In this episode we break down the historical and political dynamic between Russia and Ukraine and explore what lead us to this point. We ask: What are the implications of this conflict for the people on both sides? And for the rest of the world? What consequences will this war have for the liberal international order?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 27th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Ambassador Aubrey Webson, Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN). Until his appointment in 2014, Dr. Webson had a long career with Perkins International, serving as its Director since 2011. 
2. Dr. Mark Kirton, a retired lecturer in the field of international relations. He is a former Director of the Institute of International Relations at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, and today, joins us from Guyana. 
3. Jade-Mark Sonilal, a recent graduate of The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, where he studied politics and international relations at the undergraduate level. He is an activist, and a commentator on political, social and international issues. 
4. J’moul Francis, a researcher and a policy consultant. He is an Antiguan and Barbudan Commonwealth Scholar with professional and academic interests in Public International Law, European Union Law, CARICOM Integration Law, International Humanitarian Law, Constitutional Law, Public Policy, Diplomacy, and International Relations.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Antigua and Barbuda, Anthony Armstrong, has taken special leave from the office in the wake of a professional misconduct decision against him by a disciplinary body in Jamaica which the Attorney General says Armstrong intends to appeal. The ruling that he was guilty of "professional misconduct" was delivered on January 28th and stemmed from a long dispute between himself and a former client over the sale of property belonging to the client back in the 2000s. In this episode, we ask: How serious is the decision rendered against Armstrong? And how does the system keep check on the conduct of he of she who sits as DPP?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 20th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Ruggles Ferguson, attorney and a former President of both the Grenada Bar Association and the OECS Bar Association. He is the current President of OCCBA - the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations. 

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The education minister Daryl Matthew has signaled that the government has no immediate plans to propose banning corporal punishment in schools, despite his and the Prime Minister Gaston Browne's staunch and vocal support for the same idea around mid-2021. In a heated moment during an interview on Observer Radio with Joseph Apparicio, he famously said that he wouldn't condone a school official beating any child of his. What changed? In this episode, we ask: Has the administration taken the right decision in leaving corporal punishment alone? And what could have prompted policymakers to keep the status quo.

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 20th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Vernice Mack, retired principal, formerly principal of the Buckley’s primary school.
2. Carlon Knight, socio-economic and political commentator.
3. Prof. Disraeli Hutton, retired lecturer. He was a lecturer in educational leadership and management, at the School of Education, University of the West Indies, Mona.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The Antigua Barbuda Labour Party's most scandalized MP, Asot Michael, lunched a stern rebuke of the Gaston Browne administration’s A+ rating of its performance, lavishing the government with criticism for what Michael says is the deliberate neglect of his St. Peter constituency. But whether or not he meant to do so, he was also casually acknowledging many of the ineffective, unethical and even underhanded ways in which politics is practiced in the country, and more importantly, by himself and by his own party. 

He's continuing a trend, in fact. Since his fallout began with the Prime Minister back in 2020, ostensibly over Michael's scandals, their sparring in Parliament has revealed much about corruption, dishonesty, and clientelism in politics both during the current Gaston Browne-led ABLP administration and under previous administrations. In this episode we ask: What can we learn from Asot Michael’s contribution to the 2022 budget debate?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 20th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Akaash Maharaj, an Ambassador-at-Large for the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption known also as GOPAC. GOPAC is an International nongovernmental organization made up of parliamentarians from across the world, working together to combat corruption, strengthen good government, and uphold the rule of law.
2. Peter Wickham, Director of the polling and research firm, Caribbean Development Research Services. He has done numerous electoral polls in Antigua and Barbuda, and elsewhere in the region. He is a commentator on Caribbean political and social affairs. He is often retained by the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
3. Dr. David Hinds, a political commentator and writer from Guyana. He is an Associate Professor of African and African American studies at the Arizona State University. His focus is on Caribbean and African Diaspora Studies. His research interests include governance and politics in the Caribbean, and Black political leadership.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Two men are to be tried over the charge of perverting the course of justice after allegedly bribing an alleged sexual assault victim to drop a rape case against one of the accused. In this episode, we ask: How serious is the issue of bribery and hush money when it comes to sex crimes and efforts to escape criminal justice?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 13th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Naeemah Hazelle, Deputy Director of the National Counselling Centre in St. Kitts. She is a psychologist and a counsellor. She studied sociology and psychology at the University of the West Indies, specializing in gender and race. She has over 20 years of experience working with communities in St. Kitts and Nevis.
2. Shelly Seecharan, an attorney at law and a Trinidadian living in Barbados. She has been a lawyer for almost 14 years and is called to the Bar in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica. She has also worked on cases in St. Lucia and Grenada, and has appeared before the CCJ.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

At many times over the last few months workers have found reason to protest, often over debts owed to them, or problems with their premises. In this episode, we explore the reasons behind some of the worker protest actions over outstanding pay or wage issues that have been in the news recently. We ask: What can these protests tell us about the state of the public sector, the private sector and the state of industrial relations?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 13th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Dr. Oswald Thomas, a political consultant, campaign organizer and media commentator. He is a psycho-therapist. He is a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
2. Anderson Carty, management consultant specializing in business management, industrial relations and human resource management. He is also running as an independent candidate in St. John’s Rural West.
3. Anthony Stuart, professionally, he is a financial consultant. Politically, is an active and founding member of the Democratic National Alliance and was formerly a senator during the Spencer administration.
4. Sandra Williams-Jackson, former General secretary of Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Union, and a past president of the Antigua and Barbuda Trade Union Congress.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

In this episode our guests continue their analysis of the budget 2022 beginning with critiques by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Jamale Pringle. He opened Thursday’s debate on the 2022 budget, by accusing the government of not being "people-focused". Pringle, the MP for All Saints East and St Luke, said that the XCD $1.64 billion "election budget" did not address direct assistance for residents who have been facing hard times since the pandemic, or how the administration plans to combat the high cost of living in the country - and it is rising. 

But what should a budget try to achieve in the first place? Besides being an estimate of what the government will spend, a budget is also a policy statement. One of our guests stresses in this episode that a budget should target poverty, unemployment, the cost of living and the quality of life. To what extent do this year's policies take specific aim at these ongoing issues? Another guest stresses how little room the government has to maneuver with a buddle of welfare obligations to too large a low income bracket, a massive wage bill from a bloated public sector, and static tax policies. Private sector growth meanwhile, remains is elusive. Why? 

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 13th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Carlon Knight, socio-economic and political affairs commentator.
2. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist currently working in South Sudan. As an economist, he worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 13 years. His work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management, and debt. He is from Dominica and was a Senator there previously.
3. Petra Williams, an economist and statistician by training. She is also a business management consultant.
4. David Spencer, commentator and community activist. He is also the co-host of Movement Radio, a weekly programme on Observer Radio dedicated to social and political activism on a range of issues.

Comments from the host:

What becomes apparent in this discussion is that not much is changing in terms of how the government approaches its job. The social programmes seem to remain unchanged. The size of the fiscally burdensome public sector remains unchanged. The development strategy that relies on hotel investment remains unchanged. Tax polices tend to remain unchanged. Our labour force and education polices remain unchanged. Salaries and wages in the public sector remain unchanged. The bankruptcy at Social Security and the the endless list of debts to public servants remains unchanged. So much of how the government spends its money and the polices it pursues remains largely unchanged from year to year. So, is it having the desired effect on the society? 

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The case of a policewoman caught shoplifting has created controversy in recent days as the severity of the consequences she ought to have faced for the offense became a subject of great debate both within and outside the police force according to media reports. One paper, POINTE EXPRESS, reported that after what it termed “countless appeals to Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney for leniency on behalf of the 56-year-old corporal”, the decision was taken to “allow her to resign” instead of being fired, so as to avoid losing her pension. In this episode, we ask: What fate should have befallen the cop? And can it ever be truly ensured that there is no double standard when the police are tasked with pursuing one of their own?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Nuffield Burnette, former Assistant Commissioner of Police. He is now retired from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, and is a frequent commentator on issues of crime, policing and public safety.
2. Brenton Smith, policeman in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (currently on leave); President of the Police Welfare Association in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The Jolly Beach Resort and the stalled Callaloo Cay hotel project are both to be taken over by the government, or that is at least the government's hope according to a recent announcement. In this episode, we ask: What are the risks the government is taking to rescue both Jolly Beach and Callaloo Cay? And will it be worth the benefit?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Greg Phillip, the CEO of Nevis Sun Tours, a tour operator and destination management company in St. Kitts and Nevis; former CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority; author of the book, The Truth About Early Birds and Worms - How Travel Business Survive and Thrive After Covid-19.
2. Elijah James, an Antiguan and Barbudan businessman and community activist.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The government has unveiled the 2022 budget with a gargantuan deficit, promising an increase in its capital spending, a faster economic recovery, and the customary raft of planned private investments. Of an XCD $1.6 billion budget for 2022, the government intends to borrow roughly $0.6 billion of that amount. That means more than a third of this years spending is intended to come from borrowing as opposed to recurrent revenue. In this episode analysts take their first look at budget 2022 to see what can be gleaned from its numbers, its policies and the politics of what many assume to be an election year.

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 6th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Carlon Knight, Socio-economic and political affairs commentator.
2. Dr. Dave Ray, an elections analyst and campaign organizer. He was a Campaign Field Organizer for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign. He is an internationally known Cosmetologist.
3. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist currently working in South Sudan. As an economist, he worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 13 years. His work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management, and debt. He is from Dominica and was a Senator there previously.
4. Peter Queeley, a Montserrat-based economic and financial analyst and a social and political commentator. Peter Queeley worked with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Antigua and Barbuda in the areas of budgeting and economic management. He has lectured in the areas of Micro & Macro Economics, Caribbean Business Environment, Banking and Risk Management for the UWI through the Antigua State College and the UWI Open Campus. His training is in economics and in financial management.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

The young woman suspected by police to be late Piccadilly resident, Jane Finch’s killer has been deemed unfit to stand trial due to a reported psychological disorder. The homicide happened in October last year (2021). Finch was posting to Facebook in the moments before her death alerting her community that a woman she described as "deranged" was breaking into her home at that very moment. In this episode, we ask: What does the newest development mean for those seeking justice for Finch’s killing and what does it tell us about mental health in our society?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Jo-Nelle Walsh, Clinical psychologist and counsellor.
2. David Spencer, political and social commentator and activist. He is also the co-host of Movement Radio, a weekly programme on Observer Radio dedicated to social and political activism on a range of issues.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

A family seeks answers after the death of its matriarch at a nursing home not long after beginning her care there, and under circumstances loved ones say they have reason to question. It's suspected that she caught COVID-19 in the home, but the issue is wholly unclear. They say too many of their queries have been ignored and that Health Ministry officials have been unhelpful. We ask: What ought to be done when controversies of this nature in care and nursing homes arise? Who regulates these institutions? And who investigates claims of neglect or lapses?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guest is:

1. Arvel Grant, Public Health and International Development Specialist; social and political commentator.

More Background: 

The woman was 69-year-old Camella Horsford, a mother of six. According to Denise Caleb, daughter of the late Camella Horsford, the family received word on November 13 that the woman had passed. She was reportedly taken to the nursing home on November 3rd, as a "day patient". Denise Caleb said the the family felt that the details being shared by personnel at the nursing home about her mother’s death were cloudy, so to speak. She also charged that the home had shown a lack of compassion in regard to the mothers passing the family’s desire to understand the circumstances.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Oops. We were meant to host a debate on this episode with three candidates running for St. Peter. But the favored Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) nominee and the United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate participant separately withdrew for unrelated reasons. Hopefully it can happen in the future. So instead we sat for a discussion with Chaniel Imhoff, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) candidate for St. Peter. Commentator Carlon Knight joined us.

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Chaneil Imhoff, the Democratic National Alliance candidate in St. Peter.
2. Carlon Knight, Political and socio-economic affairs commentator.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

Badly beaten in the snap election of 2018 and seemingly determined fare better at the polls this time, the main opposition party, the United Progressive Party (UPP), has launched its campaign at the beginning of what is anticipated as an election year. Some wonder if their campaign engine will ware out too early. Others see it as the right political move. In this episode we ask political commentators: Has the main opposition party taken a too great a risk, or could the decision give them an advantage?  

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on January 30th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Dr. George Brathwaite, Lecturer in the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology at The University of the West Indies, Cavehill. Former Consultant Editor at the Caribbean Times.
2. Carlon Knight, Political and socio-economic affairs commentator.

Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.