Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Monday called on two visiting members of the British royal family to assist the region in their fight for reparation against the slave trade.
He told the Earl and Countess of Wessex at a special Cabinet meeting that they should use their influence towards building bridges toward reparatory justice.
Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth, and his wife are on a Caribbean tour to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
Prime Minister Browne said while he understood that the Royal Family as an institution is not involved in the discussions on reparation, human civilization should understand the atrocities that took place during slavery.
“And the fact that we have to bring some balance by having open discussions, we believe in constructive engagement, so if you notice there weren’t any placards because for us it is about having an open and very objective discussion with you.
“We understand that the nature of your job is not to get involved in any contentious issue, but at the same time it is important for you to understand the issues so that you can even use your, let’s say, diplomatic influence to build bridges in achieving the reparatory justice that we are seeking here in the Caribbean,” Browne said.
He told the royal couple that the reality is ‘we have been left bereft of important institutions…universities and good medical facilities” acknowledging that in recent times Antigua and Barbuda has made “significant progress” with the establishment of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Island campus.
He said while Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean have been able to build capacity to deal with the health sector, “again we have to acknowledge the fact we have been left behind as a result of situations associated with colonialism and slavery and there is some need for reparation to help us build capacity so we can advance at a faster rate”.
Browne said while he is aware the matter is a “contentious issue, we are not trying to embarrass you, we are just trying to build awareness and you need not necessarily comment on this issue because we know you represent an institution that does not get involved in contentious issues.
“But we think that as a family…we can raise this issue objectively in our engagement and at the same time probably get you to believe in what we are saying even though you cannot necessarily serve as an advocate.
“We see you fundamentally as individuals who can help us in building those bridges in addressing these issues of reparatory justice,” Browne said.
CMC/
