PM: Attacks on Me Are Attacks on the Nation

PM: Attacks on Me Are Attacks on the Nation
Lead: Browne warned that attacks aimed at discrediting him ultimately harm Antigua and Barbuda’s international standing, saying foreign-backed smear campaigns target the country, not just its leader.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has condemned what he described as coordinated efforts by opposition figures and foreign interests to damage the reputation of Antigua and Barbuda, arguing that such attacks go beyond personal criticism and strike at the heart of national sovereignty.

Speaking during his Pointe FM programme on Saturday, Browne said, “Some people mistakenly believe that when they attack me, it’s about me alone. They don’t recognize it’s the entire country they’re tearing down.”

He referenced a recent mobile digital billboard that circled the Organization of American States (OAS) and U.S. State Department buildings in Washington, D.C., alleging government corruption and ties to authoritarian regimes. Browne labelled it part of a broader campaign funded by “deracinated opposition elements in collusion with foreign actors.”

According to the Prime Minister, these efforts are not only defamatory but potentially damaging to diplomatic relations and investor confidence. “They’re trying to say Antigua and Barbuda has unwholesome relationships with Venezuela, Cuba, and China—just to provoke concern from the United States,” he said.

Browne also suggested that the campaign was linked to disappointment over the Alfa Nero yacht sale, asserting that false allegations of corruption had failed to gain traction in U.S. courts. “When they couldn’t prove a single allegation among 29 claims of corruption, they resorted to a smear campaign,” he said.

He reaffirmed that all proceeds from the Alfa Nero sale had gone into the treasury, and insisted that neither he nor his family hold foreign bank accounts or assets.

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