Sadly, the tragic death of two young people, who had chosen Antigua as their honeymoon destination and who were murdered in their luxury hotel room during the early morning hours of July 29th comes as no surprise to those who have witnessed the decline of Antigua over the last decade.
During these years, there has been a change of political party in power, elected on promises of positive change, of increased accountability and transparency, of adherence to the law. Lawlessness in any form would be punished and nobody would be above the reach of Justice.
While various political spins have been developed for local and international consumption, Antiguan reality is quite different. The culture of government has not changed. It remains a kleptocracy, pandering to a clearly identifiable type of "benefactor" with a vague source of "investment funds."
The ministers change; the game remains the same and everyone in government, past or present, are totally immune to any legal prosecution.
There has been change since the new administration has taken office but it has only added speed to the deterioration of the already tenuous membrane of Antiguan social structure.
Instead of enforcing existing laws, the new Attorney General has introduced a number of new laws, creating legitimacy for an ever-growing number of opportunities for the Government (and therefore its Ministers) to approve, select and appoint entities of choice to various endeavours, developments and positions of authority and financial gain.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has imposed a new tax structure on its population of 68,000 mostly low-income citizens. It comes in the form of personal income tax, increased property tax, a professional services tax and, finally, a value added tax. With the increase in basic food cost and the price of fuel, which has almost doubled, in spite of the vaunted agreements with Hugo Chavez' PetroCarib initiative, the financial burden on the public has grown considerably.
This is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the sharp increase in the crime rate, which until now had not impacted on visitors. Official statistics are unavailable, but the headlines of both island newspapers deal with murder, aggravated assault, rape and theft, on a daily basis.
With the next elections on Antigua due to occur on or before March 23, 2009, there is now another serious threat of increased violence resulting from the heightened and totally irresponsible rhetoric from both political parties and the unexplained appearance of firearms in the hands of what appear to be young gang members.
All of this does not auger well for the incumbent UPP party. Now completing its first term in power, the UPP is trying to establish its ascendancy over the ALP, which has ruled Antigua & Barbuda even before its sovereignty was granted in 1981. It is using the development of tourism, the only source of recognised legitimate income for the Island's economy, as its basic platform of success and electability.
The horrific murder of two honeymooning British tourists making international headlines does not fit well into that landscape.
No wonder Harold Lovell, Minister of Tourism, moved so quickly to initiate a damage limitation exercise.
No wonder the Canadian RCMP draftees, recently brought in to strengthen the police force and vilified by the general public and the existing police force as white colonialists, were now quickly thrust forward to respond to the international media clamour. Scotland Yard officers have also been requested to intervene.
However, the sad truth confirmed by these palliative moves is that there is no more security on Antigua than there is medical assistance for those who survive an armed attack. Years of government corruption have taken their toll.
Antigua has indeed changed, and not for the better.
Given the circumstances, further tragic events are inevitable. The only questions are who will pay the price and when.
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