Just recently, I met an old secondary school mate who happened to drop into Roti Hut, while my wife and I were helping ourselves to roti.

We had not seen each other for what seemed to be more than 20 years.

Despite our hair being predominantly gray, we were still able to recognise each other in an instant.

We fist-bumped and had a brief brotherly embrace.

Naturally, we interrogated one another about each other’s whereabouts for the last 20 years.

Having not seen my school mate for so long, I conjectured that perhaps he was living abroad.

Surprisingly, he denied living aboard and proceeded to inform me that he has been in Antigua and Barbuda all this time.

After a bit of small talk, our conversation naturally progressed into describing what life has been like living in Antigua and Barbuda.

That was all that was needed to open the can of worms.

Following that question, was the almost predictable sigh of the inevitable hopelessness that comes from knowing how this country has squandered all opportunity to be a place that Antiguans and Barbudans could proudly call home.

Home in the sense that you feel like you matter as an Antiguan and Barbudan.

As we continued our conversation, we both came to the conclusion that Antiguans and Barbudans have been demonstrating by their abandonment of this country, that they just cannot live here.

I am personally convinced, that at the root of the derelict property problem, are Antiguan and Barbuda families that have fled for a better way of life since this country provides no hope, if you are not politically connected.

I grew up in Point and Villa area and attended Villa School until I graduated to secondary school.

I remember having to navigate the loco-lines and can remember some of the families that once owned and occupied these now derelict homes.

Villa, in particular was a very well-to-do area, when I was growing up.

Quite prominent Antiguan and Barbudan citizens lived in Villa.

These were all middle class families that had the best chance of a good life in Antigua and Barbuda. They are all gone without trace!

I also recall the lovely grassy Blackburn park that used to come alive in the afternoons with all manner of sports and play.

It is uncanny to consider that the living offsprings who live abroad appear to have no desire to exercise their rights to these now derelict properties.

They seem to have abolutely no interest in their family assets, effectively suggesting that it is far more beneficial to relinquish property ownership in Antigua and Barbuda than to return to claim it.

That says alot!

If you had a family relative die and you discovered that you inherited a piece of real estate, despite probate, would you just ignore it?

You must agree that there is some deeper issue at play here.

I put it to you that Antiguans and Barbudans have abandoned this country because, for too long they have been treated as an afterthought and second class of citizens.

Antiguan and Barbudans, who have tried to make a contribution and expressed patriatism, are forever sidelined.

Antiguans and Barbudans are sidelined to the point, that it is only at the Annual Independence Food Fair where you find indigious Antiguan and Barbudan dishes. Each year the scope traditional foods dwindles.

If you go to Barbados you can find flying fish everywhere, even at hotels; If you go to Trinidad, you can find roti everywhere.

I dare you to list ten places in Antigua and Barbuda where you can get “ducana and saltfish” every day.

As an Antiguan and Barbudan farmer or land owner, if there is a land dispute between you and the government or you and a foriegn favoured class of people, you will lose every time.

If you ask your government for well kept parks for you and your children; running water on demand; good roads; reliable electricity; independent commission of inquiries; or just having access to your beaches, then your government sees you as “nuff and edge-up”, “Political”, “Deracinated Imbeciles” or “Losers”.

Your government has been taxing the life out of you all this time, and now that it is time for an election, it pretends to be concerned about high inflation by implementing a tariff reduction, that it failed to implement over 6 months before.

Your government is so desparate for you to feel the effect of the reduction, not for your own good but for its own chances at the poles.

It is almost contradictory that on one hand the government has no qualms to hike your taxes on vehicular licences but appears paranoid that you cannot see the immediate deduction in prices at the grocery stores.

It is not ironic, that this caring government has been fleecing this population with such high tariffs for all this time?

Can you imagine that government officials have been able to show how grocery items that used to cost almost $30 has now dropped to $16 after removing these onerous taxes?

That in itself is evidence of the hardships that the government has been deliberately inflicting on citizens.

Does that really sound like a caring govermnemt or a manipulative one?

Say what you want about Trump, the one thing we know, is that he is serious about making Americans first even though you may not agree with his methods.

I wish our leaders could have that level of commitment to Antiguans and Barbudans.

I have not been able to verify the source of this information, but is is widely held that Antiguans and Barbudans comprise about the third highest nationalities in population in this country.

I am inclined to believed this information by the actions of our polititians.

You have seen the the level of attention politicians pay to the votes of the “foreign” vote. This alone tells you the story.

In recent times, when there were violence acts against individuals of other “non-national” communities, our Attorney General was quick to meet with those communities and address their concerns.

I am still waiting for the AG to have a specific town hall meeting with Antiguans and Barbudans to hear concerns about the wave of crime being perpetrated against born Antiguans and Barbudans.

If you are an Antiguan and Barbudan, what evidence can you show to prove that your government cares about YOUR needs?

Can you imagine that politicians have to “import” Antiguans and Barbudans to attempt to change the outcomes of elections?

Don’t be fooled my friend.

After living nowhere else for over 60 years, when I examine what my government has actually done, I feel like I matter far less today.

I feel like my government hates me and other Antiguans and Barbudans like me, who simply want a country where I can freely and peacefully live, work and play for the rest of my life without having to run away to find these basic things abroad.