ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) Monday announced plans to stage a protest march here on Thursday as it blamed the Gaston Browne administration for a number of socio-economic problems facing Antigua and Barbuda.

“The people of Antigua and Barbuda are fed up and they can’t live another day under this tyranny,”’ said UPP public relations officer Damani Tabor.

He said that the march will highlight “18 months in government, 18 reasons to march”, and that citizens were faced with a number of problems, including high fuel prices and the increase in water rates.

“We are against the failure to open the Five Islands Secondary School, the failure of the prime minister to present the CIP (Citizenship by Investment Programme) report to Parliament, we are against the political policing and harassment of citizens by police, the failure to remove the personal income tax and the increase in other taxes, like the Revenue Recovery Charge on the Christmas barrel, the Environment Levy,” he said.

He said that the protest will also highlight the failed promises of the government that came to power 18 months ago as well as the failure of Prime Minister Browne to remove Sports Minister Paul Chet Greene over an alleged scandal involving the sale of Olympics tickets.

But Prime Minister Browne has already said that the ULP has provided no basis for removing Greene from the Cabinet.

“I don’t know that they have made any case,” Browne said, noting that while he has been hearing about the “allegations” against his sports minister, “I don’t know that anyone has provided any definitive information or evidence of wrongdoing.

“At such time I don’t think I have any locus to take action at this point,” Prime Minister Browne added.

The ULP public relations officer said that there were also “corruption in public office”, and the government had also failed to meet an obligation to build 500 homes in the first 500 days in office.