Antigua’s Prime Minister

Gaston Browne on Monday said he had dismissed his Agriculture Minister Dean

Jonas after indicating that he had for more than six months sought to dissuade

the former cabinet minister “from taking decisions that are inimical to good

governance”.

Browne wrote to Governor-General Rodney Williams on Monday advising him “to terminate the duties and responsibilities” of Jonas, with immediate effect.

The move followed a

meeting earlier on Monday between Browne and several workers from the Ministry

of Agriculture.

Achieve reconciliation

In a separate letter to

the former minister, Browne informed the parliamentary representative of St George’s

constituency, that “for more than six months, I have tried to dissuade you from

taking decisions that are inimical to good governance, and to my government’s

policy.

“My attempts have been in

vain. Your relationship with your staff in the Ministry is toxic, and a

continuous decline is evident from the reports that have reached me. The

relationship with the farmers is also toxic and deteriorating further,” Browne

wrote.

He said on the basis of

the inabilities of the former minister “to develop a good working relationship

with his staff and with farmers, it has become necessary to provide the

representative with a six-month period for reflection and contemplation as to

how to achieve reconciliation”.

Flawed information

A statement from the

Office of the Prime Minister said under Section 71(1) of the Antigua and

Barbuda Constitution, Prime Minister Gaston “is authorised to select or to

terminate members of Cabinet”.

Last weekend, Browne, speaking on a radio programme, said he was putting Jonas “under public notice that he either shape up or ship out” following public accusations that Jonas had not met the goals in the ministry since his appointment one and a half year ago.

But Jonas in a separate

interview told radio listeners that Prime Minister Browne may have taken his

position based on flawed information.

“Well I think the comment

was…totally wrong,” Jonas said, adding that Browne had provided him with data

“that clearly was wrong”.