安巴工党主席 保罗·格林

安巴工党主席 保罗·格林

Hon. E. P. Chet Greene

Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party

Minister of Trade

Chief Delegate

First, Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank our hosts for the excellent arrangements that have been made to receive and to accommodate us, here in Beijing. This gathering of political parties from the Latin American and Caribbean regions helps to foster a greater cohesion; and, by exchanging ideas, participantsgarner a better understanding of the challenges which parties face and the prescriptions which those parties can apply.

My Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party faced many challenges from the very beginning of its history. The political party in Antigua and Barbuda emerged from the workers’ struggle against exploitation and servitude.It was the trade union movement that gave birth to the political party; and history has shown that the leaders of the trade union captured government. The workers’ leaders, in turn, sought to create alternatives to the single agricultural product, the export of which dominated economic life for three hundred years.Economic reform gave birth to an economic revolution.

By moving the economy of Antigua and Barbuda towards services and away from the production of cane sugar, the political party improved immeasurably the livelihood of workers and their families.An abrupt change from the production of sugar to the provision of services, resulted in significantdisplacements.

The level of literacy and of formal education required to grow sugarcane was miniscule. The skills required to enhance the tourism and banking sectors are immeasurably greater. As the Antigua and Barbuda economy abruptly changed course, in 1972, and the workforce began to metamorphose into highly-skilled segmented sections, training institutions emerged. These learning institutions were essential to the success of the Antigua and Barbuda economy for they imparted skills that had to be learned and applied in order for the new sectors to flourish.

By 1994, the United Nations Human Development Report rated Antigua and Barbuda 29th on the HDI Index. The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party justly took pride in knowing that it had transformed a backward, sugar-producing economy into a prosperous little state in one generation.

The People’s Republic of China, as you know very well Mr. Chairman, essentially did the same following your 1949 revolution. The painful but swift transformation from backwardness to a new economic order is for the benefit of all. The economic management of the state’s economy still is the political party’s remit.

My current Prime Minister, leader of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party, is attempting to blend the best working parts of two systems. He has labeled the new revolution: Entrepreneurial Socialism. The state reaps profits from public/private partnerships, and the benefits are deposited in the Antigua and Barbuda Treasury to meet the cost of social services provided exclusively by the state.

Success is never an accident. Failure is not an option. My small state has set about to create an economic powerhouse in Antigua and Barbuda. Like the turtle, our leaders have always understood that in order to move forward, leaders must stick their necks out. Antigua and Barbuda will continue to search for improved solutions to economic challenges.