Senator Jonathan Wehner Walks Town Hall Through the White Paper’s Own Pages — Concludes: “The case is clear.”

Opposition Senator Jonathan Wehner served as the moderator of Thursday night’s town hall at the Moravian Conference Centre, but it was his five-minute contribution — delivered between the panelists’ opening remarks and the floor being opened to public questions — that he might be remembered by the audience for, as he walked the room through the government’s White Paper page by page and used its own admissions to dismantle the notion of a meaningful parliamentary debate.

“You’re Not Going to Take Our Word for It”

Senator Wehner made clear from the outset that his contribution would rely not on opposition rhetoric but on what the government’s own document says. “We’re going to give you what the documentation says,” he told the audience. What followed was a precise, page-by-page dissection.

He began on page three, where the White Paper states its purpose is “to inform Parliament and the public of the background, the issues at stake, and the principles on which the government has proceeded.” He then asked the audience to consider what information has actually been provided to achieve that stated purpose — and demonstrated that the answer is: almost none of it.

Page Six: The Admission

Senator Wehner read directly from page six of the White Paper, quoting the government’s own words: “On 19 December 2025, Antigua and Barbuda and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the possible transfer of third-country nationals from the U.S. to Antigua and Barbuda.”

“It’s admitted right there,” the senator said. The MOU exists. The government signed it seven months ago. It has not been included in the White Paper. It has not been published. It has not been sent to any parliamentarian.

He then turned to the Opposition Leader, who was seated beside him on the panel, and asked directly whether he had received any parliamentary package ahead of the debate expected the following Tuesday. MP Pringle’s answer: “No, I have not. Today is Thursday night.” He then asked MP Pringle when he received the Alpha Nero compulsory acquisition bill. The answer: “The same morning” — the morning of the debate itself. Senator Wehner noted that this was a departure from the proper circulation of bills required by the standing orders and blatant disrespect for the people who elected MP Pringle to parliament.

Page Seven: The Missing Documents

Senator Wehner moved to page seven, where the White Paper acknowledges two further categories of documents that have not been disclosed. First, the US “transmitted a series of draft operating procedures intended to put the arrangement into practical effect.” Those procedures have not been shared with parliament or the public.

Second, “the government of Antigua and Barbuda has since developed and transmitted its own counter-proposals for these operating procedures.” Those counter-proposals — submitted to the United States in the name of the people of Antigua and Barbuda — have also not been included in the White Paper, published, or shown to any parliamentarian.

“These are counter-proposals made in your name, people,” Senator Wehner told the audience. “The government of Antigua and Barbuda submitted these proposals for accepting these deportees — most despicable perverts, pedophiles, child rapists — in your name. They have not been included in this White Paper. They have not been published. No parliamentarian has seen them.”

The senator concluded that point by remarking: “So, what are we going to parliament to debate? A narrative.”

“Political Theater”

Senator Wehner said the absence of the MOU, the US operating procedures, and the government’s own counterproposals from the White Paper means that parliament is being asked to debate a document that is “void of the facts” and represents nothing more than “a narrative of your [Gaston Browne’s] own political making.”

“Therefore, what is happening next week Tuesday, as the opposition leader said, is just political theater. It is for Parliament to rubber-stamp. It is an abuse of Parliament. It is dictatorial behaviour, and I don’t use those words lightly. That is just the plain fact because of those omissions,” he said.

The Policing Question and the Tax Question

Senator Wehner then connected the public safety concerns raised by Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Nuffield Burnette, to two pointed questions for the audience.

On policing, he invoked the Nigel Christian case — the kidnapping and murder of a customs officer — where it was publicly reported that evidence was incompetently handled by investigators. “If the police force couldn’t get something as serious as this — the kidnapping and murder of Mr. Nigel Christian, a customs officer executing his duties — do we feel confident that they are able to handle the most despicable?” he asked. The audience’s answer was audible: “No.”

On the fiscal burden, Senator Wehner rattled off a catalogue of tax increases the government has imposed — vehicle licensing fees up 40%, social security salary deductions increased, ABST raised, windfall tax expanded, money transfer levy increased, unincorporated business tax introduced, entertainment levy introduced — and posed a direct question: “Do you feel confident if we accept so many people every year that they won’t be increasing more taxes to cover that cost?”

Again an audible, “NO”, came from the audience in reply.

“The Credibility of the Witness”

Senator Wehner closed with what he framed as a legal argument — treating the White Paper debate as a trial and the Prime Minister as the government’s star witness, whose credibility must be assessed before his testimony can be accepted.

He then presented what he described as a pattern of “conflicting testimony” from the Prime Minister. The MOU’s signing date — the White Paper says December, the Prime Minister previously said August on his radio programme. The ABST promise — no increase pledged before the 2023 election, then raised to 17% immediately after. The tax promise — no new taxes pledged before the 2026 election, then windfall tax expanded within weeks. The Antigua Airways promise — wealthy Africans and high-end tourists were coming, then 17 West African nationals died in a human trafficking attempt to reach the United States from Antigua. The YIDA promise — US$200 million annually for ten years with not “one cintilla” of mangrove destroyed, then environmental devastation at the site.

“The case is clear,” Senator Wehner concluded. “This Prime Minister, the star witness of the Gaston Browne administration, has no credibility. So no debate in Parliament makes sense based on the unreliable testimony of the Gaston Browne administration.”

The floor was then opened to public questions for the remainder of the evening.