Good Morning, Antigua and Barbuda. Good Morning, to the rest of the world who are with us via the Internet.

Most Antiguans and Barbudans might have thought that the formal processes of the March 23rd General Elections were long finished, complete and past.

Well, not quite.

Prime Minister The Hon. Baldwin Spencer Last month, the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission submitted its formal, official and final report on the 2004 General Elections to the Prime Minister.

This Report will be tabled at the next sitting of Parliament.

I have already commended the Electoral Commission for its efficient conduct of the electoral process.

I now commend the Commission on this final step in that process.

The Report records the election results in precise numbers in standard tables.

Three numbers summarise the story of the 2004 General Elections in Antigua and Barbuda.

UPP 12. BPM 1. ALP 4.

Unadorned figures can be quite dramatic.

Historical context is sharply defined in the comparison between the respective bottom line numbers of the 1999 and the 2004 General Elections.

The ALP slumped from 52.7 percent of the popular vote in 1999 to 41.7 percent in this year's elections.

In dramatic contrast, this year, the UPP vote increased by more than 50 percent over the 1999 figure.

This gave the governing party 55.24 percent of the popular vote this year, compared to its 44 percent recorded support in 1999.

The upward trend in support for the UPP continues after the elections.

The Mind of the Nation study conducted in late July showed support of the UPP increasing to some 70 percent.

The same study showed ALP support plummeting to less than 20 percent.

These numbers are quite telling.

The tabling of the Electoral Commission Report in Parliament can turn out to be an occasion for in-depth narrative review of the epic struggle which ultimately led to a new and clean list of voters; with personal voter identification in a system whose integrity could be trusted by all participants, and by all observers.

We are indebted to the Commonwealth Secretariat for the intervention that paved the way for the significant electoral reform that delivered an accurate rendering of the will of the electorate for the first time in our nation's history.

We continue to be indebted to the Commonwealth Team that came to Antigua and Barbuda to monitor the March General Elections.

Antigua and Barbuda continues to look to Commonwealth involvement as we work to strengthen our nation's institutions.

In this context, we will welcome a Commonwealth Review Team next week.

The visit of this team follows recent exchanges I've had with the Commonwealth Secretary General.

The visiting Commonwealth Review Team will focus on the relationship between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the Barbuda Local Council.

The relationship between Barbuda and Antigua has been historically defined by open antagonism and discord between the two islands.

This was the view of the Commonwealth Team that reviewed the Operation of Arrangements between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the Barbuda Local Council in 2000.

The presence of the UPP in government has profoundly altered the relationship between Barbuda and Antigua.

The Member of Parliament for Barbuda is a Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister.

He has an office in the Office of the Prime Minister.

An Office of the Prime Minister will shortly be established in Barbuda, and I will be meeting with Barbudans on regular, scheduled visits to Barbuda.

With the involvement of Minister Trevor Walker, the central government is as vigorous in its investment promotion efforts on behalf of Barbuda as they are for Antigua.

Barbuda can now look forward to a modern ferry service, as well as to a dedicated airline service.

Barbuda can also look forward to significant new investment in the tourism sector; on Barbuda's terms.

Those terms will be win-win propositions for Barbudans and for investors.

We will have it no other way.

That is our approach in negotiating all investment proposals.

The investor who is purchasing the Royal Antiguan says that the members of my government are tough negotiators.

He also says that he has conceded more in his negotiations for the acquisition of the Royal Antiguan than he has given in any acquisition he has negotiated in Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Canada of the United States.

Mr. Nicholas has, in fact, agreed to employ Antiguans and Barbudans in every position in the Royal Antiguan, bar none.

He plans to bring in only a General Manager, whom a national of this country will be recruited to understudy at the start of operations under the new owner.

Mr. Nicholas has confirmed that he wants to recruit seven chefs locally; including an executive chef.

He has also confirmed his intention to source supplies for day-to-day operation of the Royal Antiguan locally; once they are available.

This presents valuable economic opportunities for farmers, fishermen and small producers.

We have been concentrating on strengthening institutions in areas other than the arrangements between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the Barbuda Local Council.

We are also initiating measures to develop stronger families in stronger communities.

"People First" drives the policies of the United Progressive Party administration.

We continue to provide cash subsidies to keep the price of petroleum and diesel from rising at the pump.

We took the decision to go with the free school uniforms for the nation's children even though we are faced with a crippled economy and with mountains of ever growing debt.

Very shortly, our nation's students will begin to receive their school uniforms with the courtesy of the Government.

This was a promise made.

It is a promise kept.

The UPP will also keep its promise to introduce free school meals during the course of the next school year.

The UPP is set to keep its campaign promise on the Dollar a Barrel.

We kept our promise on the abolition of the Airport Departure Tax for citizens and residents 60 years and older.

We have already tabled integrity legislation in Parliament.

A Freedom of Information Act will follow shortly.

With the introduction of the Millennium Naturalisation Act, we will rescue untold numbers of our Caribbean sisters and brothers, and their children, from second class status in this country.

Brothers and sisters, friends:

As your Chief Servant, there is never a moment when I am not concerned about the poor, the jobless, the injured and ailing, the elderly, and all who are otherwise vulnerable.

As we work to move the nation forward, we must be ever conscious of the wickedness of some who want to bring down the government and take Antigua and Barbuda back to its sorrowful and sordid past.

Any doubt that this is the Opposition agenda would have been removed by their calculated efforts to torpedo the sale of the Royal Antiguan.

The ALP leader is known to have attempted to incite the population to xenophobia directed at foreign investors and has led street demonstrations to that end.

We were reminded of this by recent Opposition tactics aimed at torpedoing the sale of the Royal Antiguan.

Ethnic slurs and character assassination were among the weapons used in the torrent of abuse that the ALP has been spewing forth against the purchaser of the Royal Antiguan, and at members of the Government.

We have abundant cause to continue to be vigilant.

I urge you to continue to be vigilant.

Not everyone wants to see Antigua and Barbuda move forward.

I urge you to continue let your voices be heard across the country and around the world in response to the propaganda war the Opposition is waging in attempting to block investment and related social gains.

I am Baldwin Spencer.

I am glad you continue to join me for this talk.

Thank you.

May God bless you and all whom you love.

May God bless the Antigua and Barbuda we all love.