United Progressive Party (UPP) MP Sherfield Bowen has accused the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) administration of failing to pay rent on several government-occupied buildings owned by the Social Security Board, adding to the fund’s growing financial strain.
Speaking at a UPP townhall meeting on Monday night, Bowen said Social Security’s income should be supported by contributions, investments, and rental income from its properties — but the government is allegedly not holding up its end of the bargain.
“Social Security has a number of properties. Most of them are used by the government… These rental incomes — they are not paid,” Bowen told the audience at Freedom House. “This is taking Social Security money, use it, don’t care, and don’t pay.”
He listed several buildings reportedly under government occupancy, including the Treasury Building, offices on High Street and Long Street, and facilities at the Navy Base. According to Bowen, non-payment of rent is depriving Social Security of crucial income it needs to meet its obligations to pensioners, the sick, and the vulnerable.
The outspoken MP, who is also an attorney, framed the issue as part of a broader pattern of neglect by the ABLP government. He warned that ongoing shortfalls in Social Security’s revenue — including unpaid contributions and failure to service a $330 million bond — threaten the long-term viability of the pension system.
“This income, as well as the income from the bond, is supposed to supplement the contributions,” Bowen said. “Don’t forget — government doesn’t pay their contributions either.”
The government has not yet responded publicly to Bowen’s claims. However, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has previously defended the administration’s handling of Social Security, insisting that recent investments are aimed at making the fund more financially sustainable.
Bowen countered that the real issue lies in chronic underpayment and mismanagement by successive ABLP governments — a legacy, he says, that continues to endanger the country’s most vulnerable citizens.