Visionless Opposition

It was one of his most worrying tasks that on the early morning of July 23, Mr. Valdez Johnson - an unassuming, industrious, dignify young Anguillian - vents via his Facebook page:

“To the new politicians on the Block, we know all that this Government has
done in the past, the good, the bad, the ugly. Don’t want to hear that. Tell me
what plans you have for the future of Anguilla. To be honest if you can’t show
or tell me what you gonna do - I voting the same way....”

One of the vital aspects of parliamentary democracy is the provision of an Opposition which functions almost as a shadow or a government in waiting. Opposition parties are suppose to act firmly and alertly while dealing with sensitive issues and correcting the measures of the Government whenever the steps taken are detrimental to national interest.

Unfortunately, we have been facing an infirm Opposition.

The largest opposition party, the Anguilla Progressive Party (APP) – with the counselling from a leading Miscarriages of Justice and racist former Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court - takes the pride in being the mainstream party of change for Anguilla. But the party has failed to impress the country that they are the custodians of a different and higher political morality. For this reason, the party is not able to provide a modicum of coherence in forming credible governance.

The Anguilla United Movement (AUM) under the late Hubert Benjamin Hughes is a disgrace to our (electorate) intelligence and Anguillians as a whole, and is nothing but an accident in waiting. This party is terminal; compounded with chronic Self Importance Syndrome and is detrimental to stability and prosperity - and must be jolted into this reality.

Whereas, the Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP) is simply a waste of time – spiteful and revengeful from a missed opportunity.

The opposition parties on Anguilla do not seem to have ideas, inspirations or individuals who can combine effectively to confront the Anguilla United Front (AUF) brand of democracy. They have almost subordinated their thinking and tactics to the AUF’s - more in the role of technocrats rather than novice or visionaries - with no principled stand over any issue.

They do not have an alternative policy regarding how to solve any nagging problems. There is no coherent alternative approach; instead it is wasting time simply to pounce on the government on matters of tactics alone. For example, it would have been perfectly legitimate for the Opposition to start a separate dialogue with the government on the Proceeds of Crime Bill, rather than involving the three ‘criminal associations’ (Christian Council Association, Financial Services Association and the Bar Association) to sanction. Or, how about a dialogue on effective legislations example, Planning Legislation, amendments to our Property and Land Legislations, Labour Laws including a National Minimum Wage Legislation, Consumer Protection Legislations, Police Legislation including new Traffic Legislations etc. Or even the recent economic “recovery to stability” talks with the government before going off to the United Kingdom?

The Oppositions do not have intellectual clarity and political maturity to tell the government that overall security of the country is intrinsically linked with good governance. A party in the opposition, which wants to persuade the electorate that it ought to be in a position of power, has the obligation to be pragmatistic; come up with real alternative policies, ideas and vision if they feel that the Government of Anguilla has a poor dismal record.

Real change is not about electing Parliamentarians to do the jobs of our Permanent Secretaries.

There are various issues on economic, social and other fronts where the Government does not have clarity of policies. Our Oppositions do not have the self-confidence to challenge the government on its all round failures. An opposition party that claims to be mainstream visionaries must not be devoid of new ideas or creative thinking. This is the Oppositions - simply waiting and watching as the government stumble from one mess to another. Sadly enough, they are contented to let the media play their role as Opposition.

It is imperative to realise that the Oppositions have a role and responsibility to steer our nation towards progress. The efficiency of a political party depends upon a healthy and balance mix of personalities and policies. There is no such balance coming from the opposition parties on Anguilla.

This ‘racist’ and ‘personality importance syndrome’ approach have debilitated the opposition parties on Anguilla from evolving an effective and coherent alternative to the ruling AUF’s Government. Though the party itself is battling on the back foot to cover up its failures, it is still the best choice to take Anguilla forward.

There are thousands of Valdez Johnsons on Anguilla. Our nation deserves better from our opposition parties.

From House of Lords to Supreme Court

Are we becoming a little to Americanish?

From 31 July 2009, the judicial function of the House of Lords and its role as the final - and highest - appeal court in the UK will end, bringing about a fundamental change to the work and role of the House of Lords.

A new United Kingdom Supreme Court, separating the judicial function from Parliament (those who make the law from those who interpret it in courts), will open in early October 2009 opposite the Houses of Parliament in Parliament Square - formerly the Middlesex Guildhall.

It will continue the work currently undertaken by the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. This move will enhance the independence of the Law Lords and increase the transparency between the top levels of the UK judicial system and Parliament.

At the end of July, the Law Lords will sit in the Lords Chamber to hear appeals and give the final House of Lords judgments.

From 27-30 July, the Law Lords will hear appeals in the Lords Chamber.

The final judgments of the House of Lords take place on 30 July from 4.30pm in the Lords Chamber.

You can watch the unique and final judicial proceedings of the House of Lords on ParliamentLive and can view the appeals and judgments from the public gallery of the Lords Chamber.

For further details, please visit the Judicial Business section or contact the judicial office.The current Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (the Law Lords) will be the first justices of the 12-member Supreme Court and are disqualified from sitting or voting in the House of Lords. When they retire from the Supreme Court they can return to the House of Lords as full Members but newly-appointed Justices of the Supreme Court will not have seats in the House of Lords.

Anguilla's delegation returns home today

LONDON, England -- Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming and Minister of Finance, Victor Banks attended a series of meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday with private institutions and the British government aimed at dealing with shoring up the tourism industry and alleviating the impact of the global economic crisis on Anguilla.

The Anguilla delegation met a number of potential investors over the weekend and on Tuesday with the Chinese Business Network (CBN). An agreement was signed with CBN for tourism promotion of Anguilla in China.

Anguilla is a potential alternate tourist destination for Chinese nationals who are estimated to travel for leisure purposes in numbers of about 50 million in 2010.

One of the objectives of the agreement is for CBN to assist in directing potential Chinese investment to Anguilla.

The Chief Minister also signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with the United Kingdom on Tuesday prior to his meeting with the Minister of Overseas Territories, Chris Bryant. This agreement will assist Anguilla in meeting its international obligations, and is critical to the success of Anguilla as an international financial centre.

Fleming indicated to the Minister for The Overseas Territories that the unprecedented global economic down turn has hampered Anguilla’s development tremendously. In particular, the number of low tourist arrivals, the inability of the locally owned tourism projects to access foreign capital, the challenges of the foreign investors and potential real estate buyers to secure financing, and the impact of reduced activity in the construction sector have all resulted in the fall off of several government revenues streams this financial year.

The Government’s Reserves have had to be used throughout this year to meet its commitments to vendors, government agencies, service providers and public servants to name a few.

Anguilla’s Delegation is attempting to secure the agreement of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to relax the borrowing guidelines, and thereby allow the Government to borrow funds that will create a bridge over this period of uncertainty in the global financial environment. The approval for such a facility is being pursued to enable the Government of Anguilla to implement its financial and economic recovery plan to ensure that Anguilla is able to weather the impacts of the global recession over the next twelve months.

Meetings continued on Wednesday with FCO and other UK government officials on the borrowing guidelines, sea and air transport issues, development of prison infrastructure and services, EDF funding, replacement of the fire truck, as well as to discuss the timetable on constitutional talks and other issues.

On Wednesday, the Minister of Finance was slated to sign two TIEAs with the governments of Ireland and The Netherlands, while the Permanent Secretary of Economic Development and the Permanent Secretary of the Chief Minister’s Office travel to Brussels, Belgium to meet with the European Commission on the release of EC$24 million to Anguilla that will be used for budgetary assistance purposes.

On Wednesday evening the delegation met with the Anguillian community in Slough.

This is it…

There seems to be concurrence on Anguilla among a criminal-coup (Anguilla Bar Association, the Anguilla Financial Services Association and the Anguilla Christian Council Association) on one side; and the government (Attorney General’s Chambers) on the other - with respect to a crime bill aims at tracing, restraining and confiscating the proceeds of crime on Anguilla – The Proceeds of Crime Act 2010.

What was noticeably absented in these crucial decisions or debates was the advice of a crime specialist.

One aspect of this Bill that the Attorney General, Wilhelm Bourne, wilfully or negligently failed to highlight is that with such a self-interest tailored Bill; there is less guarantee for an accent.

This lame duck session has literally incapacitated our government in-essence, resulting a toothless Bill to fight crime on Anguilla; a country riddled with ‘hardcore criminals’. Next will be the long awaited Building Code Bill for Anguilla…

Who is concern for our social and economic security and prosperity - unlike the conveniently concerned church ‘association’, bar ‘association’, and the financial services ‘association’… associations of criminals. Who is concern for those whom lost their properties and love ones through alleged criminal activities with no recourse and ineffective legislation?

Criminal activities on Anguilla are serious business and needed urgent serious attention with proper surveillance and effective legislation resulting answers, convections and imprisonments even retroactively. Noticeably, the crux of criminal activity on Anguilla predated the year 2000; making a statute of limitation protection ineffective.

Murders unanswered to date; human disappearances without a clue; armed theft and burglaries; over-night millionaires while mothers hold their heads and bawl; wide spread fronting blessed with government protections, as they (Frontiers) tightened the noose around our poor people’s heads; fraud and/or ponzi schemes; God’s purse snitchers; racketeering and/or money laundering; finders keepers; the theft of private and crown property - including our cays… etc. etc. etc. Who is concerned?

These criminal associations are the said generational criminals amongst us, savouring the flavours of hereditary ill-gotten gains as they seek protections through legislation. But... the derailed ‘church’ is which hurts most, as it long lost its purpose and became a distant association to God’s principles and will... and God weeps.

Like slavery, the church again continues to ask of us to suffer peacefully. This is the authority that associates a monetary cost on salvation and dictates that, not by the sweat of their brow they should eat bread, but by changing God’s ordained agricultural-tithing to monetary-tithing to satisfy their earthly selfish desires. And as we meekly commit and wait for our blessing - our homes need repairing; we are on a social spiral declined; women prostitute to pay as they go; less hope for the future; the society in turmoil; we are lacking mentors… and the church mutes and being selective.

Suffice to say that only when a ‘Reverent’ is interested in running for politics, he/she fronts the House of God – blasphemy.

A Proceeds of Crime Act is good for the eradication of hidden criminal activities wherever it leads; the cleansing of our tarnished Financial Services Industry (half of our overall industries); and the next generation survival… and this is what the decent and honest hard working people of Anguilla deserve.

If such legislation was emplaced, just perhaps, we might of still have Billy - but then again we still have Corrupt-de-Don…

However, no one is corrupt, since criminal activities are legal on Anguilla.