The Honorable Chief Minister made it clear on several occasions that the people of Anguilla had a lot to gain when the MOA between Cap Jaluca and the government of Anguilla would be renegotiated. It was made a center piece of AUM's objectives and one of several major scandals brought to play in the campaign, inciting distrust of AUF and the administration of the Honorable Osborne Fleming; but much of it was geared against the honorable Minister of Finance Victor Banks obstructing his bid to becoming Chief Minister of Anguilla. In the absence of a clear and concise interpretation of the end results, thanks to the Honorable Victor Bank for his summation. For us, not being acquainted with much of the language in these documents would rather have it explained, than pretend that we understand it well enough.
When I read the Honorable Chief Minister's remarks on this great achievement, it did not sound like a ringing endorsement of a promise fulfilled. From the pictures I saw, it is clear that this was meant to be a major show piece for the government. All executive functions came to a grinding halt and all ministers strike a pose for the occasion. According to remarks, significant losses were made, details of which were debated in the House. Difference of opinion, or simply bamboozled? (Puzzled) To say the least, the background of these investors could be Harvard educated, besides, with all the vague threats made since the campaign, they probably came well lawyer up, compared to our "Poodle Power." Characterization from various entities involved goes like this; The Chief Minister said, he did what he thought was right for Cap Juluca, the employees and the Government. The CEO of Cap Jaluca said "give us a real commitment and leave us alone, we can sort out own affairs." The opposition expressed how we lost so much, and Victor Bank said that cockroach entered the fowl nest.
As we observe this government, there is a pattern emerging; The Honorable Chief Minister and AUM want to undo all that had been done by the former government and set the country back ten years. From the remarks of the Honorable Member from East End Mr. Roberts who prefers to exclude the government and the people of Anguilla from investing in Cap Jaluca because of an "elite few" tells us a lot. A whaling cry against nationalism and a stinging revenge against those who have multiplied their talent and for those who have stored theirs in barns and the cockroach ate them. When the country was on the move, many took the opportunities and invested in the pride of the country, that's how we own our national banks, major Insurance companies, our electric company and much more. Anguilla is considered a model for the region, and there is constant talk how the people of Anguilla own most of their country's major assets. It appears that the targets are institutions owned by Anguillians and those where Anguillians have vested interest. The local banks, being threatened with their shares in Anglec, a major local insurance company being deprive of coverage of Social Security. Everyone knows how The Social Security's Office was taken over; the Festival's office locked down in darkness, an aggressive attempt to take over Anglec and the Health Authority listed. There is no outcry from the people of Anguilla for this strategic dismantling of the country, no one is claiming mismanagement or malfunctioning of these institutions. I am one that believed that the country was on the right track, and the enormous growth in the past ten years demanded a better structured country to meet international requirements. Building a country is not about AUM or AUF asserting their model. Building a country is about putting up, not tear down, and Government must have a plan of its own.
A very good project this government should be undertaking is to give the people of Island and East End a consistent supply of water! Many days we wake up with absolutely no water in the lines. Let's improve the state of our International airport; in a recent rating of regional airports Anguilla came in last, in fact was not listed among fifty five airports. Another place where government can assert leadership is by managing the Ferry Service. There is mounting criticism of the quality and disparity of the service. I had concerns personally expressed to me with one group, some bragged about the comfort of their trip, other asked why are some of the vessels still in such a service? And others complain of the choppy ride from the airport. We are now actually a clear dependency of St. Maarten/St. Martin for our survival. The island is clearly receding in some instances back to pre '67 conditions. The areas government is concentrating on are in no way obstructing growth.
We all can remember when we had an electric company that was consistently in trouble and the people were not served. Today this service is quite remarkable and mostly trouble free. If government feels that there is an elite group who has gained under AUF, then it is your opportunity to broaden the base to include those who missed out, not to take it all away. It is a begrudging attitude that tells us; since we can't have a bite of the cake, throw it to the dogs. This is not the kind of attitude we need from our government. Many, now older, chose to invest the earnings of their youth, and don't want a government to tell them they can't do that! Or make it appear that all of their endeavors are corrupt.
When I read the Honorable Chief Minister's remarks on this great achievement, it did not sound like a ringing endorsement of a promise fulfilled. From the pictures I saw, it is clear that this was meant to be a major show piece for the government. All executive functions came to a grinding halt and all ministers strike a pose for the occasion. According to remarks, significant losses were made, details of which were debated in the House. Difference of opinion, or simply bamboozled? (Puzzled) To say the least, the background of these investors could be Harvard educated, besides, with all the vague threats made since the campaign, they probably came well lawyer up, compared to our "Poodle Power." Characterization from various entities involved goes like this; The Chief Minister said, he did what he thought was right for Cap Juluca, the employees and the Government. The CEO of Cap Jaluca said "give us a real commitment and leave us alone, we can sort out own affairs." The opposition expressed how we lost so much, and Victor Bank said that cockroach entered the fowl nest.
As we observe this government, there is a pattern emerging; The Honorable Chief Minister and AUM want to undo all that had been done by the former government and set the country back ten years. From the remarks of the Honorable Member from East End Mr. Roberts who prefers to exclude the government and the people of Anguilla from investing in Cap Jaluca because of an "elite few" tells us a lot. A whaling cry against nationalism and a stinging revenge against those who have multiplied their talent and for those who have stored theirs in barns and the cockroach ate them. When the country was on the move, many took the opportunities and invested in the pride of the country, that's how we own our national banks, major Insurance companies, our electric company and much more. Anguilla is considered a model for the region, and there is constant talk how the people of Anguilla own most of their country's major assets. It appears that the targets are institutions owned by Anguillians and those where Anguillians have vested interest. The local banks, being threatened with their shares in Anglec, a major local insurance company being deprive of coverage of Social Security. Everyone knows how The Social Security's Office was taken over; the Festival's office locked down in darkness, an aggressive attempt to take over Anglec and the Health Authority listed. There is no outcry from the people of Anguilla for this strategic dismantling of the country, no one is claiming mismanagement or malfunctioning of these institutions. I am one that believed that the country was on the right track, and the enormous growth in the past ten years demanded a better structured country to meet international requirements. Building a country is not about AUM or AUF asserting their model. Building a country is about putting up, not tear down, and Government must have a plan of its own.
A very good project this government should be undertaking is to give the people of Island and East End a consistent supply of water! Many days we wake up with absolutely no water in the lines. Let's improve the state of our International airport; in a recent rating of regional airports Anguilla came in last, in fact was not listed among fifty five airports. Another place where government can assert leadership is by managing the Ferry Service. There is mounting criticism of the quality and disparity of the service. I had concerns personally expressed to me with one group, some bragged about the comfort of their trip, other asked why are some of the vessels still in such a service? And others complain of the choppy ride from the airport. We are now actually a clear dependency of St. Maarten/St. Martin for our survival. The island is clearly receding in some instances back to pre '67 conditions. The areas government is concentrating on are in no way obstructing growth.
We all can remember when we had an electric company that was consistently in trouble and the people were not served. Today this service is quite remarkable and mostly trouble free. If government feels that there is an elite group who has gained under AUF, then it is your opportunity to broaden the base to include those who missed out, not to take it all away. It is a begrudging attitude that tells us; since we can't have a bite of the cake, throw it to the dogs. This is not the kind of attitude we need from our government. Many, now older, chose to invest the earnings of their youth, and don't want a government to tell them they can't do that! Or make it appear that all of their endeavors are corrupt.
By: EJ Harri
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“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity” – MLK.