“POLITICS AND THE WEATHER”

Our most northerly position of the Leeward Islands sometimes makes us pruned to be hit by these systems coming off the African Coast. We can however be very thankful to God that we in fact did not get a direct hit. Even in a week which was totally dominated by the weather in tropical paradise. There is always something political that can be extrapolated. In this case I’ll draw your attention to an article published in the Daily Herald on Wednesday September first. “The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) is preparing to make a payout to the government of Anguilla as a result of Hurricane Earl which passed close to Anguilla and other islands in the north-eastern Caribbean as a major hurricane Monday.” The CCRIF explained Tuesday that based on preliminary calculations untaken, using it’s catastrophe loss model and the most recent data from the National Hurricane Center, Anguilla will receive just over US $4million after 14 days during which time a calculation of loss and payout will be made. Anguilla has tropical cyclone and earthquake policies with the facility as part of the country’s disaster risk management strategy.

In my very own political life, I had to come to grips with a course to take. I was never a party operative but always remained very conscious of the direction of the country, and of course, I have always hoped to see the island developed along my imagination. In some cases it has passed my wildest dreams and others far from expectation. I had to resolve the personal issue of my political alignment, weather I would oppose AUF or join them in support as a political party. I had to take a careful look at the alternatives and what they stood for. I actually stepped back and looked at the island, and how I knew it, and concluded in the affirmative; Anguilla is definitely better off today. In my analysis, I have not calculated the so called “boom period” only the general function of government and advancement of the country. I actually laid the chaos we find ourselves in today squarely and directly at the feet of AUF and recognized their failures, and many areas of neglect, and said they indeed could have done a much better job. In spite of all that, I chose to align myself with the AUF for the simple fact that I believe they governed the country well in the past ten years.

It is becoming more evident that AUF, during their governing period was able to well establish the mechanisms and apparatuses so as to guarantee the actual effective functioning of the country. Our status with the Eastern Caribbean States and the Eastern Caribbean Bank as an associate state guarantees our stability and security so the people of Anguilla can feel safe. When the story broke that Anguilla borrowed 10M from Dominica, it was said, “what a disgrace” none of us understood, neither did our government, until it is now their turn. Government is about the future and not as much the past, other than, “to lead by example and be directed accordingly.”Knowing that the island has catastrophic insurance in place and enforced, for both hurricane and earth quakes liabilities, enforces the allusion that AUF was a responsible government. In many cases the optimal functioning and stability of the country has to do with the reliable functioning of the country’s NGOs and not altogether that of government; with the effective functioning of the NGO systems and a variety of independent national institutions such as many of those now being dismantling, for the lack of clarity of their function in our society, could indeed negatively affect the country. Right now, while government is without liquidity these very important social mechanisms are our sustainability.

By:EJ Harri