ANGUILLA CHIEF EXECUTIVE SAID, “IT’S MY MONEY! AND I NEED IT NOW!”

This week the Anguilla United Front completed its Annual Convention. The Convention is an important part of the organization of our party and the development of an effective strategy to inform and educate the people of Anguilla into making the right choices when the time comes, sooner or later, to select representatives that are capable of providing sound national leadership. Our slogan for the Convention was “Visionary, Creative, Bold Determined” and was adopted to describe the necessary attributes of leadership in this challenging period. And while I was humbled to have been chosen unanimously to head up the illustrious team of candidates selected by the party in the various constituencies --- I remain ever cognizant of the fact that leadership means service. As the good book says in Matthew 20 vs. 26 & 27: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant --- and whoever wants to be first must be your slave”.

Also our party had the opportunity to worship at Bethel Methodist Church on Sunday in support of the Royal Anguilla Police Force whose theme for their week of activities on this their 40th Anniversary is, “PUBLIC SECURITY SHARED RESPONSIBILITY”. The occasion was highlighted by a most appropriate message from the Reverend Cecil Weekes on the “obstacles to peace on our island” which he purports to be driven by that “rebellious spirit in our hearts” which permeates our entire communities and especially among young people with their “turf wars and gang violence”. He made the point that much of this conduct appears to be fuelled, in great measure, by the attitude of adults and leaders in our community who inundate the airwaves with talk of incivility and revolution at a time when there is need for reconciliation. Reconciliation he claims is a must if we are to achieve the goal of peace within our communities --- and we must end the talk of pursuing violence to achieve any goal whatsoever. He concluded by exhorting the perpetrators of violence to convert their weapons of destruction and death into productive use, quoting from Isaiah 2 vs. 4 in part: “ they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spares into pruning hooks”.

Mr. Bob Rogers and Mr. Victor Banks

This admonition was as much to the adults in our community as to the young people for whom we all must take responsibility. And in terms of the future of our nation it is critical that we find a way to communicate with them (according Mr. Bob Rogers in his passionate presentation at the Convention) to secure Anguilla for our grandchildren. It was in those terms that our Convention recognized that we must focus on young people and engage them in issues affecting our nation. And we were very pleased to put in place a strategy and group dedicated to furthering that goal. Indeed this is the time for all of us to concentrate on turning “swords into plowshares” so as to cultivate a cadre of young people to whom we can pass on the baton of leadership. Young people equipped to deal with the new challenges that will face us. A number of such youth were elected to the Executive Committee to advance the agenda of our party in the days ahead.

But perhaps the selection of a new candidate in District 7 (West End) in the person of Mr. Cardigan Connor by his Constituency Cell Group should get special mention. The action represents at least two important aspects of our party of which I am extremely proud. First, the fact that he was nominated and supported by the former candidate in the district, Mr. Kenswick Richardson demonstrates the willingness within our organization to place party above self, and secondly that the party continues to attract capable individuals whose record of commitment to our national development is unquestionable. Our mantra of “teamwork” is epitomized in the career of Mr. Connor who has been a team player for most of his adult life. Before returning to Anguilla, he had played cricket at a professional level in the United Kingdom and Australia for several years. Mr. Connor then used that experience to work with young people to develop their cricketing skills; produced great teams; and honed individual talents for the national side and for first class cricket. He was principally responsible for us having an Anguillian cricketer (Omari Banks) on the West Indies Cricket Team. We are both proud and happy to have Mr. Connor with his passion for building teams and solid young men on board.

Mr. Connor, who was also the head of the Anguillian athletes who participated in the Commonwealth Games, made a memorable metaphor during his acceptance speech when he remarked that of all the events during athletic meets, the relay race is perhaps the most popular and exciting. He then explained that it (a relay race) involves a team effort as well as trust. As a team effort it requires that each individual runner performs at his best and when the time comes to pass the baton --- the individual to whom it is passed must trust the passer to place it firmly in his hand so as he can carry it confidently on to the next runner and eventually to the finish line. Mr. Connor then proceeded to pay tribute his godfather, Mr. Albert Hughes and his cousin, Mr. Kenswick Richardson who were all persons were associated with the party in district 7; from whom he expects to get advice and support for his work as a candidate; and from whom he has received the baton.

Principles of Journalism: Journalism’s first
 obligation is to the truth; its first loyalty is to
citizens; its essence is a disciple of verification;
its practitioners must maintain an independence
from those they cover; it must serve as an independent
 monitor of power; it must provide a forum for public
criticism and compromise; it must strive to make the
significant interesting and relevant; it must keep the
news comprehensive and promotional; and
its practitioners must be allowed to exercise
their personal conscience.

The issue of team however, is not readily seen when one observes the way in which the Government of Anguilla operates. Our party’s chant in the last election campaign that “teamwork makes the dream work” is not descriptive of the manner in which this Government has been stumbling from crisis to crisis. Indeed, the Captain’s anointed “Mate” on the ship of state is at odds with most of the crew on critical national issues and several of the sailors are demanding a “court martial”. It has been said that the Captain does not take advice in many matters while in others abdicates his responsibility by refusing to take blame for actions clearly requiring his decision. Someone made an analogy to the Captain of the recently shipwrecked Cruise Ship Costa Concordia who refuses to accept responsibility for his negligence in the face of clear evidence to the contrary. It is time for the Government to build teams that are capable of giving them solid guidance, devoid of their personal interests, grudges and bad mindedness to show them the way. Sadly persons who should be seeking the truth, as journalists prefer to get caught up in trying to denigrate persons who do not walk their party line.

It is my understanding that the host of “To The Point” had a field day with my name on his show last evening. No doubt triggered by my critique of his professionalism. The tape is available for me to listen at my leisure at which time I will determine whether he has crossed the line and what action is appropriate. However, there is one aspect of his discussion that reconfirms his ignorance and his inability to interpret what he reads in the laws of Anguilla and other legal documents. Apparently in a discussion with a former magistrate and one of the usual “half a dozen callers” to his show on the air he expounded that the Legislators Pension Act provided that it was possible for a Legislator if elected at 21 to receive a pension at 31 based on the Act. I was surprised that the caller accepted his interpretation without questioning or doing further research. There is nothing further from the fact than the Host’s interpretation. I sincerely hope that he will not make similar mistakes in determining his own rights under the Pensions Act. I produced a fact sheet on this issue for my supporters that I will insert here for general information as well as the odd chance that Mr. Richardson might see it as follows:

• Mssrs, Fleming, Harrigan, Hughes and Banks retired as Legislators not as politicians. Every citizen is allowed to practice politics formally or informally. It is not something one retires from and receives a pension. There is no such thing as a politician’s pension in the laws of Anguilla. 

• All the gentlemen mentioned above served more than 20 years as Legislators. The Law requires 10 years.

• All the gentlemen above are over 62 years of age some are over 70. The Pension Act requires that you may retire at 55 years if elected before 2004 and after 60 years if elected after.

• If any of the gentleman above are elected to political office as a legislator in the future his pension will cease until he retires again.

• Mr. Hughes was one of the main providers of specific amendments to the Legislators Pension Act. He obtained a copy the St. Kitts-Nevis Legislators Pensions Act for reference.

• Mr. Hughes seconded the motion and voted for the Act in the House of Assembly as a show of non-partisan support for the Act.

• Mr. Hughes made sure in his input that Chief Minister’s received a higher percentage than other legislators.

• Pensions are computed in accordance by the Pension’s Act.

All of the comments that have been made in connection with my eligibility for pension as well as other statements, have been made by diehard Hubert Hughes supporters and Talk Show Hosts sympathetic to the AUM Government who wish to draw attention away from his (Hubert Hughes’) insistence on being paid for questionable telephone bills from his family phone up to fifteen years ago. Bills for which Treasury officials refused payment many years ago! Mr. Hughes himself has tried to suggest that officials of the past government are guilty of graver deeds --- as if to suggest that he should therefore be entitled to some corrupt act. What was instructive was when he declared that he does not need the money it was just a matter of principle. Principle indeed! What is the principle? Is it to prove that when you are Chief Minister the rules of audit and financial instructions do not apply?

Yes I can visualize the Chief Minister now as he presented his claim to officials in his Ministry, based on his level of arrogance. The image I conjure up is somewhat of a “take off” of the J.C. Wenthworth commercial on television as he bellows at the top of his voice: “It’s my money! And I need it now!” 

By: Victor F. Banks
Victor Banks is a former Finance, Economics, Commerce and Tourism Minister on Anguilla. He is presently the leader of the OpositionAnguilla United Front Party, writer and author of a weekly political article for theAnguillian News Paper, lyricist, and a self-employed entrepreneur. 

ANGUILLA UNITED FRONT (AUF) PARTY CONVENTION - “VISIONARY, CREATIVE, BOLD, DETERMINED”

AUF PARTY CONVENTION A GREAT SUCCESS

The 2010 Anguilla General Election AUF candidates, L to R: 

Hon. O Vanterpool, Mrs. C Hodge, Hon. M Rogers, Mr. V Banks, 

Mr. D Rey, Mr. C Richardson, and Mr. K Richardson
( replaced by Mr. C Connor)

The commitment of the Anguilla United Front (AUF) to providing visionary, creative, bold and determined leadership to the people of Anguilla received a huge boost on January 14 and 22, 2012, the two days in which the Party held its National Convention. The slogan for the Convention was“Visionary, Creative, Bold, Determined”.

An average of seventy delegates attended the two days of the Convention, with each Party Group from across the seven constituencies well represented. The delegates brought to each session of the Convention a strong sense of optimism for the future, in spite of the severe difficulties our people are facing at this time individually and as a community. They brought much passion and enthusiasm for the goal and mission of the AUF. Delegates strengthened and renewed their commitment to the AUF and their support for what the Party stands for.

Delegates discussed the agenda issues in depth, bringing a high degree of seriousness and focus to the sessions. At the same time, enthusiasm for the restoration of the prosperity and harmony of the Anguillian community and optimism for the future of the country we love was maintained throughout the two day event. The serious, positive and optimistic mood of the Convention was well and truly set on Saturday January 14, Day One of the Convention, with a heartfelt, hard hitting, and stirring address by Mr. John (Bob) Rogers, one of our foremost leaders in the Anguilla Revolution and a selfless and unwavering patriot. Bob greatly inspired the delegates at the start of the Convention speaking on the topic “Where do we go from here – 45 years after the Revolution?”

Day One of the Convention, focused on the costs to our people of the policies, laws, decisions, and actions, as well as the style, attitude and approach of Chief Minister Hubert Hughes and his AUM Government since they took office on February 16, 2010. The delegates were addressed by the Party Leader, the Hon. Victor Banks, describing and analyzing the depressed economic, social and political state of the Anguillian Community and the hardships, which our people are facing at this time. Mr. Banks focused attention on the serious bungling and mishandling by the Hubert Hughes Administration of the operations of Government and on its record of poor governance over the past two years, especially its poor management of the economy, resulting in greater hardship being suffered by our people than should be. He was informative and on point.

He drew attention to the heavy costs to our people in the increased severity of the economic and financial hardships facing the community, resulting from the unfair taxes and other measures imposed by the Government of the Hon. Hubert Hughes. These impositions have brought additional difficulties on top of the hardship and pain brought on by the global recession. They have caused additional job losses, further reductions in wages and salaries and in working hours.

Deputy Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly, the Hon. Evans McNeil Rogers, in his presentation, zeroed in on the harmful style, attitude and approach of the Chief Minister and his Government, which is dictatorial, confrontational, and destructive, based on falsehoods, half truths and outright propaganda repeated over and over. Mr. Rogers did a great job as he has done in the House of Assembly and in the media of pinpointing the harm that we have suffered and are suffering as a result of the anti-democratic governing style of Hubert Hughes, his ministerial colleagues, and the remaining leadership of his AUM Party. Delegates were left in no doubt that the Hubert and his Government are committing and are guilty of the very errors, mistakes, and corrupt practices, which Hubert Hughes and his cohorts have tried to pin on the AUF and its leadership.

Delegates were left in no doubt that the political climate in Anguilla has deteriorated and has been made more unstable over the past two years. They deplored and expressed outrage at the overly confrontational and erratic actions and dictatorial behavior of Chief Minister Hubert Hughes and the disruptive and destabilizing impacts of his pattern of Government.

The details of the bleak picture under the AUM Government were further pointed out by the Hon. Othlyn Vanterpool in his presentation. He made his points from an examination of the social and community development components of the operations of the Government. Many came to the conclusion that the Chief Minister is concerned essentially with advancing his interest and that of his family and cronies and is not interested in the welfare of all members of the Community, especially the poor, unemployed and low income wage and salary earners.

Delegates broke up into groups discussed strategies to be pursued by the AUF going forward. Many excellent ideas were put forward. When the Day One sessions ended, they went away more determined than ever to redouble their efforts individually and collectively as a Party to regain the trust and overwhelming support of the people, retake control of the Government at the next General Elections and once again lead the people of Anguilla to higher heights as a community and a nation.

Day Two of the Convention received the group reports on strategies and programmes to regain victory in elections and return to office leading the people of Anguilla, as their Government duly elected on a platform of truth, realistic goals and objectives and capable leaders, with a strong commitment to the democratic process. Many recommendations were made and will form the basis of the Party’s political programme going forward.

The convention also endorsed the AUF full support for Commissioner Proctor and all ranks of the Royal Anguilla Police Force in their fight against crime and their efforts to maintain Anguilla’s image as a peaceful and friendly place to visit and stay. As a means of demonstrating their support for the Police, members of the AUF joined the officers at their church service marking the beginning of the 40th anniversary week of the police week. The AUF calls on all Anguillians. residents and visitors to support this week of activities and continue to support the lawmen in their efforts to keep Anguilla the peaceful nation it has always been known to be. This the AUF believes this is in keeping with the theme for the Police Week “PUBLIC SECURITY SHARED RESPONSIBILITY”.

The delegates of the Convention mandated elected members of the AUF to use the means available to them to call on the Chief Minister, to take the issue of independence to the people of Anguilla to decide upon. The Delegates articulated the firm belief that it is time for Chief Minister to stop talking about Independence and hold a referendum on it before his 80th Birthday in October this year.

Cardigan Connor: Former Hampshire Cricketer, and 

Anguilla's 'chef de mission' (team manager) at the

2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester - currently

an entrepreneur, sports analyst, cricket and fitness 
coach, and works as a hotel masseur on Anguilla.

The Convention ended with a business session, particularly elections to the various offices and organs of the Party. The highlight of the business session and elections was the formal ratification by the Convention of the selection of Mr. Cardigan Connor by the Constituency Seven Party Group to contest the next elections as the AUF candidate for the District 7 and the overwhelming support for the reelection of Mr. Victor F. Banks as Party Leader. The full Executive Committee as elected by the convention is as follows:

Victor F. Banks: Party Leader - District 4

Evans McNiel Rogers: Deputy Political Leader - District 3

Fritz Smith: Party Chairman

Cardigan Connor: Deputy Party Chairman - District 7

Cora Richardson Hodge: General Secretary - District 2

Osbourne Fleming: Treasurer

Sheila Richardson: Secretary

Darwin Hazell: PRO

Charonay Carty: Chair -Youth Arm

Blondell Rodgiers: Chair -Women's Arm

Harold Ruan: Chair - Planning Committee

Linette Sasso: Chair - Membership Committee

Marcel Fahie: Chair - Finance Committee

Othlyn Vanterpool: District 1

Delsic Rey: District 5

Curtis Richardson: District 6

Kenswick Richardson, Claude Smith, Tyrone Hughes, Corvel Fleming, and Kent Webster

AUMSWAT: "No no, Hubie already gotten his! Buh

 any one knows how to contact Courtney Walsh 
or Brian Lara?"

An average of seventy delegates attended both days of the Convention. The Convention energized the delegates. They recommitted to the democratic principles on which the AUF is founded and most significantly to promoting and leading the party to victory in the next elections and leading the people of Anguilla back to development, prosperity, peace and harmony. 

By: Information Division of the Anguilla United Front (AUF)

“SORRY! WRONG NUMBER!”

The Chief Minister was interviewed by a most “accommodating host” on “To the Point” on Monday January 16, 2012. And true to form, with an assortment of lies and other distractions he tried to explain away the fact that he was able to get his colleagues in EXCO to agree to pay him EC$40,000 for calls made from his home phone some fifteen years ago. The Chief Minister reverted to his usual “smoke screen strategy” by pointing the blame to the past Government; suggesting that he was the victim of a political conspiracy; and that members of the past administration had done worse things. You would not be surprised to hear that he brought the former Minister of Finance into the equation so as to rally his usual callers to defend him against the “wicked schemes” of Victor Banks. After the tone was thus set, the “accommodating Host” opened the phone lines for the “kill”. I will come back to that “killing field” and the “character massacre” that ensued, later!

One of the Chief Minister’s main defenses was that he had refused to pay his property tax because the past Government did not honor his claim. Even though this is not a valid excuse to avoid paying his taxes to begin with --- the fact is that the Chief Minister had not been paying his property tax for many years before this matter came up. In fact, Mr. Hughes has never willingly paid property tax. He has always had to be forced to do so and usually only when he is in the Government. So even that lame excuse is a lie! There is absolutely no connection between the payment of property tax and the fact that he was not able to convince the past Government and officials in the Treasury that he should be paid EC$40,000 for a questionable claim. It is all a lie designed to convince Anguillians that it is not about his personal self-interests nor about a possibly fraud.

See Nothing Hear Nothing Say Nothing

When asked to explain why all these Government business calls had to be made from his home phone the Chief Minister explained that as Minister of Tourism he had to make calls to England, France and Germany in the morning before he went to work because of the time difference. I will not waste the time to ask why the Chief Minister had to call these European countries so frequently from his home or to question whom he was calling. As a former Minister of Tourism myself I cannot recall that level of activity to justify EC$40,000 in phone calls over a twenty-eight month period. And I almost fell off my chair when the Host, Mr. Elkin Richardson commented that “as a responsible journalist” he had to ask Mr. Hughes whether this money would be paid to Cable & Wireless. Based on my experience I would not consider Mr. Richardson to be a journalist --- and to add the adjective “responsible” would be almost sacrilegious.

Anguillians suspect the Hon. Chief Minister is being 

very much disingenuous.

But the next day (Tuesday, January 17) I was privileged to listen to an interview with the Governor Harrison conducted by Mr. Keith “Stone” Greaves over Radio Anguilla. Besides the stark contrast between the journalistic skills of Mr. Greaves and Mr. Richardson, the quality of the interview was balanced and professional. Mr. Greaves’ questions were respectfully incisive and the Governor’s responses were polite and “to the point”. I listened to every minute of the interview that covered the full range of issues that have been in the spotlight for the last month. However, for the purposes of this article I want to highlight the Governor’s response to the question Mr. Greaves asked about the Executive Council decision to reimburse the Chief Minister for his fifteen year old phone bill. The Governor replied that he had disassociated himself with the decision mainly because in his experience with the British Government he was not accustomed to having claims submitted for payment so long after the expenditure was incurred. In fact, he said in many cases such expenditures would not be honoured after as little as three months. He went on to say that he had made a full statement to the Executive Council on the matter.

Immediately after that live interview with the Governor, I went to Government website and got a copy of his statement to EXCO at the meeting of Thursday 5th January. The excerpt from the EXCO minute that contains the full text of the Governor’s statement under the caption, “Reimbursement of telephone bills to Hon. Chief Minister”, reads as follows: The Governor indicated that he was dissociating himself from the decision on the Chief Minister’s telephone bill and made the following statement: “I fully accept that under Anguilla’s internal self-government the decision on whether to reimburse the Chief Minister EC$40,000 for his telephone bills from November 1997 to March 2000 during his previous time in office is one for the elected members. But I would like to dissociate myself from the decision on the grounds that too much time has elapsed and that no clear audit trail has been presented to EXCO. The original assertion in Hon. Richardson’s paper that at that time both personal and official calls were paid for is certainly inaccurate, as I checked with Mr. Hughes predecessor Sir Emile Gumbs and his successor Osbourne Fleming. Both told me that they paid for their personal calls themselves. The Accountant-General’s information also falls short of confirming the assertion. In any case, all claims for expenses should be made promptly, which by no stretch of the imagination is true in this case.”

This statement by the Governor should be very instructive to those persons who believe that the Governor runs EXCO. A falsehood the Chief Minister continues to perpetrate on the people of Anguilla, whenever it suits his purposes. Especially when he does not want to accept blame or responsibility for an action or a lack of action. The Governor stated clearly that even though he opposed the reimbursement, it was a decision for the elected Ministers to make. He then further proceeds to make three crucial points: 1) There is no clear audit trail to support the validity of the claim. 2) It was never a Government policy to pay the home phone bills of Chief Ministers. 3) The Account-General’s information does not support Chief Minister’s claim.

The Governor’s statement in EXCO leads one to question how the other Ministers of Government could support the Chief Minister in this questionable claim. But it is to say the least astounding, that the Chief Minister could make the inconsistent statements he made on “To the Point” talk show. At one time he said that it was a Government line at another he said it was his line. And when he felt he had sufficiently made the case for his conspiracy theory, that purports that he rather than the people of Anguilla was the victim, his “accommodating hosts” opened the phone lines to his usual half a dozen callers. From that point forward it was for the most part Victor Banks who was “the culprit”. 

The issue to which I will respond, since a number of my supporters expressed their outrage at the comments, is the one raised by those callers who decided that I should be deprived of my pension because I am not retired. The issue was raised on the talk show before but I thought that the matter was settled. The nasty comments and bad-minded remarks that came from those particular callers confirmed their ignorance of the system that provides for those persons who have made the sacrifice to be exposed to public scrutiny in the service of their country via the electoral process. But it also shows that we are heading down a very dangerous path indeed, when people believe that because they don’t like you --- you should be deprived of your earnings and entitlements. I noticed that while the Chief Minister (Mr Hughes) who worked on the Anguilla Legislators Pension Act; who brought the St Kitts-Nevis version of the Act to assist in the drafting; who made sure that special consideration was given Chief Minister’s pension rates; and who supported and seconded the final bill in the House of Assembly was silent as the usual callers abused me. The Host was a bit more circumspect by pointing out very quietly that they had been advised that my situation was legitimate. It is shameful that the Chief Minister should be so hypocritical in his efforts to create “a smoke screen” to cover the reimbursement issue.

AUM supporter: "Shit... AUF hid all the damn info in
books to sabotage our government..." 

The Legislators Pensions Act in Section 4 sets out quite clearly the circumstances in which a pension shall be paid as follows: “The person has, a) has served as a legislator for not less than ten years; b) has ceased to be a legislator; c) has attained the age of 55 years if he was a legislator before the act came into operation and 60 years after the act came into operation; d) not having attained the retirement of 55 or 60 becomes medically boarded and unable to discharge the duties of a legislator or any other gainful employment.”

The Act also makes provision in Section 6 for “cessation of pension if a person in receipt thereof again becomes a legislator.” It is stated as follows: “ A pension payable under this Act shall, if the person in receipt thereof again becomes a legislator, cease to be payable during the period in respect of which that person is receipt of an allowance as a legislator, but if the amount of such basic allowance is less than the amount of pension, the higher amount is payable.”

So for the benefit of those persons who are genuinely concerned about my rights under the Legislators Pensions Act as well as those who would like to see me “beg my bread” because they do not support me politically, let me explain the terms of my entitlement.

1. I am no longer serving as a legislator so I am entitled to a pension since I am eligible. I am a retired legislator --- not a retired politician. 

2. I not only served ten (10) years as a legislator. I actually served twenty-eight (28) years as a legislator. 

3. I was entitled to retire at the age of 55. I actually retired at the age of 62. 

4. My pension and gratuity was computed in accordance with the provisions of the Legislators Pensions Act as amended in 2004. 

One of the most silly points that I was told, Percy Thomas made on an earlier show is that I lost the election, I did not retire --- so I should not receive a pension. The point is also made that I ran in the last election so unlike Mr. Fleming, Mr. Harrigan and Mr. Albert Hughes who did not run --- I am still active in politics so I should not receive a pension. And the usual talk among some diehard AUM supporters: “ The Front caused the problems we have in Anguilla so they should not receive their pension. They should be locked up in prison”. The Chief Minister himself has gone a bit further to suggest that we (the AUF Government) should be exiled from Anguilla. 

All this is wishful thinking on the part of the Chief Minister and his AUM supporters. They actually believe that they alone have the right to be protected under the Constitution and Laws of Anguilla. Persons who do not support their way of thinking are not entitled to any rights, freedoms or a living. Analyze their statements on the Talk Shows and their behaviour in the House of Assembly and you will inevitably come to the same conclusion. Maybe only AUM retired legislators should get pensions! And have their undocumented bills paid! 

Spoofing over this phone bill parody a friend said to me that he could imagine the Chief Minister calling the tourist offices in Europe. CM: “This is Hubert Hughes, Chief Minister of Anguilla calling! Send me some tourists!” Tourist Office replies: “Sorry! Wrong number!” Actually, that is probably how he ran up that big phone bill.  

By: Victor F. Banks

Victor Banks is a former Finance, Economics, Commerce and Tourism Minister on Anguilla. He is presently the leader of the Oposition Anguilla United Front Party, writer and author of a weekly political article for theAnguillian News Paper, lyricist, and a self-employed entrepreneur.

GIVE OTs A VOICE IN THE COMMONS - UK MP

British MP Andrew Rosindell

A British MP has called for Bermuda and other overseas territories to be given representation in the UK House of Commons.

In a submission to the UK Parliament’s Backbench Business Committee, Andrew Rosindell said that since the UK makes decisions that can directly effect territories such as Bermuda, the territories should be able to have their own voices heard.

Mr Rosindell, the chairman of the British Overseas Territories All Party Parliamentary Group, said: “We give our 21 territories nothing. All they have is an informal all-party group, of which I am proud to be chairman.

“We have a democratic hole, with hundreds of thousands of people for whom we make laws, whom we ultimately govern and on whose behalf we can declare war, make foreign policy and sign international treaties. We have substantial control over their domestic affairs.

“Those territories that have sterling are bound by much of our own economic policy. In a range of areas, although the Crown dependencies and Overseas Territories are not part of the UK they are substantially influenced and ultimately governed by this Parliament, so it is wrong for them to have no voice at all.”

The Conservative Party MP said other nations, including Australia, Denmark, France and the Netherlands all have external territories, but those territories have representatives elected to external territory committees.

He said he hoped issues related to the overseas territories would be debated this year, noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands.

“Perhaps it is an appropriate time to establish the principle that at the very least the UK Parliament gives recognition to our Territories and Dependencies, and that we actually want to debate subjects that affect them, so that is why I have put in for this debate,” he said.

“I have been an MP for 11 years and I do not think there has been an actual debate on territories and dependencies, except when the British Overseas Territories Bill was introduced by the previous Government in 2001-02.

“There needs to be a similar kind of annual debate such as we have on Scotland and Wales. Our 21 territories deserve to be given that kind of recognition, and I hope the Committee will give that due consideration.”

In a recent Government submission to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a new White Paper on the Overseas Territories, Government called for a greater voice in the UK Parliament on issues affecting the Island.

A section of the submissions read: “This could be done by serving on Parliamentary Committees, for example, where matters affecting Bermuda’s national interest are discussed.”

Mr Rosindell visited the Island last year as part of a three-day fact finding mission, during which he met with Premier Paula Cox. He later told The Royal Gazette they had a frank exchange of views about the relationship between the UK and Bermuda.

He also described Premier Cox as being “cynical” about the British Government’s desire for closer links, comments that National Security Minister David Burch said were disrespectful.

By: Owain Johnston-Barnes

ANGUILLA POLITICIANS LIKE COCKROACHES ABANDONING SINKING SHIP IN DROVES?

FAILED POLICIES, FLIMSY PARTIES AND FLAKY POLITICIANS

Anguilla held so much promise after the revolution of the 1960’s, because its people were united in a common cause for liberation, autonomy and upward mobility. Unlike now, we marched together understanding that each generation to come; depended upon the success of this movement. Many in government at present did not have the tenacity to struggle with us. In fact, some tried to impede this struggle in order to maintain the status quo. There is so much greed by some in authority and disregard for the ordinary person, that the political motif of those elected is questionable. As Anguillians continue along a path of acceptance for every bad decision made by government we will suffer. Even the slightest verbal disagreement is regarded as an attempt to interfere with those elected to serve. It is evident that there is a continuous atmosphere of conflict perpetrated by those elected in government.

Our Chief Minister and other members of his political party, as well as some supporters believe that the Governor’s sole objective is to undermine the government and cause confusion in Anguilla. We need to evaluate the benefits of such intent. We have to think seriously if such a claim is real or simply designed to garner local sentiment, while obscuring the real problems caused by those who are elected. There also exists the desire for failure by some who oppose the existing government. Personally, many of the policies implemented have played into such a desire. One cannot see how the introduction of new taxes could help to jump-start an economy that is collapsing. In addition, the majority of Anguillians understand that Political Independence at this time would impede our democracy and give room for demagoguery and dictatorship. Those who have been paid excessively to serve Anguilla have continued to gouge the treasury and many are willing to compromise their feelings. Patriotism guides us to help the less fortunate, before we take care of our own needs. Now there is a serious conflict between those elected and the Civil Servants. 

Certain politicians initially bowing to government before been squashed 
on deck. There are two effects to a surviving headless cockroach. One is

that the body may move short distances and spread disease by 

contamination. The second is that the egg sac of a female cockroach

would not immediately die, and could reach maturation.

Our teachers have always felt the brunt of cuts, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate supplies and lack of support by those who reach the top of the ladder. Today, they have to deal with the uncertainty of this government. Our teachers must not be treated with blatant disregard. We owe a great deal to those who educate our children and fit them for all walks of life. Those who refuse to assess this conflict carefully and wisely should realize that politicians come and go, but our teachers by and large retire from their jobs. It is encumbered upon our government to resolve this issue amicably. There must be no arrogance on either side. It is more urgent to resolve the promises made to the teachers than to give gratuity to retired politicians, or to repay their bills-politicians who have been grossly overpaid. From one government to another, all we have seen are failed policies, flaky parties, flimsy, arrogant and incompetent politicians. We must look beyond party or personality and rein in those who abuse their authority for individual gain. In order to bring back the promise of the Anguilla Revolution during the 1960’s, it is necessary to be impartial and practical in the execution of our duties. It is also important to do the will of the people that we serve selflessly.

By: Terry Harrigan

“WHO HURT YOU BABY?”

It was interesting to hear the views of the heads of the largest public staff associations in Anguilla on the state of affairs in our island. I am referring to the recent statements by the President of the Anguilla Civil Service Association (ACSA) and that of the President of the Anguilla Teachers Union (ATU). Ironically, both of these leaders are pastors in their various Churches, so they may be expected to be fair and just in their presentations of the issues --- yet their assessment of the Chief Minister’s conduct seem to be vastly different. 

In my Press Statement of January 4, 2012 I sought to calm public servants, the private sector and all residents of Anguilla, because the Chief Minister the day before in a radio broadcast, gave the impression that we were in a crisis situation. I mentioned the President of ACSA twice in my entire presentation, suggesting that based on his New Year’s speech, he had fully “bought into” the Chief Minister’s conspiracy theory. And I used the fishing expression, “hook line and sinker” to describe the nature of his discipleship. 

The ACSA President, Pastor Gerard “Rock” Gumbs then launched a vicious attack on me the following day, as if he was the main subject of my press statement. Pastor “Rock” claimed that my statement was an attempt to “deceive civil servants and use them as political tools”; he claimed that I seemed to be advocating that the salaries and numbers of the civil service establishment be cut secretly; he claimed that my credibility leaves a lot to be desired; and he “crowned it off “ by declaring that I was not qualified to speak in relation to his representation. He then went on further into a full-fledged endorsement of the Chief Minister’s performance and lauded him for effective management of the Government. 

Rock & Hubie!  Hubie or Rock? 

Quite unlike the present Chief Minister, I have never in my political career sought to engage any public servant in personal attacks on any public media or forum. I will not condescend do so now. I will however, out of necessity, make the point that my good cousin Pastor “Rock” by his response may have inadvertently exposed himself to political scrutiny by members of ACSA and the wider Anguillian community. In fact, according to one member of the Civil Service Association, it would be fair to ask Pastor “Rock” whom he is really representing. The truth is that in his entire address he did not raise a single question regarding the fact that the Chief Minister is seeking to deprive public servants of their entitlement to a salary refund by hiring a private lawyer to research their agreement with the past Government. Regarding his other attacks on my credibility and qualification, I would only be concerned if I considered the person or persons who made them to be adequately placed to make such assessments. 

I must admit, however, that I felt a sense of vindication when I heard the passionate response of the President of the ATU, Pastor Emma Ferguson to the incisive reprimand of the members of the Teacher’s Union by the Chief Minister last week. Unlike Pastor “Rock”, Pastor Emma seemed not prepared to play “choir girl” to the Chief Minister’s conspiracy refrain. And she let it be known that while he (the CM) is talking about other issues and refusing to listen to the teacher’s concerns many of them are “losing their homes, their cars and sleep! Some are seeking out second jobs because they cannot make it! Some are having difficulty feeding their children! ” 

But perhaps Pastor Emma’s most damaging comments was when she drew attention to two Executive Council Minutes on the Government of Anguilla website. Speaking directly to the Chief Minister she said: “You can’t pay us our money but you want me to go back twelve years to pay you! And you refuse to go back two years to pay us? ……. And you boast about a surplus --- you can’t give me my money but you pass yours in Council? …… You are willing to pay someone US$ 10,000 --- EC$ 27,000 to get a lawyer to figure out a loophole not to pay me?” 

For those of you who may not have seen the Executive Council Minutes on the Government’s Website to which Pastor Emma referred, I will include those two minutes for your information as follows: 

1. Council authorized the Attorney General’s Chambers to seek legal advice from Mr. Anthony Astaphan, Legal Counsel on behalf of the Government of Anguilla with regard to the implications of discontinuing the deferred payments to public servants and other Government Officials. 

Council agreed to the cost of the US$10,000 to be paid to Mr. Astaphan for his services.

(This was decided at a special EXCO meeting held on Friday 16, December 2011).

2. Council agreed that the Hon. Hubert Hughes, Chief Minister should be reimbursed EC$40,000.00 for telephone bills incurred during the period November 1997 to March 2000.

 (This was decided at the regular EXCO meeting held on Thursday 29, December 2011). 

I want to make the point very clear that all the elected members of Executive Council were present when these decisions were made. The Governor did not make these decisions, acting in his own discretion; they were made with the consensus of all the Ministers of Government; and the British certainly did not impose them. 

The facts regarding this issue of the Chief Minister’s 1997 – 2000 telephone bill, are well-known by all members of the past Government. Indeed, Mr. Hughes came into the Office of the former Chief Minister, the Hon. Osbourne B. Fleming, to present his claim after Cable & Wireless gave him the outstanding bill for his home phone. Mr. Fleming did all he could to ascertain the validity of the claim and the policy precedent under which Mr. Hughes was making it. It was eventually decided that there was no precedent for such a payment to be made for undocumented calls made on a home phone. We also could not understand why Cable and Wireless had allowed the bill to “run up” unpaid for more than two years. And we could not reasonably consider the sheer volume of the official calls claimed to be made during that period. The decision was therefore made that we could not in all fairness pay Mr. Hughes’s claim. Eventually, we were made to understand that Cable & Wireless had arranged a payment schedule for Mr. Hughes to dispose of the outstanding bill.

Tax Evasion

It is interesting that a Chief Minister who refused to pay his property tax for almost twelve years would now be making an outstanding claim at taxpayers expense (particularly those little old ladies who religiously pay their property tax on time) for a phone bill which did not meet the requisite conditions for payment by the Treasury twelve years ago. This is certainly a matter that demands further investigation and I would encourage the Leader of the Opposition, in his role as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, to add it to his list. But also from a moral standpoint I believe that in the face of other outstanding financial obligations of a more immediate nature --- and which are very clearly documented, it is both insensitive and unfair for the Chief Minister to so aggressively pursue this reimbursement without regard or caring for the people who are not so privileged to sit in Executive Council. Indeed it belies his claim to be “the champion of the workers.” The exact point which Pastor Emma so eloquently made with persuasive passion, as she illustrated the Chief Minister’s selfishness in ignoring the issues impacting the ATU membership. 

The other EXCO minute reinforces the Chief Minister’s disregard for the circumstances of the last eighteen months of the past Government’s term when the extensive duration of the global economic crisis was not yet evident. In that context, the past Government had made a commitment to the staff associations of the public service that it would reimburse their salary cuts when the economy turned around. Since coming to Office the Chief Minister has been stating publicly that he had nothing to do with those agreements --- it was a matter for the former Government. The President of the ATU said in her comments that Mr. Hughes had not responded to their views on this matter since June 17, 2011. It would have been the proper thing to do for the Chief Minister, rather than “burying his head in the sand” on this issue, to meet with the public service and negotiate a reasonable cut-off point given the persistent nature of the global economic crisis. But rather than adopting that approach, rightly or wrongly, he has decided to “seek external legal advice” in an effort to find a way out of this situation. It is obvious from the comments from Pastor Emma that all the staff associations want is respectful dialogue, as well as similar attention being given to their plight as is given by the CM to his personal financial interests. 

It is in context of the foregoing that the question has been asked, whether the Chief Minister’s unnecessary charade about the British Government’s delay in assenting to the budget on the first day in January, a way to distract attention away from these matters. Indeed, the history of budgetary assents does not bear out the urgency in his behaviour. And all but five budgets in the last sixteen years have been assented to in the second or third week of January. I do not believe that these issues rise to that level on the Chief Minister’s scale of concerns. In fact I believe that he is so self-centered that he does not even realize that he has done anything that could be construed as inappropriate. That is why he does not appreciate the comparison that Pastor Emma makes regarding his personal reimbursement and the public service salary refund. All that the Chief Minister sees is that the President of the ATU and the Teachers are flouting his authority and as a consequence he will not assist them in the future. His exact words to re-emphasize the gravity of his statement are “I pull no punches!” I see the makings of a dictator who is beginning to believe in his own infallibility. We seem to be heading to a dangerous place. And even more worrisome is the motley crew of disciples who are so caught up in his web of conspiracy that they are beginning to dispense the same flawed reasoning and very often use the same words and phrases. 

We will not make any real progress in 2012 if we allow this conduct to prevail. We need to let the Chief Minister know that we had enough of his style, attitude and approach over the last two years. Indeed, in these challenging times we need to extrapolate on Pastor Emma’s illustration and adopt a more sensitive and caring approach. An approach that conjures up the image of genuine concern by a mother as she asks her weeping child: “Who hurt you baby!”

By: Victor F. Banks 

Victor Banks is a former Finance, Economics, Commerce and Tourism Minister on Anguilla. He is presently the leader of the Oposition Anguilla United Front Party, writer and author of a weekly political article for theAnguillian News Paper, lyricist, and a self-employed entrepreneur.

PENDING ACTION AGAINST ANGUILLA'S CHIEF MINISTER PERCEIVED CORRUPTION... was the kettle actually black after all?

Hon. McNiel Rogers, Leader of Opposition and the Chairman
of the Public Accounts Committee on Anguilla

PRESS STATEMENT

Fellow Anguillians, 

as the Leader of Opposition and the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee I must express my deep concern over the Minutes of the Executive Council Meeting held December 29, 2011, where all the Ministers were present, and which under the caption,“Reimbursement of Telephone Bills to Chief Minister, reads as follows: “Council agreed that the Hon. Hubert Hughes, Chief Minister should be reimbursed EC$40,000.00 for telephone bills incurred during the period November 1997 to March 2000.”

The time frame within which these phone bills were incurred dates back to between twelve and fifteen (15) years ago, during the Chief Minister’s first term in that lofty position. I am aware that Mr. Hughes first presented these phone bills during the time that the United Front party was in Government. At that time, these bills were not approved for payment based on the fact that: (1) Mr. Hughes presented no supporting evidence (other than the phone bills themselves) to show that these calls were in fact calls made for Government business and (2) Mr. Hughes presented no evidence to show the nature of the government business and who the calls were made to in order to justify the payment of these bills. In that context, Executive Council’s decision to now reimburse Mr. Hughes for phone bills he “ran up” so long ago, must as a consequence at this “late hour” raise a number of questions. For example:

1) Why is the amount of this bill a round figure of EC$40,000 and not a specific figure based on a summation of all of the telephone charges charged by the telephone company?

2) Why were all these calls on behalf of the Government of Anguilla made from the Chief Minister’s residence?

3) Why did the Chief Minister incur all these charges on his home phone over a period of twenty-eight months without reconciling them?

4) Did the Chief Minister not receive a telephone allowance at that time?

5) Why does the Chief Minister find it necessary to pursue reimbursement now that his Government is once again in Office and during the midst of an economic downturn worldwide which has affected all of us in Anguilla?

In my capacity as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, I feel duty bound on the basis of such questions raised in the wider community, to pursue this matter officially. So as to determine the validity of the claim and the grounds on which the decision was taken by Executive Council on the matter. Such action is further demanded because I am concerned as to whether due diligence was in fact conducted in order to ascertain the nature of these telephone calls before it went to Executive Council. This apparently unsubstantiated claim have caused numerous persons in the community to express outrage at the approval of these monies by EXCO, at least at this point in time.

While I have a duty as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee to deal mainly with the propriety of the claim, there also exists the question of the morality and the timing of this decision. This puts the matter into the context of Anguilla today and as consequence a number of the following additional issues begin to emerge which need to be addressed:

• It appears that our Chief Minister has aggressively pursued his personal financial interests while he is reluctant to address similar interests in the wider public service.

• It appears that our Chief Minister is not prepared to honour agreements made by the former Government on behalf of public servants without retaining a private lawyer --- yet he readily puts forward his claim without any formal agreement or policy precedent.

• That our Chief Minister, in this time of hardship, has resurrected his demand for payment on a bill that was already turned down for lack of proper accounting and justification under the AUF administration.

Fellow Anguillians, it is my view that even if this is a legitimate one, a man such as our Chief Minister, Mr. Hughes who has claimed that he has never gone to the Bank to take a loan, ought to have known that right now, when his AUM Government has increased taxes and imposed new taxes on the people of Anguilla, when our fellow Anguillians are home without work and without electricity, and when our fellow Anguillians cannot send their children to school because they cannot provide food for their children, is NOT the right time to seek reimbursement on telephone bills from 15 years ago.

But perhaps the most ironic part of the whole issue is the fact that the Chief Minister was able to get approval for payment of his telephone bills through the same Executive Council that he continues to claim is being run by the Governor. It only goes to show us that the Chief Minister can in fact pass things through Executive Council when they are in his personal economic interest to do so. However, issues like the repeal or the amendment of the “Levy” or the reduction of the draconian penalties that the Levy Act contains, our Chief Minister claims that he cannot pass these measures in the interest of the people of Anguilla --- because it is the Governor that runs Executive Council. This decision is most revealing in that regard.

Hon. Hubert B. Hughes: "I'm clean clean... whiter than snow...
dem lil boi dem aint gah a ting on me!"

It is clear that the Chief Minister is inconsistent in his conduct. The Chief Minister’s philosophy that “the rules apply to everyone else but him” is evident in every aspect of this decision. If anyone else in the former Government had made a similar request, the investigative journalists of the AUM Talk Shows and the Chief Minister himself would have had the airwaves inundated with cries of corruption. But as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, I intend to make sure that this matter is appropriately addressed and is in keeping with the same principle and procedures which the Chief Minister claims to uphold, as well as the rules of good governance and the legal process to which we all must be held accountable.

Thank you all very much, and may God bless you and God Bless Anguilla.

By: Evans McNiel Rogers - Leader of Opposition on Anguilla.

ADMIRED FORMER PARLIAMENTARIAN AND CHIEF MINISTER DITCHED RETIREMENT TO ADDRESS SERIOUS CONCERNS ON ANGUILLA...

The 2009, 50th meeting of the OECS Heads of Government
on Anguilla paying glowing tribute to then Chief Minister
of Anguilla, The Hon. Osbourne B. Fleming.

Fellow Anguillians,

permit me to address you for the next few minutes as a former Chief Minister of Anguilla, a businessman and an extremely concerned Anguillian. Firstly, on behalf of my wife Ruby and on my own behalf I extend Happy New Year greetings to all Anguillians, residents and visitors to our shores. We wish you good health, happiness, success and God’s continued guidance in 2012 and beyond.

As you all are aware, I retired from active politics almost two years ago and since then most of my time has been spent in St Croix helping out with the family business there. Nevertheless I have not given up my country Anguilla, my fellow Anguillians and in particular the residents of the Sandy Hill District who I regard as my family and who continue to be a source of strength to me. I LOVE YOU ALL. During the months ahead I plan to spend some time to socialize with you and discuss the current issues affecting Anguilla and our future. Before I go any further let me make it abundantly clear, this is not in any way intended to be a plan to relaunch my campaign. I have retired from active politics and will not be contesting any seat in any future election.

I am a senior member of the Anguilla United Front and I stand in full support my Party Leader, Mr. Victor Banks and will continue to work hard to ensure that all AUF candidates are elected next election. I am sure you may have heard rumours to the contrary, but that is mere wishful thinking of those who wish to plant disunity amongst the Anguilla United Front and doubts in the minds of our loyal supporters.

Fellow Anguillians as I said, this is not meant to be a political speech. During the past 23 months, although I spent much of my time off-island, I have remained in touch with my country and the happenings in it. I keep informed of what is said on all the talk shows; the blogs; the House of Assembly; the many press conferences; as well as radio and TV addresses. So I am in the know. As the outgoing Chief Minister, I firmly believed that the duly elected Government must be given the chance to govern. In this regard I suggested to my Party that they should not to keep any political meetings for the first year and in the second year limit the amount meetings.

You will realize I spoke at only two or three public meeting since the last election and I have been part of one or two press conferences of my party. I wanted to ensure that the newly elected Government of the incoming Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes was given an adequate chance to focus on its work. My party considered my suggestion and agreed to act accordingly. By the way I do not consider Mr. Banks’s articles as negatively impacting the Government’s capacity to function. It is a part of the democratic process. However, I did express the view on one Talk Show that they may be too long to maintain the attention of some readers. Mr. Banks has been doing an excellent job in bringing the issues to his many readers.

Fellow Anguillians, I have remained relatively quiet, despite the fact that the Chief Minister and his colleagues continued to levy accusations of corruption against me and my colleagues in the former Government. I did this even while I was fully aware of a thirty-five page correspondence submitted by Chief Minster Hughes to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in which he accused me of corruption dating back to 1990, economic mismanagement, and poor governance.

I have remained quiet despite the continued blaming of my colleagues and I for destroying Anguilla’s economy through wasteful spending, by this Government and in particular by the Chief Minister and his advisor Jerome Roberts, my District Representative.

Fellow Anguillians not only did I remain quiet but on many occasions and in public forums I offered advice to the Government. I also advised my party to extend an olive branch to the Chief Minister and to offer their assistance, which they did. I did all this because I recognized that Anguilla is bigger than all of us and as citizens we must do whatever we can to ensure that our country rebounds from the world economic crisis thus allowing our people to live comfortable and happy once again. In doing this I had hoped that our duly elected Government would have taken on its role to govern this country and do all in its power to minimize the impact of the global recession on the people of Anguilla.

Fellow Anguillians, I am concerned. I am concerned that 23 months later things has gone from bad to worse. Many of our people cannot afford to meet their commitments to the banks and are losing their property and vehicles.

The crime situation continues to escalate as the unemployment situation worsens. Many of our people cannot afford a good meal, and many sleep in darkness because they cannot afford to pay ANGLEC. These things grieve my heart because as we are being reduced to poverty, and investment and business opportunities dwindle, our government has chosen to fight an imaginary war with the British.

Instead of this continued verbal attack on the Governor, Deputy Governor and the Anguilla United Front, I ask you to join me and call on Chief Minster Hughes to settle down and focus. Focus on Anguilla and Anguillians. Our Chief Minster needs to recognize that his words and his attitude, style and approach to leadership are the biggest danger to Anguilla and Anguillians today. The impression of disunity and instability in the Government and that of a battle between himself and the British are damaging the investment climate in Anguilla. Money is scarce and while they may be people interested in investing in Anguilla which seems evident by the number of MOU’s signed by our Government, these potential investors will not be able to get financing for their projects. Banks are not willing to lend money for developments in countries that are unstable.

Our Chief Minister should realize that the UK government and British interests have major shareholdings in most of the Developments Banks around the world.

Fellow Anguillians during my tenure as Chief Minister, my Government had many serious disagreements with the British. Did you ever hear of any? No and you did not because my colleagues and I dealt with them in a non-confrontational and diplomatic way. Mr. Banks, who this Government and supporters continue to demonize must be highly commended for his role in these negotiations. It is for this and many other reasons that Mr. Banks remains the most qualified of the active politicians today to lead Anguilla in these trying times. I continue to endorse him as my Party Leader and to be our next Chief Minister.

Fellow Anguillians join me in asking our Chief Minister to recognize that he is the leader of this country, not the Governor, not the British and certainly not Mr. Banks. As leader of this country he must lead in a statesmanlike manner. There is no need for marches against the Governor, for in doing so you are actually marching against your own Government.

He must recognize that there is no gain for Anguilla in this all out confrontation with the Governor and the British. Recognizing this, I offered the Chief Minister to mediate a meeting between him and the Governor with the view of ending this unnecessary impasse that continues to damage Anguilla’s image. This did not materialize because the Chief Minister appeared to want such a meeting to be done in a manner that did not allow for open and fair dialogue.

Fellow Anguillians, the most recent developments created by the Chief Minster relating to the assent of this year’s budget concern me deeply. The Chief Minster has again created an uncalled for war. That the budget was not assented to before December 31 is not uncommon. As a matter of fact when Mr. Hughes was first Chief Minister between 1995 and 1999 every one of his Government’s budget were assented to in January. In 1996 & 1998 it was January 12, 1997 January 13 and in 1999 January 21. I am sure that on each of these occasions the Minister of Finance signed the provisional Budget. I am calling on him to do the same this year, sign the provisional budget and ensure that the workers get paid on time.

Failure to do so will result in the “wheels of Government grinding to a halt”, a situation that he himself would have created, not the British Government or Governor. In a recent speech he said that he was delaying signing to pressure the British Government --- but he must realized that the only persons he is pressuring are his own people who need their wages badly.

I am also deeply concerned by the way the Chief Minister continues to degrade the Permanent Secretaries, Foster Rogers and Dr. Aidan Harrigan in particular. Though vastly experienced and highly educated the Chief Minster continues to paint a picture that these two gentlemen cannot function in their new positions. Also of concern to me are the statements the Chief Minster has recently made about the Teachers Association. I wish to personally congratulate all workers in the public service for their excellent work in challenging circumstances and call on the Chief Minster to start embracing all workers, for indeed they are the ones that make a government function effectively.

Having paid careful attention to all the noises of the Chief Minster, his colleagues in Government and supporters, it appears to me that the aim of the Government is Independence for Anguilla. If this in indeed the objective then let us go about in the prescribed manner as provided for in our Constitution. There is no need to create a war with the Governor and the British: there is no need to try to create fear in the people of Anguilla. The British Government has stated on many occasions they will not get in the way of Independence for Anguilla. So Chief Minister if the reason for all this instability and confrontation which continues to damage our little island, is for you to make the case for Independence or to get international support for Independence, then stop this at once and do the right thing. Anguilla and Anguillians are hurting, they can’t take any more. Your style, attitude and approach no doubt are the main reasons for our worsening conditions today. So if its independence you want, so you could be Anguilla’s first Prime Minster, then hold a REFERENDUM ON INDEPENDENCE AND LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE.

Thank you for listening and May God Bless you and god bless Anguilla.

By: Osburne B. Fleming - former Chief Minister of Anguilla