“A HERD MENTALITY!”

Mr. Victor F. Banks

I feel compelled to repeat a comment that I have been making regarding the way in which the AUM Government and its supporters interpret the concepts of “democracy and freedom of expression”. I have been saying that they (the AUM) believe that the rights inherent in these concepts are for their benefit only. I have had reason to express this viewpoint in/on several media, including the political platform. On the last occasion, a friend of mine, who is a supporter of the AUM, wrote a letter in the Anguillian in which she erroneously accused me of making disparaging comments about her, regarding finance, on a political platform in Island Harbour. Given the delicate nature of the issue I refused to respond, even in my own defense, because I felt confident that sufficient persons would have heard my statement and eventually put her right. Additionally, I was heartbroken that she was advised or that she, of her own volition, felt the need to publish very private and personal information in the local newspaper. As a matter of decency I had no wish to be drawn into such an exchange. But I make the point to illustrate that very often such supporters of the AUM respond to information and statements which they have neither heard nor read. In fact a few “loud mouths” begin the chatter, very often starting from a false premise, then it “grows legs” as the “usual callers” get on board never even bothering to check the facts. Meaning no disrespect, it is a “herd mentality”.

Two events over the last four days highlight this attitude by AUM supporters. First was the decision by the Anguilla United Front (AUF) to travel to St. Maarten-St. Martin over the weekend to hold a series of town hall meetings as well as a retreat for the Executive Committee and other invited members. The second was the Speaker’s decision to expel the AUF Elected Member and Leader of Opposition, Hon Evans McNiel Rogers from the Anguilla House of Assembly on Monday, April 23, 2012. 

I was rather surprised when I heard that the airwaves in Anguilla were inundated by the comments and calls to a number of AUM talk shows regarding our party’s visit to St Martin. I would have thought that for a group that was very active during the tenure of the past administration on the same programs and on similar forums this would have been considered a normal situation. As far as I can recall the present Chief Minister was constantly on the airwaves and would call a public meeting “at the drop of a hat”. But what surprised me even more was that at the town hall meetings in St Martin there were at least two persons who suggested that they were told that our party was keeping meetings constantly and not allowing the Government to do its work. Of course we were able to convincingly put such statements to rest by pointing out that the present Government and its supporters since ascending to office have had many more meetings than we have had; were on the talk shows several days a week and several times more often than members of our party; and they organized at least four public demonstrations on their own Government while we have not had even one. 

The bothersome aspect of these comments is the realization that some of the persons who spout such nonsense about the AUF keeping meetings in St. Martin, genuinely believe that they are right in their criticism. One AUM supporter called up the Radio Station advising that while they were on the air talking they needed to be aware that the AUF is campaigning because they know that an election is around the corner. This indicates that there is a strong belief among supporters of the AUM that our party is in a conspiracy that affords us information on the timing of the next election. The truth of the matter is that in our system of Government based on our constitution and in keeping with the Westminster model only the Government and specifically the Chief Minister can say with any certainty when the next election is to be called. Unless of course, after five years have elapsed or things have broken down to the extent that there is an extremely unstable situation on the island. Even in such times the Governor according to section 63 (2) of the Constitution must consult with the Chief Minister. It therefore behooves the opposition parties to be always in a state of readiness. This includes keeping in touch with all groups who are a part of the electoral process, wherever they reside. In terms of our situation it is as important to keep our supporters in St. Martin in the know, as much as our supporters in West End or Island Harbour. This has nothing to do with the timing of elections this is about touching base. Obviously, the spin-doctors within the AUM continue to perpetrate the falsehood that the Governor is planning to bring down the Government by sowing the notion that the AUF is a part of such a conspiracy. While in fact we were simply fulfilling a campaign promise that we would visit those jurisdictions where we had solicited support during that period. In case the AUM would like to know St. Thomas will be our next stop! 

While our Constitution provides that the term of office of the duly elected Government is five years, it also gives the Chief Minister the power to ask the Governor to dissolve the House and call for General elections when he so wishes. No Governor has ever in the history of the Overseas Territories refused a request from a Chief Minister to dissolve the House of Assembly. And it is only in circumstances when law and order has broken down that a Governor would initiate such an action. Why then are AUM supporters so frantic every time it appears that the AUF is using its right as a political party and as a responsible opposition to discuss issues of national importance on the various media? Why is it that they feel that it is alright --- and do not protest when the Chief Minister is abroad waging his propaganda campaign against the Governor and his other political opponents in both the regional and international press. Do they not recognize a glaring double standard here? 

As I have said time and time again it is apparent that the AUM is bent on silencing the Opposition in and out of the House of Assembly with the same illogical argument, namely, that when we exercise our right to communicate with our constituents at home and abroad we are preventing the Government from functioning. One commentator, who is an AUM sympathizer, at our meeting in French St. Martin intimated that this was the first time Anguilla has been so polarized and divided --- by veiled implication he was clearly suggesting that it was the AUF’s fault because we were too much in a campaign mode. Again we had to point out very clearly that the AUF is not responsible for the division and disunity in Anguilla at this time and in fact the Government itself is divided. Their own Ministers are at odds with each other --- to the extent that they could not get together to support a vital Bill to enhance the Education System. That Bill was drafted in Anguilla and has already been adopted and passed as model legislation in the other islands of the OECS. When will supporters of the AUM stop looking at the Opposition and focus on what they have to do rather than making excuses to justify their cluelessness and lack of ideas. 

But this obsession with silencing the Opposition seems to be even at the highest levels including the Speaker of the House of Assembly. Her decision to expel the Leader of the Opposition from the House for conduct that did not appear to rise to the level of being “grossly disorderly” as set out in Section 48 of the Rules of Procedure, comes under serious scrutiny. I have listened very carefully to the tapes and it is apparent that Mr. Rogers had already completed his presentation and comments when the exchange between himself and Speaker took place. The Leader of the Opposition’s statement was directed at the Leader of Government Business based on the fact that Members of the House were delayed for over an hour without a stated reason, while some members of the Government side of the House were in private session in the conference room. He pointed out that this was a pattern of behaviour that the Government seemed to practice frequently and which he considered extremely disrespectful. Mr. Rogers then took his seat. 

In normal circumstances one would have expected the Chief Minister to rise and either make an apology or attack the member for his comments. But for reasons that were not apparent the Speaker decided to engage the Leader of the Opposition on a matter that was obviously closed. Mr. Rogers did not place any direct blame on the Speaker. On the contrary he had berated the Chief Minister for not effectively managing the agenda for that meeting as well as for some previous meetings. What ensued will remain a puzzlement to many persons who were listening to the House of Assembly. First of all the Speaker allowed the Leader of the Opposition to explain why he made the comment then in the midst of his explanation decided to shut him up and demand that he take his seat. Mr. Roger’s response was defiant or perhaps indignant having been denied the opportunity to state the reason for his dissatisfaction for what was clearly an annoying delay of the proceedings of the House. To fast forward, there is obviously much validity to the comments of the Leader of the Opposition because after he left the Elected Member for East End also expressed similar concerns over the frequent delays. 

Don’t get me wrong I am not disputing the authority of the Speaker to manage the House of Assembly, but her role is to achieve the exact opposite of what her actions to date have demonstrated. Her role is to facilitate fair debate in the House of Assembly on issues of national importance. An important aspect of that responsibility is to ensure that the views of the minority or the Opposition receive equitable expression. It is not about her it is about the business of the House --- the people’s business. Obviously, on this occasion this was not a situation where the Government and the Opposition were at odds --- it appears, however, that the Speaker was on the defensive regarding her management of the House. And she did not seem willing to entertain any objections from the Opposition on delays that persons from both sides of the House found to be unsatisfactory. 

A certain level of arrogance may be detected in the manner in which the Speaker dealt with this issue. She could have easily accepted the member’s comments as warranted, given the long delay, and moved on to the next contribution to the motion. However, she chose to act as if there were no grounds for the concerns but stood ready to suppress the member’s right to explain the reasons for objecting to what he described as disrespectful behaviour. Based on this and previous rulings by the Speaker it could appear that she is more concerned with fighting off threats to her authority than ensuring that the democratic process is upheld in the House of Assembly. Does she really understand that it is her job to make create an environment in the House for equitable participation in the debate rather than to show off her ability to push elected members of the Opposition around? 

It is against such attitudes that seem to embrace the notion that “democracy and freedom of expression” is reserved for supporters of the AUM Government --- that we take serious objection. The Anguilla United Front will never surrender those inalienable rights to the vacuous rants of AUM supporters caught up in this “herd mentality” --- swept up in a stampede, perhaps inadvertently trampling under foot the very principles they claim to espouse.

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 The Anguillian News Paper, lyricist, and a self-employed entrepreneur.

“LEADERSHIP AND TRUTH”

Mr. Victor F. Banks - Leader of the Anguilla United Front

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the members of the New Testament Church of God for the exceptional display of support and respect they showed for their Leader, Pastor Bernard C. Joseph as he celebrated his Fiftieth Birthday at their Church at Chandeliers last Sunday, April 15, 2012. Looks can be deceiving. But it was evident, from the nature of the celebration, that Pastor Joseph is loved, by his entire congregation because of his service and Ministry. Pastor Joseph was showered with praises, tributes and gifts. But to “crown it all” he was lifted up with a most stirring sermon from young and animated Bro. Daniel Rogers of South Hill. The entire event was a real surprise for the young Pastor and his wife Linda who were frequently overwhelmed with tears of joy as the afternoon unfolded. It was both emotional and inspirational for all who were in attendance. And it demonstrated that there are still many people who understand the importance of displaying gratitude rather than taking their blessings for granted.

As I sat in the sanctuary I could not help but reflect on the tendency in Anguilla to gravitate towards negative information and gossip rather than facts and things that are praiseworthy. Why is it that some Anguillians seem so anxious to speak ill of others simply because they perceive that doing so will advance their own interests? Why is it that some Anguillians do not really care if the whole country suffers once they can destroy someone who they dislike or oppose? Why is it that some Anguillians prefer to listen to irresponsible rhetoric on a Talk Show than to read the actual facts for themselves in a book, document or newspaper? These and other questions came to mind as the positive messages in the presentations rang through in song; dance; skits; and the spoken word! The emphasis was on adoration; good leadership; good works and thanksgiving. But the source was always the written word! The truth as recorded in the Bible! I believe that Pastor Joseph’s accolades are well deserved having succeeded in fifteen years to build a fellowship of believers who understand and appreciate his leadership. Congratulations are certainly in order.

This brings me to my topic of discussion this week, namely, leadership and truth. For more than two years the people of Anguilla have been listening to a message of lies and deception that has been perpetrated by a leader who usurped power by empty promises; false hopes; and character assassination. We were promised that as the “self-proclaimed champion of the voiceless” in our society, he would look out for the interests of all the people of Anguilla, in particular the working class and the smaller entrepreneurs. The mantra of his campaign was that the past Government would tax Anguillians out of existence and he would ensure that there would be no new taxes. His exact words: “I would never support taxing a dead economy”. To “crown it all” he said that Anguillians need not worry --- he would turn the economy around in a short time because he had a plan that he would only reveal after elections.

Unfortunately, a number of Anguillians seem to have embraced this “invisible plan”. Unlike the leader we described earlier that denounces the power of the devil to destroy or obstruct his plans for his congregation --- this leader create his own “demons”, namely, the Governor, the British and the past AUF Government who he claims have the power to destroy and obstruct the fulfilment of his plans for the people of Anguilla. And even further he claims that he is helpless to prevent them! In other words, he is acting like a leader without faith in his own ability and without knowledge of his own strength.

On the issue of truth and honesty --- rather than take responsibility for his actions and the actions of his Government this Leader claims that the tax measures we face are not his and he has no way of amending them. If the Anguilla Constitution can be considered, at the risk of being heretical, our “Bible” of Governance then our Leader is a “false prophet” because he is not truthful in the statements that he preaches. The Anguilla Constitution places the power to enact; implement; amend; and appeal legislation squarely in the hands of the elected government of which he is the “Leader”. To quote: Section 47 of the Anguilla Constitution, it provides that “subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Assembly, may make laws for the peace, order and good government of Anguilla”. This means that the Anguilla Legislature has full powers to introduce and make laws for Anguilla. The act of making laws also includes the act of repealing laws.

Section 55 (1) provides that “subject to the provisions of this Constitution and the rules of procedure of the Assembly, any Member may introduce any Bill or propose any motion for debate in, or may present any petition to, the Assembly, and the same shall be debated and disposed of according to the rules of procedure of the Assembly.” This is self-explanatory. Any Member may introduce a Motion. Any member may also introduce a Bill.

Section 57 provides that the Bill shall become law upon assent by the Governor. It becomes law immediately upon the Governor’s assent, but the Secretary of State has power to disallow the Bill later if he has good reason to do so. The importance of this point is that unlike the Chief Minister’s statement this means and demonstrates that the Secretary of State is not involved in the Legislative process from the introduction of the Bill to its assent by the Governor. It means that the Chief Minister is misled and as a consequence is apportioning authority to the Secretary of State that the Secretary does not have. The Secretary of State cannot prevent any motion from going to the House neither does he have the authority to initiate the process of any enactment or repeal of any Act in the Anguilla House of Assembly except by Order in Council.

Returning to my analogy of the Anguilla Constitution as our “Bible” of Governance I believe that I have established the point that the Chief Minister is a “false prophet” and secondly that he is acting as if he has no faith or knowledge of his own capability. Is this the truth or is this a contrivance to compensate for his inability to deliver on his promises to the people of Anguilla? At this juncture the answer to that question is of no consequence. It appears that the people of Anguilla have already come to realize that things are falling apart. There is no good news from most of the most important projects on Anguilla and by his own admission the Chief Minister said in the last House of Assembly meeting that “Anguilla is in crisis”. The Anguilla Chamber of Commerce is lamenting the tendency to continue to tax the economy rather than create conditions for growth and expansion in the business sector. And Anguillians from all walks of life are facing financial hardships. It is time for leadership and truth in Governance rather than lies and excuses.

For the past fifteen months at least, the Anguilla United Front (AUF) in various media (print and broadcast) and on several platforms and forums have been addressing the issues related to the Government’s Interim Stabilization Levy (The Levy). We have dubbed it a “bad tax” and have remained firm in our conviction that it should be repealed. We conducted petition exercises, but despite the fact that many Anguillians expressed outrage few of them believed us that they would be directly affected. In the early period of our campaign against the Levy we were able to force some amendments from Government, for example, a floor of two thousand dollars; the removal of the tax on service charge; a higher ceiling at the top; and more public consultations. Nevertheless, the tax was imposed, with the Chief Minister all the while claiming that it is not his tax --- it is a British tax. 

Mr. Fritz Smith - Chairman of the
Anguilla United Front 

Late last year a number of persons and groups in the community (including the Churches) came to the rude awakening that they were in breach of the regulations governing the filing of returns under the Levy Ordinance and were therefore liable to penalties as high as seventeen thousand dollars. These solid citizens anxious not to run afoul of the law, ran in and took advantage of an extended “grace period” and paid ten percent of the assessed penalties without consideration of the validity of that clause of the Act. Our party still aggrieved at the unfairness of the Act declared that notwithstanding the fact that persons had complied with the reduced penalties we would consider filing a class action against the Government for the unfair penalties being imposed. Accordingly, the Chairman of our Party, Mr. Fritz Smith and others, having been served notice by the Inland Revenue Department that they would be charged late filing fees on earnings below the statutory minimum, secured legal counsel, who after the relevant legal arguments made the following statement to the Comptroller: “Our client is of the view, and is fortified by law, that this Section 10 of the Act is unconstitutional and invalid. Accordingly, our client is seeking the reversal of any penalties on his account within your department. We look forward to your response to the matters contained herein, particularly:- 1.) To confirm that our client’s charges on account will be reversed. 2.) The actions you intend to take with respect to repealing all unconstitutional and invalid sections of the Act.”

The good news is that Mr. Smith and the other complainants have received similar letters from the Inland Revenue Department as follows: “As instructed by the Attorney General’s Chambers, the late filing penalties in the amount of EC$2,000.00 have been expunged from your client’s account. A refund is being processed for the said amount and your Chambers will be notified when it is completed. Yours Sincerely.”

Obviously, there are many other persons who have behaved like good citizens and simply accepted the penalties imposed by the Inland Revenue Department. They too are eligible for similar refunds under the law. But the purpose of my column is not to cause the Government to repay needed funds that have already been collected but simply to point out that the Levy continues to be a “bad law” which if not properly amended should be repealed. And furthermore that it was and still is within the competence of Chief Minister and his Government to do so.

If the AUF Chairman had not taken the initiative to enjoin other affected taxpayers along with himself, to contest the unfair penalties meted out to them --- this matter would not have been exposed and the Chief Minister and his colleagues would have continued in the lie that only the Governor can fix it! Well! The AUF Chairman caused it to be fixed --- and he is not even elected. And Mr. Chief Minister, up to now we have not organized a march on the Governor’s Office to achieve this. It only goes to show that Good Governance is not a Parade! It is about Leadership and Truth!

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 The Anguillian News Paper, lyricist, and a self-employed entrepreneur.

THE AUM's STABLE-LIE-SENSATION IS CRIPPLING ANGUILLA, according to Chairman...

STABILISATION LEVY MADNESS CONTINUES. 

Persons not filing a zero return or filing late are being asked to pay late fees. Silly isnt it?

Mr. Fritz Smith, Chairman of the Anguilla
United Front Party

The Interim Stabilisation Levy ACT at Section 9 (1) states “every employer who is required to make levy deductions from the remuneration of his employees under Section 5 shall, not later than 10 days after the end of each month – (a) file a return”.

One would like to think that this section is ONLY applicable to the self-employed that make over $2000 for the month. No one should be charged late fees if they haven’t made an income of over the $2000 for the month. ZERO FROM ZERO LEAVES NOTHING, that is 0 - 0 = 0.

Well that section of the law (Section 9 (1)) under which The Government of Anguilla claimed they were acting in accordance with to charge persons late fees for non-filing or late filing of a Zero Balance, was challenged. This challenge has been upheld.

As such, all outstanding amounts for late filing penalties will have to be removed from persons' accounts. Likewise it is believed that all persons who were charged and paid for late filing fees under the same circumstances will have to be refunded the monies they paid.

All affected person should contact the Department of Inland Revenue for Clarity on this. 

REPEAL THE ACT, ITS A BAD, UNFAIR AND INEQUITABLE TAX

By: Fritz Smith

ANGUILLA SUMMER FESTIVAL STARTS WITH A BANG!!!

ANGUILLA FESTIVAL COORDINATOR - PRESS RELEASE

Mr. Vanier Harrigan - Anguilla Festival Coordinator

Discussions were held with Mr. Eddy Baird and members of his office with respect to changes that needed to be made before I would continue as chairman of the carnival committee. There were several difficulties I faced in my role as Chairman.  In the year 2010, when I took over Anguilla Summer Festival, the committee’s financial state was one of a negative balance of close to EC$300,000.00. This means that the committee was indebted to the tune of that amount. I was given a budget of EC$800,000.00, down from the previous years’ average budget of about EC$1.3 million. Given the existing liabilities, I had to make difficult choices regarding cutting some of the events as well as combining events.

This year I was asked by the Minister of Culture to cut yet another free Carnival event, this time either the Caribbean Beach Party, or Parade of Troupes. I felt it would be unfair to the Anguillan community to cut the Parade of Troupes.  Firstly, it is one of the oldest and most well loved events, maybe due to its family oriented nature, which leads to my second reason for regarding the removal of this event as unfair. It is the only real family oriented event within the Summer Festival. Thirdly, many persons who wouldn't attend events at the carnival village, typically attend this event given it is held in an open environment, can be viewed over a period time from different locations and provides enjoyment of music in cheery and relaxed setting.  And finally, the Parade of Troupes is an even that embodies the essence of Carnival. The parade of costumes is an integral part of carnival wherever held in the world.  To remove this event from our Summer Festival would be a detriment to it.

On the other hand, the Caribbean Beach Party is something that has grown to be a world-class event that attracts people from all over the world and has become a selling point of our carnival.  Not to mention the fact that the Anguillan Community is very fond of it.  The removal of either of these events was an impossible decision to make.

Furthermore, my policy as Chairman was to hire as much local contractors as possible, such as JTR security and Gaff of Platinum Sounds, so as to keep jobs here in Anguilla. In 2010 and 2011 when I decided to use an Anguillan owned and based security firm to team up with our Anguilla Royal Police Force, I received opposition from many of my other committee members. I paired JTR security with a technical person who had the experience of dealing with riots who could assist them with understanding the scope of the security task that had to be undertaken, such as crowd control. By virtue of this pairing, coupled with my experience working with as a US Federal Agent, I knew that our locals could get the job done provided they had the right protocols and tools to work with.  It proved to be successful initiative and a wise decision given that almost no arrests were made during that time and the summer festivals occurred virtually incident free.  The vision of empowering our people to allow them to perform is the beginning of a better Carnival.

Hon. Minister of Social Development - Mr. Eddison Baird

Another issue that I had, which I discussed with the Minister of Culture, was the way the committees’ finances were handled. One long serving member referred to as the finance controller handles the finances. This member is responsible for the funds collected at the gates, government and sponsored funds. There was no requirement of accountability attached to this position, and I as Chairman or other members of the committee never received an accounting of the funds. A report comes out sometime during the next year highlighting the income generated and expenses, but I believe that as Chairman of the Committee holding full responsibility for the events that some sort of financial accountability should be implemented during the Summer Festival.

I have noticed that payment of vendors and contractors is done on preference basis. I found it very unfair that in the past; the contracted security team out of St. Maarten who charged US$84,000.00 was paid fifty percent (50%) up front and most times balance before leaving Anguilla. Their housing and meals were also provided for.  The same payment method of a smaller amount applied to the sound systems crew. However, our own local security firm who charged the Committee less than half the price of the St. Maarten security firm, and had no housing costs included, have yet to be paid.  This same unfortunate state of affairs applies to our local sound system firm. Is it that we want our own people to fail or under perform?  I must say I am very proud of Gilbert Fleming (Gaff) and Frankie Rogers (JTR Security) for spending monies out of pocket and working hard to make carnival a success. If these guys were treated with the same courtesy as the outside contractors, they would be able to perform better.

Festival Coordinator and the Hon. Minister of Social Development
parading the Miss Caraibes Queens

Some members of our Government have yet to recognize the importance of carnival.  It is detrimental to Anguilla when we chose not to enhance our summer festival as a tourist and an economical product. Our Minister of Social Development does not see it fit or important to enhance on our social life style for our citizens, young people and tourist. The need to create and improve what we have out grown, such as a proper cultural center to host events and programs, is long overdue. I find government focuses more on Anguilla as a rich and famous beach destination, without realizing the fact that younger tourists now constitute the majority of travellers. When they visit here there is nothing exciting and cultural to do, or any social event to attend.  Carnival is one of the biggest incentives as a middle-income tourist attraction. From middle-income tourism benefits accrue to the local businesses, revenue is generated by government taxes, and jobs are created. Carnival Tourism is the next big thing within Europe, North America and the Caribbean. We should not be focused on the carnival committee and government making back money spent on carnivals, but rather focus on generating activity for the survival of local businesses, which carnivals contributes to in a significant way. When our government ministers say they are in the church and want nothing to do with carnival, it is like saying you don't care about our country's culture, a culture that has been around for hundreds of years. It also appears that you don't care about the survival of our local economy. It is the government’s job to find every creative way to stimulate business to ensure the survival of our people and businesses.

Another benefit of carnival is the exposure of our talent that we have in abundance in Anguilla. The unique thing about Anguilla is that our young people are very interested in music and it is a fact that we have more bands in Anguilla per capita than anywhere else in the Caribbean. There is a saying that 'the devil finds work for idle hands to do’, If we don't see the need to invest heavily in our culture, we will spend more down the road fighting crime and doing damage control. Crime can destroy our tourist product that we’re trying to build. It’s seems our Tourism Department and Social Department do not recognize the value of developing our cultural events and building facilities to house them, then we have no vision for the next generation. These two agencies must work together and create a prosperous social environment for our tourists and local population.

Mr. Davon Carty

I would like to end by congratulating our new chairman of the Anguilla Summer Festival, Mr. Davon Carty, and wish him all the best in a very difficult, thankless job. I yet await a thank you, and to be informed by Mr. Eddie Baird of my replacement for 2012.  I would also like to state that I stand by my principles and what I believe is right, and I will voice my opinion as I see it fit.

By: J. Vanier Harrigan

Anguilla Festival Coordinator – 2010-2011

POLITICAL IGNORANCE AND INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY

Mr. Statchel Warner - 1989 Anguilla National Alliance
(ANA) candidate for District 6, Road South, Anguilla

Recently there is a lot of talk about independence for Anguilla. The right to self determination is something every human being has a right to strive for individually or as a social group. Anguillians at this point are not ready because nothing has been done over the years to prepare them. 

Independence can be achieved in two ways, one in terms of preparatory 5 to 10 year period. The other as an immediate shock treatment. The latter will only be successful with leaders that have vision, understanding and integrity.

At present Anguillians in general are little more than transplanted Africans in a mental rot refusing to leave behind the belief that slavery entitles us to somehting. We cannot forever remain African with a European Language and name, ruled by European Governor and Queen while we worship a European Jesus/God and teach our children to believe in a European Santa. Breaking with the past is not only about replacing the political system, its also about thinking for ourselves.

In order to move forward Anguillians must cast in the garbage bin of history, all forms of political ignorance, dishonesty and corruption. We must also be weary of those who say we are willing to support you if you agree to a time table but they refuse to set a time. They refuse to formulate tangible objectives. Their only selling point is to say we will do better than the other guy irrespective of what we did in the past. Ignorance in a society spells disaster but arrogrance offers a similar path to destruction.

Today its easy to divide Anguilla into those who are willing to die for the beilef that common sense is more important than education and those willing to die like bugs around an educated light. We have one group of leaders that seem willing to capitalize on ignorance using religion and other forms of emotional appeals and others who despite their high level of education, refuse to think, refuse to be intellectually honest. Intellectual dishonesty is killing the economy as much as the lack of an understanding of the functioning of the global system.

In 2012 for one group of leaders to call for independence simply because they cannot ignore  colonial arrogrance or even use it to our advantage is as destructive as the next group that is wagged by its tail saying that since the British wont agree to full Internal Self Government so its a waste of time to ask, you are the waste of time, the British can only refuse because its not a national consensus. They know they can depend on you to oppose when you are on the outside and not ask when you are on the inside. History shows that the British like every other European power dont give anything to those who refuse to demand it.

The facts are simple. It was stupid to promise that you could have fixed the economy in a month without an understanding of the problems at hand. It was stupid for the people to believe it could have been done. It is also intellectually dishonest to tell the people that the fix is to put you in office because so you can continue with business as usual when its obvious that not only has your policy failed but your entire economic paradigm of development is flawed. We cannot continue with business as usual because there is no more business as usual, the entire western capitalist system is under review. Intellectuals? if they deserve the title you should be searching for models of development that will allow small islands to survive in the coming period where everything as we know it will be scarce.

By: Statchel Warner