Mr. Victor F. Banks was born in Anguilla and raised in The Valley. Mr. Banks attended The Valley Secondary School where he graduated in 1963, and then he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences at the University of the Virgin Islands. In 1975 he graduated from the New School for Social Research with a Masters in Political Science and Economics.
Mr. Banks has held several ministerial appointments in Government in Anguilla:
1981 to 1984: Minister of Social Services
1994 to 1999: Minister of Finance and Economic Development
2000 to 2005: Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Investment and Commerce.
2005 to 2010: Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Investment, Commerce and Tourism.
Mr. Banks has served Anguilla as a legislator through all aspects of national development and is always willing to provide a helping hand wherever he can.
In the year 1994, Mr. Victor Banks came to St. Thomas with a small delegation, inclusive of Mr. John Benjamin, QC, on a political mission. A meeting was held on the compound of a very popular, multipurpose center, The Victor’s Hideout. This place easily accommodates several hundred people. I made a special effort to attend that meeting because, at that time, I did not know Mr. Banks but had heard so much about this supremely intelligent orator. I vividly recall that the hall was packed like a can of sardines with people from almost every neighboring island, including a large contingent of USVI politicians and other dignitaries.
Fellow Anguillians, I have been keeping abreast of the political landscape of this region for many years. And that meeting, in particular, has stayed with me for over two decades. When the time came for Mr. Banks to speak, he was introduced by Anguilla’s renowned attorney, Mr. John Benjamin QC – a gentleman that I, too, have a great deal of respect for. But the thing that fascinated me most of all was that during Mr. Benjamin’s presentation, he introduced Mr. Banks as a man who needed no representation.
Anguillians, wherever you are, I can honestly say to you that after listening to Mr. Banks’ speech, I was extremely inspired and proud of this gentleman. He came across as a professionally trained speaker and there was a standing ovation after his speech. Mr. Banks extensively elaborated on regional and global affairs to the point where I thought, for some time, that I was in a classroom getting a prep lesson on how the world was quickly becoming tremendously interconnected. He outlined policy goals and emerging technology and strategies relative to the tourism industry. It was then that I reaffirmed that Anguilla certainly had the intellectual capacity to fulfill the function of prolific government in persons such as Mr. Banks.
To you, the people of Anguilla, we need a charismatic leader such as Victor. He is a man with a spiritual personal quality, and with a strong influential authority to capture the attention of much-needed potential investors. One must possess an unusual aptitude for leadership worthy of veneration. He has a great spiritual outlook, is a respectful and amiable human being, a deep thinker and is extraordinarily patient. This is what makes a great leader.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Mr. Banks and his family have, without a doubt, been the victims of the aforementioned nonsense for the past two decades. He has endured countless attacks, and it takes a person with powerful spiritual convictions to withstand and ignore such ballistic tactics by evil persons. I have developed and maintained a modest friendship with Mr. Victor Banks over the years. He is at all times fervently supportive of any meaningful idea that one may bring forth. My personal experience with him has been consistently professional. He has a great sense of integrity and, after having a conversation with him, rest assured that, regardless of the outcome, he says what he means and means what he says.
I believe that Mr. Banks has the ability to inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. A human being feels empowered and valued only as long as he or she is permitted – to contribute to the community – with an opportunity to maximize his or her full potential. The ability to discover and launch ability in others is a true test of man. I believe that Victor has that ability. I believe that he has the capacity to translate vision into reality not just for himself, but for our nation.
Anguillians should be seeking leaders with positive, pro-active attitudes who display the willingness to grasp new and dynamic prospects. We should be seeking intellectuals who will respond positively to change regardless of the challenges and opportunities that it brings. We need those persons who will put Anguilla first.
Vacillating people seldom succeed. They rarely win the solid respect of their fellowman. Successful men and women are careful in reaching decisions and very persistent and determined in their actions thereafter. I believe that a new government must seek to first help the community at large, beginning with our primary industry – tourism. This industry is suffering from a hemorrhaging stroke, and we must aggressively find the most efficient neurosurgeons to stop the bleeding and to revive this patient – our tourism industry – fully and productively. To accomplish such goals, as a people, we need to annihilate from government the immensely arrogant characters who are unknowingly destroying our community. Fellow Anguillians, arrogance is much more dangerous than Ebola and may be equally contagious.
I have a few questions for those of you who believe you have what it takes to govern this country:
1 – Can you effectively multi-task in a short period of time with profoundly positive results?
2 – Could you travel around the world, independently, working from a laptop to efficiently liaise with other world leaders to develop strategies to benefit our nation?
3 – Can you be adaptable and flexible while exuding proficient acumen?
4 – What new ideas, industries and business models will you implement to diversify our sagging economy, particularly in the areas of economic development, investment, commerce and tourism?
5 – Do you possess the educational prowess and the professional experience to sit and negotiate with the world’s top minds who may want to invest on our soil?
I ask these questions simply because a superb leader never knows what may appear before him. One has to be able to deal with the unexpected and that which is beyond any former experience. This is a very complex world and what we need now is a very educated group of critical thinkers to lead us all into a brighter future. This election must be about an overall new vision for Anguilla.
Anguillians, we cannot sit idly by and let our investments and our hard years of sweat and blood be emptied into the ocean without good gains. The guerilla-style tactical strategies by a few callous, insensitive, individuals are a deterrent – and only contribute to the lack of meaningful investment, both local and foreign. Bars and nightclubs on every corner, and a monopoly of fly-by-night supermarkets popping up by a select group at every mile, is NOT meaningful investment. Anguilla is quickly heading towards anarchy unless we vote for persons of integrity who possess diversification rationale.
Friends, did you not hear Victor Banks a few weeks ago at a campaign rally where he was defending his character? For a politician, he was graceful, calm and collected – as he usually is. At the end of his very passionate speech, Mr. Banks made a heartfelt outcry, to his opponents, stating that if he had inadvertently offended anyone in any way, he was very sorry. On a public platform, he displayed a very noble and humble quality that is quite rare in today’s world. The gentleman apologized! These are the kinds of qualities our children need to see in our leaders who, indirectly or directly, become their role models. My Anguillian brothers and sisters, can you understand why so many persons in our community are gravitating towards this gentleman?
The name of Victor F. Banks is a priceless commodity around the Caribbean and the world. He has the capacity to represent us globally to rebuild trust in Anguilla. He is more than able to think critically and strategically, to set goals, identify opportunities and take action when those opportunities present themselves – all for the good of this country.
Anguilla is one of the only countries on earth where unqualified, uneducated, inexperienced individuals can hold influential positions with powerful duties and be paid a mint for it. If we want our children and grandchildren to be proud of the future Anguilla, we must start to reorganize our thought process today. We cannot live our lives based on emotion and impulses. We must reexamine the direction in which Anguilla is heading. Let us keep our eyes on the prize. Anguilla deserves the very BEST! In 2015, we MUST vote for a government that will return this nation to a path of victory.
God bless you all and may God continue to bless Anguilla.
