It was January or February, early in 1980. General elections were due within a few months, certainly within the first half of 1980. The campaign season was moving into full gear. These would be the first elections after the inaugural elections of 1976 under the new constitution approved and brought into force in 1976, effectively giving Anguilla its own representative government – in direct association with Britain – as an Overseas Territory.
The General Elections would see a head on test of the political muscle and the degree of continuing support for the Hon. James Ronald Webster, the Father of the Nation, and his political machine that went under the name People’s Progressive Party in the 1972 and the 1976 General Elections. His opponents would be the upstart political machine of Sir Emile Gumbs cobbled together for the 1980 elections in an effort to solidify and organize their support in a political environment in which Mr. Webster commanded the love and loyalty of, by far, the majority of the Anguillian electorate in comparison to anyone else. The triumvirate of rebels who left Mr. Webster and his PPP high and dry were the late Sir Emile Gumbs, Hon. Albena Lake-Hodge and Hon. Idahlia Gumbs. In the first half of 1977 these three PPP members had been convinced to support a Motion of No Confidence against Mr. Webster strongly promoted by the Hon. Hubert Hughes. The motion was successful in the House of Assembly, bringing down Mr. Webster’s PPP Government and leading to the first stint of Sir Emile Gumbs as Chief Minister, 1977 – 1980, even before his Anguilla National Alliance was put together as a political party.
I had returned to Anguilla in October 1977 from Manchester University keen and passionate to make my contribution – to the building of the New Anguilla – as a civil servant. I supported the Revolution, but not the tendencies towards extremes, figuring that the middle ground would hold out the best hope for Anguilla to progress rapidly but, at the same time, in a structured way towards realizing the vision of the New Anguilla. So I threw in my lot with what was in effect a rib from the PPP led by Sir Emile that, in 1980, became the Anguilla National Alliance.
Out of the blue, as it were, I get a message from Victor Banks in January or February. I think it was via his brother, Val. Victor’s message was that Mr. Webster had reached out to him and asked him to return to Anguilla to get involved in the politics of Anguilla – and more specifically in the 1980 elections.
I was in a quandary as I thought about it. Victor and I did not speak directly on the issue. Telecoms in Anguilla had barely moved from the Dark (and deaf) Ages to the Middle Ages. I was concerned that from a long term perspective it would be risky parachuting into the heart of the 1980 election cycle. This would have meant that if he contested the elections he would have to rely almost 100% on the personal appeal of the Father of the Nation as he would not have had any time before the elections to build his own base of support. At the same time, I recognized that Victor would be a great addition to any team of political actors vying for the opportunity to administer the government of the People of Anguilla.
I did not discuss this with anyone – perhaps mentioned it to Verna. It was between Victor and me with Val as the conduit. I really do not recall what my response was in specifics, but the concern uppermost in my mind was that, for the long term, Victor would need to create his own base of support. And that would take some time. Victor answered Mr. Webster’s call, anyway, and came in during the election campaign as a team member in a political advisory capacity.
So I was glad when he did not contest in 1980, which Mr. Webster and his team contested as the Anguilla United Movement (adopting the name of the Hon. Hubert Hughes’ political machine that he sought to launch after the Motion of No Confidence of 1977). But it was really Mr. Webster’s team. They won six out of the seven seats, only Sir Emile managing to hold on to his seat. Little did I or Victor expect that within a year he would be called on to go before the electorate as the candidate in District 3 – for the Anguilla People’s Party, the latest version of Mr. Webster’s political organization – against the Hon. Eric Reid who, in 1981, was his third time around the political stake, only to lose to Mr. Banks.
The collapse of the 1980 Government of Mr. Webster was the second time around that the Hon. Hubert Hughes was responsible for scuttling the Government of the Hon. James Ronald Webster – after the 1976 Constitution was brought into force. Two for two. Political sociologists and historians will need to delve into this to seek to find and discuss the reasons.
Victor became a Minister in Mr. Webster’s Government of 1981 – 1984 and it was not as Minister of Finance, but as the Minister of Social Services. His service as Minister of Finance was to come later.
So how did Victor and I relate in Government, after he became a Minister in 1981? I, a civil servant. I was not yet a Permanent Secretary – that was to come years later. I was a known ANA stalwart and part of the brains thrust of the Party – and Victor an elected member of the Anguilla People’s Party and a Minister in Mr. Webster’s Government.
Simple and principled. He put country above self and party – and I put country above self and party. That allowed us to come together with Mr. Webster and Colville Petty and Timothy Hodge in our first major project – and perhaps the greatest collaboration on which we have worked for the socio-economic protection, resilience and advancement of the People of Anguilla: the establishment of the Anguilla Social Security Board and the Social Security System that it manages.
Mr. Webster may have conceived the idea, but Victor at the political level and Tim, Colville and I at the administrative and technical levels were the midwives that saw to the birth of that baby.
Mr. Banks, on behalf of all of the People of Anguilla, I proffer profound thanks to you and express my deep gratitude for your invaluable contribution to the establishment and development of our Social Security System. It is a huge part not only of Mr. Webster’s legacy as a politician, but also of yours. (Give him a hand.)
The interest of the People of Anguilla should always transcend party lines and loyalties in a principled way – and also transcend personal political ambition.
I read somewhere, I think it is a biography of the apostle of non-violence, the great Mahatma Gandhi, that if we are to truly serve the best interest of others, we need to subdue our own personal and narrow ambitions in favour of the general good – rather than seek to justify our personal ambitions for private gain, of whatever kind, by somehow claiming that what is good for our ego or our pockets or gratification is also good for the people, in this case the People of Anguilla. Gandhi characterized this as a politician or other public figure, or social activist, having “absence of desire”. Yes, an “absence of desire” for praise, wealth, power or whatever the individual may be seeking after in the process of public life – and to subdue those desires for the greater good.
I believe that Victor has demonstrated an “absence of desire” in this sense. In fact, I know that he developed and possesses that political personality trait – “an absence of desire”. The best illustration of this, that I can think of, is his attitude towards and responses to the question of his elevation to the leadership of the Government of Anguilla in the position of Chief Minister/Premier.
I am sure that Victor did not arrive at the position overnight whereby the leadership of the Anguilla Government was no longer a personal goal to be achieved. It is a testament to his growth and maturity, as truly a man of the people, that becoming Chief Minister or Premier no longer assumed priority.
I have to confess that I was one of those who felt that he was shortchanged twice in his political career, between 1994 and 2010, first by Chief Minister Hughes and later by Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming, in relation to passing the mantle of leadership of Anguilla to the Hon. Victor Banks in keeping with promises made. But power is sweet and when one has tasted it, many an individual has no desire to give it up.
Victor was the one least concerned, and least passionate, about taking over from either Mr. Hughes or Mr. Fleming. He is the one who decided that the interest of Anguilla, as a whole, was more important than him becoming Chief Minister – even if that was the promise made or the plan initially agreed on. In both instances, it is Victor who ensured political peace and stability and prevented infighting within the Governments of Hon. Hubert Hughes and the Hon. Osbourne Fleming – and within the ranks of the Anguilla United Front. In this way, he has once again made a huge contribution to the development of a more mature, more tolerant and less adversarial political culture in Anguilla.
I, for one, have always been concerned that we should evolve and create a more civil and harmonious, and less rancourous and tribalistic, political culture than has been the historical experience of our experiments in democracy here in the Caribbean countries – that share the Westminster parliamentary heritage. Victor’s tempering of personal political ambition is a lesson for all of us, especially the next generation of politicians. I hope they will seek you out to gain from your experience and, above all, from your insights on the principles and ideas that should guide our political practice.
God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. I verily believe that the political fortunes of Mr. Banks, from 1994 to 2020, represent the working of the hand of God. I am no zealot, no prophet, but simply seeking to discern a thread that none of us, but God, could have woven through this part of Victor’s political story.
The greatest boxers are not those who were never defeated, though that is great, but those who came back from defeat and made an indelible mark on the “sweet science”. Well, Victor came back twice from defeat in the “sweet science” of political pugilism to cap his legacy and leave very big shoes to be filled for those who will follow him.
God works in mysterious ways. Hubert reneged on the plan for Victor to take over as Chief Minister from him – and when the AUM-ADP coalition floundered after the 1999 elections, and Victor was standing all alone, deserted by his ADP colleague, the holy spirit spoke to the hearts of the Anguilla National Alliance and – over many months – the ADP’s and the ANA’s leadership forged a principled United Front that gave Anguilla its best eight years economically – since ministerial government was instituted in 1976 – from 2000 to 2007. And then the Great Recession hit in 2008 and the People of Anguilla tried the AUM in the 2010 General Elections. Victor was defeated. But instead of his story ending at that point, his AUF colleagues decided that he should continue as the Political Leader – thanks in particular to the Hon. Evans McNiel Rogers another one who, like Victor, is an exemplar of the “absence of desire”. Niel without hesitation called for Victor to continue as leader.
So Victor had five years of relative rest, 2010 – 2015. And he came back in 2015 with a roar and steered the good ship, Anguilla – along with his capable crew – through the stormy seas that it seems the AUM could not successfully navigate.
So Anguilla got the Banking Resolution, the reunification of Cap Juluca under Belmond, the re-opening of Malliouhana, the arrival of Four Seasons at Barnes Bay (with all its limitations – a very positive development), the recovery from Irma, and the UK’s support for the renewal of our public infrastructure involving not only the 60 million pounds but additional capital grants that, when all is said and done, could take the total well past 100 million pounds of grant support – unprecedented, four years in succession Anguilla voted the “best island” in the Caribbean by the readers of Travel and Leisure. And less well known accomplishments: laying platforms for Residency by Investment, the Special Economic Zone to exploit ICT technologies, a framework to develop a marina industry, improved opportunities to leverage the “.ai” domain name and intellectual property, the outstanding response to COVID-19. Finally the EC$100,000,000 in budgetary support from the UK Government, to the end of 2020, to keep the public services running.
Who will top that by Mr. Banks and his colleagues? They have indeed passed on a rich platform for the current administration to build on.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Rise and give the Hon. Victor Franklin Banks a round of applause to raise the roof of this oldest of Methodist chapel in the Caribbean – and Victor’s place of worship of Almighty God.
