A few days ago I met a well -respected senior gentleman here inAnguillawho told me that he was very appreciative of the articles I occasionally write in The Anguillian newspaper. He expressed the hope that more of the articles commenting on the current situation could be more balanced and positive, for too many of them are too negative. He then vented his personal feelings of regret and disappointment over the fact that the fabric of our society seems to be crumbling and falling apart at a time when things are so much better economically as compared with fifty or sixty years ago. He concluded by encouraging me to write more often, and promised that he would personally encourage persons to read my articles. He said much more, and one could sense a feeling of pain in his heart. While the tears did not run down his cheeks, his eyes were certainly filled with them. He is only one of many hurting Anguillians with a bleeding heart. I thanked the gentleman for his gracious words, even as I shared his pain and disappointment.
Where I stand at present, I am very much concerned about the growing polarization in our society. What is even more disturbing is what appears to be a hardening of the postures along political party lines, and the fact that this unfortunate development is being fed and nurtured by the year round negative politicking with which the island is bombarded. If we stop to analyse the impact of this behavior on the minds and lives of our children and youth, we will realize that there is a link between their violent behavior and the violence which is going on between the political parties.
I am therefore calling on all our politicians, police, pastors and officials to realize that, as leaders inAnguilla, you have an obligation to be models of good behavior, charitable speech, and honesty. Our children and youth are the mirrors of our adult behavior – good or bad. What they see they do. The gang violence, senseless acts, turf warfare and the like, are actually the extreme expressions of the political tribalism and polarization they see going on daily. This type of polarization blinds us to objectivity, genuine analysis and truth. In the end it will destroy us.
It is likely that I will be criticized and accused of playing politics and taking side. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but the accusation will only illustrate the polarization I speak about. I am really concerned to seeAnguillaprogress in every way, and so I am not in the business of destroying anyone. For me, everyone can contribute to the development ofAnguilla, and should be encouraged and given the opportunity to do so (unless he /she consciously decides to be a destroyer). Our disunity, growing polarization and propensity for half-truth and distortions are serious threats to personal and national development and progress. (Witness what is taking place in theUSAin recent years.) In the endAnguillawill not benefit, and all parties in the warfare will be losers. I am therefore urging that there be an immediate “cease fire”.
The fact is thatAnguillais supposed to be a Christian country and Anguillians are supposed to promote and live by Christian principles, not by the law of the jungle. I am therefore calling for a change in the way you have been viewing things, and a change in your attitude and behavior towards persons who have an opinion different from yours. United, we can stand, but divided, we shall fall.
As a preacher, I call your attention to a fundamental biblical insight. In St. Matthew chapter 12, verses 25 and 26, Jesus warned: “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan… is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” The disturbing fact is that, at present,Anguillais very much a divided house, and if we continue like this, it will not be long before the fall will take place. And when that fall occurs, EVERYONE of us will suffer, including those of us who may now think that we are the favoured ones in the eyes of the British. The cold and chilling fact is that in a colonial context, as raw as our is, the colonizers (euphemistically called, the administering power) do not have any genuinely favoured ones among the colonized. It is indisputable that colonizers have generally regarded the colonized as “assets”, some “valuable” and other not so valuable, but all of them dispensable when their value is exhausted.
Over the years since the birth of colonialism, the colonizing powers have developed the concept of “divide and rule” to a very fine art. Indeed, the art is now so scientific that the colonized, after a while, often continue to be so polarized and divided that they begin to self-destruct without realizing it. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to realize that Anguilla is on the road to self-destruction if we continue to practice the negative politics whereby we seek to destroy each other’s character and credibility, decry the value of a good education and training (while encouraging ignorance and crudity), remaining uninformed about the true nature and dynamics of colonialism, and continuing to play up and pander to the whims and wiles of the master in order to gain a favour or get a few crumbs.
In light of this social reality, ifAnguillais to move forward to true people development, sustainable economic viability and self-determination, we all need to wise up, rise up, and unite. Anguillais too small to be so divided, and we will become much more vulnerable if we do not unite as a people. This call for unity does not mean that there will be no differences of opinion. There will always be differences of opinion once people are thinking, but these differences should not end up in division, party spirit and individualism. We all must understand and embrace the fact that “Anguilla” is larger, more enduring, and more important than any individual, party or group in it.
We must also embrace the idea that “after God comes our country,Anguilla”, not the party or club. The party must be seen as a tool to serve and enhance the country, not the other way round. Unfortunately, party politics has been practiced inAnguillain such a way that it has tended to weaken rather that strengthen the island, and to impede progress rather than foster and enhance it. When party supporters stand at a podium, and speaker after speaker can go on for over three hours just pouring out invectives, negativities, innuendoes, half truths, and the like, over the airwaves and internet, there is no way the island can benefit from that, and there is no way progress can result. I urge all politicians and supporters to be guided by these two questions:
1. How will what I say or do help to makeAnguillamore progressive?
2. What will what I say or do enhance the image ofAnguillaat home and abroad and promote unity and progress?
I conclude by making one suggestion for going forward as builders and not destroyers. I call upon all community leaders, politicians, teachers, parents, journalists, civil servants, police officers, etc., etc, to deliberately embark on a programme of public education in an effort to recover national pride, build patriotism and promote Anguilla as a place of tranquility and civility, where all are welcomed and no one is ostracized or victimized. Therefore, put an end to negativity, scandalizing and the promotion of destructive thoughts and ideas, and be positive and progressive as you speak, write or act. Even when you have to be critical, be positive and be responsible. Remember, our aim is to develop an educated Anguilla where Unity, Democracy and Progress are evident and enjoyed by all, especially those who callAnguilla“Home”.
