The Chief Minister and his cohorts are constantly toutingIndependence. We know whatIndependenceis. There is a lot of it around us and from what we have seen it is nothing to be jealous about. And something we should feel even less inclined to rush into. Only fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Of course it might make some people feel proud — but pride goes before a fall. Therefore, before we do anything that we may later regret we need to carefully select our priorities and examine the stark realities – both the pros and cons of the adventure.
Not too long ago whenAnguillawas boomtown, there was plenty of work here. And to our dissatisfaction we were swamped with migrant workers from all around the region. They were here, then, because they could do better here than in their independent homelands. Some of them could not find jobs there and, even if they could, the wages were very low. Obviously, being independent had not adequately provided for them. They still had many unmet needs and neither the infrastructure nor superstructure had changed in any significant manner to improve their livelihood. For them it was business as usual. The status quo prevailed.
Like us, these islands were former British colonies and had argued that their advancement rested on seeing the backs of the British. They felt that once the British were gone the new nation would be in a better position to beg and so they saw the British off. Should we forever be beggars and join their ranks? Does “self-determination” equal “ability to beg”?
That latter question must be answered in order for us to get our priorities straight. Because when we look at the pattern of behavior once independence is obtained, what we may observe is that some of those leaders are going from place to place saying “gie something there nuh man!” That is not good enough! And when they do, what do we get? Seldom does it cause or help to bring about the changes required to reshape the country. Various examples abound. The Taiwanese have helped out St. Kitts;Chinahas helped outSt Luciawith a market place and cricket grounds; and for securing their votes in the United Nations in support of whale fishing,Japanwill also give some pittance. There is a price to be paid for every pittance they give. So when we say that ifBritaingoes we will be able to beg whoever we chose — we need to be mindful that there are conditions or “so-called strings” attached. Begging should not be our first option. And if beg it should be for something that would change things or becomes a tool for progress and societal advancement.
Independenceshould involve creating more and better opportunities for the future development and improvement of the lives of people through their own efforts. So the challenge should be what kind of development we can put in place based on the land and human resources we possess. That realistically should be our first priority.
This is the core and the guts of the issue and we need someone with the capacity to recognize it. That person is not the present Chief Minister. We know this from the fact that for all the time he has been around he has not advanced a single economic argument for the development ofAnguilla. He is all “primitive politics!” All shadow and no substance! He is not concerned with structural economic changes — an area quite unmolested. Let us start now! Let us start with the land, the people and the resources we have. First the people! We need deeper social intercourse with outside people in order to broaden our horizons on a multitude of issues existing in the world around us. Our level of insularity prevents us from gaining from the benefits of outside interaction. We are therefore severely impacted by the “in the blind country the one eye man is king” syndrome. We do not need independence to correct that.
Secondly we must understand that nobody owes us anything. We owe it to ourselves. AndAnguillais what we make it and it is reflective of all of us. It is the people who must first make the change. And if they do not change, things will remain the same independent or not. LeeQuan LEE changedSingaporein a big way. That is a model we should be looking at. Not at how muchDOMINICA,GRENADA,ST. LUCIA, ST. KITTS, ST. VINCENT andANTIGUAgot in their begging bowl on their last begging trip! And then pray for the day to come when we could have our own bowl and be able to join the beggar’s parade.
That commits to poverty. A demeaning experience that we must seek to avoid. We must start now with the school curriculum and teach ideas of entrepreneurship; of nation building; national responsibility; and above all the importance of local input for the island’s economic development. Anguillians must realise and consider what is the highest and best use of land. We know we cannot feed a big population on the amount of available arable land. The alternate use would involve a gigantic change in our relationship with land even though it would mean the alienation of more of it to foreigners. This could be useful because of gains garnered from the international lifestyles of people coming in that would overtime, create a more dynamic cultural system as opposed to the static existing “straight-jacket” approach that prevails. A million years of independence carrying on the way we do now will accomplish nothing.
Anguillians must accept the reality that nobody or country will give us money to make up our budget annually, and that it is all of us who must find ways and means to do it. A good example inAnguillais the lasting legacy of former Chief Minister, Sir Emile Gumbs. He, under the existing constitutional framework, brought tourism toAnguilla. The British did not stop him. Let us not forget and stop trying to use the alibi that British stands in our way from doing or creating conditions necessary for us to bring in investors to develop and diversify our country.
What should be remembered is Sir Emile’s hard work and effort that he had to put in to make tourism happen. Then look at this Chief Minister and all his claims of the moneyed contacts he says he has. One wonders? Can he not encourage them to set up an underwear factory or a plant to make buttons – something that hire a few people? Why does he (the CM) not seek to break the mould? Bring in some industry. The British will not stop him. Sea salt is in the supermarkets here when we have salt that can be harvested as a modern industry. So we have come full circle. It is not the constitutional arrangements that bogs us down. Instead, it is the politics of our system. And when there are politicians like the Chief Minister parading up and down the Caribbean fooling others (and himself apparently) about British negatives, no good will come to this country. People would believe that we live in a fool’s paradise with a few small snakes and no mongoose.
There is more to leadership than merely throwing your weight around. Good leaders aim to make good things happen. Things that improve or make better the quality of life for his people. Unfortunately, we do not have that kind of leader. Our leader is short-sighted and non-analytical. Our Chief Minister, on numerous occasions, refers to Sir Harold Macmillan’s “winds of change” speech — but he must be told that Sir Harold is remembered as the British Prime Minister who caused the greatest benefits and social changes for working class Britons since Disraeli and Gladstone. Mr. Hughes should learn more about the man; try to emulate his ideas of nationality; and begin to behave less like Idi Amin Dada and Hastings Banda. Both of these leaders were benefactors of the “spin-off” of the “winds of change” speech that thereafter created the climate of opinion for the de-colonization ofAfrica. It also gave them an opportunity to build their country that they failed to accomplish, so awfully. That situation is a real warning to Chief Minister Hughes and his fellow travelers.
But the point to be noted is that to speak of “self-determination” without emphazing the importance self-improvement is like whistling in the dark when you “fraid jumbee”. There is nobody out there! Nothing! Nada! Just we Anguillians using our wits! The same wits that allowed us to survive in tougher times with pride — not with the indignity of a begging bowl!
