Fellow Anguillians, I greet you on this another glorious day granted to us as a people by our Creator God, and also on a day of much sadness.
Today, we mourn yet again the loss of another young son of the soil at the hands of some evil person/s who, for whatever evil motive, despised him and thought it best to take his life.
Fellow Anguillians, this senseless behavior if not controlled, sooner rather than later, will not do us as a people any good. I repeat: will not do us any good.
Why do we have to live like animals walking about with built-up envy, greed and hatred for our brothers and sisters?
Why do we have to be confined to our villages and communities because of where we reside?
This isAnguilla- and it’s one community – so the foolishness about east, west, north and south boundaries must not take center stage or precedence over the lives of innocent people.
I am disgusted about this trumped up divide, and I call on all those who feel that they have the right to protect their so-called turf to seeAnguillaas one turf – a turf for, and of, peace.
Even though we mourn and are in pain, revenge is not the answer. Cursing and quarrelling are not the answer.
We have to live as a civilized people who coexist on this tiny 35- square mile island, where your family and my family are one and the same.
Fellow Anguillians, these criminal acts that are taking place on our island are not good. We are not sending the right message to the younger generation – and neither are we sending the right message to the wider international community.
We all have a job on our hands, and we can either sit back and do nothing or join forces in a positive manner to take back control of our island.
This is not only a Governmental problem; – this is not a Commissioner of Police problem; this is not a Governor problem. This is our problem because those who are affected are our young men directly, and our young women indirectly.
As Government, we have heard the cries of our people with regard to the need to strengthen the RAPF with technical support staff. This is the message the Chief Minister and I gave to His Excellency the Governor and the Deputy Governor, again, just about two weeks ago. A paper to further support that request is being prepared to be tabled at an Executive Council sitting this week. So I wish to put on record that the Government has made the request but, as you are well aware, internal security and external defense are the responsibility of His Excellency the Governor and not that of the Government under our present Constitution.
However, as servants of the people we have a responsibility to you, as well, hence our request for the strengthening of the RAPF with outside assistance be it regional orUnited Kingdom.
I do not wish to use this short address to point fingers, but merely to say that the road on which we are presently trodding is full of danger on every side, and we have to remain strong, purpose-driven and have a deep sense of faith that God will see us through.
In less than 48 hours we have lost two good young men and the question is, why?
Over the past year we have seen lives being destroyed to the point of confinement to wheel chairs, and just over a month a fatal shooting on theJeremiah Highway. The question can be asked, who or which one of us will suffer a similar faith of being confined to a wheel chair or innocently shot to death if this violence does not stop now?
Again, I say, this foolishness must cease fellow Anguillians. We are not living in the Wild West and there is absolutely no need for this behavior to be plaguing our society.
It is now 12:45 am, as I prepare this address, but I wish to say to my Ministerial Colleagues that, if this senseless activity does not cease forthwith, Carnival 2012 be pulled from the calendar in the interest of getting this island back under control. One must not view this statement as an admission of weakness, but rather as recognition of the need to protect the lives of innocent Anguillians and visitors alike.
In closing, let me extend deepest sympathy to the families of the two young men who have succumbed to their injuries and have passed on. May their souls and the souls of all those departed, in this violent manner, rest in peace and rise in glory.
Friends, we have a battle to win – and win we must – not by retaliating for the Scripture tells us that “Vengeance is mine said the Lord”. Many are hurting today, and will hurt for a long time, but I say to you: be of good cheer my brother. Be of good cheer my sister.
Finally, I call upon our entire society to pray for the healing of our nation and for peace and calm to return to our beloved homeland, Anguilla the Rock.
God Bless you, and May God continue to bless Anguilla.
