Anguilla’s Governor, Alistair Harrison, now back in Anguilla after an absence of several weeks on holiday, answered a number of questions relating to various matters on the island at a press conference on Tuesday this week.
He reported that he took the opportunity to hold consultations with British Government officials in London. “I had consultations with the economic team about the economic situation and public finances [inAnguilla],”he said. “I talked a bit about the crime situation…I also had a lot of contacts with the Foreign Office face to face and by telephone…Everybody in the Overseas Territories Directorate is closely following events in Anguilla as always.”
Governor Harrison, responding to another question, said: “Things are not really getting better with the world economy and I think that, throughout the world, includingAnguilla, we will have to accept that it is going to be a long slow return to where we were before the downturn in 2008. It continues to be important to get a grip on the public finances whether that is in Britain or in Anguilla or anywhere else. That is obviously a subject of considerable interest both here and in London.”
Mr. Harrison was asked about the recent publication of the White Paper, and a statement by the Minister for theOverseasTerritories, Henry Bellingham, that he hoped to meet soon with the Anguilla Chief Minister.The Governor replied:
“The White Paper launch was one of the key things that happened while I was away. A number of things are in the White Paper to be implemented. It sets out a brilliant path for the relationship between all of the Overseas Territories…The major points which the White Paper makes include that the relatively new Government in Britain wants to raise the level of the relationship with the Overseas Territories, in particular, to ensure that all parts of the British Government are fully engaged with the Overseas Territories which has not always been the case in the past.
“The relationship with Anguilla [and the other territories] encompasses not just the Foreign Office, but a lot of the other key domestic ministries to raise standards on good governance and financial management…And, where appropriate, to give greater assistance to theOverseasTerritories. Of course, only three of them –Pitcairn, Montserrat and St. Helena – are in a full aid relationship withBritain. But virtually all of theOverseasTerritories, includingAnguilla, receive technical assistance from time to time. That is something I think the British Government wants to do more often and to target somewhat better.
“To push ahead with the implementation of the White Paper, the Government has announced the creation of a Joint Ministerial Council to replace the Overseas Territories Consultative Council. Certainly I know that Minister Bellingham and the Chief Minister will have an opportunity to meet in the run-up to that, but there may be an opportunity for them to meet earlier.”
Asked to comment on the current critical point at which Anguilla is with its public finances, Governor Harrison replied: “We are around that point, but I don’t want to pre-empt confidential exchanges between Anguilla and the British Government. But, yes, this is now the sort of critical point, in the middle of the year, to really take stock of where the finances are heading.”
Speaking about budgetary matters inAnguilla, the Governor said that the [tax] measures needed to be implemented were a matter for the elected Ministers of the Government of Anguilla. “I think the first question to ask is not so much about the 2013 budget, but the outturn of the 2012 budget. The Chief Minister undertook in 2010 to make sure that the budget was in balance by the end of 2012. I am sure that the Chief Minister and his colleagues will want to take decisions on the 2013 budget in light of that. It is not for the British Government to say what the [position] should be.”
Another question to which the Governor responded, although guardedly, was the Cap Juluca issue. He said that the situation concerning the resort continued to be very challenging. “EXCO has been spending a lot of time and effort on it in the last few weeks. I have been following that very carefully from my holiday. EXCO is meeting again this afternoon,” he stated.
“Yes, the announcement is that the hotel is supposed to be closing in a few days’ time, and probably the big question is whether it will reopen. I think there are really only two things to say: the elected Ministers and the official part of EXCO are obviously united in our desire to secure a long term, un-fragmented future for Cap Juluca.
“We are all working towards that end in the interest ofAnguilla, in the interest of Cap Juluca, and in the interest of its employees. That will continue to be our objective…”
