Mr. Editor, please allow me the space in your paper to once again bring to the minds of your readers something that took place just one week ago, and I hope that this message be thoughtprovoking to some in our very small community.
I pose the question: where is the respect in Anguilla, forAnguillaand for the Anguillians? Why is it that we as a nation feel there is no need to have any regard or respect for the next person? No respect for authority, no respect for the law and none for our nation, which we say we love so dearly. No respect or regard for life, when we hear and witness brutal murders like the latest shootings and stabbings on this island. Young men shot down and stabbed to death for no apparent reason and as a result a mourning community, and immobilised young men who never again will be able to live the productive lives they once aspired to, but now left with shattered dreams.
There is no regard or respect for a mother who has nurtured her son or daughter to adulthood – encouraged him or her to be the best that he or she can be and successful at whatever he or she does. There is no respect for law and order when no one feels obliged to cooperate with our police force but, instead, continue to put all our lives in jeopardy while he/she protects and sets free the guilty. There is no respect for the policies and laws of the land, when established business enterprises feel they have no obligation to pay taxes which, by the way, is a requirement in every nation,Anguillanot excluded.
Is it that our children and some of our adults are completely oblivious to the fact that they must stand at attention, humble and firm when our national song is being sung or played at public social gatherings? Is it too much to say that we expect common courtesy and respect from the individuals with whom we share this small 35 square mile island? The same one we so dearly want to share with visitors whom we rely so heavily on for our survival. I dare ask the question, if we cannot respect each other as human beings and as individuals, different in so many ways – some small, some tall, some big, some short, some with muscles, and the others without; some fit, elegant, intelligent, trim and perfect, others less elegant, intelligent, trim, less perfect, but yet a child of God. I ask, if at home, here in our own land, we cannot respect each other as individuals, how can we ever respect our visitors? How do we “Give Tourism the Respect it deserves?” – as the new tagline of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA) demands of all Anguillians. Do we really understand this concept? Do we really live and breathe respect, when the first response to a social commentary (in the form of calypso) is an attempt to publicly humiliate the person delivering the message?
When will our Ambassadors, our Ministers of Government and the appointed Parliamentary Secretary give us, the citizens ofAnguilla, the respect we deserve? When will the Hon. Haydn Hughes, who is responsible to the people ofAnguilla, be held accountable for his disrespectful and irresponsible comments made on Radio Anguilla on the morning of July 25th? What example is the Parliamentary Secretary setting for the young people of this island when he chooses to publicly humiliate a volunteer who dedicates her time and service to a community of young women? What message does Mr. Hughes leave by publicly discriminating against a woman, because of her size and the fact that she does not fit a certain ‘profile’? That profile of “a beautiful, elegant, trim lady”, versus that lady who is “someone 300, 400 pounds”. Do we now tell our little girls that they are inefficient, and incapable of contributing to society because they do not look like the other person or fit a certain profile? – so therefore sit in the corner and keep your mouths shut, after we have taught our children that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, and that their service to the community through volunteering is always needed, appreciated and respected, though not rewarded.
What precedence is the Hon. Haydn Hughes setting for our young men when it comes to respecting women and ending violence on this island? Are we encouraging them to end violence by putting down their weapons, and instead lash out at each other with their tongues using demeaning and derogatory words to shatter the dreams and aspirations of another person?
The good news however, Mr. Editor, is that although Anguilla was built, and fought for, by many strong men, today Anguilla is being carried by even stronger women with broad shoulders, straight backs and open hearts. They are the Permanent Secretaries in our Government offices and their strong presence can be seen and felt in our Judicial Department. They are in our schools, our service clubs, our churches, and in the homes. Some are big, some are trim, and some less elegant. They are our daughters, mothers, thriving entrepreneurs and sometimes, our voice. So, I ask, where is the respect?
Signed,
A LADY 100 to 200 pounds
