You should have been there at Landsome Bowl on Saturday, August 26, to listen to a conversation between the Anguilla United Front and the people of Anguilla. It was an opportunity to learn something. In fact, it was an expose’ on the functioning of our government and of the Chief Minister’s drawbacks which most of us recognize are shattering the economy here and simultaneously destroying our image abroad. The AUF’s aim was to put the raw facts before the public; tell them about the consequences; and point out that in order to arrest this downward slide our only option is to return the Anguilla United Front (AUF) at the next earliest opportunity. They also pledged, in the interim, to continue to openly point out and challenge the failed policies and approaches that now prevail. I believe that we should all be concerned and join with the AUF to rally for quick change — to do otherwise would be to fool ourselves and prolong the agony.
The conversation was forceful, frank and factual. It began with Mr. Banks summarizing what has transpired here over the last two and a half years that Mr. Hughes has held power. Essentially, what he said was that despite all the noise the Chief Minister is making, when his term so far is looked at — it amounts to a reversal of many of the gains that were achieved before under the AUF. Mr. Hughes gave the impression that he could “turn gold into straw” yet everything he talks about “turns to ruin”. It is as if Mr. Hughes has “goat mouth” in the reverse. Mr. Banks’ discourse was comprehensive – well balanced – and he exhibited the confidence of a man who senses the strong resurgence of his party. It was in contradistinction to the confused, incoherent, nonsensical statements that the Chief Minister constantly makes. For example, the CM said the Anguilla Treasury is empty becauseBritainwants it so. By what stretch of the imagination can a sane person come to such a conclusion? Yet the concern is why does the majority of the people of Road South continue to elect that type of politician onAnguilla. It surpasses human logic to justify such conduct. Do we have to turn to the supernatural for an answer? Is it obeah? Can one man “obeah” a whole village? Mr. Hughes often boasts about the millionaire fromGuadeloupe. That story has now become a joke because it remains all talk, since he never shows up. Obviously, then, he is not that rich — or maybe he went toMartinique. But, apparently he is a good obeah man because he seems to keep Mr. Hughes in power.
But seriously, putting such speculation aside, when Curtis Richardson, the fearless Blowing Pointer, joined the conversation he had a lot to say as well. He spoke from his knowledge of the village and of his love and desire to see his village and country become more economically advanced and politically sophisticated. Clearly he felt that as long as the village continued to return Mr. Hughes to office these aspirations would never be realized, and that, he indicated that he is making personal sacrifices in putting himself forward as the candidate for positive change in the Blowing Point community. He outlined a catalogue of Mr. Hughes’ follies as he made a rational case for his departure. At the same time, he demonstrated convincingly that the replacement of Mr. Hughes would be a bonus forAnguillaand a progressive move for the village.
The sitting members of the House also gave a true and close-up assessment of the inadequacies of government members. They conceded that they are suspicious of the Chief’s mental stability. They expressed their wonderment in his erratic behaviour. This they explained was brought on by difficulty in trying to reconcile what he does with what he says. The listeners agreed and punctuated the conversation saying: “he is a madman”. They were disgusted by the fact that the Opposition cannot do its job because of the Speaker overreaching her role in the legislative process and her alleged lack of knowledge of the function of a Leader of the Opposition in theWestminstermodel of Government. She frustrates the process; negates the purpose and prevents the proper development of the House of Assembly.
The last part of the conversation was very interesting as Cora wrapped up the evening by making a very all-inclusive account of the failures of the AUM. She highlighted the effects of Mr. Hughes’ prolonged fight with HMG. What came out her conversation was the picture of a government whose actions maintain stagnation. She also suggested that the people of Anguilla do not have to wait until Election Day to do something about it. She further urged that now is the time for people to speak out and “talk their mind”. Anguilla belongs to the people who live here and they should not allow a single misguided individual to spoil it for the rest of us.
There is a premium to be drawn from that evening’s conversation. It concretized the AUF as a party developing in a true Burkean model as opposed to the AUM that is, in reality, a bunch of joiners — every man apparently dedicated to himself. People without any sense of remorse, who would jump ship and could not care less what their action would causeAnguillaafterwards. This is the island’s political dilemma and must be corrected before we can move on to political maturity. We all know the present government comprises three factions that cannot be realistically called a coalition because, effectively, they function as a “collision government”. Results count. And the failure of this government is a clear demonstration of that fact.
Like the rest of the citizenry, the Leadership of the AUF recognizes that under our constitutional arrangement there is a provisional five-year term for a government to prove itself. However, the party does not believe that it should stand around and watch the island sink while we stand mute. That is why Mr. Banks has promised to use all available media to constantly inform and remind the public of what is going on. The leadership considers itself to be in the vanguard of the creation of the island’s future political advancement. And invites dialogue, from all, on just how together we can bury this political mumbo-jumbo and erect in its place institutions that reflect and bring out the best in the people here. Summarily, the moral of the conversation is that this government has failed us miserably; the way and yardsticks we apply to the selection of politicians here is primitive; our economic improvement has far outpaced our political growth; and the need for a party with a clear aim and purpose must exist as a prerequisite for change. There must be a higher level of political maturity otherwise we will continue to be simply spinning our wheels and not going anywhere.
