Over the last week members of our party (AUF) have been caught up in responding to phone calls and questions regarding our press statement (September 25, 2012) in which we had brought to the attention of Anguillians the fact that a committee had been set up by the Government, and headed up by the Rev. John A. Gumbs, seemingly for the expressed purpose of preparing a Constitution for Anguilla’s Independence. That Press Statement appeared in last week’s edition of The Anguillian newspaper where we explained that our reason for publicizing the issue was because we felt that the Government of Anguilla was “trying to usurp the democratic process by “fast tracking” its Independence agenda”.
Ever since his ascendancy to office, more than two and a half years ago, the Chief Minister has been consistent in his efforts to promote a movement towards Independence as a response to his inability to build an effective working relationship with the Governor and the British Government. I cannot recall, however, any occasion when the Chief Minister has clearly explained to the people of Anguilla that Independence is a status to which we can aspire without any Opposition from the British Government, if it is our will as expressed through a referendum.On the contrary, the view that is conveyed is that there is reluctance on the part of the British Government to grant us Independence because the UK has an ulterior motive for holding on to Anguilla. The Chief Minister has gone so far as to say that there is a vein of oil running from Venezuela to Anguilla, which the British Government wants to exploit.
It is obvious that the Chief Minister knows that our people will not easily agree to rush intoIndependenceunless they perceive some threat to their freedoms or are overwhelmed by some fears about their survival. In this context, the CM continues to weave conspiracy theories and conjure up imaginary wars apparently to build up a sense of urgency among the people in order to “fast track” the process. The process that is evolving does not appear to include any clear direction from the people, but rather the creation of an environment where many persons will be hoodwinked into believing that they have no other option but to supportIndependence. Already that level of despair is developing by virtue of theCM’s ongoing strategy of blaming the British Government for all our woes.
On his recent trip toLondonand Greenland the Chief Minister used the opportunity to speak to a small gathering of Anguillians inSloughwhere he continued with the same approach. Here is a report which I received fromSlough:
“The Chief Minister said that from the time he was a child he wanted to be either French or Dutch because they always looked after their people and the British neglected us and today they have us as the poor house of the Caribbean. He said that if the British does not help us with Cap Juluca, he will open a Pandora’s box and expose their man – the Governor. He said that the Governor turned Cap Juluca into a “gated community” having sold off 85% of the villas. He said the British stalled the French and the Dutch from putting infrastructure in Anguilla, namely, Water, Electricity and Airport. He said that the Governor told investors that this was not the time to invest in Anguilla because the Government would not last. He said he does not want UK money — keep it out of his way but he is ready to lead people with sticks and stones for any one who comes to talk about budget. He said we have to continue to defend ourselves against the British.”
It is difficult to accept that our Chief Minister would go half way around the world with his usual rants about the Governor and the British Government. But I have come to believe that there is “method to his madness”. Obviously, he knows that the British Government will not engage him and, as a consequence, many people will believe his wild allegations since there is no one contradicting his statements in the media or on any public forum. While many of us are not taking him seriously, being aware of the true circumstances, there are those, on the other hand, who are unaware of very basic realities like, for example, the operations of the Executive Council (EXCO). The truth is that even with the release of EXCO Minutes to the public, many persons still have not taken the time to understand that the Governor is simply the Chairman of EXCO, and that decisions are made exclusively by the elected officials, among whom the Chief Minister is the leader. Those who read the minutes carefully will notice that many times the Governor and the Deputy Governor object to or abstain from EXCO decisions that, nevertheless, have been approved by the Ministers. What I am saying is that, in effect, when you put all of this together it appears that the Chief Minister is deliberately creating an atmosphere of widespread hostility against the British Government by accusing them of will fully sabotaging our development and as a consequence building strong, though subjective, support for Independence.
In addition to what we hear on the various AUM talk shows, where the usual “loud mouths” and pundits make strong and boisterous statements advocating a swift and aggressive approach to Independence, there are some AUM advisors who, under various guises,seek to justify pathways to independence that do not necessarily require the expressed will of the people through referendum. For example, in her report the UN Special Committee on Decolonization Seminar earlier this year, the Chief Minister’s Legal Advisor made the following comment: “Again although there is no official poll there is the appearance that our people are leaning increasingly towards Independence. What was once a sparse discussion on the subject of Independence has now swelled to a feverish pitch, so much so, that even the Opposition in the Country is now calling for that Independence status as well.” At no time during the preparation of that report did that advisor seek the views of the Opposition on Independence status. Neither have I witnessed any “feverish pitch” in the community on that subject. What I have noticed is that people are being increasingly led to believe that there are no other options available to them to address “bread and butter” issues affecting their lives. And that going into Independence will put us in a better place. In other words, as is the case of the comments of the advisor in her report, there is nothing scientific about these conclusions. They appear tantamount to “duping the people” into taking the fast track into Independence.
Yet another example of an apparent move to usurp the democratic process by AUM supporters of the legal persuasion is the view expressed on the “talk show” circuit that, because of some spurious provision from the 1967 St. Kitts- Nevis & Anguilla Associated Status Constitution,there is no requirement for us to have a referendum before moving forward into independence. My question is, for what other reason would someone want to invoke a provision from the 1967 Statehood Constitution that was totally rejected by Anguillians, other than to circumvent an undesirable or inconvenient process. In fact, on July 11, 1967, Anguillians rejected that very constitutional arrangement in a referendum by a vote of 1813 for 5 against. It was further reaffirmed in another referendum on February 6, 1969 by a vote of 1739 for and 4 against.
Why then is the Anguilla United Movement Government afraid to conduct a referendum on the issue of Independence to settle the question on the future path to national development? That is the crux of our concern that was triggered by having received information that a committee is preparing an Independence Constitution without a mandate from Anguillians for such an undertaking.
The Anguilla United Front (AUF) has made its position clear on every occasion when we suspect that this Government is attempting to advance the process of Independence without proper public consultations, educational programs and referendum. We believe that the behaviour of the AUM and its supporters demand that we, as a responsible Opposition, be vigilant and ensure that the people’s right to decide is not abridged in any way. Referendums have been an important part of our history, particularly in the early period of the Revolution. There is no reason for us to abandon this method of ascertaining the views of our people on far-reaching constitutional issues at this juncture.
A Referendum is a vote by the entire population on an issue. There is no other issue more important than the future constitutional status of our island to be decided by all the people. It is not about the AUM and its supporters alone. It is about every single Anguillian. Neither is it a sufficient reason to justify a decision to pursue independence, that there is a conflict between the Chief Minister and the Governor. Both the Chief Minister and the Governor are dispensable in the context of the overall good of the country. Independence is neither about the Chief Minister or the Governor — it is about people. They must decide! It makes a mockery of the democratic process to bring the people in after the fact. Or to waste their resources on a constitutional exercise that has not received their approval. The AUF remains consistent in its opinion expressed in various releases, correspondence and position papers over the years, namely, that it will not be associated with any committee or group that does not receive the mandate of the people as a precondition to pursuing an Independence agenda.
It is ironic that the Rev. John A. Gumbs, who in the last election seemed to speak with divine authority when he declared that “anyone who votes for the Anguilla United Front commits an act against God and will be punished!” would advance a process which seems to usurp the right of a people to determine their own destiny. And who, based on his years in service to mankind, would be familiar with the ancient adage that “the voice of the people is the voice of God!”
