Fellow Anguillians, let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a bright and prosperous new year. I was off-island for a little while, but despite not being physically on island, I was very much in tune with the happenings and developments on Anguilla.
January 15th 2013, was to be a normal day in the lives of Anguillians. The nation’s children were to be off to school and public and private workers off to work. Self – employed persons were to spend the day trying to be creative to make a day’s work in these trying times. But the day turned out to be anything but ordinary. The teachers commenced industrial action in the form of a “sit –in”. After learning what the reasons for the action and what the teachers were asking for, I was not at all worried. I was convinced that in a matter of hours it would be all resolved after a meeting of the Anguilla Teachers Union (ATU) and the Members of Government. From the position paper published by the ATU, it is clear that the reason for their action was to get the members of Government to meet with them and clarify some issues relating to the payment of monies owed, not just to them, but to all civil servants. A simple matter, it was not about demanding payment of monies owed to them.
Instead of the action of the teachers resulting in an emergency meeting between the GOA and the ATU, it resulted in what can only be described as a disgraceful and shameful display by our leaders at the meeting of the House of Assembly on Tuesday 15th January 2013. In debating a simple motion for duty free concessions, the members of the AUM/APP Government launched a vicious and unwarranted attack on teachers for the action they had taken. I personally listened to the presentations and was embarrassed by what I heard in the HOA. I was also shocked that the Honourable Speaker allowed such behaviour to take place, in light of the fact that the debate was to be about a motion for duty free concessions. Thanks to my colleague the Hon. Othlyn Vanterpool for sticking to the issue and championing the teachers’ cause in the way that he did. I am sure all teachers are today grateful for his presentation in the House.
Fellow Anguillians, we have seen and heard a lot of pleasant and unpleasant sittings in the HOA over the past three (3) years, but if our House of Assembly is to be seen and taken as the serious institution that it is intended to be, then the Speaker must be firm not only with me but all members of the House of Assembly and we the members of the house must undertake to conduct ourselves appropriately and in a dignified manner of which all Anguillans can be proud. The level and standard of our debates must be drastically improved, because the people Anguilla deserve much more from their legislators than constant personal attacks and largely irrelevant debates. For my part, I promise to continue to debate the issues presented and do so using facts and figures and always speaking the truth. And I am sure my colleague Mr. Vanterpool will do the same.
The attack on our teachers and in particular on the union leadership and foreign teachers, both in the HOA and on the radio waves was unwarranted and distasteful. As a former teacher and civil servant myself, I completely understand the teachers’ position and support them in standing up for their rights. A loud message must be sent to our leaders in the AUM/APP Government, that our children are paying attention to them and if as leaders they do not respect teachers, our children too may very well believe it is ok to show the same disrespect to their teachers and, indeed, everyone else in society. I call upon our parents to ensure that this does not occur. Students, I urge you to continue valuing and respecting your teachers. Fellow Anguillians, at a time when youth crime and violence continue to be major concerns to our nation, we expect better from the members of this AUM/APP government. Such deplorable actions only add to the difficulty our police experience in seeking to address the crime issues in Anguilla.
The record would indicate that Civil servants received two salary cuts; one in July 2009 under the AUF Government of which I was a member and the other in July 2010 under this AUM/APP Government. In making the cuts, both Governments promised to re-pay (either partially or in full) the amount of the cuts to civil servants when the economic situation changes positively and significantly. Many have argued and others may hold the same view that those cuts should have been permanent (with no promise of payback) including the members of this AUM/APP Government. I can also recall The Hon Jerome Roberts echoing from the House of Assembly that the AUF Government was wrong for making that promised of payback and it was a bad decision to do so. However, the question is—- since this AUM/APP Government thought it was wrong and a bad decision, why—after being elected to office in February 2010, have they not taken action to correct it? Why did they make the cut in July 2010 with the same agreement and promise as the cuts in 2009 under the AUF administration? Why did they allow the accumulation of the debt to continue for almost three years after coming to office? If this Government actually felt so strongly about the debt accumulation, why didn’t the Chief Minister and his AUM/APP Government make the cuts permanent in July of 2010 when his government instituted further cuts? At that time, the debt owed to civil servants would have been around $10 Million Dollars but has now grown to approximately $32 Million Dollars at the end of this month, January 2013. During the period of time that this AUM/APP Government refused to address the issue, it would have amassed a debt in deferred payment to civil servants of $22 Million since they assumed office in Feb 2010.
The CM and his AUM/APP Government boasts about changing MOAs to MOUs. Why did the CM and his AUM/APP Government not seek to change or alter the agreement made with the civil servants?
Fellow Anguillians, we must note that the Government circulars of June 2009 and June 2010 in relation to salary cuts for Civil Servants, also dealt with cuts to parliamentarians and, as with the civil servants, parliamentarians must be paid back. It therefore means that the amounts owed to parliamentarians would have increased over the years as well. Therefore the CM would be the largest beneficiary of the said cuts and deferred payments as he is due to receive in excess of $200,000.00 in deferred payments depending on the formula used. Add the $40,000 refund for unproven phone bills that have been approved for him and well over $500,000 that would be due to him in gratuity payments. Do the math fellow Anguillians. Our Chief Minister could be walking away with close to One Million Dollars.
I am sure we all agree that the attacks on our teachers by our leaders should never be condoned. Unfortunately, some in the local media have failed in this regard. Leading reporters, radio personalities and talk show hosts all jumped on the Chief Minister bang wagon, and joined in the disrespect of our educators. The press should be fair and balanced and should always report the facts void of any political slant. The talk shows should seek to inform our people and do so using all the facts in relation to any issue. These reporters, radio personalities and talk show hosts must know that the Anguillian population expects and demands better from them. It is wrong to broadcast things in the manner in which they have dealt with this issue between the GOA and teachers. Let me at this juncture commend Radio Anguilla in particular for their professional approach, balance and factual reporting.
Fellow Anguillians, after listening to the verbal abuse of the teachers in the HOA on Tuesday 15th Jan 2013,by the Chief Minister, the Minister of Home Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary and the Member from Sandy Hill, I must commend the Hon Evan Gumbs for not contributing to such abuse of our teachers and I must also commend the Hon Minister of Education Mr. Edison Baird for getting the members of Executive Council (which includes Min Walcott and the Hon Chief Minister) to agree to all the demands of the teachers (not just for the benefit of the teachers but for the benefit of ALL civil servants) on 17th January 2013. In so doing, schools were able to resume on Friday January 18th 2013. It is an accepted norm that once a resolution to a problem is achieved you move on. It was therefore shocking to hear the continued attacks on our teachers by the Chief Minister, the Leader of Government business, in his address to the Nation on Friday January 18th presumably the day after he agreed to those demands in EXCO. This kind of behavior would only serve to make matters worse. Instead of the Chief Minister reaching out to the teachers, his address did nothing more than add salt to an open wound.
It is incomprehensible how our Chief Minister who is always calling for unity is now openly trying to divide and silence one of the most outspoken and precious groups of our people; the teachers. However, I am sure that the vast majority of teachers stand united behind the leadership of their union on this issue. By categorizing the teachers into two groups (local and foreign) Mr. Hughes and his AUM/APP Government has turned a simple matter between the GOA and the teachers into a political gimmick. For instance, it came to my attention just prior to airing this message that this Government has been blaming the AUF in general for the Teachers’ industrial action, the sit-in. In particular, it appears that members of this Government and/or their supporters have again sought to create propaganda in relation to our General Secretary and AUF Candidate for District Number 2, Mrs. Cora Richardson Hodge, by stating that the teachers met with her on Monday night and that she advised them to strike. Nothing is further from the truth. Like the rest of the members of AUF Party, Mrs. Cora Richardson Hodge was not aware of the sit-in and had absolutely nothing to do with the decision of the teachers to demand respect and a response from the leaders of our Government. It is obvious that this is a juvenile attempt to downplay the attacks of Hon Jerome Roberts in and outside the HOA against the teachers, both foreign and local. To add insult to injury, supporters of AUM have stooped to showing a picture of a teacher’s black jeep and claiming that it is Cora’s jeep at a meeting. It is unfortunate that our Government can take such a serious issue raised by the teachers on behalf of themselves and all civil servants, and reduce it to nonsense politics.
Fellow Anguillians, let us not be side tracked once again by the AUM propaganda. No one forced the Chief Minister and his members of Government to respond as they did in the HOA. A hallmark of leadership is the ability to effectively and properly address the numerous issues that arise in a country. It is wrong for our leaders, in a democratic country such as Anguilla, to personally attack the teachers or anyone else who has an opinion or position different from them. As a people, we must now call on the Chief Minister and his members of Government to stop the attacks on our teachers. It is time for Mr. Jerome Roberts, Mr. Wallcott Richardson, Mr. Haydn Hughes and the Hon Chief Minister to apologise to the nation and the teachers in particular for their behavior in the HOA on Jan 15 2013. Mr. Roberts in particular should apologise to the expat teachers for seemingly suggesting they should resign and go back home. Fellow Anguillians, our teachers must no doubt at this time be completely demoralized and feel that they are of little use, as a result of the words of our leaders in Government. But teachers don’t be discouraged. The people of Anguilla understand your cause and, at the end of the day justice and respect for every Anguillian is deserved. We love and value all of you, expats and local teachers alike. So please remain focused on your job of educating the nation’s children, but never be deterred from standing up for your rights. It shows that despite efforts to stifle freedom of speech they are those among us who will not be intimidated by leaders of a country who want to silence a people. I wish to commend the teachers for standing up for what they believe in and doing so in the face of adversity.
May God Bless you and may God bless Anguilla. Thank you for listening.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
