It is amazing to hear the Chief Minister, and his usual “loud mouth” supporters, on the various radio interviews and programs commenting on the Anguilla United Front’s (AUF) visit to the Anguillian communities living in Slough and other cities of the United Kingdom. I must admit that it is the first time that an Opposition Party made such a visit and, as a consequence, it is fair to expect that it would generate speculation. In fact, the Chief Minister had been planting the seed very early that our visit was part of an FCO/AUF conspiracy. He claimed that it was “leaked” to him that we (AUF) were invited to London by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for the purpose of undermining his Government. It was that statement that caused me to publish, in its entirety, an email from our UK/EU Representative in London, Ms. Dorothea Hodge, so as to show that the Governor and the FCO had absolutely nothing to do with the arrangements for our visit. The visit was completely initiated by us and we sought the assistance of groups and other connected persons in Slough to make it happen. Before I continue, let me take this opportunity to thank those persons and groups in Slough for making our visit a most successful and memorable one.
I must also admit that after hearing the Chief Minister’s comments on “Talk Anguilla” with Mr. Keith “Stone” Greaves on Wednesday April 10, I felt extremely sympathetic towards Ms. Dorothea Hodge whose email to the AUF, dated March 21, 2013, I had quoted in its entirety in my column in The Anguillian. Having said that, however, I feel absolved for having done so because, if I had not used her exact words the Chief Minister may have been successful in convincing listeners that I was not being truthful. Ms. Hodge, on the other hand, was not so lucky to escape the callous attitude of the Chief Minister to throw even his most loyal advisors “under the bus” to save his image. Ms. Hodge wrote: “I have therefore followed protocol and sought and received the permission of the elected Chief Minister for our office to assist in setting up the two meetings as requested by the Leader of the Opposition.” The Chief Minister, in responding to a direct question from Mr. Greaves on whether he had given permission to the UK/EU Office to set up the meetings, vehemently denied having done so. In other words implying that Ms. Hodge’s email was less than accurate. However, later in the same interview, after having done the damage to her credibility, he (the CM) then goes on to say: “I am quite comfortable with what Dorothea is doing!”
It would not be helpful to speculate on who is telling the truth in this discrepancy between the CM and the UK/EU Representative’s comments. That is a matter for them to settle in their relationship going forward. What is certain is that there can be no question as to whether the members of AUF were informed that they had received the blessings of the Chief Minister. It is documented in the email. And to its credit the AUF has been most courteous in expressing its thanks to both the CM and the UK/EU Rep for their support. Whatever the outcome may be, the AUF can take comfort from the fact that, in the end, who ever is telling the truth will come to a clear understanding of the character of the other party. In those circumstances, the AUF as the “Party of Truth” will have maintained its integrity in terms of the accuracy of the statements it publishes.
Why therefore are the Chief Minister and his supporters so afraid of the AUF’s mission to London? This is a question that is the natural reaction to the outrageous statements made by the Chief Minister and his supporters over the last few weeks. The AUF has indicated that it is a part of its philosophy and strategy to connect with Anguillians living abroad in the main population centers where they have settled. And I continue to point out that the survival of Anguilla, over the years, is not only as a result of those Anguillians who have stayed at home but of those who have travelled overseas as well. We might not have survived were it not for their contribution. If we are serious about the future of Anguilla we must consider the prospect of returning Anguillians; their families and their needs. So what then is so frightening about the Opposition Party, in its role as the alternate government, showing its appreciation for the contribution of Anguillians living in the UK? If as the Chief Minister said, in his interview, that Anguillians in Slough have no influence over what happens in Anguilla because they do not vote here — why should he be so concerned about our mission to the UK? And if, as he also remarked, the AUF would not be meeting anyone of consequence in the FCO because we have no status — why is he so concerned about a conspiracy with the Governor to destabilize his AUM Government? There seems to be no sound logic in his arguments and no basis for his conclusions.
The first point that needs to be made strongly with regard to our mission to the UK is that the main purpose was to visit Anguillians in Slough and meet with the community organizations that serve them. Our visit to the FCO was a hybrid between a “courtesy call” and a “business meeting”. Obviously, we are not the elected Government and therefore cannot negotiate policy or programmes on behalf of Anguilla. However, we felt that once we were in London it would be appropriate to make a call on that division of the British Government that deals with Anguilla, and let them know that we are a serious Opposition party with its own views and concerns for our country. And we made it clear that we had not come “to wash our dirty linen in public” but rather to support the Government in many of its efforts – and to highlight concerns that were presented to us by our constituents. In fact, the only controversial issues that were raised regarding the present Government came from the FCO Officials themselves.
The items that we circulated for discussion with the FCO were clearly items in support of Anguilla. They were also items that may have been raised by the present Government with the FCO on many occasions. We were obviously in solidarity with the Government on these issues. The fact that the CM only found one agenda item with which he professed to have variance, is a testimony to this point. That issue was regarding opportunities for Anguillians to enroll in the UK Armed Forces. It seemed to give the CM an opportunity to berate the Opposition by declaring that we were advocating sending our young men to the UK to die on the battlefields in Afghanistan, Libya and Iran. The truth is that this item came from representations made by a number of young men in Anguilla who seemed interested in having a career in the military, as well as the opportunities for personal development which that entails. It is an issue that I would have never given thought to but which seemed to be a very real consideration for a few youngsters. At our meeting with the Anguillian community, and quite contrary to the ridiculous statement made by the CM, this issue received much positive response. In fact, a number of persons spoke of their personal experiences in the armed forces and the positive benefits they derived. Why then is the Chief Minister so bent on trying to find nasty ways to denigrate the image of the AUF?
It may seem, though, that the Chief Minister and his supporters had decided that the FCO would have other matters on its agenda. As usual, they (the AUM Government) speculated as to what those items might be so as to perpetuate the false narrative that they have been spreading about my conduct as a Minister. To be more precise, they had many of their gullible supporters believing that once I arrived at the FCO I would be questioned, charged and arrested for misconduct. The CM in his interview outlined a list of these “significant questions” that I would have to answer. Indeed, the entire interview was so full of inconsistencies that one is left to the question his respect for the intelligence of Anguillians. For example, on the one hand he claims that the FCO wants to get him out of Office to install the AUF – and on the other it wants to arrest (me) the Leader of the AUF. At one time we are going to London because we are associated with the “blue-eyed boy”, David Carty, and at another David Carty is laughing at our mission to the UK because it is useless. I am certain that, based on their ready acceptance of the Chief Minister’s lies and half-truths, there are a number of his supporters who will be disappointed that I am not returning to Anguilla in shackles. Perhaps for the AUM and its supporters this would be a great time for self-examination. It is time for them to recognize that any definition of “lacking integrity” in leadership includes lying. It is the very platform which the Chief Minister and his Government seem to be using as a best practice to consolidate their power.
I am not here to report on our mission to London except to say that it was gratifying to receive such an overwhelming response from Anguillians in Slough for our appreciation of their contribution to our island, and our concern for the issues that affect them as Anguillians. It seemed that there was a hunger for the message of hope that we brought – and a strong desire to see a more civil approach to dealing with issues that affect us.
In our several exchanges, the question arose concerning the confrontational style of the Chief Minister – and indeed of other Ministers of his Government who also came to the United Kingdom. The overwhelming response was that they were really not scaring any one in London by this approach. In fact, someone gave an excellent analogy, after the meeting, in the form of the famous old nursery rhyme that goes:
“Pussycat! Pussycat! Where have you been?
I’ve been to London to visit the Queen!
Pussycat! Pussycat! What did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair!
The point being, that while the CM may think that he is a Lion, in the scheme of things he is merely a Pussycat really only able to scare away “little mice” somewhere. No one in London seems impressed or scared by his loud noises. In fact, for many persons in the U. K., the Chief Minister has become a bit of a clown and a pariah. And to take the poetic analogy even further: Some of the mice in London have become so emboldened that they don’t react anymore!
