Anguilla’s Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, has stressed that his Anguilla United Movement Government has undertaken to adopt a strict policy that any job opportunities Anguillians are not qualified to do, or not ready for, must be given to citizens of the Caribbean diaspora “from top to bottom”.
He was at the time expressing objections to the renewal in July of the contract of Attorney General, James Wood, and indicating that he had someone else in mind.
But Anguilla’s Governor, Alistair Harrison, who is due to leave Anguilla in July, said it would be unfortunate to have a new Governor, in the person of Christine Scott, and a new Attorney General at the same time.
Mr. Hughes spoke in an interview on Talk Anguilla on Wednesday, April 10, to which Governor Harrison replied on the same Radio Anguilla programme on Wednesday this week, April 17.
Chief Minister Hughes had this to say: “At the present time we have a problem in the Attorney General’s Chambers in that we are not happy with what is happening…A particular Montserrat lawyer spoke to me the other day and told me that he applied for a particular job in the Attorney General’s Chambers which obviously needs to be filled, because every time we have to do prosecutions, we have to spend a lot of money bringing in people to go in the court and do prosecutions.
“I told the present Attorney General that what they need in the Attorney General’s Chambers is a highly-qualified lawyer – even a retired highly-qualified lawyer – to train the…young girls in the AG’s office. There are good people in there – girls who have done the examinations – but a lawyer coming out of a university is not a lawyer. They need on-the-job training and that is not happening. We continue to recruit Attorneys General who don’t have the capacity to do the training that is necessary.
“I told the Governor that I am insisting that the Government of Anguilla has a say because ‘who pays the piper must call the tune’. Just yesterday the Governor had a discussion with me on a note I wrote to that effect, and had it filed in the minutes of Executive Council. [It is] that the Attorney General’s contract, which is due [to expire] in July, should not be renewed – and he should be asked if he wants to stay on a little longer, to stay on until the new Governor comes to Anguilla in July, as well, because I would like for her to be involved in the choice of her Attorney General.
“The Governor is opposed to that and he actually told me that I have no say in the matter, it is his portfolio, and he doesn’t have to consult with me. I told him that’s unfair… and I will be writing him a letter to that extent to reflect that conversation. I think it is unfair that the Attorney General, a contract officer, can choose whom he wants to work in Anguilla. Here is a Montserratian, who is highly-qualified – and I checked in Montserrat –[who] had discussions with me and interested in taking that job, and the Attorney General is not interested in having him. I think that is very unfair to the people of Anguilla. So the people need to know that as a political leader I want to see that expensive department produce for the money it is getting. We are paying very heavily to maintain the Attorney General’s Chambers in Anguilla and we are not getting results.
“The Governor is saying that he doesn’t have to consult with me. He can do what he wants and he is going to extend the Attorney General’s term – not for two years because he doesn’t want two years –but for an extra year because the Attorney General wants to stay a little longer…As far as I am concerned, the Constitution of Anguilla is very ambiguous but the principle is that in all these important portfolios the Governor should consult with the duly elected Government of the day. We pay the bills. A British Civil Servant, in the form of a Governor, shouldn’t be able to take advantage of Anguilla in this kind of way.”
As mentioned above, Governor Harrison commented on the Chief Minister’s concerns this week when he appeared on Talk Anguilla with Keithstone Greaves.
“I was little surprised to hear the Chief Minister mentioned that issue in the way he did because I had consulted him a day or two beforehand,” the Governor stated. “It is not a secret at all that James Wood’s two-year contract, which started in July 2011, comes up for renewal in July 2013 which, in a few months’ time, happens to be the month I will be leaving. Therefore, it would be unfortunate if there was a new Governor and a new Attorney General at exactly the same time.
“Now, I [will] ultimately make a decision on whether it is a renewal of the present Attorney General or the appointment of a new one, but I always in the past consulted the Chief Minister. There were three occasions, in fact, in which I consulted him in the lead up to James Wood’s appointment and I took his advice on each of those three occasions. As I said, although I am not constitutionally bound to do so, I asked for his advice this time in private, and I hoped that conversation would stay private, so I was a little surprised that he mentioned it in the way he did.
“I would simply say there are two things – because I would rather keep the details as private as I can – but firstly the decision about the next contract starting in July this year is one that I will take in close consultation. And it would be a joint decision between me and my successor Christine Scott… as the Attorney General will be working alongside her, and therefore her views are really more important than mine. Secondly, of course I will be consulting the Judicial Services Commission which is the Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, our local Judge and the Chairman of the Public Service Commission here whose advice I constitutionally do have to take, and always take extremely seriously, before making any judicial appointment.
“I am a bit surprised, as I said, that the Chief Minister chose to speak publicly about what was a confidential conversation. I was also slightly surprised by the tone he took because, actually, although our views forward aren’t identical, I can say that they are not very far apart at all. Both of us feel that the change of Attorney General at the exact same time as the change of Governor would be unfortunate. I don’t want to say any more than that, but our differences are really very narrow. As I say, on the past three occasions I have consulted him, I have followed his advice and always valued his advice – whether or not I take it – most times I do.”
