It is true! The old lady knows what she is saying! Hughes brought ‘poppy show politics’ to Anguilla! But don’t laugh yet! Hughes has some other antics up his sleeve. He is “working his head” by using two alibis. One is: It “ain’t” my fault — it’s the former Government that caused it! The other is: “The Governor made me do it!” Now wouldn’t we be a stupid bunch if we were to fall for that type of nonsensical excuse? Come on! Let us dismiss him and his froth with swift abandon and support people with ideas. It seems quite clear that he has none. And we know that most of what he says is not the truth. There is need to put an end to the ongoing saga of Hughes’ politics and begin to prepare the island for a brighter future. Enough is enough! It is monotonous to hear his voice on the radio peddling the same old garbage all the time. We need a breath of fresh air. We need to pause and start over — without him. Dwelling on “the same old, same old” stifles and suppresses new thought.
But Hughes alibis can’t stand up! The Anguilla Constitution punches holes in them, based on the “separation of powers”. Before examining those powers check out this fact! How come Sir Emile didn’t fight Governor Shave but Hughes did? He also fought with Governor Harris and Harrison. Mr. Fleming did not fight with Governor Johnstone or Governor Huckle. Nevertheless, these two Chief Ministers were able to govern effectively. This says something. And to paraphrase that famous Calypsonian, the Mighty Sparrow: “Fifteen thousand Anguillians can’t all be wrong!” It is glaringly obvious that the friction starts whenever Hughes enters the scene. So when we look at the substantive issues surrounding the Constitution, the blame, and other false claims that he makes, should really be laid squarely at his doorsteps and at no one else’s.
The Anguilla Constitution, like those of the other British OTs, is built on three pillars, namely, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. These pillars stand on their own ground equal and independent. But when you listen to Hughes you get the feeling that underlying all his machinations is that he has a problem with anyone standing in the way of his exercise of power. That is his reason for discontent and for his constant attack on the Governors and HMG. He wants unbridled power and that would be the worst thing for us. More power in the hands of Hughes would not be a dream come true — instead it would be an everlasting nightmare. Anguilla is too economically undeveloped to follow Hughes into Independence – and too small to follow him into political insanity. Nevertheless, it can be seen that the real motive of Hughes saying things like “the Governor took over the Cap Juluca negotiations” is to make it appear as though he has been pushed aside and that he is no longer in control.
The question then is, has he abandoned his constitutional responsibilities because of his own ineptitude? Under the existing arrangements the Chief Minister has one function and the Governor has another. The Chief Minister has ample space to do what wants. He has a lot of power at his disposal. He even has overlapping power. He is in the Legislature and he is in the Executive. The Governor is only in the Executive. As part of the legislative process the CM has input in what gets on the order paper. Nothing can become law unless he promotes it. The Governor is Chairman of the Executive Council of which Hughes and his Ministers form the majority. They can always have their way. It was in that very Executive Council, with the Governor in the Chair, where payment was approved for the celebrated phone calls Hughes made over a decade ago. The Governor could not override the Government. So why is Hughes trying “to make out” that it is the Governor who “run things” in Anguilla? Why does he continue to use the Governor as an alibi for his uselessness? He complains when he can’t have his own way – displaying a level of political immaturity and “spoilt child” behavior unseen elsewhere. This, added to his second alibi, leads us to understand his lack of understanding of the role and function of the Chief Minister. Elections are not rituals. They are purposeful and are held to select a government. And each government has its own life to live — it cannot live a life of blame. It must realize that after years in power it can no longer rely on the faults of a past government and use them as a scapegoat for its inaction. It must remember that it was elected based on its promises to correct and do better than the government it fought to replace. Therefore, when it is elected and cannot deliver, it should man-up and take responsibility for its failure. Or sit down and accept the facts as they are. Ours is the case where the CM recognizes that he has failed and does not know how to deal with it. So he tries to shift the burden of his failure by using alibis. But the alibis he is using cannot stand up to the test of reality. The facts are that AUM under the leadership of Hughes has not been able to cause change or improve anything in Anguilla. On the other hand, the record shows that under the AUF there were fundamental changes in social and physical infrastructure and increased job opportunities.
The truth is obvious. Based on this record, we have clear choices between the leadership of Hughes and Banks – and between AUM and AUF. But to do that we must first look at what makes up the essentials of good leadership. Hughes keeps on saying that he is squeaky clean. But whose yardstick is he using? Notwithstanding this, as the conduct of his government continues to unfold, who knows, one day that statement may be challenged. A good leader should not only in his own eyes declare that he is squeaky clean, but in the eyes of the public he must be seen as such. He must demonstrate that he is a man of integrity; truthfulness; honesty, high moral values; walking the talk; steadfastness; trustworthiness; and so on. These are all elements of a man seeking to be above reproach. Using these criteria, Hughes would fail miserably! Hughes willingness to degrade a challenger makes him a dishonest coward. For example the way he announced the so-called “leak”. There are no leaks in Anguilla — ANGUILLA IS A SIFTER! Sifters don’t leak – everything runs through! So when Hughes hears about the upcoming visit to London by some AUF personnel, and tries to spin it as though he has discovered a “coup” or some sinister plot, or that he has caught the AUF in bed with HMG — he only exposes how low he can go. This behavior does not suggest leadership material. We know that Hughes has gone on trips several times and that often he does not properly report on what transpired. There has been a lot of gossip surrounding such trips but despite that Banks, the leader of AUF, will not condescend to make public comment. In a nutshell that is the measure of the man. It shows Banks as a man of integrity and a man who would give us a better image abroad. Banks shows leadership by the way he handles things. If he has not done what he has promised, and is reminded of it, he would try to make amends — not blame someone else. Hughes, on the other hand, seldom “walks the talk” and when confronted always blames someone else. This time he confesses that in the Cap Juluca case he has abdicated his function to the Governor. Not only is that nonsensical — but it is also inaccurate and is used to divert attention away from his mishandling of the situation.
Followers should be able to rely on the truthfulness of their leader. But it seems that this is not the case with Hughes. Several times in the House he has treated the truth with reckless abandon. He has made statements that radically contradict what he said earlier. But, fellow Anguillians, ours is a fight to raise the bar in this “political limbo dance” that Hughes is performing. It is a fight for twenty-first century level political standards. It is a fight to make sure that we do not sink further into the quagmire of nasty politics. It is a fight to put before you an alternative group of people that can better represent us here, and are more capable of negotiating on our behalf abroad. The AUF is preparing a good team with the emphasis on “country first”.
A good leader cares for his country. We know that Hughes does not care! His action proves it. In the face of the austerity program he sought payment for telephone calls he made a decade ago while in government. Now is that caring for Anguilla or just looking out for himself? In the search of persons with good leadership qualities Hughes could not make the short list of a million candidates. Fellow Angullians, let us in all our misgivings and misunderstandings consider this a plateau in political and economic growth and, despite the wrong-headedness of the present Government, concede that with the help of HMG we are putting our house in order and endorsing the principles of good governance. Forget Hughes! He has little regard for the truth! That is why he says different things about the same thing! And so we are left to ponder what will be the next alibi.
