Madam Speaker, you made history when you became the first female to have occupied that most coveted and prestigious position in the Anguilla Parliament – our House of Assembly- and now you are very privileged to join with me and my Ministerial colleagues to heartily welcome the first female Governor to be sent to our island – Her Excellency Christina Scott.
Madam Speaker, I never thought this day would come. My greatest dilemma has been that after it was announced from London that Anguilla was going to have a change of Governor, I had to learn that Her Excellency’s arrival was delayed.
Madam Speaker, I was delighted not only that Anguilla was getting a female Governor, but more so, that that Her Excellency was not an Official from the diplomatic wing of the FCO. Anguilla has become tired of diplomats and diplomacy.
Yes Madam Speaker, Anguilla will be privileged to have a very qualified Administrator who rose to the rank of being a Private Secretary to former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Gordon Brown – a man after my own heart.
When Minister Bellingham paid his only visit to Anguilla on the 22nd September 2010, he complimented me as the Leader of the AUM to have campaigned in the election on the issue of corruption, and won, because so few politicians win an election on such an issue as corruption.
So when Minister Bellingham took so much time to reply to my many correspondences about how corrupt dealings in Anguilla were being condoned by his Representative, I had given up hope on his commitment to Anguilla in that regard.
However, when he wrote to inform me last year that Anguilla would get a change of Governor in 2013, I had very serious doubts about his sincerity, so that I took many months to respond to his questions as to what qualities I would wish to have in a new Governor.
I did respond, and when I did so, I laid out the qualities which I would wish to see. I will refer to four (4) out of the list of those qualities that I requested. The first is that:
(i) Anguilla’s Governor should not be an official from the FCO, but an Administrator.
The reason for this request is because one of the first qualities of being a good Administrator is the ability to listen – not hear (there is a difference) but listen to the views of the Political Directorate; too often the consultation which ought to have occurred between the predecessor and I never occurred; he proceeded with an “agenda” – British or otherwise – even if it amounted to fitting a square peg in a round hole and did not ultimately take account of Anguilla’s peculiarities; that tends to occur with Diplomats. We are conscious that Her Excellency is here to implement British Policy, but I trust that as an Administrator, she will recognize that whatever the Policy, the Policy has to serve Anguilla’s interests. Oftentimes, what is good for Anguilla cannot be a directive from 4000 miles away, robotically implemented.
Sometimes the directive has to be adjusted, re-configured or even discarded because it does not respect the History, Culture or Dignity of the People it was meant to serve. As the People’s Representatives with fourscore and ten years under the belt, I believe that I can help to guide Her Excellency on a mutual policy that respects us as Anguillians and I stand ready to do so.
I only trust that the powers that be from London will allow Her Excellency the scope, independence of thought, and an understanding of the societal climate that is gained by being on the ground so that in her Administrative role she will be able achieve harmony, improve efficiencies, problem solve and be solution oriented. My ministerial colleagues and I will certainly seek to provide Her Excellency with the atmosphere within which she can assist us in moving forward to these ideals.
(ii) One of the other qualities which I requested in the next Governor is that the person should be one that believes in God.
Anecdotally, and who knows maybe factually, we believe that Anguilla has the most churches in the world per square mile.
Religion in Anguilla is as steeped in us as a People, to the point where it is a solid and ingrained part of our Culture and our Heritage. More than just that however, the true belief in God in our view should move such a person to appreciate the ideals of Fairness, Integrity, the Equality of Persons and Justice to a higher level than just textbook principles. A person who truly believes in God has to raise the level of those principles to Christ-like qualities in their work. We have had a spate of Atheists and those attending the House of the Lord for official functions only, sent to Anguilla as Governors. In the new Governor we now have a daughter of the Cloth at the helm. Madam Speaker our new Governor is a daughter of an Anglican Priest.
We in Anguilla are familiar with the strength and heart of another Daughter of the Cloth in promoting these same principles in this Community and so we look forward to a Relationship with Her Excellency which gives credence to this aspect of our Culture and Heritage.
(iii) Another quality which I sought is that the next Governor should be willing to work harmoniously with the local government ministers whom the People have chosen at the Polls.
I think that it became very obvious if not at the beginning, but certainly by the end of the term of the departing Governor, that this Government was not the chosen Government he wished to work with.
Although the colonial history of the Territories – not just of Anguilla – demonstrates that British Governments over the years tend to favour a particular faction or family in a Territory, I firmly believe that the British Government needs to come to terms with the fact that credence and respect has to be given to the People’s voices, the People’s choices. Regrettably, this Administration never received that respect and therefore there was a climate of constant disrespect leveled at the Political Directorate.
We are hoping that the presence of Her Excellency will usher in a different climate. Anguilla’s progress economically and socially and the investment which we would like to usher in to Anguilla can only occur when Foreign Investors know that they cannot find solace in the Governor’s Office if they don’t succeed with the Political Directorate.
I certainly pledge on my own part and which I know will be adopted by my Ministerial colleagues and the Permanent Secretary, to work with Her Excellency on a mutual agenda for Anguilla and I will continue to strive for the betterment of my People in this Relationship.
(iv) The last quality which I will mention in these proceedings is that I requested that the next Governor should assist the duly elected Government to clean up corruption in administrative and other circles in Anguilla.
Anguilla is still very much a beautiful island with beautiful people who are earnest, hard-working and principled. However, I suppose with development and ease of money at one point of our economic period, spawned and mushroomed some serious elements of dishonesty, greed and corruption.
I am one of those persons who believes that when those aspects of depravity start to creep into a society and are not rooted out, it becomes like a cancer feeding on itself; it has the capacity to change a society, destroy the image of who we are as a People and tarnish us in the eyes of the Region and the International World. That is the nature of corruption, and to date, there has been a very feeble, almost non-existent response to the depth of this scourge in our society by the British Government. The response to our cries to stop the hemorrhaging of corruption has not gone very far at all. Anguilla’s treasury continues to lose millions of scarce dollars on an annual basis because of deep pockets of corruption within and outside of the civil service and our society in general and we have to tackle this element with far more vigour.
I am hoping that with your seasoned perspective and an eye which was once came from a political lens, that you will appreciate my point that corruption is something to be stopped in its tracks and where the appropriate resources and personnel have to be deployed to combat it.
Madam Speaker, I want this Governor to be assured that we in Anguilla respect our Governors, we love and respect our Queen, the Royal Family and will respect Her Majesty’s Government, BUT we expect the same Respect in return. As I told Minister Bellingham as he then was, 17th century colonialism will not be tolerated in Anguilla. While the People of Anguilla cherish their British Heritage we opted for self-determination way back in 1967 and we will never return to old-fashioned colonial rule, especially if we feel that our God-given rights continue to be trampled upon.
Madam Speaker, the new Governor will inherit a very big job if she will make a difference, and I believe that she will want to do just that. Madam Speaker Her Excellency faces very big challenges and I again pledge on behalf of my Government and the People of Anguilla our support to assist her in doing what is right for Anguilla.
There is an air of exuberance in the UK today with the birth and possible glimpse of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Cambridge shared all around the world. We too in Anguilla would have been embracing that air of exuberance not just for that reason but because Anguilla officially welcomes our new Governor Her Excellency Christina Scott to Anguilla’s shores. Today our exuberance however, is tempered and tinged with sorrow – sorrow for the families that are crying over the gun crime situation in Anguilla that has progressed successively over the years. I wish to let my People know that I am heartbroken every single time that I hear of young persons who are hurt or fatally wounded in these violent crimes.
I reach out to those families who are in pain.
Madam Speaker, Her Excellency has the responsibility for internal security and the Police and we welcome working with her on new and refreshed ideas to tackle this pressing situation.
I undertake as the Leader of the Political Directorate to do all in my power to make Her Excellency’s stay in Anguilla not only productive, but safe and enjoyable.
May God Bless her and May God Bless Anguilla.
