Elections do indeed have consequences. Just ask U.S. President Barak Obama. Back in the year 2010, when the Democrats were upset with the President over his inability to use his Senate majority to achieve his agenda, they stayed away from the polls in droves during the all important mid-term elections, the results of which we know were disastrous. Consequently, the Republicans were able to gain a lot of seats and with them, the House. In short order, they used their majority to gerrymander previously held democratic districts to their benefit, the effects from which we’re now suffering: Attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obama Care, a Supreme Court backed rollback of voting rights, restrictions on women’s health and the list goes on. These can all be traced back to several important blocks of democratic voters who chose to stay home.
Similarly, in the year 2010, Anguillians also went to the polls to elect a new government. Still suffering from the effects of an already in progress global recession, and a contemptuous dislike for the Osbourne Fleming- led Anguilla United Front Administration, they were tasked with a monumental decision. Faced with a choice of staying with the AUF who, after all, had maintained a certain amount of stability and growth over the last ten years, or going with the opposition led by two term accidental former CM Hubert Hughes, whose claim to fame was a perennial dislike for the British Government and his praise for Robert Bradshaw as a great man. Despite his lack of vision and leadership skills, we nevertheless ploughed ahead and elected Mr. Hughes and his party to power, not because he presented an earth shattering program to get Anguilla back on track, but because of our contempt for the Osborne led AUF.
Just as the President and the Democrats were suffering the consequences of the 2010 elections, so too were Osbourne and the AUF. While the Democrats lost the House and are being filibustered to death by the Republicans, the AUM was victorious in part because of some influential Anguillians who thought they were doing the right thing. Anyone besides the AUF was the word. Armed with the majority in the house, Mr. Hughes promptly began to tar and feather the Osbourne Administration and anyone connected to it. Rather than do what he was elected to do, get Anguilla back on track, the newly elected CM started on a journey of vindictiveness which has led us to this place, teetering dangerously over a precipice.
From the outset, Mr. Hughes appeared seemingly to be in over his head and this becomes evident in that he made all sorts of promises and had no idea on how to deliver on any of them. Instead of doing what he was elected to do, right the country, he proceeded to behave in a manner which highlighted his lack of managerial skills and vision. Where do I start? Let’s take the banks for starters. Mr. Hughes and his administration had the temerity to allegedly withdraw substantial amounts of Anguillian Social Security funds from our two indigenous banks and redeposit said funds into Scotia Bank, and in so doing allegedly caused quite a strain on the local banks. This is also the same administration which tried to borrow 200 million dollars, using as collateral, the Social Security Fund, without getting the OK from the House. The deal was nixed by Governor Harrison. Sounds like someone who really cares about Anguilla, doesn’t it?
We keep hearing about good governance, but we act as though it doesn’t apply to us. Everyone seems to do whatever. One of your ministers gets into trouble – just take away his portfolio and continue to pay him. We tend to come up short time after time when it comes to doing the right thing. In his piece “Beyond Walls.” Justice of Appeals, Don Mitchell, had this to say about our ability to oversee our own affairs: “We’ve been running our own affairs for decades. We have done so with such incompetence, venality and hubris among our leadership that observers generally hold our ministers in quiet contempt.” Justice Mitchell goes on to say:”We have fancy written constitutions with amateurish politicians who sometimes behave like cowboys, and we have no mechanisms in place to rein them in.”
Now to the takeover of our banks. It has been alleged that the CM did not think very much of both indigenous banks simply because of whom their shareholders and board members were, and that he never missed an opportunity to bad mouth them. He allegedly achieved his mission when he signed off for the Central Bank and the IMF to come in and takeover both banks. So having said that, I sincerely believe that the CM has set in motion, the end of his political career, his own fait accompli, a done deal.
He’s taken a page out of Richard Nixon’s playbook and that is to accuse your opponents of the very same thing that you are guilty of. Hubert has been accusing the British Government for the longest while of trying to turn Anguilla into a failed state. If by chance they do declare us a failed state, Hubert can then claim that it was their intention all along and in so doing, give himself cover. Hubert is an extremely skilled politician who does not say or do anything without first giving it much thought. So what does he do once elected? He goes on this mission to tar and feather Osbourne and Victor and anyone closely associated with them, regardless of the collateral damage.
Three and one half years have lapsed and we’re no closer to getting out of the mess that we find ourselves in and now this: the distinct possibility of losing one if not both of our indigenous banks, thanks in part to a faltering economy, a portfolio of non-performing loans and in impotent government void of vision and leadership.
A government is supposed to work for the people at the pleasure of the people. When that government ceases to function in its primary functions – that of guaranteeing that its citizens are well cared for; that it does for them what they can’t do for themselves; that it provides an infrastructure, such as passable roads, clean affordable running water, affordable electricity, health, education, public safety and so on – then it’s time for that government to go. If the limb is dead, amputate it before it contaminates the rest of the body. Based on what one reads and hears, this government has not done the job. We sit back in awe and wonder what they are going to do next. Families are going to bed hungry every night. Their kids are going to school on empty stomachs. What has happened? Whatever happened to that Anguillian spirit? We may not have had lots of money, but we were always able to feed ourselves. We had chickens in the yard. We could get a fishing pole and go on the searocks and catch a few fish and, when all else failed, we had our ground provisions to fall back on. To now hear people say that they are starving is hard to take. Of course times have changed. We tend to want everything right now and we’re not willing to take time out to plant crops as we did in the old days. This new generation needs to be introduced to the Anguilla of old, not that they should go back there but, given the way things are going, we’ll be there soon enough. Remember, James Baldwin, the American Author, said: “Know from whence you came. If you know from whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.” Bob Marley said, “Each one teach one.” I subscribe to that. We have to teach this generation the way it used to be and then, perhaps, they will have more respect for what they have now when they find out that the Anguilla that they have today, is not the one that we grew up in.
The question that we have to now ask ourselves is, where do we go from here? We have to admit that we were bamboozled by a shyster and a good one at that. The old saying is not to cry over spilt milk. We just have to move on and make doubly sure that we don’t make the same mistake again. We know what needs to be done and I think it’s time that we rid ourselves of this crab in the barrel mentality and realize that we are keeping each other down. I recall just recently I made reference to something that Debra Anderson said on the Mayor Show on Kool Fm radio. Her recollection was that a Jewish friend of hers told her that if he could help the son of another Jewish person get into Harvard or Yale that he would gladly do so, because in so doing he’s helping his people – but not us. We call the corporate office everyday to complain on each other saying don’t give him that job, give it to me. That is who we are. We try to keep each other down. We’d rather see someone else get on than one of our own. Our Chief Minister advised the last Governor not to hire any Anguillian for any of the top spots in the government. We are just bad minded people who can’t bear to see our fellow Anguillians get ahead. If we are to succeed and pull ourselves out of this mess, that we’re in, we will have to get rid of our evil ways. We have come too far to trust our future to a bunch of ne’er do wells. Our forefathers would be spinning in their graves if they knew what we’ve done to the place. They would ask if this is what they fought for.
We lost a golden opportunity on that fateful day when the Council was deadlocked at three a piece over the direction in which Anguilla should go. Standing on one side was the late Atlin Harrigan, aligned with two others who favored remaining in the British Commonwealth, and opposing him was Wallace Rey and his two cohorts who wanted
Independence. Standing in the middle was Ronald Webster who opted to side with Mr. Rey and his cohorts. Sadly, we’ve never really quite got the hang of ministerial government even though we’ve been at it now for thirty seven years. We continuously return the same ineffective and inadequate politicians to office time after time. The Mayor always likes to say that: “Anguillians don’t know what they want until they get what they don’t want.” Well, my fellow Anguillians, did we get what we wanted this time? I know that these guys were supported by some prominent Anguillians like Dr. Paul Webster and Mr. Yanchie Richardson AKA The Mayor who will be the first to tell you they expected this government to be the answer. Unfortunately, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. It has taken one Webster to get us where we are, and maybe it’s time to bring another Webster, one who has the credentials, on board to lead us out of this mess.
We as Anguillians need to understand that this is a new day. We just can’t stand around because politics is a nasty game and therefore beneath us. For too long we’ve had that mindset and look what it has got us. Folks, we have to roll up our sleeves and do the dirty work. You, our silent majority, I’m sure has seen your share of wrongdoing and chose to mind your own business – and that’s the way we were raised, but at some point you are going to have to speak out. After all, look who we have entrusted our lives to. I don’t have to tell you who they are. You know them well. You see and hear them in the House of Assembly making total jackasses of themselves when they should be passing legislation that they have actually authored – and not just using the immunity of those hallowed halls to attack their opponents. That’s cowardly and spineless. My fellow Anguillians, I implore you to educate yourselves on the issues, so that come election time you will be up to speed on the issues and therefore be able to send the charlatans packing.
I’m afraid that we as Anguillians are losing our brand. When we were left to fend for ourselves, we found a way to survive. It’s time for the Anguilla of years gone by, to re-emerge an Anguilla in which we were raised to know the difference between right and wrong, an Anguilla where the men respected and cherished women, an Anguilla where the young men built their houses even before getting a wife, an Anguilla where even though we were the butt of endless jokes, we nonetheless managed to rise above it all. Unfortunately, that Anguilla ceases to exist. What we have today is an Anguilla in which greed trumps common decency. What we have today is an Anguilla in which each man looks out for himself. Teacher Arthwin writing in the June 15, 2012 Anguillian, had this to say: “We need to rid ourselves of envy, greed and corruption which exist in our society, and become a united people under God.”
Mr. Hughes has said that if you want to get information to Anguillians, put it in the papers and they won’t ever get it because Anguillians don’t read. Maybe that it why he sat in the Governor’s Office where he signed on to the takeover of our indigenous banks and allowed a total stranger to tell us what had transpired. He did issue a press release to the papers, and if his assertion is correct, we don’t read, then we’re none the wiser and therefore he could care less if we ever found out what’s going on. The FCO in its white paper highlighted what good governance ought to be in the Overseas Territories. The Chief Minister obviously didn’t read it. His behavior with regard to the takeover of the banks was inexcusable. He could have at least let the people know what was going on, though it was not something that he looked forward to – but under the circumstances something had to be done. Make the case to your people. It would be nice to know how much input he afforded the opposition.
Before I go, let me say this: This week the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s march on Washington is being celebrated and we have a chance to reflect on where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. True, we’ve elected the first Black President and that historical event set in motion a series of events the likes of which we’ve never seen. On the mall, speaker after speaker told how we have lost most of the rights that MLK fought for and the dream continues. I thought it was ironic that in Anguilla we are also heading in the wrong direction. Gun violence is still occurring with regularity. We are just one serious incident away from getting blacklisted by the world community. Families can’t feed their children, pay their electric bills, have had to resort to the way it used to be – using the kerosene stove and the coal pot, items that we stopped using a long time ago. So tell me, is that progress? CM Hughes, can you truly look in the mirror and like what you see? How do you sleep at night? You will say that you were looking out for the best interests of Anguillians. If that is true, how then did it take you this long to do something about it and why now? Again, I know that you don’t make a move until it’s calculated for maximum effect. You didn’t even have the cojones to tell Anguillians what had happened to their local banks. You abdicated that responsibility to someone else. You let someone else do your job. But then what did we expect? When you fought with the Governor, you called on Caricom to send a delegation and then proceed to snub them. You have had a long history of taking the easy way out. You still want to take us into independence. Good luck with that.
Last week was a traumatic one for us and how we emerge from this remains to be seen. To listen to the calypso singers tell it, one is left to wonder how we managed to get this far. The general consensus is that we’re in trouble and we had better do something quick. We sit and wait for the government to do something and they seem to be paralyzed. When things aren’t going well, one looks to leadership to solve their problems – and when there is no one to offer any assurances that things are going to be OK, what is one left to do?
The question now is, where we go from here? The indigenous banks have been the objects of a takeover, the results of which are still unknown. We know that when hostile takeovers occur, top management is usually the ones to take the hit. However, when hostile takeovers occur in large cities, top management walks out with their golden parachutes never to be heard from again, but the effect they have on a small community, where everyone knows you, could be quite traumatic especially when you’ve done nothing that would warrant such shoddy treatment as the kind meted out to our banks officers. One would think that the Central Bank could have conducted its business in such a manner that did not embarrass those employees. It showed a total lack of respect for the very same people regardless of the circumstances under which they were asked to leave. One has to wonder about the professionalism of the ECCB with regard to the way in which it operated.
We elected the AUM on faith and that faith was betrayed. Anguilla, as we know it, is gone. We were a proud people, who flew our own planes and built our own boats when no one would come to our shores. We did everything for ourselves. We could boast that we were unlike anyone in the world. Now we seem to be an endangered species. We have lost our moral compass, our entrepreneurial spirit. And now added to the mix is our China invasion. The Chinese merchants are slowly taking over our island in every conceivable way. They are the new Wal Mart in Anguilla, and if you’re familiar with Wal Mart, you’ll know that they force the smaller stores out of business. Anguillians, you may think that you are getting a good deal right now, but when Albert Lake and John Proctor are no more, see how you like it then. I’m not being ethnocentric here. I’m just stating facts. The Chinese possess exemplary business acumen. My fellow Anguillians, proceed with caution. Hold on to your land. If you must do something with it, lease it for years and in turn it will revert back to you or your offspring. Remember, that’s what makes us unique. We have land.
We have a government which seems uninterested in the day to day problems of its people. We have a CM who boasts that he doesn’t owe a cent to anyone. Of course, he’s done well for himself on the backs of those of us who fought to break away from Bradshaw. Chief Minister, do the honorable thing and call for new elections. Your government has failed the people of Anguilla. You have abdicated your responsibilities to your constituents. It’s time to go. The party’s over. I don’t think we can afford another year and a half of you and yours. What have we wrought on ourselves? We have no skin in the game and therefore we’re not motivated to do anything. We have set bad examples, so how the devil do we expect our young men to behave themselves. We import law enforcement officers to protect us. To them it’s just a job for which they are paid. The same applies to the teachers that we import to teach our kids. To them it’s also a job. When we were growing up, our teachers lived in our villages, knew our parents and genuinely cared for us. Does anyone really give a damn about us and our problems? We find ourselves in an untenable situation from which we see no light at the end of the tunnel. We can trace our troubles back to that fateful day when we decided Anguilla’s fate. Unfortunately, the road we chose has led us to this place, and looking back I’m sure we would do things differently. While we hold our breath as we await the final outcome of the takeover of our banks, let each one of us reflect on where we are and what we can do to get out of purgatory. Until then, may God help us all and may God bless Anguilla.
