On our quest to building a progressive and prosperous Anguilla our success or failure, in large measure, will depend on how we as a people approach gossip, politics and facts. This challenge is not limited to Anguilla but exists in most countries, races, ethnicities, cultures and political systems around the world. For purposes of this article, I would like to examine the implications of gossip and destructive politics and the value of facts.
Gossip
When most of us hear a story, we tend to first analyse its contents and scrutinize it to form our own conclusion as to its validity. Once the story seems somewhat plausible, how it is treated from there depends on how we are wired and/or what motivates us. For some persons, they simply cannot wait to start sharing – some persons will dismiss it as just gossip, some will say nothing and wait to hear it from other sources and some persons will get the facts before repeating. Of course, as is expected with gossip, there are always those who will modify it (make it even more sensational) and then pass it on. Gossip can involve the sharing of good news or bad news about a person, things or situations. This information has the potential to cause pain/harm to others or can cause others to feel a sense of pride depending on its contents. Unfortunately, gossip has little impact on the receiver if it is positive and, so, persons take pride in providing the type of gossip that will be most appealing. While this is done very little consideration is given to the implications of starting and spreading such gossip about others. What is really disheartening is that persons only take a position against gossip when it has an adverse impact on them.
Politics
Gossip takes on a new dimension when it is mixed with politics. Here in Anguilla the mixing of gossip and politics is familiar to all. It is made possible because some politicians seek to misguide persons who in turn fail to do the responsible thing and read for themselves or verify if the gossip has any factual basis – and so they simply spread whatever is heard. This then gets totally out of hand when the promoters of such gossip have a political bias or agenda. For example, If something fallacious is said about a politician, some of the blindly led supporters of an opposing politician, or party, clutch on to it and spread it far and wide, sometimes without even filtering it. Meanwhile, the politician who has fallen victim to this fallacious gossip may try to discredit it. On the other hand, if something positive is said about a politician, some of the supporters of an opposing politician spread a counteracting story to take away from the other politician. In the midst of this back and forth there will be others who will try to validate the gossip for its political benefit, and some who will try to discredit the gossip because of its political disbenefit.
Facts
However, the big challenge we face is getting the facts about any political issue to the people without it being downplayed or ignored as merely gossip. Quite frankly, the people of Anguilla are given no other choice but to question the stories that are passed on to them in a climate where gossip and hearsay run rampant. Our inability to achieve this, compromises society as a whole and threatens our democracy and, in great measure, limits our ability to grow as a Nation.
Over the past few weeks a number of factual issues were put in the public domain. These issues were raised by using factual information that each and everyone of us can verify. The basis for those issues being highlighted was to bring the severity of them to the people of Anguilla. When there are facts that are unknown to a majority of persons – that have the potential to seriously undermine our democracy and quality of life in Anguilla – it is incumbent that those facts be brought forward. The advantage of bringing such factual information forward is that it allows for prompt attention and can give insight as to how to protect society against such abuses. The issues of which I speak are:
1. Conflict of interest – Where a former Minister of Finance in the Government of Anguilla was a Director of some 34 companies which he formed while at the same time sitting in the office of Minister of Finance.
2. Conflict of interest – Operating a company formation company while sitting in office as Minister of Finance during the period 1994 – 2010.
3. Conflict of interest – Former Chief Minister functioning as Chairman of the board of the Caribbean Commercial Bank while being the Chief Minister of Anguilla.
4. Conflict of interest – The Government of Anguilla under the former Chief Minister doing business with the Caribbean Commercial Bank while the Chief Minister was Chairman of the same bank.
5. All elected members of Government (except Mr. Albert Hughes, on at least one occasion) agreed and voted to increase their own salaries during the period 2005 – 2009.
6. All elected members of Government agreed and voted to approve their own pension scheme, including gratuity, during the period 2005 – 2009.
This past Thursday, 19th September, there were two guests on the talk-show BOND (Building Our Nation Democratically) on Koolfm 103.3 at 8:00 pm speaking on the issues of Good Governance, Business Ethics and Conflicts Of Interest). The two guests were Professor Delroy Louden, President of the Anguilla Community College, and Mr. Cebert Adamson an instructor on Good Governance, Business Ethics and Conflicts Of Interest. Adamson was one of the lecturers, two weeks ago, in Anguilla lecturing on the principles of Good Governance, Business Ethics and Conflicts of Interest to some 70 senior government and private sector staff. (This was where Rev. H. Clifton Niles and I met him and his colleague from Jamaica and invited them both on the talk-show.) While the talk-show on Thursday dealt with the issues from a philosophical standpoint, both guests were asked specific questions about issues happening on the ground in Anguilla. We will replay the talk-show several times in the coming weeks and months as we feel that the public needs to be made aware of the issues that threaten the development of our country and its people.
On the show both guests spent time considering the topic of conflicts of interest in relation to government in Anguilla. The issue of a sitting minister of finance holding a position of directorship on a private corporation was raised to which both gentlemen found to be an example of a conflict of interest, an act that should not happen or be allowed to happen. Similarly, they both indicated as well that a sitting minister of finance should not be operating a company formation company while in office. These statements were not made without a possible solution to the problem. It was recommended that if a minister wants to retain his or her business interest that minister should place their interest in a blind trust so the minister has absolutely no say in its management while functioning in government. What was even more noteworthy was that both gentlemen made it clear that if Government does business with a company where the minister has a conflict (is a director and a minister of government), then that would be a form of corruption.
The issue of a sitting chief minister holding the position of chairman of a bank at the same time was also raised to which the gentlemen made clear is another example of a conflict of interest. Furthermore, it then becomes serious and problematic if or when the Government of which the chief minister is a part then turns around and does business with the same bank. What both gentlemen essentially boiled this down to is a situation where the chief minister would be borrowing money from him/herself.
The other issue that was raised was that of politicians setting their own salaries. This was deemed to be corrupt and certainly unethical. The thinking was that if politicians are going to set the salary of a minister, it should be for those ministers elected in the next administration – it should not be for themselves to benefit while in their elected capacity. It was further suggested that in order to avoid issues like this, and outlandish salary increases (25%), that the salary and pension for ministers and former ministers be set by another entity – a special commission or body.
Ethics in public life, good governance and avoiding conflicts of interests are becoming topical around the region and the world. Next year in the Cayman Islands there will be a ‘UCCI Conference’ entitled “Towards a Corruption-Free Caribbean: Ethics, Governance and Morality”. Over the next few weeks we will have some of the resource persons of the conference on the talk-show BOND (Building Our Nation Democratically) and encourage persons to tune in and hear the facts as opposed to gossip or politics as usual.
The growth and development of a people is the highest calling of a leader. We are failing our people terribly, especially our young people, when we condone wrong among us. The effects of our unethical approach to governance here in Anguilla has already trickled into the thinking of one of our most precious resources – our young people. During some informal sessions with fourth and fifth form students at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School recently, over 80% of the students claimed that when they leave Anguilla to pursue tertiary education they are not coming back. This does not speak well of our leadership and stewardship of Anguilla.
What do our youth have to look forward to growing up in Anguilla? Was the focus ever really on the youth of Anguilla? Was the focus ever really on the future of our island? As a people, we do not have to sit back and accept mediocrity any longer. The time has come for the people to make their voices heard. The adults in our society must rise up, not for us, but for the youth of this nation. We do not have to accept conflict of interest and corruption as okay. By the way, some persons have uttered that there is really no big deal about conflicts of interests. To those persons who are still not sure whether it is destructive to Anguilla’s progress, just imagine how you would feel if you were scheduled for a medical operation and just before the surgery is performed you find out that the doctor is also an undertaker – the director of a funeral home. In this scenario some questions that automatically go through your mind are: 1) which job will the doctor be looking out for today – his job as an undertaker or his medical profession? 2) is life important to him today, or is death important to him today? 3) which conflicting interest will he seek to serve? 4) will he spare my life so that he can protect the reputation of his medical profession? 5) or will he take my life so that he can carry out his job as an undertaker? These questions are merely meant to highlight the major problem with conflicts of interests. I can guarantee that few if any persons would still allow that doctor to perform the surgery. If you can, apply similar questioning to a minister who functions under the ministry of finance setting policy for businesses and being director of businesses at the same time.
In Anguilla we have been crippled for way too long. There is some dry, brown grass that has been covering the young, fresh, green grass that lies below, and my sole motivation for calling these issues out is to clear that dry, brown grass so the land can blossom again. Political leadership involves sacrifice. It is not an opportunity to acquire but to give back faithfully, passionately and honestly to country. It requires us to make a choice: it is either going to be the people of Anguilla or self. No man can serve two masters.
If the leaders of Anguilla over the many years had chosen to serve one master, as a nation we would be better off. For many years both the former administration under the Anguilla United Front, and the current administration under the Anguilla United Movement, have been talking about having a new labour code and establishing a minimum wage for the people of Anguilla. To date it has not been done. Meanwhile, they have set, passed and, in some cases, benefitted from severance/gratuity schemes and retirement schemes for themselves as politicians. Based on what Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers said in the House of Assembly a few months ago, “We all sat in the back office and agreed our pay increase”. He went on: “Member for district number 6, you were part of it – the member for district number 5 was also part of it. We the elected members were all part of it”. The struggling people of this island are waiting for a minimum wage for years and years, nothing has happened about it. The last pay increase for politicians under the Anguilla United Front government was 25% – placing them among the highest paid politicians in the Eastern Caribbean. (These politicians sure do take care of themselves.) For over 15 years parliamentarians here in Anguilla have been talking about severance pay for workers. We are yet to see it. Meanwhile, workers are been released all the time without adequate compensation. These are issues that must be addressed for the people of Anguilla. Sadly, it appears that the only matter of urgency for the Anguilla United Front, while in office, was to increase their salaries and ensure that their gratuity was hefty. The Anguilla United Movement government is yet to deliver on these very same issues.
It is Abdul Kalam who said, “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel that there are three societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother, and the teacher”. I would like to add one more – and that would be its political leaders. We can do so much for Anguilla if we took the focus away from ourselves as leaders and focus on positively transforming the lives of our people. The sooner we all realise that we are mere custodians of Anguilla – for our children and all future generations – the sooner we change our focus and outlook on life. I tell my children all the time that everything I have is for my grandchildren. I want them to take care of it and pass it on to my grandchildren, for me. I have then asked them to give their children the same instructions. This is what sustainability is all about.
What an awesome challenge and opportunity we have: charting a course for OUR Anguilla and its people. Free of gossip and political games and more facts. The people deserve to know the facts. As leaders, let us not allow our own selfishness and greed to get in the way of serving faithfully, fearlessly and honestly the people of Anguilla.
May God guide us!
It is important that I extend my condolences to the families who are faced with the recent tragedies. The pain must be indescribable and unexplainable but with time you will rise again. I would encourage all Anguillians to give support and encouragement to those families at this time. After all, we are one people, one family!
