Monday, 30th September 2013 (North Side, Anguilla) —As usual, many thoughts were swirling around in my head this morning. So to keep my mind constructively occupied, I decided to do my favourite activity, creative writing. Some of today’s contemplations centre on words I heard spoken Saturday morning whilst listening to the Mayor Show on Kool FM 103.3.
Ms Pam Webster, one of the radio programme moderators, said some things that really resonated within me. So much so that I wrote them down on a small piece of paper and posted the note on a wall above my writing desk, as a daily conscious reminder. She said, “Move Anguilla forward. Come together. Stay together. Celebrate our differences. Transform to true potential.” I like those words “transform to our true potential”. That’s exactly what many of us are doing in our lives and doing for the sustainability of Anguilla, our small island nation.
As a writer, I feel compelled to write about social, economic or other aspects of our community that we need to examine in order to help us shift our conscious awareness. Thanks to the readers who have given me many compliments on my writing style and who encourage me to continue on this path. I choose to present written words in a way that motivates us to come up with our own positive solutions.
So on this Monday morn, I have decided to write another literary composition for The Anguillian focussing on moving Anguilla forward and how we can take small measurable steps to move ourselves and our community forward. Through the inspirational and uplifting words spoken by Ms Webster, we are all encouraged individually, and as a community, to find positive ways to “Move Anguilla forward”.
Anguilla’s vision for creating a prosperity consciousness
There are many great initiatives, activities and events going on in the various villages and organisations across the island. And we give great praise and sincere thanks to all who are helping us to move forward. Our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who plays a role, large or small! Each person’s part contributes to the whole community’s well being.
Yet, as we all know, at least I hope that we’re aware, there’s so much more we are capable of doing. If we just make a few slight changes in shifting our awareness to what we actually can do, then we can make some real progress instead of playing the “blame game” or defending ourselves and our positions. Blaming others is really about the mind’s ego rather than the true inner self.
Anguilla 44: A Vision for Prosperity is one such initiative that’s being spoken about in public circles as a way to move Anguilla forward in terms of tourism. This concept was presented in July and August 2013 to participants at the Economic Forum organised by the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry and to members of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association. I also had a personal opportunity to find out more regarding Anguilla 44 when Mrs Melinda Goddard and I met for a delicious lunch at da’Vida Bayside Grill earlier in June. We chatted about the visionary concept and our ideas of how to move Anguilla forward.
Many people are wondering, “What is Anguilla 44?” A caller on last Saturday’s Mayor Show asked for further explanation. A few persons even thought the number 44 related to the 1967 Anguilla Revolution, which has no significance. In simple terms, the number refers to 44 weeks of the year from January through August and November to December when most visitors arrive on island and the majority of tourism related establishments are “open for business”. This Anguilla 44 concept excludes the eight weeks of September and October, as it’s the slow season when quite a few businesses are closed on Anguilla.
The prosperity vision states if we have full occupancy in accommodations for 44 weeks every year, as we do annually during Christmas week, then we will have full-time employment. To get more background on this extraordinary concept, read parts 1 and 2 of the Anguilla 44: A Vision for Prosperity, which was printed in The Anguillian on Friday, 20th and 27th September 2013, pages 24-25 and 28-29; available online at www.theanguillian.com.
What can we individually do to contribute to our prosperity?
With my deep love of Anguilla, one of my rave reviewers challenged me to write pieces for travel magazines. The intention is through using my creative writing skills that my written words will inspire tourists to come visit the island. This individual envisions my name’s by-line in magazines like Coastal Living, Departures and Town & Country, and even The New York Times travel section. Well, I must say that I’m extremely honoured to have an esteemed colleague think so highly of my God-given gifts.
One day, I intend on taking up the challenge to write for such well-known publications. I can’t as yet picture myself doing that. However, it’s a real possibility. I’m confident The Most High will divinely guide me to aspire to reach higher heights with my writing talents. For the time being, I’m empowered to incorporate prosperity visions and many other themes into my regularly composed opinion editorials. I hope my words will inspire everyone to play an active and positive role in moving Anguilla forward.
encouraging government to help create prosperity
The government coffers may be depleted of money, but there are other avenues that can be taken to help achieve this Anguilla 44: A Vision of Prosperity. A major way forward that has been visualised is to reduce, lower or entirely eliminate duty-free concessions given to large project developers. It’s understandable that we want to encourage project development and construction on Anguilla, so that more people are employed with jobs. Nonetheless, giving away millions of dollars to bring in developers who may or may not complete projects just doesn’t make any sense economically.
Giving duty-free concessions to wealthy developers doesn’t guarantee projects will be completed nor ensure a particular number of jobs will be given to local persons. When we give away concessions to those who have the finances and can afford to pay, the populace residing in the country ends up paying more in taxes and levies to make up for these lost revenues. We might ask our government ministers, “Why does the Government of Anguilla continue to give duty-free concessions to persons who have financial wealth and can afford to pay these monies? Why do we, the ordinary citizens, who mostly don’t have much or anything to spare, continue to bear the brunt of tax burdens?
These kinds of taxation practices are from an old, antiquated system that was imposed by government systems across the globe, in North America, the UK and worldwide. The “Rich” generally have gotten all of the tax breaks and incentives – whilst the “Poor and Middle Class” have had to pay the majority of taxes. In essence, we “rob the poor and give to the rich”.
Something really needs shift to make vast improvements, so the wealth is shared and everyone benefits. Like Robin Hood, we ought to take from the rich and share with all. I believe it’s high time we change this taxation system, so that everyone has a chance to be well off (not wealthy, but at least with all of the basic essential needs met).
Private sector opportunities that create a prosperous vision
Projects like the development of the Road Salt Pond in Sandy Ground, to produce bath salts, are excellent opportunities for us to get back to utilising our natural resources and developing entrepreneurial skills in young people. I hope that the developer, Mr Tom Graham will also consider mining the sea salt for consumption, making it edible for table use and cooking.
This production might alleviate importation of salt and thus reduce the cost by buying locally. We could also export salt for consumers to use in other Caribbean islands or countries worldwide. The salt pond project could create a small light industry that would have financial rewards for the Anguilla community – providing employment, teaching employable and entrepreneur skills, and producing an item for export which would bring in much needed revenue.
I’m also in favour of using the salt pond project as a heritage attraction site. As a child, I visited the salt mines in Bavaria, Germany. What wonderful vacation memories I have looking at photos of my parents, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, and cousins dressed in our Bavarian attire travelling on rail cars down the steep shafts of the mine!
As for other private sector projects, I’d like to see us start utilising what we have already built instead of asking government for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to build another hotel. We can optimise opportunities by taking properties that were started and re-creating them into something different or new. This would be recycling the old and creating the new. Eco-conscious tourists would be impressed with our ingenuity and we could market this as part of our tourism features.
Why not improve what we already have instead of allowing it to fall into disrepair? We’ve got enough concrete structures on island. Putting up more structures of steel and blocks has an environmental impact, a cause and an effect. Don’t we want to keep the beauty of our island, as it is now? Low-lying buildings provide us with a picturesque landscape, whether on the coastline or in the interior, and that suits our tranquil Anguilla life. Shouldn’t we want to make do with less, fewer materialistic things and have a more simple living?
In my youth, I often talked about a theory I had – that if we continued building more and more, soon Mother Earth would revolt and everything would collapse inward destroying what humans had built. May be that’s not scientifically a possible reality, but God does create natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes that easily destroy what man constructs.
How do we come together as a community to move Anguilla forward?
I truly believe, despite whatever challenges we may face in our lives, that we can come together as a community network to reach out and help one another. Working together, we can better ourselves and our nation. We all have a role to play in creating these uplifting opportunities.
From the persons who greet us with smiles upon entry at air and seaports, and who easily facilitate our arrivals, to the individuals who kindly assist us with travel reservations and greet us smiling as we prepare to depart, to the children in schoolyards who say hello with friendly smiles, and to the adults whom we warmly greet in passing on the roads or in various places, everyone of us can make a positive difference in each person’s life.
Words to inspire and motivate us to move forward
In closing, I have a few words of motivation and inspiration to share: Be inspired. Be the instrument of change that you wish to be. Search for the truth. Find your passion and uniqueness to share with the world. Do whatever you can to move yourself AND our beloved Anguilla forward.
I also encourage women and young people to share your thoughts and stories, like Mrs Marilyn Hodge writes in her column Positive Living and Miss Michealanne F. Benjamin composed in her article, Still Growing Up as a Child printed in last Friday’s The Anguillian. We all have positive words to share, to encourage, to inspire, and to uplift ourselves.
May God continue to bless and protect everyone of us, and our beloved Anguilla!
Kay M. Ferguson is a Creative Writer/Editor who took Lawyer, Activist and Author Randall Robinson’s words to heart writing of socio-economic challenges in our communities. Tolink with Kay, callmobile or US landline numbers 1.264.476.8735 or 1.206.388.4848.Send an e-message toanguillawriter@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/kaymferguson,www.linkedin.com/kay-m-ferguson, or tweet #@kaykayferguson.
