Since the advent of ministerial government in Anguilla some thirty seven years ago, government has been the private domain of an all male club. We’ve watched with trepidation as an array of male assemblymen occupied their offices with mixed results. Last week I alluded to the fact that it needs another Webster to take the reins of our government. Well, this week, I’m about to be a bit more specific with my assertion. I believe that our country is ready for female leadership and, to that point, I believe that female to be Ms. Palmavon Webster. I’ll tell you why. Let’s look at Ms. Webster.
Ms Webster is a daughter of the soil who has stayed true to her roots. She still lives in Island Harbour where she was born. She was educated at the old East End School and later went on to The Valley Secondary School, as it was called, and then on to Law School at the University of the West Indies in Barbados. At the conclusion of her legal studies she returned to Anguilla, at a time when other students failed to come back despite the fact that they went away to study on government scholarships. Upon return, Ms. Webster became a Crown Counsel, a post she held for two years. She later became a partner in the Law Firm of Webster, Dyrud and Mitchell, where she continues to be a partner.
Ms. Webster entered the political arena for the first time in 2010 when she contested a seat as a member of the Anguilla Progressive Party coming in second in District One. She would later disassociate herself from the APP because as she puts it: “I have really found that our values have separated. I don’t feel that we are sharing the same values anymore.”
Though Ms. Webster’s bid for political office was unsuccessful, she continued to be a force to be reckoned with. In addition to being a very successful lawyer, specializing in International Trust Law and International Tax law, she is also the President of the Anguilla Financial Services Association and Chairperson of Anguilla Finance. She has been an advocate for a strong financial industry for over twenty-five years and continues to fight to bring Anguilla back to the forefront again.
In addition to being a highly qualified lawyer with an international reputation, Ms Webster possesses that je-na-sais-quoi – that exemplary star quality that’s innate in a leader. Qualities such as being a good listener, being respectful, always maintaining a level head even when she’s being verbally attacked by the opposition. She’s capable and stands head and shoulders above the rest. She has “it” whatever it is. That quality that we need in a leader. Someone who will not be combative, but will be firm and be able to reciprocate – be consistent and rise above the fray. Of good leaders, retired General Colin Powell, in a lecture to his master class on leadership at Stanford University at Palo Alto, told his students: “Good leaders are made not born. Leadership is all about people and getting the most out of people. It’s about conveying a sense of purpose in a selfless manner and creating trust while displaying moral and physical courage.”
Just this week we saw courage at its zenith when the President of the United States stood up to the Republican Congress who threatened to shut down the government and then had the temerity to follow through. The president was resolute and firm in his convictions and refused to be blackmailed into acquiescing to their demands. General Powell advocates that “you never show fear or anger and to have a sense of optimism.”
Ms. Webster is that person who shows grace under pressure. Of leadership, the Father of the Nation, Mr. Ronald Webster, on his 85th birthday, told a large crowd of the nation’s youth, that they should aspire to leadership. He went on to say that it is a Government’s responsibility to inspire its people to improve their standards of living, to create the necessary opportunities for them and to guard their individual rights. Public life is a crowning career for young men and women and it is a most worthy ambition. Clean politics and leadership must be seen as an honorable adventure for those wishing to work towards nation-building.
Mr. Webster went on to say that, “Seeking political office is an enormous national commitment. But only well-qualified persons in terms of education, dedication and integrity, and with the right leadership charisma, should be selected for public office at the highest level. This holds true whether it is by the ballot box or other forms of legal appointment.”
And so I think it is time that we join our neighbors – in Jamaica, in Bermuda, in Trinidad – and elect our first female Chief Minister in Palmavon Webster, someone who possesses all of the characteristics alluded to by both General Powell and the Father of the Nation, Mr. Ronald Webster. Ms. Webster has been a stalwart when it comes to Anguilla. She is, in addition to being a societal and community activist, someone who cares deeply about Anguilla’s economic and social structure and will do what’s necessary to bring Anguilla to the forefront once again.
The time has come for us to relinquish the reins of government to the women. Palmavon Webster is the one person who holds all the necessary qualifications to get the job done.She will be able to use her knowledge of international politics and finance, in addition to being a lawyer, to sit at the table with the heavyweights on the international stage.
For someone who has stayed at home when everyone else has left, Pam Webster will be the right choice to take Anguilla forward. She has the temperament, the knowledge, the drive and, most of all, the fire in her belly to get us back on an even keel moving forward. So until, next time, let’s think about what needs to be done – and with whom do we wish to align ourselves for an Anguilla reborn. May God bless us all and may God bless Anguilla.
