The Editor
The Anguillian newspaper
VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH GOVERNOR CHRISTINA SCOTT
WHAT’S LEGAL IS NOT NECESSARILY RIGHT
I am very disappointed with Governor Scott’s handling of the issue concerning the Lack of Quorum in the House of Assembly, on Friday 25th October, when two extremely important pieces of legislation – the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2013 and the Eastern Caribbean Bank Agreement (Amendment) Act 2013 – were passed, if I could use that word. She took the easy way out by saying that the proceedings were legal and legitimate. In my view, and that of many enlightened Anguillians, their legality is doubtful but they certainly lacked legitimacy.
I find it most difficult to understand the Governor’s preparedness to sign the laws when the process of their making was so seriously flawed. The House was virtually empty except for the four members on the Government side – only two of whom had the benefit of a tertiary education. Hubert Hughes allegedly holds a Ph D degree in character assassination, slandering and mudslinging from Oxfart University, and his son, Haydn, allegedly holds a double Masters degree in the same subject areas.
The proceedings in the House that day were, for the most part, without the services of the Attorney General to deal with any legal issues which may have arisen with respect to the two important bits of legislation. And there was no Deputy Governor. Both of them, along with the Deputy Speaker, had walked out apparently after having observed that the House had no quorum. Having said that, it was most disappointing that neither the Deputy Speaker, the Attorney General nor the Deputy Governor stood up and tell the Speaker, who is allegedly extremely incompetent and yet arrogant, that the House’s proceedings should cease because of the lack of a quorum. The AG should have done it with a view to ensuring the credibility of the proceedings. Or the DG, as the representative of the Governor’s Office, in the House, should have done it with a view to ensuring good governance which is badly lacking in Anguilla. The failure of the AG and the DG to stand up and point out to the allegedly blind Speaker that there was no quorum suggests that they may have been afraid to offend Chief Minister Hughes.
Notwithstanding the failure of the Deputy Speaker, the AG and the DG to do so, my major concern is Governor Scott. As I said, earlier, she is a disappointment. In her response to the Opposition’s letter, of 28th October, asking her not to sign the two bills, because of the flawed procedure in their making, she wrote in part: “I am therefore of the view that the legislation was passed in a way that was both legal and legitimate. And so, as a matter of law, the legislation will now come to me in the usual way that would enable my assent.”
I now tell the Governor that her response was very poor – unfortunate; and that she has to stand up for what is RIGHT and not necessarily legal, because a lot of times there are things which are legal but not right.
Governor, I urge you stand up for what is both RIGHT and legal – not only legal but right as well. The manner of the passing of the two pieces of legislation in the House was not right – was indecent – a travesty of the lawmaking process, and not in keeping with the principles of good governance which you are charged with upholding. Most Anguillians are shocked by your decision and have lost faith in you. The proceedings were undemocratic and you seem to have turned a blind eye to that fact.
Governor, how can it be right for only four members of an eleven-member House to pass legislation binding on the Anguillian people without input from all, or most, of the people’s representatives? You will say the process was legal, but was it right? (By the way, Governor, one of the four members present was nominated to the House by his father. He is unelected.)
Governor, is it right for a father and his son (Hubert and Haydn), and two others, to go to the House and pass legislation binding on Anguillian people? Governor, no! That is wrong. Refuse to sign the legislation. Governor, stand up for what is right?
Governor, is it right for a father and his son to go to the House for the purpose of giving three bills their first readings but use the absence of a quorum to give two of them (the Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2013 and the Eastern Caribbean Bank Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2013) all three readings and passing them there and then? Governor, no! That is wrong. Refuse to sign the legislation. Governor, stand up for what is right, decent and democratic.
Governor, is it right for the Government to call a meeting of the House, to pass legislation, without properly informing the members of the Opposition so that they could make an input? You may say the process was legal, but is it right? The Leader of the Opposition only knew about the meeting because he happened to meet the Speaker, some hours before, at the ALHCS graduation ceremony. One member did not know about the meeting at all. The members of the Opposition were without the agenda and other relevant papers.
Governor, is it right for you to sign legislation which was made in a House when your two representatives (the AG and the DG) absented themselves apparently because of the lack of a quorum? Doesn’t that tell you something was wrong? You will say the process was legal, but was it right?
Governor, is it right for you to sign legislation which was made in a House when there was no debate – only character assassinations, slander and mudslinging and attacks on the personal lives of innocent Anguillian people? You may say that the process was legal, but was it right? That meeting of the House was stinks.
You know something, Governor. I am wondering whether you are afraid of offending CM Hughes – wondering if you are working hard to stay in his good books. If you are indeed afraid of him, you could have asked the Secretary of State to exercise his power of disallowance with respect to the bills until they were properly debated by the House. It’s not too late.
Lastly, Governor, you are in Anguilla to ensure good governance – democratic governance. Let us begin to see some effort, in that regard, from you. Stand up for what is right, and not for what is wrong even though it might be legal.
Sincerely
A champion for what is right
(Name withheld at writer’s request)
