Christina Scott
It is a great privilege and pleasure to extend my warmest greetings at this special Christmas time.
It is six months since I came to Anguilla. Since July, I have been uplifted by the warmth of the welcome you have given me, moved by the compassion and support communities here show to one another, and inspired both by the pride Anguillians have in their history, and the strength of their hopes for the future.
This has been a busy year, in which Anguilla has taken important steps. We have seen new construction projects start, bringing the prospect of more visitors to our island, more jobs and future economic growth. We have worked with international organisations to ensure the stability of our banking sector, and delivered a 2014 Budget for the Government of Anguilla that sets out plans to invest in much needed infrastructure.
There has been agreement on a loan to fund a new campus for the Anguilla Community College, so that we invest in the education of our young people, and equip our future leaders with the skills they need. And UK funding is in place to improve the infrastructure of our primary schools.
At a local level, across the island, people have given freely of their skills and resources to enhance opportunities for young people and support the vulnerable. They have improved and increased the extra-curricular opportunities for our children, and provided practical assistance and friendship to the elderly and isolated.
We have seen communities stand together to demonstrate that they will not accept violence – loudly proclaiming that it is only by uniting as an island that we will break the cycle of violence. And we have provided more resources to the police force to help them bring to justice those who reject the peaceful aspirations that the majority holds dear.
And Anguilla has shown too that it can act on a world stage – whether by meeting international expectations in financial services regulation, or competing across a wide range of sports at the highest levels.
Despite these cautiously encouraging signs, I know that for many families this continues to be a difficult time, with job and money concerns. It will be a while yet before these developments translate into a stronger economy which delivers more dollars into the pockets of struggling families. So this is a time for us all to recommit to supporting Anguilla in the year ahead.
We can all do something to make more enjoyable the visits of those tourists on whom our economy depends, so that they share with their friends the uniqueness of Anguilla and the warmth of its people. We can continue to make Anguilla an attractive place to invest, by ensuring our companies, public bodies and utilities, and legal profession are more efficient, accountable and transparent. Those of us in public service must ensure that every taxpayer dollar is used as effectively as possible, and that our decisions protect both the vulnerable and our rich natural heritage.
We should reflect on whether we are spending our time on the things that will deliver the biggest improvements for Anguilla – resisting the urge to get distracted by petty disputes and point-scoring, but instead working collaboratively and making the time to understand the perspective of those we are interacting with.
We can draw inspiration from those who volunteer their time freely through faith organisations and civil society groups to help others and to help Anguilla – and we can contribute our energy and skills to their cause. We can look out for and help the vulnerable in our communities, and support the dreams of our children so that they fulfil their potential. And we can challenge and speak out about those who do not uphold the values of peace, honesty and harmony that should underpin a prosperous, safe and resilient Anguilla.
So amid the laughter and companionship we will hopefully enjoy in the coming days, we should take a moment to give thanks for the many blessings we have received, but to pray too for comfort for those who are suffering and are less fortunate than us, wherever they are in the world.
The truth of Christmas teaches us that God’s way of being human starts from the humblest of origins, and from an unlikely birth as a vulnerable human baby in a dirty stable. From this kind of divine beginning the world can be changed for the better.
That it is from the poorest and most challenged, and not from the rich and most powerful, that the greatest transformations can occur. As St Paul tells us, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men”.
As we draw our friends and families close to us over this Christmas period, it is therefore worth reflecting on what the Christmas story might mean for us in Anguilla.
What those steps are that we might each pledge to take in 2014, however small, to help keep Anguilla on the road to economic recovery, and to build a safe and secure community.
I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May God bless us all, and may God bless Anguilla.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
