We welcome the New Year hoping that “the newness of you” will manifest itself in your understanding of the political situation on our beloved island. We hope, fellow Anguillians, that you realize that the time has come to “upgrade” — and to get some new people to put new and better ideas on the table. So far we have been stuck with old ideas in a politically deteriorating period saturated with the same blame game of the past years. This government has been absent from the table of new ideas for a considerable time now. It lacks vision. The Good Book says: “Where there is no vision the people shall perish”. We may not have perished yet — but a lot of us are suffering under the misguided management of an out-dated regime.
Frankly, by with this Government at the helm nothing original or different can be expected of its members. They have spoken volumes about nothing else but blame. Therefore unless we are gluttons for punishment — it serves no worthwhile purpose to keep them in Office.
They promised us “poodle power” but made us powerless instead. That is not what we expected from them. We very much understand the nature of campaigns, but we recognize that the Chief Minister’s campaign was based entirely on lies and promises that he knew he could not fulfill. It was aimed at making “suckers” of the electorate. He fooled many people. Who is he that wants to be fooled by him again?
Now that we had four years to see through it — it is on our shoulders now to rethink, upgrade and root them out thereby giving Anguilla the chance it badly needs. We got to start with the way we think politically and the way we use our political institutions.
The present rulers and the ruled must understand the proper workings of parliamentary democracy, particularly, the role of a Minister. It must be understood that although this CM may be saddled with several Ministries, he is still not yet the “Lord Protector of Anguilla”.
Our Constitution sets our political boundaries and recently this regime has crossed them. That is the problem. And unless we clean up our political mess we cannot and will not progress generally. That is readily recognized when you listen to misinformed noises in the House of Assembly coming from the Government side, and particularly from the grandstanding and buffoonery of the Parliamentary Secretary. His utterings take no notice of change and are only anchored in blame the past administration. This is a real disappointment coming from someone of that age — with the privilege of performing in that capacity. So, we must look for others who will look to the future with positive and progressive change in mind.
Already campaign winds are blowing from odd directions because they are bad winds that blow us no good. According to the CM, we need “a wind of change” — but not like this. As you may recall the last time he was in power Hurricane Lenny came from the west. So why is he carrying on with the same old nonsense? Does he think that Anguillians are blind to it? Or does he feel it is working, so there is need to stop it?
But, really, who wants to hear about transshipment; how Hughes allegedly lied to the International University Accreditation Body; how only the orange trucks are getting all the business; or why some people are parking their trucks on Government land and not paying anything? Let it go! And let us look at what changes can be brought to our industrial superstructure that would provide jobs for our people. “Now is time-no more” for the same old stupidity! We want some thing new! And if the CM is going to “guttersnipe” and bring-up same “old fraught” as he has promised he will — then perhaps the Opposition should not remain calm but should meet him halfway and campaign on the much broadcasted attachment to Oxford University; a purchase at a Store on Oxford St in London; on name-calling; and ridicule at the Basseterre Grammar School. In fact the CM should be served a dose of his own medicine. If they were to search the closets they will find skeletons in them!
But we don’t want to go there. We want to raise the bar and that is why we ask the HUGHES’s to join us in a new dialogue on issues concerning the economic and political health of the island.
There is the need for us to consider meaningfully how to grow the economy; determine the optimum population size to obtain decent wage levels and sustainable levels of employment; get a proper understanding of the highest and best use of land; raising investment capital; putting together a sensible and workable immigration policy; assessing and seeking opportunities for industrial diversification; and, generally speaking, begin to build the new Anguilla promised during the Anguilla Revolution.
But these issues require heavy lifting and cannot be undertaken by “political pigmies” or those who live in the Dinosaur Age. They require men of modern thought and political acumen — not those who say they are squeaky clean then turn around and “cuss your mother”. Neither do we need those who think in “gymnasium terms” and believe that strength is measured by bulk — and brain is measured by brawn. That is the mentality we should get away from in this upcoming election — for good.
And that is the newness that we seek — a different approach. The past is gone. Yesterday has come and gone. Why do we in Anguilla, make elections so personal? When you think about it makes no sense. Consider the fact a person who goes to pains to assure us that he/she is squeaky-clean; who was not born rich; and who for most of his/her working life here has been in politics — is now considered wealthy! Should that now show up at campaign time with a question mark? It would under the CM’s style and model of politics! So, we want to steer away from that approach because there is very little distinction between receiving money for favours and giving money to people at election time who you would not give at other times. Therefore we cannot campaign on who is the cleanest, or who is most corrupt, because all corruption is wrong — corruption is corruption. What we want from these “political noise-makers” are answers to issues instead of “politricks” and “washerwoman politics”.
Fellow Anguillians, we need to break from this psyche that the CM has masterminded and which we have accepted for far too long. Let us try something new. Hence, every elector, by his vote, must make a loud appeal to the Hughes’s to keep it clean and put decency wrapped in intelligent ideas on the table. This is not a Limbo Dance — we really do not want to know how low you can go! And to the clergy who are wanna-be-politicians — let’s not serve God and Mammon, interchangeably. It is confusing. In fact, it may be a conflict of interest. The ultimate conflict of interest! Instead, let us remember the biblical admonishment to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.
