On the evening of Tuesday, 18th February 2014, the Government of Anguilla held a public meeting in order to give an account of their stewardship since assuming responsibility four years ago. The speakers, in order, were Mr. Patrick Hanley, Advisor to the Chief Minister; Mr. Jerome Roberts, Minister of Home Affairs; Mr. Haydn Hughes, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Sports; Mr. Evan Gumbs, Minister of Infrastructure, Communications, Housing and Utilities; and Mr. Hubert Hughes, Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Tourism, Industry, Commerce, and Health and Social Development.
The Government needs to be complimented for the idea and effort made to share with the people of Anguilla the things that are being done on our behalf, and the accomplishments made which ought to impact our lives for the better. This is no favour done by the Government but rather a responsibility executed. Listening to the various speeches, one would get the impression that a lot has been achieved. However, listening to a growing number of persons, and looking around in the various communities, one has to conclude that instead of getting better, things are getting worse. Life is getting harder for more and more people; the level of frustration and sense of hopelessness is growing; unemployment has increased; and, generally, the island is well-nigh at a standstill (some would say it has begun or is about to implode). The intention of this short article is not to do an analysis of where we are economically and socially. That was the purpose of the meeting. No further comments about that issue will be made here.
As I indicated, the purpose of the meeting was to give an account of the “stewardship of the Government.” As such, it could have been improved in several ways, hence this article. In other words, this is an attempt to encourage us to “raise the bar”.
In the first place, the various speakers seemed to have confused the nature of a “stewardship address” with that of a campaign speech. What we heard on 18th February were mainly campaign speeches. The first speaker rightly shared the major challenges which had been faced, and while there was no meaningful discussion of the strategies which were employed to effectively deal with them, there was no need for subsequent speakers to repeat what was already pointed out. The use of the stewardship concept is correct because as a government you are the chief stewards of the resources and the trust of the nation. Your responsibility, therefore, is to use what you have received, liabilities or assets, to enhance the livelihood and wellbeing of every citizen, not just those who are your supporters. It is therefore not a favour you do for non-supporters – it is your duty. Completely out of place then, was the reference to how non-AUM citizens benefit from AUM stewardship. That was a serious slip-up.
In the second place, a major flaw was the attempt to blame others for your challenges or your failures. Every speaker that evening cast blame on someone, and rather than achieving anything positive, that blaming diminished the impact of the evening. The many times the immediate past Governor was referred to in derogative terms, the blatant falsehood that the fuel surcharge on your Anglec bill is used to pay dividends to investors, and the scathing attack on the civil servants, had absolutely no place in the stewardship account to the nation. As statesmen you must rise above that and set a new standard of accountability. Absolutely no one benefits from these negative and judgmental sentiments. Far more helpful would have been some realistic visioning for the future.
A stewardship report must be honest, objective and upbeat but void of political spin, untruth and negativisms.
While much more can be said by way of analysis, I will make one other point. Bear in mind that the purpose of this article is to indicate some ways in which we can “raise the bar on our politics”. It is in no way just a partisan criticism of the government but rather a passionate concern for political maturity, great statesmanship and national enhancement. In every civilized and democratic state, there is always only one government of the day. Given the nature of democracy, that the government is always elected by some of the people in the nation. Depending on the number of parties and candidates, the government may be elected by the majority or the minority of the citizens. Whatever the case may be, “The Government is the government of the Nation” and has a responsibility to the whole population. The Government therefore deserves the full support of every citizen. The support is sometimes blind support on the part of some citizens, and sometimes critical support on the part of others. Blind or critical, it is our duty as citizens to give our best support to the Government of the day. Relentless opposition, obstruction, criticism, and purely partisan and subjective judgment, should not be the order of the day.
By the same token, it is the sacred responsibility of the Government to be the Government. Once sworn into office as the Government, you need to remove your campaigning hat, put on your Government hat and be “The Government”. The shift must be made from being a “Candidate” to that of a “Government Official”. Unfortunately, because of a faulty political paradigm, that shift is often not made, and so you find that the competitive spirit of the campaign dominates and determines the behaviour even when there is no need for competition or campaign. This was a big shortcoming of the meeting on Tuesday, 18th February. If we can learn the art of wearing the hat which is appropriate for the “occasion”, we will raise the bar on our politics. This calls for maturity, wisdom and good judgment.
The world in which we now live calls for a much more mature and civilized approach to politics than what has been practiced in Anguilla over the years. To the perceptive observer, it is clear that this brand of politics is retrogressive rather than progressive. Thirty or forty years ago, Anguilla was like the crown jewel among the Overseas Territories, but this is not the case today. We are more like a pariah. The main reason for this is our brand of politics and style of leadership over several years. Ours now is not the era for confrontation and accusation, or for sheepishly acquiescing with moves that do not empower us and enhance our wellbeing. While we may begin by taking the low hanging fruit we cannot, and must not, be satisfied with them. Ours is therefore a time for enlightened leadership, prudent political behavior, visionary thinking, planning and wise decision- making. This requires leaders who are tough and determined, but sensitive and smart – who have a new mindset and operate with a paradigm which is different from the faulty one which is governing our current political leaders.
The day is upon us when the bar of our national politics must be set at a much higher level. This means that the days of “gutter” politics are over. The electorate must now demand better and choose better, or remain consigned to failure and doom. Fortunately, we know better, we deserve better and demand better.
