Fellow Anguillans
I wish to dispel the many attacks on the Anguilla Summer Festival Committee, the Ministry and myself as Minister in relation to the Caribbean Beach Party an event which forms part of our annual Summer Festival.
The Summer Festival Committee in conjunction with the Ministry has been seeking ways to deliver a quality 40th Anniversary Summer Festival taking into consideration the financial constraints which the Government of Anguilla is presently facing. The Caribbean Beach Party which has built a reputation for itself and by extension serves as the flagship event for the Festival, costs the Government on average EC$200,000.00 annually. With this in mind the Summer Festival Committee sought views as to how this cost could be reduced but at the same time deliver a quality event. The Committee and the Ministry met and agreed that a tendering process should be put in place to achieve this ultimate goal.
Contrary to what has been promulgated in various media, the intention of the Committee and the Ministry was never to “sell out” or “give away” this flagship event to non-belongers of Anguilla. That was never the intention and it must be made clear. While the tender document may have created some uncertainty in the minds of the listeners, be assured that the intent was totally different from what was discussed in some media circles during the course of last week. The Ministry and Committee is however mindful of the feedback and comments expressed on this matter and is meeting this week to give further consideration to the issues.
In closing we wish to say thanks to the many callers and supporters of our Summer Festival for sharing your views and to assure you that all issues that will affect the overall success of the Anguilla Summer Festival 2014 will be taken into consideration.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
