Two letters – one from the Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, the Hon Hubert Hughes, to the Anguilla Tourist Board, and a reply from the ATB to him – have been published in the inside pages of this week’s edition of The Anguillian.
Neither of the letters was copied to this newspaper by the writers or signatories, but both of the extremely detailed and frank exchanges have otherwise come to hand. Such is the gravity of the contents of the correspondence touching taxpayers’ money – accusations of extravagance in expenditure and the possible effects on our fragile tourism industry and the livelihood of our people – that it would be remiss of a responsible newspaper not to bring the letters to the attention of the public. As a matter of fact, the varied issues involved constitute the business of the people and therefore should have been made available to them by the Ministry and the Tourist Board in the first place.
The letters bring to the fore, and in a real way, probably some answers to rumours that have been circulating in the public domain for some time. There is no point rehashing most of the salient matters addressed in the letters since by publishing them this newspaper is allowing our people at home and abroad to read, analyse and judge the contents for themselves. Suffice it to say that the issues raised in both letters are particularly alarming and worrisome.
Further, it is clear that the Chief Minister is on a warpath and has in fact allegedly moved to take control of the functions of the Tourist Board whether on his own volition, the advice of other persons or through an Oversight Committee which is to report to him. In one or more instances, he has reminded the Tourist Board of its “stewardship of EC$9.2 million conveyed as [a] subvention of the Ministry of Finance,” noting that “these funds represent hard earned collections from the people of Anguilla; and that “as Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism our government has a vested interest to ensure that these funds are spent judiciously…” In terms of other matters, he has demanded information from the Board either immediately, within 24 hours or within 48 hours. He has also threatened to take certain undisclosed steps “to act in the best interests of the people whom we are all here to serve”.
While also not delving into the main matters of the response from the Tourist Board, it must be pointed out that its letter, though charging that the Chief Minister’s letter “comes as a result of inaccurate and misguided information”, is most respectful – and even apologetic just in case something out of place was written to him. The ATB has sought to defend its functioning, expenditure, marketing strategies and other actions. The Board has also indicated that some of the Ministry’s own directives on expenditure had led to a deficit in the ATB’s funds allocated, by the Government, and were a reason for concern about taxpayers’ money. So there have been claims and counterclaims on expenditure and a variety of other thorny issues.
The ATB is contending that “as a statutory body the Board cannot be expected to voluntarily abdicate its responsibilities under the ATB Act, which is a legally binding document”. However, the Chief Minister, accusing the Board of dysfunction, warned that: “I am no longer prepared to countenance such dysfunctionalism within the ATB. As such I am taking immediate steps to create a new atmosphere of structure, order and accountability, within the tourism portfolio”. It all seems to be a serious situation and one wonders how the matter will eventually turn out.
It is rather unfortunate that such a situation should arise at this time. Anguilla needs to do everything in its power, and by whatever means possible, to further promote and maintain its upmarket tourism industry without charges of faulty marketing and wasting of public funds. It is the right of the people to know what is happening in a vital sector in which so much is at stake for them and the economy of Anguilla. It is the right of the people to know the contents of the above-mentioned letters and it is for this reason that The Anguillian, which happened to become privy to them, has undertaken to publish them in the public interest.
