While clearing up some papers a few days ago I came across The Anguillian for Friday, 31st May, 2013. I decided to read the editorial which consisted mainly of excerpts from the book, “Anguilla’s Battle for Freedom 1967 – 1969”, written by Mr. Colville Petty and Mr. Nat Hodge. A comment in it made, in 1967, by my late colleague minister, the Rev. C. Leonard Carty, caught my attention. He was responding to this remark made by an overly optimistic Mr. Wallace Rey: “…We are in control. All our worries are over”. The sagacious Rev. Carty said, “It was a mistake to say all our worries are over. They may have only now begun, because Anguilla is now our responsibility. We can no longer blame anybody else for anything that goes wrong”. He was then speaking to the steering committee appointed to ensure that Anguilla would remain free from domination by St. Kitts, and would be set on a path of sustainable economic growth and prosperity, constitutional advancement, and educational and social development. Everyone at that time saw Anguilla being set on an upward trajectory, and anticipated what life in a transformed Anguilla would be like.
Forty-seven years later that high expectation has turned into sour disappointment, frustration, cynicism, disaffection and the like, especially among the younger members of our population. Far too many Anguillians, especially the youth and young adults, are no longer excited about being Anguillians, or about living here and contributing to building a strong and more viable island nation. For many, their dream is to leave and not to return. If we continue on the path we have been walking for the last umpteen years, the “Anguilla Dream” will become the Anguilla nightmare. As a positive person, I believe that Anguillians across the island are waking up to the truth and will do what is necessary to ensure that the dream becomes a reality.
The critical question is: Why this attitude of pessimism and negativity? Why is there this widespread sense of hopelessness? Why this frustration about living in this land? Why so many persons in Anguilla, today, have become apathetic? (Apathy means: uncaring attitude, lack of interest, disregard, aloofness, detached, half-hearted, indifferent unconcerned.) Fairly recently, a group of students from the Comprehensive School were asked where would they prefer to live if they had the choice. The vast majority indicated that their preference would be to leave Anguilla and not return. Why? The fact is that many see no hope for them here. They see no real chance of getting a decent job, or owning a good home, or enjoying a reasonably comfortable life. This does not speak well, and those who really care about Anguilla cannot afford to be dismissive of this apathy among those who are the future of our island nation. Sometimes we think that by ignoring a problem it will go away. This is a mistake. Most times the problem gets worse and may become endemic rather than go away. So I would urge that we take what our youth and young adults are saying seriously. Criticising them will not solve the problem.
One cannot overemphasise the need for us in Anguilla, especially those in leadership, to take a critical look at the brand of party politics which we have nutured over the years, with a view to making some major adjustments to ensure that party politics will work more to the benefit of Anguilla as a whole. An honest evaluation of the present situation will reveal that the warped partisan spirit of our politics is largely responsible for the crippling polarization, the destructive negativism, the unhealthy competiveness, the growing community turfism, and our inability to collaborate and meaningfully cooperate even when the issue is patently national. No nation can make real progress in a situation like this.
In an earlier article, I made the point that the tribalism among our young people is a definite reflection of the tribalism of the party politics of our AUF and the AUM over the years. When our young people look for role models among our politicians, what do they see? And what do they hear? Who among our political leaders are good and wholesome role models for our young people? Dr. John Maxwell, writing about the qualities of good mentors and role models, makes the point that children and young people, “become like the people [they] admire and the models [they] follow”. He goes on, “… [models] must not only display professional excellence and possess skill sets from which we can learn, they must also demonstrate character worthy of emulating”. I ask every single politician to remember always that many of our children and youth look up to you as their role models, and your influence upon their young lives is either good or ill. I sincerely appeal to you therefore to “shape up” because at present your influence on them is more negative than positive.
The fact is that personal behaviour and professional life cannot be separated, even if you try to do it. Gordon B. Hinckley, a religious leader, helps us to understand the intimate relationship between private behaviour/character and public leadership. Here is what he writes: “It is not wise, or even possible, to divorce private behaviour from public leadership…By its very nature, true leadership carries with it the burden of being an example. Is it asking too much of any public officer, elected by his or her constituents, to stand tall and be a model before the people, not only in the ordinary aspects of leadership but in his or her behaviour? If values aren’t established and adhered to at the top, behaviour down the ranks is seriously jeopardized and undermined”.
I fully agree with those sentiments and advice given by the writer, and call upon our political leaders to take them to heart and model them for the sake of those who look up to you.
Why is it “Honourable Members” that when the House of Assembly met on Monday, April 28, 2014, there was so much rancour, disrespect, uncivilized behaviour, biased leadership, and disregard in the morning session? The afternoon was session quite different. It was far more civilized and productive. Can all your sessions be like that? It is only your attitude that stands between you and a model meeting every time.
Question? Do you know that there is really no essential difference between the AUF and the AUM? Both parties have the same basic philosophy of government, of leadership, and of progress. Both are on the same page and with the same ideology when it comes to the role of education in nation building, and the role of party vis a vis the development of the nation. Both operate from the same negating competitive Win-Lose paradigm, and both find the principled-centered, collaborative and empowering Win-Win paradigm difficult and impossible to embrace. This observation was also made by a previous Governor of Anguilla, and will be confirmed by any serious and objective analysis. There is, however, a superficial difference between the two parties, seen most dramatically in the style, and approach of the leaders, and these have been misinterpreted as “basic” differences. They are not.
The move from the AUF to the AUM in 2010 was really not the change the people expected, or that would have made a meaningful difference. Over the period, people have been disappointed because all they got was more of the same and, in some instances, worse. I too was fooled at first but, as I began to analyse the situation and how things are done, I came to see clearly that the two “parties” are essentially the same but with different players. Moving from one to the other is simply a “recycling”, or as if from the frying pan into the fire. It is this similarity which also accounts for the fact that Anguilla is still without a modernized and more relevant Constitution after fifteen years. It also accounts for the fact that, despite election promises, the AUM has left the untenable financial situation relative to government expenditure intact. It accounts for the fact that the blame-game is played so often by both, and for other similar behaviour. What Anguilla urgently needs is a credible alternative to what we have had over the past two decades. I wish to assure you that the DOVE PARTY is that alternative – Listen to us and Vote for us if you care for Anguilla.
