Independent candidate in District 1, for the 2015 general election, Attorney-at-Law, Pamalvon Webster, says her campaign will shape the future of Anguilla just like the 1967 Revolution did. Further, the good leadership she hopes to provide will create jobs and a new Anguilla.
“In 1967, and the years after, we heard ‘we are out to build a new Anguilla’. Forty-seven years later we are waiting. We need the new Anguilla now,” she said on August 30 at a public meeting in Welches, part of the District 1 constituency. “I invite each and everyone of you – all the wonderful people of District 1, and all the good citizens of Anguilla – to join me on this journey to deliver the new Anguilla now.”
Ms Webster is one of four Anguillian women contesting the general election. The others are Attorney Cora Richardson Hodge (District 2) and Mrs Evalie Bradley (District 5) both for the Anguilla United Front, and Attorney Kristy Richardson-Harrigan (District 7) for the Anguilla United Movement.
Ms Webster continued: “I am standing in this election to ensure that we, the people of District 1, have a voice that represents our aims, our needs, our aspirations. We need a political change. District 1 can be, and will be, God willing, the catalyst for that unstoppable political change that we so much yearn for. It will be the political change that will improve the lives and prosperity of everyone in District 1 and throughout Anguilla.
“But what is that change we so need? It has many faces but all of them add up to better and more accountable governance. First, we need leadership that is for you, and all Anguillians, rather than for selfish and sectoral reasons. Our leadership, here in District 1, must inspire all and together we will deliver the new Anguilla. Today, I give you the commitment that I will work towards a better District 1 and a better Anguilla. With your participation, and working together, we will create a thriving community of independent, creative and successful men and women.
“One of the primary political changes that we urgently require is leadership that delivers jobs. As the new school term opens, many of our students are actively pursuing their studies hoping for a better future. Did you see The Anguillian? And what outstandingly successful results they have achieved? We are so very proud of our children and I warmly congratulate all of them on their achievements. Give them a round of applause. They are our future. They have the desire for success. Thy applied themselves. It is our job to provide the opportunity for them … and yet there are few job opportunities in Anguilla right now. Our children deserve sustainable careers and jobs with long-term hope.
Ms Webster referred to a recently-published study which states that a young person with hope will not engage in crime. She said that the prospect and hope of a job would go a long way to alleviating the crime wave threatening to engulf the island. “We need leadership that will provide jobs – not excuses for their failure to provide jobs or the investment environment in which job-creation can strive,” she stressed. “The number one problem that confronts all families in Anguilla, especially here in District 1, is jobs. We need jobs that are well paid, that are sustainable and will improve the lives of our families; and, as I said before, job-creation is our engine for change.
“The new Anguilla campaign will deliver jobs. It will deliver opportunity and prosperity for all our people. I have been advocating an integrated development plan that will blend the institutional knowledge of our fishermen and farmers with meeting the demands of our tourism sector for a long time. The plan has been published on the internet since 2010. In fact, the Tourism Master Plan incorporates a lot of the ideas and thoughts that we introduced in the District 1 development plan in the 2010 elections. Isn’t that something our campaign can be really proud of? We are ready to go, and we have shown how we can create jobs by developing inexpensive programmes such as heritage tourism and tourist facilities in Island Harbour and East End.”
Meanwhile, Ms Webster expressed concern about the need to protect the development of Anguilla, and to ensure the safety of the people of the island from crime. One aspect of her concern was in relation to the need for gun control.
“Jobs, and the prospect and hope of a job, will go a long way to alleviating the crime wave that threatens to engulf us, to destroy us, to kill us – and more needs to be done,” she stated. “At present, there are no means by which guns coming into Anguilla illegally can be detected and stopped; and there are no means by which guns already here illegally can be found and confiscated. They are frequently hidden away from living quarters to minimise the chance of detection. This is what the Commissioner of Police and the officers say. There is no sign that our politicians are taking any effective steps to deal with the problem; and it can only get worse in the present economic and political climate, sadly. The prospect of where this gun epidemic can lead is alarming, and that is to say the least.”
Ms Webster was of the view that one of the principal obstacles to detection of illegal guns was the fear of retribution. “Many of our fellow citizens are aware of illicit guns, but don’t dare to report them,” she went on. “Our Government ultimately needs to confront this problem and to take advice on schemes – operated in other countries – for safe, anonymous communication of information to law enforcement authorities, and for fearless enforcement of the regulations attending gun-ownership. In order to attract new business and profitable tourism to Anguilla, we must ensure that our crime rates are greatly reduced …
“Our Government must acquire and implement the technological tools needed for improving the law and order processes. We must equip all our law officials, and the judicial system, with the tools, technology and training to make our community – safe and to keep our children, families and visitors safe. And if we offer our young people opportunity, in tandem with those efforts, you will see how quickly together we can solve this crime problem.
“We can do it together. We love our young people. We have a responsibility to care for them, to nurture them, to offer them hope. I commit to working with you to turn this epidemic around and to give our youth dignity again – a reason for living, for having a focus on a future that is positive. Let’s fix it.”
