Over the last few weeks the airwaves have been thick with politics and political maneuvering. One could be led to believe that an election is just around the corner. In fact, what is most surprising is that the Government seems to be doing more “politicking” and campaigning than the Opposition. Usually, one would not expect the Government to be spending so much time electioneering when a date for elections has not yet been set. The Chief Minister is the person who decides when he will dissolve the House and call for fresh elections, but so far he has not given any inkling as to the date.
Of course this all places the Opposition parties and independent candidates at a great disadvantage because they can be caught offguard — not having had the time to secure campaign material and to put together an effective plan of action. This is usually referred to as a “snap election” when the Government gives the only minimum amount of time required by law to call an election. Chief Ministers use this power to their strategic advantage by calling elections at a time when they believe they could make the best showing in the polls.
Since the elections in Anguilla become constitutionally due after five years in Office the date becomes more predictable the closer we come to the end of that period. However, if a Chief Minister wants to be greedy he is, by law, allowed a further sixty days after the fifth anniversary of his term. Bringing it closer home, our last general election was held on February 15th 2010. It is quite possible for the Chief Minister to call a date for the next election as late as April 15, 2015.
The minimum period allowable between the Chief Minister’s decision to call fresh elections and the appointed election day is seventeen days. This consists of ten days before nomination Day and seven days after. So, conceivably, even as we speak the CM can dissolve the House today and have elections within three weeks. And before the first week in October we could have a newly installed Government. It is that simple!
There is a great deal of speculation as to what is the Chief Minister’s plan. I had predicted earlier that the election would probably be called in October/November at the beginning of the tourist season – and just before the budget – but I must admit that it was based on the theory that the Chief Minister would be running again. However, it has become very clear to me that the Chief Minister has been successfully pressured by his son that he should step down, and so he is now intent on taking every last drop of the remaining time to travel all over the world and enjoy what he seems to like most about his position, namely, being out of the country.
For those persons in this administration who are “singing for their supper” this is obviously a good thing. Unlike the rest of the people in the country they can readily claim that Anguilla is better off than it has ever been. But for most persons in Anguilla who are feeling the pinch of four and a half years of the blame game; incompetent leadership; and confrontational politics, they are increasingly anxious about getting the opportunity to elect a Government that is prepared to govern rather than find excuses. These are persons who have lost jobs and business opportunities; who have lost homes and property; who cannot afford to pay their bills and meet other commitments; who are without electricity; who are having problems feeding their families; and who are now realizing that the Government is unable to deliver on their promise to turn Anguilla around.
The question then is, why is the Government spending so much time on the political platform, and electioneering, rather than trying to make a last ditch effort to get something done? Why is the Minister of Infrastructure spending so much time “cussing out” his Permanent Secretary, and other senior staff, on the platform and in the public media? Why are the AUM candidates attacking the voter registration process that served them so well in the last election? Why is there such a mad rush, by operatives of the Government, to put in place a National Health Insurance pilot project without due consideration to its sustainability and without the appropriate enabling legislation? Why are they rushing into implementing a Waste to Energy project without a transparent system? Obviously, the Government has finally realized that it has wasted four and a half years and is once again trying to create the illusion that it has a plan. They seem to be doing everything and anything to convince the electorate that they deserve five more years.
The reality is that even looking at the AUM Government itself one will come to conclusion that they lack the ability to deliver effective leadership. First of all, because they do not have a functioning majority of elected members in the House of Assembly they are dependent on the good graces of the Opposition to pass anything in the House of Assembly. The Opposition can boycott any sitting of the House if it so chooses. This has implications for their ability to pass the budget at the end of the year.
Secondly, there are only three Ministers in Executive Council of which two are first timers and inexperienced. In this circumstance, the people of Anguilla cannot be adequately represented on critical issues affecting the country and this appears obvious based on decisions coming out of Executive Council. How can the AUM boast about having an effective Government when it has been unable to put together a fully constituted Executive Council for the last eighteen months?
Thirdly, how can the Government promise the electorate that it will do better in the next five years when, even at this late hour, it is unable to tell us who will be leading their party in the next general election? I listened to a preacher on Sunday speaking on the occasion of the dedication of a new Sanctuary, and he made a comment that is very instructive. The gist of what he said was: “No one can boast success without having a successor!” How can this AUM party convince us that it will do better in the next five years if they cannot even decide among themselves who will lead them?
And finally, going back to my article of last week, if the Chief Minister himself is declaring that his leadership is taking Anguilla in the direction of a failed state; if he is convinced that we need the British Government to administer an Economic Development Plan for us; and if he really believes that Anguilla will soon not be able to produce a budget — where is the incentive for the people to return the AUM party to office after the next election?
If then in all of these unfavourable circumstances the Chief Minister is prepared to prolong the misery of the people of Anguilla until he is able to satisfy his thirst for power at all costs — one would hope that the people of Anguilla would make that this the “Last Hurrah”(???) for an uncaring and uncompassionate Government that is more concerned with lingering in Office than in giving the people of Anguilla the relief that they deserve after four and a half years of instability and incompetent leadership.
