Anguilla’s Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, who turned 81 this week, has spoken more openly, than before, about stepping down and giving way to his son, Haydn, to contest the Road South, District 6, constituency in the 2015 general election. He, however, made no actual reference about the leadership of the Anguilla United Movement – a matter of much public comment in recent times.
Speaking at a public meeting at South Hill on Saturday, October 11, Mr Hughes said in part: “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to dispel all the ignorance, propaganda and deceit that Hubert Hughes is running again. Ladies and gentlemen, I certainly would have been running again but because the candidate for Road South, Haydn Hughes, is so qualified [I will not be running].
“As I said before, my sacrifice has not been in vain. When I used to travel, I made sure I brought the biggest books for Haydn to read because he likes to read; and I can put my neck on the block that there is no politician or none of the intellectuals in Anguilla can stand up in a public debate and beat Haydn. I wouldn’t be here backing him tonight if I didn’t feel confident of his expertise and his ability…People are saying he doesn’t say anything about his son. I don’t have to say anything about my son. Haydn has acquitted himself and all over this country, all over this island, people know what Haydn is capable of; and, if he wasn’t honest, he could’t be my son.”
Mr Hughes said earlier that he was “not going home in vain in that we have the best team that you can find anywhere in the Caribbean”. He stressed: “We have the best team Anguilla has ever had, and the best team anywhere in the Caribbean.”
Prior to touching on his successor, as candidate in the Road South constituency, Mr Hughes said the AUM Government had major projects at the eastern end of the island – at Savannah Bay, Mimi Bay and Junks Hole – as well as another at The Forest, that it had been fighting for during the whole of this year.
He added: “So we have major projects and the international investment community has confidence in this Government and wants to invest heavily in Anguilla because of our strong economy…We have a Trade and Investment Group which I need to reorganise because they are blocking progress and I am saying it publicly because I want them to hear it.”
