Good evening fellow Anguillians – and especially the people of District One and Island Harbour, the birthplace of the Anguilla Revolution.
Thank you for your warm reception.
I am proud to have been born and raised in District One! Many of you are related to me. Life has not always been kind to us in Anguilla, and it has been especially hard for the people of this district.
We in this district have suffered hardships. I remember the days when there was always a shortage of everything; clothes and shoes were novel for most of us. I can remember the many times when there was not enough food, and sometimes there was no food at all. I remember those days well!
My neck still hurts from the thousands of buckets of water that this head has carried. I believe if my cousin Terrance would look carefully, he would still find some old pope-hedge prickles lodged somewhere in my foot. Yes my sisters and brothers, I know Island Harbour……I am Island Harbour and Island Harbour is me. This district is no stranger to hardship and struggle. It is a district of sacrifice and ruthless determination and we are a strong proud people. i am proud to be from District One.. District One is a district with people of vision…….The dreamers, my people, and everyone knows that the road to success begins with the dream. If your mind can conceive it, your hands can achieve it.
When the people of District One put their minds to a task, they don’t quit until the job is done.
Friends, tonight it is an honour for me to stand before so many of you, so many of my people. As a young girl, I too had dreams — dreams for myself, for my family and later, big dreams for this community and for Anguilla. Ladies and gentlemen, I am still haunted by those dreams. I still want the things for this community that I dreamt of. I not only want good things for this district, I want great things for District One! And with your help we will make those dreams come true! We can do this!
Friends, before coming to the podium, I was thinking—- I could spend a great deal of time here tonight thanking my team and my supporters for their help and the trust they have placed in me, or I could spend some time talking about the things we have been trying to accomplish over the past several years for District One.
I could even spend time responding to the vicious attacks on me by my political opponents; I thought for a moment about spending time mounting a serious counter-attack of my own on them; but I won’t do that! I could also stand here and reel off a long list of problems that the people of this country are facing at this time; problems that have made the majority of us disdainful and cynical about anyone and anything political — problems that have even made us suspicious of government.
I could stand here and list a number of people, not only in District One but throughout Anguilla, who are angry about some of the things that are happening in Anguilla, and about all the things that should be happening, but are not.
I could dwell on the lack of adequate health care for the elderly, the high cost of electricity, the embarrassing fiasco with our two local banks and many other such issues, but tonight, I won’t do that. This evening I want to try and awaken the spirit of revolutionary commitment in our minds. Ladies and gentlemen, ours is a campaign that is focused on solving problems not just talking about them.
So please, don’t expect me to stand here this evening and engage in political rhetoric against my opponents in this campaign. We do not have time for that! Rather, I will invite you to join our winning campaign and vision for District One and for Anguilla as a whole. Ladies and gentlemen, when i am elected, you have my solemn promise that I will work tirelessly alongside those people who are willing to put country above self! I will work alongside dedicated Anguillians who will put the interests of the people above the dictates of their parties! I will do this in order to put this our beloved anguilla back on the road to prosperity. I will work with the people who are prepared to build national consensus and forge a plan for the future development of this country.
I will contribute to a national plan that every succeeding government can follow as a guideline for the future. A National plan that every government will be committed to building upon, and not tear down with each succeeding government to fit narrow party agendas. I know this will be difficult, but nothing good comes easy.
We have seen it in almost every country in the Caribbean: when the people want to find solutions to their country’s problems, they just change one party for the next, like changing their underwear; and nothing really changes! Nothing happens to change and enhance the lives of the people!
I will be willing to work with individuals who believe in equal opportunity for all, with special privileges for none. Our winning campaign believes that every Anguillian should have an equal opportunity to succeed in this country. That is what Ronald Webster and Atlin Harrigan fought for.
Yes it is true. That is what people like Albert, Rueben and Oliver Gumbs, Collins Hodge, Lemuel Phillip, Wilkin Smith, Mitchel, Connell and Todville Harrigan all risked their lives for.
These good people didn’t make such sacrifices so that we could be oppressed today by our own people. You know, Anguillians are a very forgiving people. We forgave the present Chief Minister for publicly lauding Anguilla’s main oppressor on the park on Anguilla Day a few years ago. When he glorified his mentor Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw in the presence of none other than the Honorable James Ronald Webster – and on Anguilla Day of all days!
That, in the spirit of the revolution, was a criminal offence! A heinous act against the people of Anguilla, against the memory and sacrifice of our heroes! Mr. Chief Minister, lover of Mr Bradshaw and hater of our District One heroes, you should thank this generation for being so forgiving. And yes, we walk our talk. We are about unity! We are about building up, not about breaking down, we are about lifting up each other, not tearing each other down.
But my sisters and brothers, I can’t help but get upset when I see the vision, the ideals that our revolutionary warriors fought for being trampled on today. Let us think for a moment. Why has Island Harbour, the birthplace of the revolution, got so little attention from every government over the last thirty years? Bob Marley said “He who feels it, knows it”!
Do you think it is an oversight? Or do you think it is deliberate? Well whatever the reason, and we do not care what Mr Bradshaw’s followers say about us in District one, let it be known that we, the proud people of District One, don’t sit and wait for hand outs, or for some miracle to happen; we get together, roll up our sleeves and do what has to be done for ourselves! We have done it before, and we can do it again! Yes! We can do this!
The elected representative of this district said that the reason he did nothing in the last four and a half years is because he is in the opposition and that opposition in the House has no power. I heard him to that effect myself earlier today, on the Mayor show. Mr. Representative, let me enlighten you; we do not operate under a dictatorship. We are a democracy, and the elected opposition has the right to participate fully in the affairs of this country.
When something is going wrong in government, we expect government to come and talk to the people; but when there is a lack of transparency in government, for whatever reason, we expect the opposition to play their part in protecting the democratic process, reporting to the people and fighting for the answers and solutions. After all, the opposition is as it were, the government in waiting, the mouthpiece of the people. It is the opposition’s job to let the people know, UNLESS the opposition is in agreement with whatever wrong the government is doing! Are you in agreement then? Are you part of the AUM agenda then?
When the legislation on the level of pension for retiring house members was being passed in the House by the previous government, the then opposition members sat with their hands folded and said nothing. If they had joined with the Hon. Kenneth Harrigan and the Hon. Albert Hughes, in trying to stop the rape of this country, Anguilla would be in better financial shape today!
My people, if you think things are bad now, just think how much worse it will be if we left this country up to the callous, insensitivity of the present leadership for another five years. Twenty years ago we had prosperity within our grasp; and it has been slipping away ever since. Today, prosperity is a faded dream which I am determined to revive.
This election will be the yardstick that will measure the performance record of the leaders of this country for the past five years. On election-day the people of Anguilla will demand to see each report card. We will not allow you to hide behind a party banner. Each man and woman will have to stand on their own credentials. This election will determine the kind of future we want for ourselves and our children.
We cannot expect government to do everything – but we do expect government to be fair and transparent. We expect government to work to the benefit of all! Not the selfish ‘me and mine, first’ governance we have witnessed in recent times.
Ladies and gentlemen, this country is in trouble. You know what the problems are; you live with them; you feel the pain every day. He who feels it knows it! We have a lot of work to do in this country. We need Constitutional and Electoral Reform. We have been talking about it for over twenty years and nothing has happened; and nothing will happen if we don’t demand it! We need to define who is an Anguillian once and for all. We have children of Anguillian parents and grand-parents who have been trying to get an Anguillian passport for years, while people with no connection to Anguilla are getting passports and Belongership. This has got to stop! This has got to change!
This country is in crisis, ladies and gentlemen. It is time to use our ingenuity to create jobs for ourselves. We cannot afford to sit around hoping for some miracle to happen; we must do what we can for ourselves. In the meantime we must elect leaders with the knowledge and ability to negotiate development contracts that will benefit the people of Anguilla, not just the developer and a well-placed few. That is not right and Pam Webster will not subscribe to ANY SUCH SHENANEGANS!
People of Anguilla, especially District One, we have to pay serious attention to our fishing industry. I remember when Island Harbour bay was a daily hub of business activity. We exported fish, lobster, conch and whelks every week to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by plane, and by boat to St. Martin. Fishing was our main support before tourism came. Now our older fishermen are passing on. They did their part, God bless them. But it is time to bring our fishing industry into the twenty first century! Our young people can do this. With local knowledge, a little creativity and proper planning, we can modernize this industry ourselves: creating new sustainable jobs, yes! We can do this! We expend less energy and resources when we ‘pick the low hanging fruit’.
Friends, we have a tourism model, “Tranquility Wrapped in Blue”, which is the envy of many countries in the region. Let us build on that. Our own people can build and develop upscale tourism facilities! Give us the chance! We can enhance our tourism product by making Anguilla a crime free destination! Yes we can, if we have the political will to do it. ‘Low hanging fruit’ – we can do this! With your help, I promise to work to reclaim our Anguilla paradise! We can do this!
We can make Anguilla the cleanest tourist destination on the planet! Yes we can. Together we can do this! Our Anguilla boat builders are second to none! We only need to find the markets to sell what we build abroad, and with a little research and legislative help, we can compete with the best! This will help create jobs! Sustainable jobs! We can do this! We are already producing world class furniture and interiors. We can design, build and supply all the furniture needs of our homes and hotels! ‘Low hanging fruit!’ With a little legislative help, we can create new jobs! Sustainable Jobs! We can do this!
Why can’t our governments give local companies the same incentives and concessions that they give the foreign developer? It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that such a policy would reap bountiful benefits for the people of this country! Give us the same incentives, the same concessions and watch the country grow. We can do this! The foreign developer doesn’t come here because he loves us, he sees an opportunity to make big profits. Ladies and gentlemen, our home-grown profits will stay at home. We need this!
Is this a good idea? Yes it is! ……. Then why hasn’t it happened? I’ll tell you why. Number One, we haven’t organized ourselves and demanded it from of our governments! We allow government to dole out concessions as special favours! Local concessions should be a rule! Local concessions should be a matter of policy for the benefit of our country! The second reason they won’t give us the same concessions is because there will be less of an opportunity for secret deals!
And Number Three, as a retired law-maker said openly once, * “yoh canh leh dem geh da, dey gonh get rich!” Ladies and gentlemen, that is the mentality that has been holding this country back for decades! We must never again elect people with such selfish country-killing mentalities. Their philosophy is, “keep them hungry, and they will bite at anything! Even empty promises!”
Friends if we had markets for our fish and lobsters, we would see more young people taking to the sea, working for themselves; and the treasury will benefit as well. We can build a proper facility to smoke our swordfish, wahoo and tuna for export. I can’t understand what mentality decides to tax poor people, who don’t even have jobs and in a dead economy! This is madness! Help us diversify and build our economy, not choke it to death.
Ladies and gentlemen, some of us have gone soft in this country. The way things are today, we cannot just hope to turn this country around. If we truly want to see change, then we must be willing to stand up and fight for it. I am here and, with your help, I am ready to fight to give this country back to the people! No one will give us anything. We have to fight for whatever we need! Do you think the elected members of the House will voluntarily roll back their salaries and pensions? No! They will tax us even more to pay for them. Do you think they will voluntarily roll back the stabilization levy? No! If we need it to happen, then we have to be willing to stand up and demand it!
When I’m elected I will work hard to roll back the stabilization levy. It is criminal! Responsible government doesn’t just pass laws merely because they have the votes to do it? Where is the compassion? People are suffering! Our young people must be given an opportunity for a decent life. The taxes and levies by this government are repressive and regressive. They are business killers!
We need qualified people who will put this country back on the road to prosperity. We have a responsibility to pave the way for the next generation, the ones yet to come. We have to do this, just as others paved the way for us, for me.
We must work to change the priorities of this country. We must protect our children and care for the elderly—because we are all on the same journey. Ladies and gentlemen, don’t be side-tracked by the political spin-doctors who are trying to fool you – taking statements out of context to confuse you. It shows their own lack of intelligence, their own stupidity. The truth is that drowning rats grasp at straws.
Reactionary government will always fail. Reactionary government has no vision, therefore there is no plan. We knew months ago that Liat was suspending direct flights from St. Thomas to Anguilla…..but not a word was heard from government on the subject. Now, all of a sudden, they are calling the names of the local airlines. Anguilla Air Express, Rainbow, Anguilla Air Services and Trans Anguilla. Those local airlines were here all the time! Ladies and gentlemen, let us look around and put our heads together, there are resources in this country that we can build on….resources that are the “low hanging fruit” ….things we can do for ourselves.
I shall not just be reactive when you have elected me, Ladies and gentlement, I shall be pro-active. Every elected member of the Assembly – whether a member of the governing party or not – has the right to introduce any proposed legislation or propose any motion for debate in the Assembly, and it there is an absolute requirement in the Constitution that it be debated and dealt with according to the rules of procedure of the Assembly. So I shall be there bringing forward the reforms that this country so badly needs. But if the elected government is not doing its job, it will have no option but to listen to me, to have its deficiencies brought to the attention of you, the people, and to recognise that you will know from me that the government is not doing its job.
Finally, my sisters and brothers, District One political options are not that of AUF or AUM, but rather which Representative can best represent the interests, needs and desires of all the people of District One.
The public conversations amongst the people of our district are whether Pam Webster will join either the AUF or the AUM. Friends, we have had AUF representation in an AUF Government and we have had AUF representation during an AUM administration. Yet regardless of who the representative is our problems remain unresolved.
We in District One need compassionate leadership; and our loving and caring representative Kenneth Harrigan demonstrated excellent leadership. But now more than ever before we need effective, fearless and decisive leadership. That is what I am about: effective, decisive leadership. I am from District One, born and bred here, and no one – not even Chief Minister Hughes – can deny any of our citizens our birthright. The people of District One need a fearless representative, a leader who will lead the charge for better jobs, we need decisive leadership that will fight all and sundry for a better quality of life for our families.
For too long the naysayers have tried to invoke fear of exclusion. Friends I want you to know that Pam Webster will do right by all the people of District One. Today I pledge to provide effective leadership and I will also implement compassionate policies that will improve the lives of our poor, our forgotten, the less fortunate, and most importantly our families in need.
We all must acknowledge that within District One we have friends, families and neighbours who at different times need assistance. Our children must be educated, our families need care, and the less fortunate amongst us need our help. Our political leadership have practiced a governance style that continues to fail our people.
We cannot abandon our people during their times of need. We must help. We must care for all. There will always be critics who talk about caring, but practice public neglect when it matters the most. Friends, I believe compassionate representation must be reflected by decisive leadership. District One and our people deserve Strong, Decisive, Compassionate leadership that can deliver a better quality of life for all. We have had enough of excuses, we need leadership that can deliver.
Friends, we all know that we will not be fooled by shallow rhetoric or by backroom deals. The political shenanigans of fear advocated by the empty voices of insecurity have no solutions for our people. District One needs a representative who will hear your cries, feels your pain and someone who has stood by you. We need solution oriented leadership not wilderness voices of shallow, meaningless rhetoric
Friends, Ladies and gentlemen, I am committed to District One. I am committed to Anguilla. On Election Day please give me your vote. Vote for a NEW ANGUILLA NOW! Vote Pam Webster the FISH! God bless you all and may God bless Anguilla!
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
