Spring is that time of the year when we look forward to shaking off the doldrums of winter, when we put away all of the winter gear, and look forward to not having to wear all of the cumbersome outfits, most of which we can’t wait to peel off. Spring is also defined as rebirth,re-growth and, most importantly, resurrection. It is also the time of year when we celebrate the holiest of days, Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This year, spring is actually symbolic in that it is the season in which we have a chance to write a new chapter in the history of Anguilla, with the election of a brand new government, the likes of which we have never seen before. We have, for the first time, three women representatives, two of which are lawyers. Before I go on, let me offer my congratulations to the AUF, Mr. Banks and company, and I also want to offer my congratulations to Ms. Palmavon Webster, the lone member of the opposition. It was a hard fought campaign, and I’d like to think that none of the rhetoric was personal because at times it looked more like roller derby night at the skating rink, but, fortunately, it mercifully ended, and not a moment too soon.
Despite what we may have thought of the outgoing government, we do owe them a debt of gratitude, and though we hardly ever saw eye to eye on anything, they still deserve our thanks. I do believe that no matter what, all who have served, deserve our thanks – and in spite of all the vitriol, when all is said and done, we all have that common denominator in that we’re all Anguillians. While I’m offering congrats to the winners, I also want to say to the guys, who didn’t win, that you don’t have anything to be ashamed about. The other guys presented a more convincing program than you did. I want to give a special blast to the former Chief Minister, from District two, Mr. Osbourne Fleming: I want to wish you the very best in your endeavors whatever they may be, and may God Bless and keep you always. Also a very special blast to the Honorable Kenneth Harrigan for all of his years of service. Kenneth we wish you the very best in your retirement. God bless you.
As citizens of Anguilla, we are to be commended for the manner in which we conducted ourselves on election day, and while we had no serious glitches, there is room for improvement, and a report can be found online on the Anguilla LNT web page, by going to Anguillatalk and clicking on Anguilla News and selecting the article which will allow you to download the report by the election observers. They have made several suggestions as to where we need to go and what should happen.
As someone who participated in the electoral process, I was extremely impressed with the seamless manner in which the process worked. Did we have long lines? Yes we did, and if you were fortunate enough to have a last name which fell in the alphabet from A through H, God help you because, like I did, you probably came down with sun stroke – and though the line did get testy at times, when the issue of water came up, things for the most part remained calm. It was pointed out that you couldn’t give water to anyone in the line because it might be construed as a bribe. Here is where there is a need for an independent body with no horse in the race, to oversee the process, one similar to the League of Women voters. The report points this out. I do believe that we could have benefitted from extra polling booths, maybe even splitting up the alphabet into smaller chunks. All in all, the poll workers should be congratulated for a job well done.
So now that the campaigning and the name calling have stopped, the right for certain individuals to vote has stopped, all of the acrimony and everything else have stopped, it is time to get down to the business of making Anguilla whole again. The job at hand is not for the feint of heart and I do feel confident that those in power, the sitting government as well as the opposition, will be well prepared. Mr. Banks will finally have the chance that he so longed for, that of being Anguilla’s Chief Minister, a job that he can finally assume under his own name. Let us give Mr. Banks, and everyone for that matter, the respect and support that they rightfully deserve – the honor and respect that’s commensurate with the high calling that they’ve attained. The road has been long and arduous, so let’s belly up to the bar and give them our unfettered support regardless of political affiliation. I still don’t like the party system. Each person has been duly elected to represent his or her district and each one of you should fight tooth and nail to make sure that your constituents are properly represented.
This past Saturday on the Mayor Show on KOOL FM 103.3, Mr. Conrad Rogers, a potential candidate in 2020, a man wise beyond his years, whose mantra has always been that his citizenship trumps his politics, admonished us as citizens. He reminded us that it is our role as citizens to support and hold our representatives accountable. He further challenged the same representatives to use the same tools with which they solicited our support, to communicate progress and or challenges. But while he admonished the representatives, he also called upon us as citizens to be engaged and not remove ourselves from the process. We live in a democracy, in what we call a representative government, in which we elect people to represent us.
So now the question becomes, as the Mayor likes to say: “Where do we go from here?” That is the question, and if we know where we came from, then we should have a pretty good idea of where we need to go. The world has changed since the AUF was last in power and they cannot come in and try to pick up from where they left off. A new day has dawned, spring has sprung and, as is the custom this time of the year, it is time for planting crops. So let us take a page out of the book of our forefathers, and plant the seeds of a successful transformation of a New Anguilla Now, an Anguilla that will assume its rightful place on the world stage once again – and I’m confident that the teams in place on both sides of the aisle are ready to go.
The people of Anguilla has spoken, the arms have been returned to their sheaths, the victory speeches have been made – and though there is still some residual celebrating going on, one can understand why, for it isn’t everyday that one gets elected to the House of Assembly as part of the Government of Anguilla. This is the highest calling that anyone can attain and, to quote the 35th president of the United States of America, John Fitzgerald Kennedy in his inaugural address back in 1960, when he admonished his people: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” And so my fellow Anguillians, and to you our newly elected government and opposition: “What will you do for your country?” Time will tell.
Hunter S. Thompson was quoted as saying that: “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” He went on to say: “If you are going to spend time developing a plan, then you should spend equal time seeing it through.” I bring up this point to say that there has to be a direction in which we’re heading and a plan or blueprint on how to get there. Let’s not make the same mistake twice. Knowledge is power and once you have it they can’t take it away from you. If you don’t know what the procedures are, then for goodness sake educate yourself.
The call to serve is one of the highest honors that one can achieve. The Father of the Nation, Former Chief Minister Ronald Webster, on his 85th birthday, challenged the young people to aspire to leadership. He said: “It is the government’s responsibility to inspire people to improve their standards of living, to create the necessary opportunities for them and to guard their individual rights. Public life is a crowning achievement for young men and women, and it is a most worthy ambition. Clean politics and leadership must be seen as an honorable adventure for those wishing to work towards nation building.”
The former Chief Minister went on to say: “Seeking political office is an enormous commitment. But only well qualified persons in terms of education, dedication and integrity, and with the right leadership charisma, should be selected for political office at the highest level. This holds true, whether by ballot box or other forms of legal appointment.” The former CM made a special appeal to the young people of Anguilla.He admonished them “to aim high, so that whatever task comes your way, do it well for you never know what opportunity or calling awaits you. You must be ready to seize the opportunity when it presents itself.”
So to those of you who would lead us into the next millennium, it is incumbent upon you to lead by example. We’re not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination. We still face a myriad of challenges. You will have inherited an infrastructure that’s in shambles, an indigenous banking system whose status we still don’t know, an electrical grid that has been privatized out of the people’s reach, an inadequate water (and in some cases a non existent water) supply, schools that are crumbling with a curriculum that needs defining, our cultural landmarks that are in disrepair and a credit rating that has been devalued – just to mention a few things that need your immediate attention.
In other words, we have problems and you are expected to, as the saying goes, ‘hit the bricks running.’ It will take a team of dedicated public servants all working for the greater good to right the ship. We have to set aside our differences and come together as one. And, as we stand on the shoulders of giants, we are once again reminded by Mr. Webster, in his appeal to the nation to: “bury our differences and ill will and to seek to be united again.” He went on to say. “Let us make this emerging nation a land of glory and opportunity; a land where we can talk with pride and joy that we are Anguillians; a land in which paradise has been regained, with God being our great leader.”
We have faced adversity and we’ve stared it down. We’re now faced with socio-economic, constitutional and electoral problems, some caused by omission and some by commission. If we’re to move forward, we must rid ourselves of this crab barrel mentality that we find ourselves mired in. We must rid ourselves of this practice of tribalism that is prevalent and was never more evident than in this last election. It was sad to see individuals come out to cheer for a specific candidate, eat ‘their’ food, smile and promise to vote, but behind ‘their’ backs, stab that candidate in the back. Folks that is hypocrisy at its best and to those of you who engaged in that sort of thing, shame on you. We know you did, because the numbers don’t lie. How are you able to live with yourselves? Is this what you are teaching your children: that your word is worth nothing?
If we are to pull ourselves out of this mess that we’re in, we have to go back to the early days of jollification when each one of us looked out for the other. We have to demonstrate to our young that we are in fact principled people, and by so doing they will have no choice but to follow in our footsteps. In James 28, the Bible tells us that: “by their actions, you shall know them.” So when you lambaste someone in no uncertain terms, and when you question one’s genealogy, what is that saying to your young and impressionable children?
It is a new day for Anguilla. We stand on the cusp of the 21st century, and while we may have skipped the 20th century in terms of acclimating ourselves socially and economically, we now have that long awaited chance to do so. Let us use the talents and energies that God gave us to confront and overcome what ever lies in our path. Let us reach out to those who contested the election, but were unsuccessful in their efforts, and extend an open hand rather than a clenched fist, for it is time to move forward. Let us give the incoming administration an opportunity to get things moving in the right direction while giving credit where credit is due.
Let us not hit the reset button, because there is a new team in town. That would be counterproductive. The road that I alluded to earlier, is fraught with peril – and with all hands on deck and all eyes focused on the road ahead, Anguilla can once again become the jewel in the crown. Again, congratulations to the winners, for you fought a good fight and kept your eyes on the prize – and at the end found yourselves in the winner’s circle. Let us remember this Spring not just as a season of rebirth and resurrection, but the Anguillian spring that saw our women overwhelmingly welcomed back into the fold. So until next time, may God bless all of our newly elected members of government, may He look after and guide you to do the right thing and may he continue to bless Anguilla.
