SPITE AND BAD-MIND VS CARE AND CONCERN
The situation at Anguilla’s two locally owned banks has been the subject of much debate and posturing for over seven years now. I say over seven years because before the 2010 general election elements of the AUM directorate were talking about the banks in a manner which seemed designed to discourage Anguillians from having any confidence in the local management of the banks. I daresay that there is evidence that, even before that, the leadership of that “movement” has never supported the ownership of banks by locals.
We are talking about the Banks here but some background as to the way some people think is important. There is taped evidence where an AUM member, when referring to the AUF clause in the Cap Juluca MOU/MOA granting partial ownership of the property to locals, felt it should erased as only the “Big Boys “ would benefit. There was also a statement made during the political campaign about ensuring that two of the Banks brothers (I am guessing that they are considered two of the “Big Boys”) not have a chance to be running things as Minister of Finance and CEO of NBA.
The discussions on the banks by the Government, after the Hubert Hughes’ approved ECCB intervention, was muted except when the CM would wake up some mornings and realize that there was no report as promised by the ECCB. It is widely accepted that the AUM Government as instrumental in having the ECCB insert in the rare ECCB communiques, the plan for having a Forensic Study – funded by the FCO – conducted to determine whether there was to be civil or criminal charges brought against the Management and Directors of the banks ( the “Big Boys” again).
During the election campaign, in a desperate effort to retain power in Anguilla, members of the then Government and its surrogates made strident truthful sounding statements pertaining to the imminent receipt of the Forensic Study. Language used in describing the bad stuff which would be found in the study included “Directors and Management making loans to themselves”, “receiving preferential rates on large loans they took out”, “squandering money” – and the much predicted result was that people were going to “go jail”. One refrain from one particular speaker, who has now become conspicuously quiet, was “follow the money”. Oddly enough, there was no statement on what the Government planned to do to resolve the banking situation. It seems that the only plan was to lock up the “Big Boys”.
The governing of Anguilla was passed on to the AUF on April 22nd when the people of Anguilla rid themselves of the blighted and inept AUM Government. After sitting down on the banking issue for years, with not even the suggestion of a solution or report from CM Hughes, we were given the impression that the then Government of Anguilla had nothing to do with the situation and that the ECCB had not presented a report. Now, within less than three months in which to review the situation, Chief Minister Banks is being harassed by the former CM Hughes’ party leader appointee, Lorenzo Webster, as well as Haydn, Elkin and other busy-bodies – who are still suffering from election trauma – to come out and reveal everything. Sad! We now hear, however, that the Forensic Study has been completed and is with the Governor but that it appears that there is nothing dramatic in it.
The AUF Government is obviously taking a studied approach to resolving the banking issue, and the least all stakeholders can do is be patient. The Chief Minister obviously realizes that time is of the essence, but also that the resolution has to be done once and done properly. His scholarly, pointed, reasoned and deliberate response to the posturing and talking-down-to style of Prime Minister Gonzales should have shown all objective persons that he is a more than fit for a very challenging task, and is the person that Anguillians need to lead them at this time.
Name withheld by writer’s request
