English philosopher John Locke postulated that men once lived in a state of nature, solidarity, isolated, and free – unconstrained by any form of government. Thomas Paine writing in his pamphlet Common Sense, a century later, contendsed that: “society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state, is but a necessary evil, for in its worst state an intolerable one.”
How many committees have we invoked over the last fifteen years to write a new constitution, and while we had highly qualified luminaries like Don Mitchell and the late Dame Bernice Lake? If past actions prove anything, it proves that we are great talkers. We are yet to decide whether or not we’re going to fish or cut bait. We have known, from the earliest of days, that the constitution with which we were governed was, in a word, inadequate. This is how the British thought we ought to be governed just, as they taught us in school. We learned about the Battle of Hastings and all about the Plantagenets. We learned about our Caribbean brothers and sisters, but not about ourselves, and to this day we are still very much in the dark about affairs Anguillian. Why do you think that is? I hearken back to the old adage of ‘knowledge is power.’
Despite the fact that some may still think that Anguillians for far too long have lived like a shipwrecked community, we nevertheless are a part of a global world. Our behavior at times may not reflect it, but we are still a society with wants and needs and, in spite of ourselves, we seem to be slowly getting there. We need to differentiate between society and government. Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet Common Sense, draws a distinction between the two: “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively, by uniting our affections, the latter negatively, by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, while the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last is a punisher.”
We continue on a path that seems to stretch out into infinity and, as we draw ever so close to our semi-centennial, all of us ought to be ashamed, especially our leaders, that we are still faced with much unfinished business. Our leaders know what needs to be done because they have campaigned time and time again on those issues, but when the time came to put up or shut up, they chose to shut up.
If what we read can be construed as truth, then I suppose that a report in The Anguillian, a while back, which said that the AUF is putting together a task force to hammer out a new and long overdue constitution, then that is something that is indeed long overdue. We can recall that we’ve heard that song before, and time will tell if it’s just that – a song.
I applaud the AUF for trying to deliver on their campaign pledges and will reserve judgment for a later time. The CM in his report talked about not being forced to do anything before he’s ready. I would like to remind the CM that he does not have that option. He was elected by the people and if they say they want to know what’s going on, then tell them. Frederick Douglas said that: “Power concedes nothing without demand.” Mr. Banks, you seem to think that your party was given a mandate to do whatever you want and at whatever pace you choose. By winning six of seven seats, you may have very well been given a mandate and, as mandates go, I would not read anything special into this one for, if you recall, the AUF faced the same fate as did the AUM – and I’d be willing to bet the farm that if the AUF do not deliver, a similar fate will await them, so while it may look like you guys were given a mandate, I would hold off on the braggadocios talk. Arrogance is a big turn off and when one reads of the “glory days” one can only interpret that as nothing.
The AUF by virtue of winning six of seven seats is the government whether we like it or not, and we want to know that for every waking moment that our best interests are being looked after. It is important to know that this talk of constitution and electoral reform is not just talk. We want to see those projects that are ready to go, get started. We want to see that commission convened and serious thought being put into a new constitution. As a native Anguillian, I am tired of all the crap that has over the years been going on, and I know that you are probably tired of hearing this, but we sacrificed an awful lot and we don’t have much to show for it. Despite what V.S. Naipaul thought of us, we aren’t a stupid lot. We may have been a threat to anything green as he so flippantly inferred, but we know what we want.
I have to admit that the progress report released by the AUF appears to be on paper, a very ambitious one and, hopefully, those ideas will bear fruit. And while all of the ideas put forth are feasible, it will have all been for naught if we as a constituency don’t educate ourselves and behave like we’re supposed to. We’ve been at this now for far too long to not know what is required of us as a budding young democracy. We’ve been admonished time and time again about our responsibilities and we seem not to care.
As was pointed out in an editorial in last week’s Anguillian, the varied leadership of Anguilla has done nothing but talk about embarking upon the very same things that we are now talking about once again. Hopefully, this time around we will see words backed up by action. It is incumbent upon us to learn about our government and what makes it work. In any profession, one has to be educated in order to attain mastery. I know I’ve read this somewhere. It was pointed out that if you want to be a doctor, you have to go through the process. If you want to be a lawyer, you also will have to learn about the law; and if you want to fly an aeroplane, you have to learn how to. And that person very adeptly pointed out that if you want to be a politician, all you have to do is worry about yourself. Sad, but true.
With the election of a new government, it would be amazing what a well intentioned legislature could accomplish. In the just finished summer sitting of the Bermuda Parliament, the accomplishments were astronomical: healthcare, reforming the justice system, insuring the underinsured, protecting privacy and a host of others. It shows what can be done when a government does not involve itself in petty politics, but instead does what it was elected to do, – the people’s business.
While the manifesto talks about the road to success, it was a bit short on how to accomplish its agenda. There was no mention of the education system, for without 21st century skills – the ability to think rationally and analytically – our students will still not be ready to compete on a global level.
Also not mentioned, was the mental health situation which presently see the mentally challenged being housed in the prison. How can that be? Aren’t those folks entitled to proper medical care. And in the same week that the AUF come out with their progress report, an editorial in this same paper questions the ability of our children to learn under some less than stellar circumstances. Our teachers, long vilified by the former government, teach simply because they love what they are doing. Why would some teachers spend their own money to buy supplies for their students if they didn’t care? The late Mr. Vivien Vanterpool, writing in Anguilla 40, said that: “The government needs to bear some of the responsibility for our predicament as the social development did not keep pace with Anguilla’s economic growth.” Anguilla’s schools need to come into the 21st century with everything that that entails, from the physical plant to the classroom.
The release of the four-month report is a good start, and the fact that a commission has been convened also speaks to the fact that you’re serious about this. I hope that a knowledgeable cross-section of our populous will be called upon. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the AUF held a town hall meeting in district two, and the fact that our CM discussed the banking situation. I suppose it is understandable when he claims that he’s in no position to release the report given that it is an internal document, not given to the general public. The question still remains, what is the solution and what is the Central Bank doing?
I was also pleased to see Ms Cora Richardson- Hodge and Ms Evalie Bradley discussing a topic that’s dear to my heart, for it brings up a situation that I’m sure we had never given much thought to before, and that is the foreign born heirs of Anguillian ancestry. So I will give much needed kudos to the two aforementioned ladies for their stick-to-itiveness with regard to foreign born children and grandchildren of Anguillian parents.
There is an awful lot happening around the world right now, and I’m sure that at some point it will begin to affect us. We just can’t be reactionary for we’ll always be backpedalling on our heels with all of these problems hitting us right in the face. Anguilla has changed, but we’ve not kept up with the times. Our schools are inadequate and we know it, and yet we do nothing about them. I read in today’s paper that those investing in our country has the moral obligation to do more. In the United States, for example, when a developer builds hundreds of homes, he or she is required to provide schools and green areas. Now, that may be asking a bit too much in a small place like Anguilla, but I’m sure that there are things that they can do – donate a computer lab, science kits, supplies for schools etc. Don’t you think that they will benefit from these acts if they are in it for the long haul? I wholeheartedly agree with that assertion made and I think it’s a way to go – and it comes back to those people whom we have at the negotiating table when these deals are made.
Mr. Banks, I’m not picking on you, at least not yet, but you are the face of Anguilla right now – and I’m expecting you to be an outside of the box thinker. I had the opportunity to travel over the summer to Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta, all in the country of Colombia, S.A. I also travelled on the same journey to San Andres and it was like going back to Anguilla, only it was more developed. I bring this up to talk about culture. In San Andres, I had the opportunity to visit several museums in which I saw a lot of the items – some of which we can see at Petty’s Heritage Museum – all housed in an Anguillian-style wooden house. It was like going back to Anguilla. I saw things like, the old goose, the irons that we put in the fire before we got the gas ones. I saw the outhouse, the old oven, a kerosene stove and so on. I also visited Captain Morgan’s cave where he supposedly hid out. In Cartagena, I saw the old Fort San Felipe that once defended the city against attacks, a fort that was built with the blood of our forefathers. These places were crowded on a daily basis with tourists. In Anguilla, we have a rich heritage, but it won’t do us any good if no one knows about it.
We have much to offer, and if we are really serious about nation-building, there needs to be a concerted effort going forward. We need those leaders who are forward thinkers who can anticipate and react at the same time. We have an abandoned lot on Crocus Hill that once housed the government’s headquarters. I’m not old enough to remember it, maybe Victor is, but my point is that, that can be rebuilt and turned into a national museum. I’m sure that there are existing pictures of it that could serve as a template for its reconstruction. Guys, we have to start thinking of the future and what we want to leave behind for our children. They are going to have a much harder time than we did growing up. Are we satisfied with that? Let us start the dialogue as to where we want to go from here and how to get there. Until then, may God bless us and may God continue to bless Anguilla.
