The following is the text of a radio broadcast delivered by Mr. Sutcliffe Hodge, Leader of the DOVE Party, and sent to The Anguillian for publication:
The last five months in Anguilla have been one of the most suspenseful and vulnerable periods that I can recall in our island’s history. Particularly due to much concern about our Indigenous Banks and the silence of our elected representatives, proposed property tax measures and possibly other taxes, an under-performing economy, crime, among other issues.
In the last general election the people of Anguilla gave the Anguilla United Front a mandate to represent all of us; with specific reference to the published manifesto of 2015; however, any major decision to be made or issue confronting this government or which affect the people and that is outside the scope of the manifesto should only be done following consultation with and approval by the people.
The mandate given to the Anguilla United Front by the people of Anguilla is one that any responsible, right-thinking and conscious people should honour. That is exactly what me and my fellow DOVE party members have chosen to do. The members of the DOVE party came to a common position that during this period of uncertainty and crisis we would put aside party politics and allow this government an opportunity to make good on the many promises made throughout the election campaign.
However, we all have a responsibility to hold the persons that represent us accountable and after much silence on my part I believe it is time to speak out on behalf of the many persons who have reached out to me expressing their concerns and frustrations.
Let me first say that if the people of this island can recall what we were saying throughout our campaign about the challenges ahead, what is happening now is exactly what we said would happen if specific and deliberate steps were not taken to transform this islands economy and to address the situation with the indigenous banks. This is not the time to point fingers and apportion blame, the issues at hand are serious and require unified and deliberate steps. To my mind, the only way we are going to get out of this crisis is to unite as an island, suspend our partisan politics and focus on charting a course that would put this island back on a path of growth and prosperity.
> While there are those who want to see people go to prison, this is not the time for that. We need to first ensure the interest of people are fought for, represented and safeguarded.
The main issues facing the island include:
> How do we recover the economy?
How do we get our people back to work earning decent wages?
How do we put the island on a path of sustainable growth with a focus on transformation through education?
>
> How do we protect 100% of depositors money in the two indigenous banks?
>
> How do we protect the investment of shareholders in the two indigenous banks?
>
> How do we protect the property and equity of our people who are at risk of losing their land, homes and businesses through no fault of their own?
>
> How do we ensure that the gains that we have made as an island over the past several decades are not lost by the decisions that we make over the next few weeks/months?
>
> How do we ensure that we the people of Anguilla remain firmly in control of Anguilla and our destiny?
>
> How do we ensure that the bad decisions and bad choices that we made in the recent past are not repeated going forward?
How do we ensure that there is accountability on the part of those persons who are responsible for the bad decisions/choices that were made?
>
> How do we ensure that the decisions with respect to the way forward in solving the crises confronting us are made with the support of a large representative body of the people from all across this island?
>
> How do we ensure that the key decision makers are not compromised thus making them unfit to make decisions on behalf of the people of this island?
>
> Let there be no doubt that any attempt to introduce new taxes on the people of this island in this economic climate will be met with much resistance.
>
> As a commitment to the people of Anguilla, this government assured the people of Anguilla that they will be removing the Stabilisation Levy. We are all looking forward to seeing this “unfair” tax removed but let it be known that it cannot be replaced with another tax that might be even less fair and/or hidden, especially if it seeks to increase taxes on the unemployed.
>
> What we must do in Anguilla is to cut the cost of running this island especially as we see more and more Anguillians leave Anguilla in the hope of a better life elsewhere.
>
> We must also seek to reduce the cost of living in Anguilla with lower taxes, lower prices on diesel, gasoline and propane gas. We also need to aggressively move to using renewable energy exclusively. This will have the effect of not only making it more affordable for us to live in Anguilla, it would attract the much needed foreign direct investment and address the major challenge with potable water across the island.
>
> The challenges ahead are real. We must confront them together. This calls for unity and level headed leadership in an environment where our leaders are not compromised.
>
> May God take the lead as we pray earnestly for the best outcome for our beloved Anguilla.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
