Dear Mr. Editor:
Tyrone Hodge”s article in The Anguillian on November 13th which focused entirely upon Victor Banks, alleges complicity by Banks with the UK government. Being elected on April 22nd, Banks inherited a terrible problem involving the two indigenous banks, CCB and NBA, and was left without any solution by the prior Hughes administration. (For example, it has been reported that 50 percent of the NBA loans are non-performing.)
Through negotiations with UK’s administrators and the ECCB (Central Bank), Victor Banks has attempted to fend off the UK’s attempt to takeover the financial affairs of the Anguilla government as it had done several years ago in Turks and Caicos. Tyrone Hodge says that Banks is negotiating “behind our backs”. These are delicate negotiations which the UK surely would want to be kept confidential but, according to Hodge, Victor is “remiss” in not divulging every detail of those dealings to the public. Does he advocate that they be conducted on Kool FM?
Hubert Hughes had five years to resolve the banking crisis and only came up with an unacceptable proposal relative to ECCB in February 2015, on the eve of the new election. In what can only be viewed as a “hatchet job”, Tyrone Hodge, on the other hand, attacks Banks in his article voicing personal insults,vacuous vitriol, unfair criticism, and unfounded conclusions, all because Banks has not solved the banking problem in the seven months he has been in office. Hodge, among other accusations, equated Banks with Judas who betrayed Jesus; suggested that the UK was using the Banks government as a Trojan Horse as the Greeks did to conquer Troy; and concludes that Banks was seeking to “put on Royal Robes and a Crown” by his actions.
Hodge also suggests that the shareholders of the two banks should be allowed time to provide capitalization to the banks. They had five years to consider this alternative and act upon it, but with no action. Furthermore, there are discussions that 45 million dollars will be required for the banks to go forward, and does Hodge really think the shareholders would be able to come up with that kind of money?
Hodge opined, at one point, that in negotiations with “the Brits in June” the “esteemed Minister of Finance offered not one iota of defense of the banks.” How did he come up with that revelation? While he makes this wild claim, Hodge totally ignored any reference to the lengthy and detailed letter Victor Banks sent to the UK Prime Minister last month defending Anguilla’s economy and banking situation. This did not fit in with the far-out positions he was taking.
If Tyrone Hodge continues to submit full page articles for publication (even when a half page would easily suffice) he should demonstrate more objectivity and restraint, and far less vitriol and obvious animosity than what he has shown in this recent article.
Concerned Citizen
