Immediate Causes
The West Indies Federation, of which the Colony of St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla formed a single political unit, collapsed in 1962 when Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago pulled out of the union and proceeded to political independence. Thereafter, the British Government proposed a federation of the remaining eight territories – the “Little Eight”: Barbados, Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, St Vincent, St Lucia, Grenada and St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. Most of the islands gave the proposal lukewarm support, but there were some Anguillians who rejected it completely. A few of them, including Albert R. Lake, Alwyn S. Hodge, John W. Proctor, Hubert Hughes and Clifford Reid, wrote the Colonial Office in London on 22nd January 1965 requesting that Anguilla “remain outside the proposed federation . . . and be administered from the Colonial Office”.
The proposed federation of the “Little Eight” came to naught in August 1965 when Barbados decided that it would be no part of it, and opted for independence. The British Government’s response, in consultation with the governments of the remaining territories of Antigua, Dominica, St Vincent, St Lucia, Grenada and St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla (but not Montserrat), was to grant the territories new constitutions to provide for Statehood in Association with Britain. The relationship was intended to give the Associated States full internal self-government and to reserve for Britain the control and direction of their defence and external affairs.
The months preceding Statehood for St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla saw the renewal – the revival – of the Anguillians’ demand for separation from St Kitts. They resented acceding to Statehood as part of the Associated State of St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla for they had become disillusioned with being a colony of a colony – with a situation of sub-colonization – which retarded their island’s development, and therefore sought direct links with the Mother Country as a means of improving their social and economic wellbeing.
The circumstances surrounding the creation of the Associated State of St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla on 27th February 1967, and the inclusion of Anguilla as part of the State against the wishes of its people, ignited the Anguilla Revolution. Those circumstances are now examined. In May 1966 a Constitutional Conference was held in London for the purpose of discussing a Constitution Order for the proposed Associated State. Anguilla was represented by Peter Adams, its sole representative in the Legislative Council in St Kitts. The St Kitts delegation comprised Paul Southwell (Chief Minister), Robert Bradshaw (Minister without Portfolio) and Basil Dias the Attorney General. And Nevis was represented by Eugene Walwyn, one of its two representatives in the Legislative Council. The Conference Report, which was accepted and signed51 by all the delegations, observed:
The Conference was informed of the wish of the Government of St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla to set up a system of local government in Nevis and in Anguilla, and agreed that the Constitution will provide for local government in those islands in a form the details of which should be decided by the Legislature.52
The constitutional proposals for the Associated State, which had been debated and unanimously adopted by the St Kitts Legislature prior to Conference, were made against the background of Anguilla’s persistent demands for separation. The St Kitts Government attempted to come to grips with those demands by proposing the establishment of local Councils in Anguilla (and Nevis) thus devolving some degree of autonomy to the sister islands.
Provision for the establishment of local government in Anguilla and Nevis was made under Section 109 (1) of the Saint Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla Constitution Order which was to come into force on 27th February 1967. The Order stipulated that at least two-thirds of the members of the local Councils should be elected but that until 1st January 1968, or such earlier date as the Legislature may prescribe, all members should be appointed by the Governor in accordance with the advice of the Premier who had to consult the Leader of the Opposition.53 In view of the lack of experience in local government within the Colony, the British Government undertook, at the London Conference, to provide an expert to advise on its establishment in Anguilla and Nevis.
The recommendations of the Conference were viewed with much skepticism by the Anguillian people many of whom feared that Statehood would mean continued domination by St Kitts. One of those who held such fears was Atlin Harrigan, a young electrician, who had spent several years in England and the United States Virgin Islands, and who had become disillusioned with conditions in Anguilla. In his letter to The Democrat newspaper, cited earlier, Harrigan called on Anguillians to reject Statehood and “stay Colonial”. 54 In his words:
Let everyone sign a petition that will be drawn up and sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies protesting self-government with St Kitts. . . .
Let us choose to stay Colonial. If England doesn’t want us we have what to encourage the Canadians and Americans.
This is our only way out, so all Anguillians must do their part. We [sat] and take too much for too long.
We must make it clear to Mr [Peter] Adams not to represent us in the final talks for self-government for we don’t want it. I say again let’s stay Colonial and be a colony of our own and be better off.55
While Harrigan was agitating against Statehood – and seeking support for his position on the issue – the St Kitts Government, in anticipation of a visit by the expert in local government, appointed a committee, in October 1966, to prepare proposals for the expert’s consideration. The committee comprised the Administrator, the Chief Minister (Bradshaw), Eugene Walwyn (Member of the Legislature for Nevis), Peter Adams (Member of the Legislature for Anguilla), the Attorney General and two senior public servants. The fact that the committee hardly met caused several Anguillians to look at the promise of meaningful local government with suspicion and to accept Harrigan’s call for separation.
Following an announcement by the British Government that a local government expert, Peter Johnston, would arrive in St Kitts in January 1967, the St Kitts Government hastily convened a meeting of the committee, on 23rd December 1966, to prepare a set of proposals for his consideration. The meeting was called at such short notice that Peter Adams, Anguilla’s representative on the committee, was not notified. However, he was sent, under cover of a letter dated 7th January 1967, a copy of the minutes – and his comments on the proposals contained therein were invited. Once copies of the minutes had been circulated in Anguilla the demand for separation from St Kitts heightened significantly. The Anguillians took the position that the powers of the proposed Local Council were not wide enough – needed to be substantially increased – and warned that if they were not increased Anguilla would break all ties with St Kitts. Furthermore, the failure to invite Anguilla’s representative to the committee’s meeting caused the proposals emanating therefrom to be viewed with considerable apprehension.
It was inconceivable that the St Kitts Government should have called a meeting of the committee to discuss the question of local government for Anguilla (and Nevis) in the absence of a representative of the people for whom the local government was intended. That occurrence had convinced the Anguillians that the political directorate in St Kitts was determined to pitchfork them into Statehood on its own terms and, thereafter, the relations between the two islands suffered irreparable damage.
The St Kitts Government had a good opportunity to neutralize Anguilla’s longstanding demand for separation but it did not seize it. Instead, it consistently rejected all demands for increased powers for the proposed Local Council. It refused to give the assurance that the powers would be extensively increased, and this eventually led to the mounting of a major campaign against Statehood. The campaign was led by men like Atlin Harrigan, Ronald Webster, Wallace Rey, Collins O. Hodge, Winston Harrigan, Alfred Webster, Walter Hodge, Jeremiah Gumbs and John Rogers some of whom had spent several years working abroad and had become extremely bitter about conditions in Anguilla. The leaders of what had eventually developed into a separatist movement held several meetings throughout the island advising people that if Anguilla acceded to Statehood, Bradshaw would be in a better position to carry out his threat to turn their island into a desert. They preached that if the Anguillian people were to enjoy a higher standard of living, they had to reject Statehood and seek “the care of Mother England”. The leaders of the movement were preaching to the converted.
The campaign, by the separatist movement, against Statehood was extremely effective because when the local government expert, Peter Johnston, visited Anguilla on 27th January 1967 most Anguillians were no longer inclined to discuss local government. Johnston was greeted on arrival at Wallblake Airport by a crowd of about five hundred people carrying placards, some of which read: We don’t want Statehood. We want England; God save the Queen; No Statehood for Anguilla seeking care of England; Seeking the choice of Mother’s care; and Could we be united with Bradshaw who said that he will turn Anguilla into a desert? Johnston met later at the Court House with a group of Anguillians56 who refused to discuss local government and demanded separation.
Johnston’s mission was a complete failure because neither the St Kitts Government nor the Anguillians were prepared to compromise their entrenched positions. The Anguillians refused to drop their demand for separation, and the St Kitts Government stuck to its position on local government – no increased powers for the Local Council – and went ahead with the preparation of the necessary legislation for its implementation. The draft Local Government Ordinance provided for a Local Council consisting of six elected and not more than three nominated members, and for the division of Anguilla into six wards or divisions for the purpose of elections. Section 8 (1) outlined the general duties of the Council which included the provision of good government and the taking of measures to improve conditions on the island. It also empowered the Council to raise revenue to cover the cost of repairing, cleansing, draining, and otherwise maintaining in good order such roads and other public places, such water works, buildings and works as may belong to the Local Council or as may from time to time be transferred to it by the Government of the State.57
