Sisters and Brothers of this beautiful island of ours. When you read this in print, Anguilla Day will have come and gone; I send it to press two days before Anguilla Day. To those of you who have not heard it before reading it, I hope that the vast majority of you, Anguillians at home and abroad, will have enjoyed a wonderful Anguilla Day celebration. But to those of you who are less fortunate, I pray God you will find comfort in the days and months to come.
On the occasion of this 51st Anguilla Day, we want to pay tribute to all of our people, especially those who led the way in letting the Anguillian light shine throughout the world. For this and every Anguilla Day we celebrate our people, our hopes and our aspirations.
One such proud Anguillian is Jahmar Hamilton, who has just been selected for the West Indies Cricket squad for next week’s test match against Sri Lanka. If he gets to play in the first 11, he will become the second Anguillian to do so. Our own Omari Banks paved the way.
Omari, we are proud to say, is now making his mark in the world of music. He recently made his musical debut in India, on a mission to spread the message of love and peace through his reggae music and, on the eve of Anguilla Day, he will have released his latest music video that promotes our beautiful country.
These past 50 years our people have paved the way around the world. Zharnel Hughes might be representing Britain, but this world-class sprinter is very much our own. And before Zharnel, Ras Bucket brought attention to our outstanding potential.
We were all inspired by the run of Deanna Mussington on the UK X-Factor two seasons ago. And how appropriate that a website featuring her work quotes from Robert Browning: “Your reach should exceed your grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?”
Shara Proctor has made us proud competing for Great Britain since 2011 in the Long Jump, and having notched up records in both Anguilla and Britain.
And at the level of government we have all been inspired by the leadership of Ronald Webster and Sir Emile Gumbs, who instilled in us belief and pride.
This beloved island of Anguilla might be just a little rock, but we are more than a dot in the world.
As a people, we always aspire, and we always achieve – even against the odds, according to the late visionary educators, Vivien Vanterpool and Morris Vanterpool. The likes of Ras Bucket, Shara Proctor, Zharnel Hughes, and Jahmar Hamilton, athletes, Bankie Banx and Deanna Mussington, entertainers, Cardigan Connor, former England cricketer, Omari Banks both cricketer and entertainer, David Carty, boat builder extraordinaire and political luminary, Bernice Lake and Don Mitchell, both outstanding lawyers and stalwarts of Anguilla, and Ronald Webster and Sir Emile Gumbs: all these are examples of our potential as a people.
The flame of the Anguilla Revolution must burn forever. And it must always be fueled by desire, determination, hope and, most importantly, by unity.
It was because of the unity of our people that we triumphed 51 years ago this month. We must strive for unity to triumph again. The late Bevan Hodge, 2018 honoree, brilliant pilot at age 21, had inspired so many young Anguillians in the Revolution and a generation of pilots since.
My ambition as a political leader is to rekindle that “One Anguilla” spirit; to foster unity among our people that will lead to a new transformation. Our revered Heroes and Heroines have all touched my life and the 2018 Anguilla Day honorees have carried the baton with distinction. And many of our young students at home and abroad are achieving the highest honours in their educational endeavours. We are so very proud of all of you.
The revolution can only survive if we protect our children, improve our schools, create more opportunities for our youth and empower our people. We shall build an economy not by imposing more taxes on people, but by promoting economic expansion through offering incentives for more investment. The politics of nepotism and division will be replaced with a greater sense of community, with each one looking out for the other. We will engage people who have a broader, bigger vision for this island; not shut them out.
And so I offer myself as the standard-bearer for hope and unity.
The current economic crisis and the lack of growth prospects might have brought many of us to our knees. But the revolution of 51 years ago, taught us that we could only move forward on our feet. We already know how.
And we the people shall – and will – take back our land; take back our sense of community and unity. We must do so if the next generation is to be as proud of us; just as we are proud of the generation of our leaders that rose up, stood up and laid the foundation for the future that today we still yearn for.
Happy Anguilla Day everyone. Let’s go forward together. Let’s go forward as One Anguilla!
