Though nine months late, after Hurricane Irma devastated Anguilla, the visit by Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with responsibility for the Overseas Territories, was a welcome one. He and his party arrived in Anguilla on Sunday, May 27 and left on Tuesday, May 29 after seeing for himself, among other matters, “the vital work underway right now to help the recovery efforts”. He would have been even more informed had he been able to visit the island long before, as was expected. That would have given him a greater appreciation and understanding of the massive destruction and rubble in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, and the enormous task of relief assistance and rebuilding required.
He came at a time when patriotic Anguillians had worked swiftly and diligently to restore some semblance of normalcy and restoration in the territory, particularly by cleaning up the mess unlike other neighbouring hurricane-ravaged islands. That aside, the tell-tale scenes of many roofless or otherwise destroyed public and private sector buildings still linger on. With the release, at last, of the 60 million pounds of humanitarian aid, it is expected that restoration and rebuilding work will commence shortly on six priority projects, including some schools, but these are just the tip of the iceberg when one considers the many other projects awaiting financing. A knowledgeable source has estimated that, with the fluctuations of the British currency, some three million of the 60 million pounds may have already been lost. If that is the case, the hope is that it will be replaced in due course.
As a media representative, I was privileged to be among a number of colleagues who accompanied Lord Ahmad on his tour to school buildings, the Princess Alexandra Hospital and other places. I think it should be said here that his very polite demeanour and information-seeking interactions with the Anguillian officials and others who accompanied him, those he met at the sites, as well as the media representatives, showed a genuine concern and commitment to understand and assist, as far as possible, with the required present and future restoration, rebuilding and financing of institutions and services in the public sector. “It left a sweet taste in the mouth,” according to one person. The fact that Lord Ahmad’s visiting party included representatives of the British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce, and that an MOU was signed, also sent hopeful signals that British companies may one day assist in establishing business opportunities, partnerships and joint ventures on the island from which Anguilla’s economy can benefit.
Lord Ahmad’s address to dinner guests at Government House on Monday, May 28 saying, “I am enriched from my experience,” put the final lid on his visit to Anguilla. It was an admission (perhaps even an apology) that he could not stay in London and come to certain conclusions about Anguilla, its leadership, its financial position and the ability of its people to pay increased taxation after the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. Gone from his address was the recent hard talk about taxation and an Order in Council for a Chief Financial Officer to take over the public finances of the island. Down to earth and with the utmost sincerity he said:
I am extremely grateful for your time this evening. I am extremely grateful to each and every one of you who make Anguilla the special place it is. And whilst I have been only here for about 24 hours, I am enriched from my experience. I am enriched from meeting each and every one of you, and thank you for the warmth of the hospitality given me and the rest of the team. I look forward to working with you in a progressive, constructive, collaborative and collective way to make Anguilla an even stronger and even more successful and progressive country that it already is.
He further stated: I really appreciate the candid exchange and the honesty which has been expressed to me because if you don’t see the true picture of what is in front of you; if you don’t see the true sense of what the people feel; if you don’t get the true perspective of what the reality is, then your decision-making has ended. But when you get a full perspective, a full insight into the working of what matters, the priorities moving forward, and the importance of the relationship between the United Kingdom and Anguilla, you go away from visits, such as this, enriched by the expertise and insight you have gained – and certainly that is the case.
Lord Ahmad’s visit to Anguilla also, perhaps, enabled him to appreciate, even more, the fact that the Governor is on the ground in Anguilla and is better able to understand the situation and the need to build relationships among the people, the Governor’s Office and London. He said in part: When I saw Tim this evening, and during the course of the day, I expressed the sentiment, which I am sure all of you agree on, that he has made some incredible inroads into strengthening the relationship on a one-to-one basis with each and every one of you here and beyond.
About his tour with Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks, Lord Ahmad said: When we stopped one moment, just outside his own offices today, I saw a car hurtling towards us. I did the natural thing. I put my hand behind the Chief Minister and said: Victor, move out of the way, there’s a car coming. He said: Tariq, don’t worry about it. They will stop when they see me; and I thought if that’s the respect with which the Chief Minister is held in Anguilla, I can assure you if they see a politician in the middle of the road in London, I am not sure they will stop. There may be a different perspective or outcome. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Banks likewise told the media representatives about his high regard for the UK Minister: Tariq is a good guy, he commented.
In recent times there was a frank exchange of letters and much hardball between Lord Ahmad and Chief Minister Banks. With the Minister of State’s visit to the island, and his subsequent findings and interactions for himself, it appears that scores are now settled in Anguilla and London. This is not to say that there may not be further misunderstandings and disagreements in the future but, at least, there is now a cooling off period for a renewal of good relationships.
