Fellow Anguillians, on behalf of my family and the Anguilla United Movement family, I wish you a very happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year. While we had a lot to be thankful for in 2018, we look forward to a better 2019. Thank God for a quiet hurricane season.
I offer heartfelt condolences to those who lost loved ones in the past year, those from natural causes; some of our heroes and patriots are ‘gone too soon’; and those from tragic motor vehicle accidents, and gun violence. The latter is a scourge which is becoming prevalent in our beloved country and workable solutions must be explored and implemented this year. The lives of our Youth and the safety and security of our country depend on this.
If we listened to the Chief Minister’s Christmas message, we would think that Anguilla is a ‘land flowing with milk and honey’. His description of his administration’s accomplishments suggest that Anguilla’s economy is booming, but a reality check shows that many Anguillians have not realized the recovery and are still living in the ‘valley of despair’, with fear of losing their homes, their jobs, and not being able to provide for their families. I agree with him that Anguilla has shown exceptional recovery from Hurricane Irma, a testament to the resilience of Anguillians, who are proud and strong, but not due to any policy adopted or enacted by the Government. While we celebrate our recovery, we must be mindful that there are Anguillian homes and businesses which have not been restored post Irma, including the fishermen who lost boats, motors and fishtraps. Every effort must be made to assist them to recover. I still believe that some of the EC$18 million received from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) should have been distributed to Anguillians to help recover their homes and businesses.
I too would like to thank the hotel, villa and restaurant owners, and other investors who remained loyal to Anguilla and rebuilt and/or expanded their businesses to restore Anguilla’s tourism industry and get many Anguillians back to work. Good corporate citizens are essential to a country’s development and sustainability.
The Chief Minister would have us believe that the slight positive blip in the economy is due to actions of the Anguilla United Front administration, but this is mainly due to a boost in the construction sector from post Irma restoration projects. In fact, some in his administration have thanked God for Hurricane Irma because it brought financial assistance and construction jobs, forgetting the horror and devastation we endured that September morning in 2017 and beyond. I would like to thank Anguillians at home and abroad, who rolled up their sleeves, or opened their hearts and wallets to contribute to the recovery of our native land. I also would like to thank our Caribbean neighbours and friends, who even though they themselves suffered damage and loss, sent help, and the UK Government for providing manpower and offering significant humanitarian aid to help restore and rebuild public infrastructure.
As these projects are approved, it is good to see priority given to rebuilding the schools. Our children need modern education facilities, equipped with the technology necessary for global access and learning. I also welcome the restoration efforts at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and thank all who contributed and participated, but we must not become complacent, knowing that we need expanded services, modern equipment, trained personnel and specialists to ensure better access to health care for our citizens and visitors.
There is mention of airport and seaport expansion. These are necessary for Anguilla’s development and we hope that the airport expansion involves more than the 600 foot extension offered. I commend the Government for the recent improvement at the Blowing Point Port, but we still wonder if it would not have been more economical to restore the damaged ferry terminal rather than demolish it completely. Also, I thank the UKG for offering financial assistance for a new jetty in Sandy Ground but wouldn’t it be better to start developing a deep water port in Corito, given the shallow water, limited land space and tourism potential of Sandy Ground?
The Chief Minister skimmed over the banking situation in Anguilla, perhaps wanting us to forget that the policies adopted by his administration and the laws they enacted have crippled the banking sector and the economy. First Caribbean International Bank is closing its doors this month due to the poor economy, Scotiabank is selling its Anguilla branch, and NCBA is a non-capitalized bridge bank, without a U.S. corresponding bank, which must be sold by April this year. Yet the CM calls this stable. Wouldn’t it have been good if Anguilla or Anguillians or even Social Security bought Scotiabank Anguilla for the proposed US$25 million, making it locally owned, as the Antiguan Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, suggested for the Antiguan branch? Acquiring Scotiabank Anguilla may have fixed the corresponding bank problem. Instead the so-called Anguilla Banking Resolution and the Anguilla Banking Obligation Acts have indebted us for EC$214 million of the Social Security Fund, and the EC$52 million Depositor’s Trust has hampered the ability of Anguillian businessmen to access their money for investment. It is obvious that the decisions of our Government over the past three and a half years continue to have a crippling effect on our economy and our people. Additionally, the effect of disenfranchising the foreign depositors, many of whom are our neighbours, has been significant reputational harm to Anguilla, forcing some expats to leave Anguilla and causing potential investors to look elsewhere.
We cannot forget the significant debt of over half a billion dollars, accrued by this administration which will continue to be a burden for us and our children for generations. Servicing this debt has led to increased taxes and fees, and proposals for new taxes, which the Government does not want to disclose therefore, there has been no Budget presented for 2019. If there was a real surplus as stated by the Chief Minister, and potential for positive growth in the economy, Mr. Banks would have presented a budget at the end of last year, as is customary. However, with zero dollars in reserves, a EC$24.8 million deficit for 2018, almost EC$600 million in debt, failure to start building the Anguilla Community College, no capital projects except for the post-Irma school and port restoration projects, and new taxes, including the Goods and Services Tax, which he promised the British he will impose, the Chief Minister did not want to be a grinch and steal our Christmas cheer, so he saved the ‘lump of coal’ for this year. Maybe he plans to give us the gift of a General Election prior to April 30, 2019, when the Budget is due, the proposed new taxes must be presented, and NCBA must be sold.
We cannot forget the desire to sell the people’s shares in ANGLEC, controlled by the Government. ANGLEC is a vital asset in Anguilla’s economic, social and cultural development and must be retained.
Mr. Banks has done a good job of keeping the people of Anguilla in the dark through lack of public consultation. We are still waiting for a report on the recent Joint Ministerial Meetings which he attended in London and the outcome of any meetings with the UKG regarding the proposed Constitutional and Electoral Reforms which he wants to impose by Order in Council. It took a united opposition effort, with the assistance of prominent lawyers and the Chairperson of the Constitutional and Electoral Reform Committee to highlight and expose the politically motivated amendments which the Anguilla United Front administration wanted enshrined in the Anguilla Constitution prior to the next general election. It is incumbent upon the Chief Minister and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to inform the people of Anguilla what decisions have been made regarding the Constitution of Anguilla, including implementing an Integrity Commission.
As we leave 2018 and venture into 2019, I thank those who serve the people of Anguilla, including doctors, nurses, EMTs, police, firemen and women, and civil servants. Thanks also to all who volunteer in charitable organizations and agencies. I especially want to thank the teachers, who, despite makeshift classrooms, limited supplies, extended hours, and uncertain situations, while still having to secure their homes and care for their families, continued to educate our children and helped to graduate some of the top students in the region. Imagine what could be done with more support from Government. I want to thank those in the hospitality industry who year after year continue to welcome our visitors, provide them a relaxing home away from home, and do their part to maintain and sustain Anguilla’s tourism industry. We must protect them with better wages and laws which recognize their importance to the economy and society.
On Christmas Day, I worshipped with the good people of St. Andrews Anglican Church in Island Harbour. In his homily, Bishop Brooks spoke about ‘looking to be good again’. Each one of us needs to be good again, to love and care for each other, to work together for the common good. Our country needs to be good again. As outlined, there are many challenging issues to address, but we can face them with the same determination our forebears demonstrated during prior hardships, and with the unity and resilience required to recover from the ravages of Hurricane Irma. As I meet with people throughout Anguilla, I realize that our people are not looking for miracles, they are looking for Hope. Hope for a future where we are not limited by our circumstances or our surroundings but given every opportunity to succeed; Hope that when we work hard and follow the rules that we are not passed over by someone who is better off or better connected; Hope that our elected government and our administering power will enact laws and impose Orders which will benefit us as a people and advance Anguilla, rather than satisfy a political agenda; Hope that we can provide for our families, including our elderly and our children; Hope that we love and care for each other, minimizing strife and violence in our society, ensuring a safe, happy and peaceful existence as we occupy until Jesus comes.
May God Bless us in this New Year and continue to Bless Anguilla, our home.
Thank you.
Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster
Leader, Anguilla United Movement
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
