Fellow Anguillians! My People!
These celebrations marking the 52nd Anniversary of our Revolution are once more being conducted in an atmosphere of gratitude for what has been a year of miraculous recovery. A recovery that has delivered a tourism plant with more available rooms than before the infamous Hurricane Irma devastated our homeland. Last year we were grateful for spared lives — this year we are overwhelmed by the evidence of God’s Grace in bringing us safely back — and even more vibrant than before.
A 52nd Anniversary is not normally considered a milestone year — but it provides the same opportunity for reflection and appreciation of our history and our heritage. In this vein I consider the theme for this year’s celebrations most appropriate: “52 Years of Courage and Fortitude, Steadily Forward We March with Gratitude!” We have come a long way because of the resolve of our forebears to stay the course — but to achieve our goals we must continue to move forward ever mindful of the blessings that have brought us thus far.
Two of the events that I have had the opportunity to attend this week did justice to this national celebration. It began with an inspiring Service of Thanksgiving on Sunday at St Gerard’s Roman Catholic Church — followed by a most entertaining Choir Fest at the Mount Fortune Seventh Day Adventist Church.
As usual the Anguilla Jubilee Choir wowed us all — and this year they added a spiritual dance by a talented group of young women adorned in an array of national colors performing for the glory of God. And the Choral groups at Mount Fortune sang a variety of melodious and dramatic renditions that captured the very essence of our heritage as well as expressions of gratitude for the blessings we continue to receive as a people.
I could comment on the awesome message at the Service of Thanksgiving delivered by Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs but I will resist doing so and rather lift a few verses from his motivational poem at the back of the Order of Service leaflet where he wrote:
“Then he rose, clenched his fist, and spoke:
Anguillians at “52” the best years are ahead of you!”
I have selected this quotation because it speaks of hope in the midst of a recitation of woes, negativity, anger, and despair. And because in my usual inspirational chat around this time with my friend, the last surviving leader of the early struggle, the Hon. John “Bob” Rogers, he again spoke about young people. He spoke of the youth being the hope of our island and the manifestation of the vision for which he and his colleagues fought. I have therefore decided to keep the young people in our island and in the Diaspora in focus in these remarks. And because a number of them are standing in the elements today at this celebration, to also keep it short.
My friend Bob said:
Victor! Ronald, Atlin, and myself were not educated — but we fought to get an opportunity for the young people in our island to become educated and run our country. I continue to be disappointed that our young people are not aspiring to hold important technical positions within our administration. Born here is not good enough! When you are educated you have a case! I am not speaking about being educated for Anguilla but being educated for the world!”
The messages to our young people (and even to all of us) contained in these two exhortations are that the best years are ahead of us and that being born here is not good enough. In other words there is hope and/but we must qualify ourselves. A sense of entitlement because of ones birthright will not lead to true success and empowerment. Young people must be willing to work hard and train hard to achieve the purpose of the Anguilla Revolution that we celebrate today — the purpose driven life that Rev. Gumbs spoke about at the Service of Thanksgiving.
I will not use this Anguilla Day address as a platform to launch my Government’s political campaign or boast on our achievements over the past four years — but I will celebrate a few changes that have been achieved under our watch this year that acknowledges the pride of our people as well as our diaspora. Firstly, we have amended our Constitution to refer to our people as “Anguillians” rather than the generic term “belongers”. And secondly to extend the privilege of Anguillian status to grandchildren born outside of Anguilla in recognition of the fact that our people have had to travel overseas to maintain their families at home. We believe that these dignifying changes would have made our forebears proud. And so we too are proud to have them in place as another historic stride on this Anguilla Day.
The truth is that Anguilla Day should always be a day to preach love — not hate and retribution.
Not about division but unity.
Not to celebrate with arrogance but to reflect with humility.
Not a day to accentuate our shortcomings with despair — but rather our successes with hope.
A day to look forward — not a time to be trapped in a time warp of the past!
It is a day to pray and to hope for leaders ready to be bold and courageous — yet always remembering to be compassionate and caring.
Let me take this opportunity to commend all the Anguilla Day honorees, past and present, for their sterling contribution to our island in so many different ways. We salute you this Day!
Let me also pay homage to all past leaders especially Chief Ministers: the late Hon James Ronald Webster; the late Sir Emile Gumbs; the Hon. Hubert B. Hughes; and the Hon. Osbourne B. Fleming for their service to the people of this, our, patrimony.
And finally let me take the time (paraphrasing Reverend Gumbs’s poem) to tell our children of our ancestors overcoming; to tell them of the solid foundations they laid for us to build on; to remind them that stony paths can become stepping stones; that desert times will blossom and flowers will bloom; and that Anguillians wiser and stronger will build a nation “Strong Proud and Free! Indeed despite anything the naysayers; the detractors or the prophets of doom and gloom may say — that is our destiny! Have a happy, safe and blessed Anguilla day.
May God Bless all of You and May God Bless Anguilla!
