‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ This observation is one that is well known to most of us and is understood to mean that – to survive, a group must be united and not fight amongst itself. This bears contemplation as we approach the constitutional negotiation meetings with the British Team scheduled for the week beginning 18th November 2019.
The many pronouncements of the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmovan Webster, will have led many Anguillians to conclude that she does not share the views of the majority of the members of the House of Assembly about what is desired to be the final outcome of the Constitutional Reform Exercise. Mr. Don Mitchell, CBE, QC, has been vocal in his objection to what he considers to be the omission of vital provisions from the draft Constitution – approved by the House of Assembly for discussions with the British delegation. Ms. Webster, in her capacity as Leader of the Opposition, has been named as a member of Anguilla’s Negotiating Team. She, in turn, has written to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs expressing her intention to have Mr. Mitchell accompany her to the negotiations with the British Team. Will Anguilla’s Negotiating Team speak with one voice, or will varying agendas be presented for the contemplation of the British Team?
Anguilla has been engaged in Constitutional and Electoral Reform exercises for more than two decades. It is clear that the greatest advancement in these areas has been achieved in the last four years. New electoral laws have been enacted and certain constitutional amendments have already been effected. The second and most substantial part of the Constitutional Reform Exercise is now advancing – to the very significant stage of negotiations with the British. This opportunity, to achieve the long-desired constitutional advancement for Anguilla, should not be squandered. Internal wrangling is likely to result in constitutional advancement being further delayed.
It is generally understood that persons sitting on one side of the negotiating table will be pursuing the same goal(s), having previously addressed any differences amongst themselves. One fears that this will not be the case with the Anguilla Negotiating Team. If this situation occurs it will not bode well for the outcome of the Constitutional Reform Exercise and Anguilla.
What apparently is not in doubt is that the British Team will speak with one voice – and its members are very likely to have already determined their preferred position on the varied constitutional issues as well as their fall back position. It often appears that, despite our many years of interacting with the British, we still do not appreciate that we must learn to find common ground amongst ourselves if we are to effectively engage with the British.
The progress made towards resolving the Banking Crisis in Anguilla, and the fragmentation of the Cap Juluca property, was achieved because the persons who sat at the negotiating table, and spoke on behalf of the Government – and therefore the people of Anguilla – spoke with one voice. I suspect that the majority of the Anguilla populace will agree that, today, Anguillians and residents of Anguilla are the beneficiaries of the outcome of those negotiations. The depositors’ haircut that was contemplated did not materialise – and Cap Juluca is now a unified entity, once again, offering the level of hospitality and employment it was previously renowned for.
We often speak of our desire for Anguilla to progress towards greater self-government. The achievement and sustainability of this goal are dependent on the maturity demonstrated by our leaders in their engagement with each other – and with representatives of the United Kingdom Government. Anguillians would welcome, and look forward to, the appropriate level of maturity being exhibited during the upcoming constitutional negotiations with the British. The negotiation process is expected to be lengthy and will no doubt be a true test of our ability to set aside differences to ensure that Anguilla and Anguillians benefit from this decades old Constitutional Reform Process. Will our ‘House’ stand as one at this crucial time in Anguilla’s history?
