Fellow Anguillans/My People;
As the Minister responsible for Social Security, it falls my lot during the Anniversary Week of the passing of the Social Security Act, to deliver a radio address to officially launch the activities planned to celebrate this historic event.
As usual I am preceded in this function by a Church Service that brings the Board, Management, and Staff together to give God thanks for His guidance over the past years and to pray for His continued blessings into the future. This year the service was held at the Hill Top Baptist Church, a Church that was founded by one of the first Board Members of the Anguilla Social Security System, Pastor Davis Lloyd. It was a great moment to be blessed by the presence of this former Board Member and his dear wife as we were celebrating the contribution of an institution that he helped to establish for the security of all Anguillans.
I also cherish this opportunity because it brings back memories of that period in our history when the Father of the Nation, the late Hon. James Ronald Webster, decided, at a time when Anguilla was beginning to transition to a modern economy, that it was important to put in place a system to provide for the future security of its people.
It was a vision that was met with the usual gathering of naysayers who are ever present during the launching of new plans and new ideas. It was therefore necessary for the Father of the Nation to put together a team of young men and women to assist him in realizing that vision. I will be forever proud to have been chosen among that band of believers that fought in the proverbial trenches of public opinion to make it happen. That struggle must serve as an inspiration to many of us who are called upon to introduce new ideas and innovations that would improve the quality of life for our people.
The Anguilla Social Security System has now been in existence for thirty-seven years. And every year on this anniversary it composes a theme around which it hopes to create the energy to advance the cause of social justice for the Anguillian community. This year’s theme is: “Promoting a Culture of Health and Financial Security”. It is obviously grounded in the philosophy that health and wealth go hand in hand in creating an environment for a satisfied and happy society.
Pastor Gareth Hodge in his message at the Church Service eloquently described the dilemma that we may face as a people when he quoted an adage which I now paraphrase: “We use our health to build our wealth; we then use our wealth to maintain our health; but in the final outcome we may end up losing both health and wealth — if we do not have a sound plan in place.” Through this theme then, the Anguilla Social Security System is highlighting the importance of a long-standing project being pursued by successive Governments of Anguilla, namely, the establishment of a National Health Insurance System. It is an idea whose time has long come — but remains relevant to where we must be headed in the furtherance of our concept of social justice.
This is indeed one of the challenges that lie in the road ahead. And in this context, we must continue to ensure that the Anguilla Social Security System remains a dynamic institution responsive to the vagaries of the national, regional and international environment in which it must subsist. That dynamism cannot be maintained by being introspective and insular. We must also recognize that there is no need “to reinvent the wheel” — and that there are many innovations globally that address some of the very challenges we confront. We therefore need to be constantly keeping abreast of best practices in that marketplace of social security services that may be appropriate to our circumstances. This calls for our participation in regional and international forums where these experiences are shared, researched and discussed/debated on an ongoing basis.
The recent International Social Security Association (ISSA) Conference, which I had the privilege to attend, along with the Chairman and the CEO of the Anguilla Social Security Board, reinforced for me the importance of such participation. In fact, the very theme of the Conference spoke to the dynamism to which I referred that is so critical to addressing the efficient delivery of social security services to our various communities. The theme is: “Protecting people in a changing world”. And the presentations and discussions provided great insights into the changes taking place where social security systems exist and how these systems may adapt to meet the concomitant challenges.
Some of the changes identified are relevant to Anguilla, including ageing populations; the impact of the digital technology; reducing inequalities and building resistance; as well as health and long-term care. It was both interesting and inspiring to hear about the research taking place as well as the innovations adopted to treat with these changes/challenges.
The lessons learned in our Hurricane Irma experience, was a rude awakening of the need to make our response to such events a permanent feature of our social justice policy. And the impacted workers may be the ideal campaigners to advance this initiative given the stark memories of that traumatic aftermath experience. But even more importantly, it provides for the Anguilla Social Security Board an opportunity to share with other systems, regionally and internationally, how we dealt with that ordeal as well as to put forward any innovations we can recommend.
In taking the imperatives of this year’s theme to its logical conclusion, obviously, requires the building of capacity. This requires that we must develop a system for its delivery that cannot fail. But like in the case of the early campaign for the present system there will be many naysayers in our community especially those persons who do not appreciate the importance of sacrifice and cost recovery to the sustainability of any health insurance system.
We all must come across to an understanding of the importance of contributing to a health insurance system to make it sustainable and effective. Our citizens must similarly learn to appreciate the value of paying into a system that ensures that critical needs are in place for promoting a culture that can lead to happy outcomes in the long term for all our people — a support system that fits the unique circumstances of our community.
I am proud to have been associated with several initiatives, which Social Security Boards have undertaken over the years for the furtherance of a stable socio-political environment. While there are those persons who may feel that some of these programs are outside of its remit — I believe that these have all been in keeping with the need to be involved with wholesome national development in the pursuit of social justice.
In his foreword comments in the ISSA report on the global challenges facing social security systems all over the world, the Secretary General, Mr. Marcelo Caetano wrote:
“ Our Association is committed to further extending social security protection in line with the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. To do so, to positively transform lives, we require improved levels of knowledge and analysis. We need to better understand the challenges and identify appropriate responses.”
Indeed these comments should represent a benchmark for all social security organizations around the globe, including Anguilla. It affirms the importance of using accurate tools and measurements to be able to transform lives in a positive manner. And so I encourage all our citizens to take the time during this week to learn more about social security and how you as individuals need to conduct yourselves to make it work for you and your neighbours.
It is with the confidence that the Anguilla Social Security System is well poised to maintain its relevance into the near future and far beyond that I take this opportunity to declare this program of activities marking thirty-seven years of achievement officially opened.
I now look forward with great anticipation to the System’s continued relevance in this new period of dramatic change that now confronts us, alongside of other institutions on Anguilla charged with securing our national development.
Again congratulations to successive Boards, Managements and Staff for this stellar record of success over its many years of its service as an Anguillian institution. We stand firmly with you as you continue to respond affirmatively to the biblical question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” with both words and deeds.
May God Bless You All! And May God Bless Anguilla!
