Another silly season is here and, as anticipated, more and more candidates have joined the race for political office. By my count, there are now eighteen district candidates including four independents and thirteen island-wide candidates including five independents. We have a mixture of old, young and in-between with varying backgrounds and levels of experience in leadership. As the weeks wear on we will all be eager to hear their plans for the kind of Anguilla they would like to create. We are thankful for the initiative taken by Radio Anguilla, and other stations, to provide a forum for the candidates where they have the opportunity to share their platform and also respond to difficult questions which are of concern to the public. It has certainly been interesting listening to those who have been on air so far.
What I find intriguing is that when one examines the issues that various candidates have expounded on, it becomes apparent that there are no deep seated philosophical or policy differences between parties or independent candidates in Anguilla. Most people want the same thing: better education, affordable quality health care, a thriving economy and business sector, sustainable environmental practices, renewable energy integration, empowerment of young people by providing opportunities for them to earn, improved communication and port infrastructure — and the list goes on. This begs the question, if everyone is in agreement on these issues, then why is there a need for so many candidates saying the same thing? The answer probably lies in the statement “the devil is in the details”.
I believe we, the people, don’t just want to know what needs to be done, but how as leaders are they going to do it. What are the concrete steps that will be taken to accomplish these noble goals? How will they be funded? What other resources will be needed to make things happen? What are the implications for the taxpayer? What are they going to do differently than the current administration? If there is a new approach, what are the potential pitfalls and benefits, and how are they going to avoid or capitalise on them respectively? And additionally for the current administration, if you know what needs to be done, why wasn’t “so and so” done in the last five years? What were the obstacles you faced and how are you going to overcome them moving ahead?
While we welcome the diversity of the field, we must also enquire of the independent candidates which political party they are affiliated with, or willing to be affiliated with, because we know they cannot form a government by themselves? If they are not affiliated to any party, we must then ask how they will bring into effect the changes they want to see while being in the parliamentary opposition? They must explain why a vote for them will not be a wasted vote.
These are the questions that need to be answered by those vying for office. As voters we know all about the campaign hype – the words spoken on platforms, the billboards, the videos, the social media blitz, the promotional songs, the rallies, fetes — and the list goes on. Everything sounds glorious. Everyone has great plans and ideas. They appear passionate about Anguilla, determined to make a difference and, most of all, they are believable. But we also know that running a campaign and running a Government are, as we would say, “two totally different kettles of fish”. It is important therefore that we dig deeper, ask questions, find out from all candidates how they are going to do the things they say they will do — and the implications for us as Anguillians. Plans are only words on paper. Sadly, some may never be reduced to writing. But it is the implementation of those plans that we must be concerned about.
In the weeks and perhaps months ahead, I encourage voters to question the candidates who are soliciting their votes to determine whether the future of Anguilla should be entrusted to them. I also encourage candidates to not only tell us what they are going to do, but how they are going to do it, what strategies they are going to use, how they will leverage resources — and what is a realistic timeframe for implementation. These are the things we, the people, want to know.
