2020 is a decisive, apprehensive and productive year for Anguilla on many fronts. It begins with the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, in the coming days, on January 31. Only time will tell how this will eventually turn out not just for Anguilla, but the other British Overseas Territories as well. One thing is an immediate safety net. It is that the Brexit divorce has a sort of attached grace period, called the “Withdrawal Agreement”, which ends on December 31, 2020 as stated by Lord Ahmad and his colleague, Christopher Pincher. They both say there will be no changes regarding the Overseas Territories during that period with respect to what obtained before.
In addition, Governor Tim Foy, OBE, who has always addressed the concerns of Anguillians on the EU issue, has gone further. In his most recent statement, this week, he assured the people of the island that, among other matters, their right to a British passport will not change; they will be able to continue to visit and work in the UK without any visa or other restrictions; will remain able to apply for an ESTA to visit the US; their travel relationship with French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten will not change; and there will be no change in the current funding commitments to Anguilla from the European Union. This is all a good breathing space for the foreseeable future.
In Anguilla, itself, there is a historic election for which campaigning has already begun and will get more intense in the coming weeks. Split in two, it is the general district election on one hand and, on the other, the at-large or island-wide elections both involving party-affiliated candidates. Also in the running are a number of independent candidates, bringing up a third category of political aspirants whose support, if elected, can swing to any side. The elections, taking into account the new system of voting and counting of ballots, and what the results can mean for the leadership and progress of Anguilla, are not to be taken lightly. It will be up to the choice and power of the people one way or another. For them, it will be a national responsibility of much magnitude.
It is possible that, following the formation of a new government, further consideration will be given to the continued development of the electoral and constitutional reform process. But, aside from this, there will be the fiscal and economic challenges to address with all the attended frustrations, setbacks and disappointments as the government seeks to fulfill its promised mandate to the electorate. It will not be an easy task given Anguilla’s urgent need to secure a prosperous economic niche among the developing countries and territories of the world in a highly competitive age.
Currently, Anguilla is busy building and rebuilding schools, health facilities, port facilities and other public sector projects with funds from the UK Government in the aftermath of the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma. It will take the full course of this year, and part, or all, of 2021, to complete the full range of projects on the construction list. But, after that, there will be a need to embark on various new projects to promote and sustain the development of Anguilla. We want to see some mega yacht marinas that would provide berthing facilities for these types of luxury vessels looking around the world for suitable accommodation and service; an extended airport for long distance and direct flights to the island to boost our tourism industry; a deepwater port if, at any time, we really want to branch out into cruise tourism – but without overly upsetting our hoteliers or seriously impacting our up-market tourism policy.
While we address all of these and other concerns and needs, we must pay attention to the further development of our social services programmes; employment demands; and the control of crime and violence. If left unaddressed, deviant behaviour among our young people can wreck our efforts to develop our lovely island and to attract visitors to our shores. It is a matter of much commendation that we have embarked on a local police recruit training programme over the current six-month period. This will hopefully improve our law and order capacity towards a crime-free society where there is safety, peace and quiet and investor confidence.
Anguilla certainly has a full programme on its plate for 2020 and even beyond.
