A Bill for the Anguilla Status Act, 2020 was finally passed in the House of Assembly. On Tuesday, February 11, it was previously taken to the House of Assembly in 2019, but was withdrawn for public consultation.
The new Bill was piloted through the Assembly by Minister of Home Affairs, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge. Among other matters, she spoke about its provisions whereby grandchildren born abroad to Anguillians, are now recognised as Anguillians with full rights and privileges which they did not have previously.
Early in the debate, Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmavon Webster, criticised the legislation. She objected to some of its provisions which she thought needed further re-examination. She called for its withdrawal and return to public consultation.
The Opposition Leader was joined by Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Curtis Richardson, who said he had received calls from members of the public complaining about some of the provisions of the Bill. He indicated that it was felt that persons, other than Anguillians, could eventually attain citizenship and even run for elective office. He, too, was of the view that the draft legislation should be withdrawn.
It is necessary to mention, at this point, that when the vote was eventually taken, Mr. Richardson voted yes to the Bill – saying that he had changed his position after hearing the clarifications by the Minister of Home Affairs.
During the first portion of the debate, Leader of Government Business, Premier Victor Banks, said in part: “This Bill reflects what we have already done in the Anguilla Constitution for our people who, because of history, had to travel to all parts of the world – in some cases for health reasons, economic reasons, and education reasons. As a consequence, the people of Anguilla have relatives and friends who have children and grandchildren who did not have the opportunity to be born in Anguilla.”
He further said that the Bill “does not allow any Chinese, Taiwanese, or German to get Anguillian status. This allows grandchildren of Anguillians to get the status of ‘Anguillian’. He added: “ There is no need to take it [the Bill] back. I support the Honourable Member for East End who has worked so hard, over the years, on all those technical bills (such as the Labour Code, the Constitution and Elections Bill). It is now why people are running for elections island-wide and the issues to allow the democratic process to expand…..We are not going to delay this Bill any longer. We are going to go forward, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that this Bill is passed in this Honourable House because it is important for the people of Anguilla. If there is a flaw, it can be changed. But, as far as I am concerned, no further consultation is necessary. Consultations have already taken place and we are ready to move forward.”
Other members who rose to support of the Bill were the Ministerial Assistant in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Evalie Bradley; Minister of Social Services, Mr. Evans Rogers; and Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Cardigan Connor.
In wrapping up the debate, Minister Cora Richardson Hodge said in part: “While some people may not appreciate the way in which it was done, I have no regrets, Mr. Speaker, for allowing our grandchildren to be entitled as Anguillians when they weren’t before. I have no regrets, Mr. Speaker, for our Anguillians who were born in Anguilla and have US passports, to run for elections without having to give up their Anguillian passport. I have no regrets, Mr Speaker, for allowing the at-large voting to be in place so that all our political parties, and independent candidates, are able to benefit and to run so that we have an increased House and greater democracy. No regrets, Mr. Speaker. In my view, all the issues that have been raised are for one reason and that is political.”
When the vote was taken on the Anguilla Status Bill 2020, there was one nay (Ms. Palmavon Webster) and eight yeas including Minister Curtis Richardson who, as mentioned earlier, changed his position after hearing the Minister’s clarifications of the Bill.
