The Anguilla United Front, which lost the June 29 general elections to the Anguilla Progressive Movement, held a mass thank-you rally on Saturday evening, July 4, outside the Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre.
It was like a carnival atmosphere with a large gathering, partying and musical entertainment – as a victory celebration would have been. Candidate after candidate, as well as their supporters, showered praise on former and retired Premier, Mr. Victor Banks, for his forty years in politics, but particularly his leadership role of the AUF and the various sterling accomplishments of his Government over the past five years.
In addition, in a show of statesmanship, unlike in other politically charged Caribbean islands, the AUF candidates congratulated the elected members of the new APM Government and pledged to support them – but vowed “to keep their feet to the fire” to ensure good governance and the continued forward movement of Anguilla.
The AUF won a total of four seats: three in the Sandy Hill, Valley North and West End Districts and one island-wide seat. The APM won a total of seven seats: four in the Island Harbour, Valley South, Road North and Road South Districts and three island-wide seats. With the APM now the Government of Anguilla, the AUF has emerged as the strongest opposition in the history of the Anguilla House of Assembly, where the number of elected representatives was increased from seven to eleven. The new Leader of the Opposition is the AUF’s former Minister of Home Affairs, Mrs. Cora Richardson Hodge, now in her second term as the elected representative for District 2, Sandy Hill. She succeeds Ms. Palmavon Webster (Independent) who was not elected in District 1, Island Harbour.
In wrapping up the thank-you rally: the former Premier and now retired Mr. Banks, who lost in the Valley South constituency, listed a number of areas in which the AUF will closely monitor the work of the APM Government. One of the areas of concern is the APM’s stated difficulty with the 100 million EC dollars in budgetary support from the UK Government. This was part of the MOU signed by Mr. Banks, on June 11, some three weeks before the elections. The APM’s concern, expressed by Dr. Ellis Webster, its leader, is understood to be the conditions attached to the budgetary assistance.
Speaking on the matter, Mr. Banks told the AUF thank-you rally: “They [the APM Government] have a few days to make the decision; and we want to watch, very carefully, that the people of Anguilla are not short-changed by some cavalier action by the Government of Anguilla to decide that because Victor Banks signed it [the MOU], we are going to terminate it. This will not be good for the people of Anguilla, and I urge my colleagues in opposition to do whatever they can to make sure that their voices are made known about this.”
The 100 million dollars, which the UK Government undertook to provide to Anguilla, with certain conditions, is to make up for the shortfall caused by the loss of Government revenue occasioned by the lockdown of the island as a result of the coronavirus. The proposed budgetary assistance is to continue until the end of the year. It is mainly to pay Government employees and to meet the cost of other public services.
Meanwhile, Premier Dr. Webster has been quoted as saying that he was “fully assessing the impact of the MOU” signed by the former Premier.
There was much reaction to this matter, raised by Mr. Banks at the AUF rally, given its importance to the need for monetary assistance to Anguilla during this difficult financial and economic period.
In addition to Mr. Banks, the gathering heard thank-you addresses from former Minister of Health and Social Development, Mr. Evans Rogers; former Minister of Home Affairs, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge; former Ministerial Assistant in that Ministry, Mrs. Evalie Bradley; former Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Curtis Richardson; former Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Cardigan Connor; Mr. Oris Smith, the AUF District 1, Island Harbour candidate; and the four At-large candidates: Messrs. Mark Romney; Othlyn Vanterpool; Jose Vanterpool; and Lockhart Hughes.
They told their supporters that while supporting the ruling APM Government in the interest of Anguilla, that the AUF, with their assistance, would refocus and rebuild itself for the 2025 general elections.
