On Tuesday 15th September 2020, our newly elected Government held its first town hall meeting to share with the public the state of Anguilla’s finances, and to give updates on the work it has been doing since being elected to office. This is a welcome move by the new government to live up to its promise of transparency and accountability to the people of Anguilla. That was also a hallmark of the former AUM administration led by former Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes. The Hughes administration would have held several such meetings, during its tenure, to bring such matters to the attention of the people and seek their guidance and endorsement in relation to proposed actions. Information sharing and consultation with the public are always good signs of transparency in government.
Based on the presentations made by senior public servants at Tuesday’s meeting, it is clear that Anguilla is in dire financial straits. Revenue collections are at an all-time low, reserves are depleted, and we are struggling to meet our debt obligations. Statutory bodies are also hanging on by a thread — depending on Government subventions as a lifeline to keep them afloat. But, with depleting Government finances, the lifeline may soon be cut — and those bodies will either go under or have to raise service fees in order to survive.
The Anguillian people must also take some responsibility for the state of the nation’s finances. The data clearly showed that unpaid taxes amounted to tens of millions of dollars. Similarly, unpaid service fees to statutory bodies were also in the millions. While there is no doubt that the financial situation is the result of a number of factors — global recession, Hurricane Irma, Covid-19 etc. — we must also accept, as a people, that we have failed to buy into the notion that if the quality of life in Anguilla is to be improved we have to pay our own way. We all must contribute by paying our taxes, fees and other charges. A battery ‘cannot run on empty’, and neither can a country.
Interestingly, I overheard a conversation between two teenagers who had obviously heard about the town hall meeting. One said to the other: “Boy, yer hear Anguilla only got half a million dollars?” The reference was to the fact that there is only about half a million dollars in reserves. They both joked that “the country doesn’t have enough money to buy a tin of sardines”. What a sad reflection of the reality in which we find ourselves! We are not alone. The world all around us is in a similar crisis but, given our size and limited resource base, we are more vulnerable –and we have limited options for recovery.
I do not envy our new government. It has some tough decisions to make to ensure that the country remains buoyant — and the economy recovers in a sustainable way. I must urge its members to focus their attention on recovery and not seek to cast blame on the last government. That old playbook is tired and worn, and nobody (except diehard supporters) is interested in hearing it. From the campaign trail, the APM said it could do better than the last government — that is why change couldn’t wait. So all we — the people — want from the new government is to just get on with it.
While we welcome the transparency and consultative process associated with town hall meetings, I must urge the new government not to fall into the trap of the former Hubert Hughes administration in not making decisions — or continually reversing decisions because there was no public consensus in relation to a particular matter. I am convinced that it is that trait which led to the demise of the AUM administration in the 2015 general elections. The government failed to act and make critical decisions because of the views of a few “loud mouths”.
When people elect you to lead, lead you must. When they cast their vote and elect a government to office, they place confidence in the leaders to make decisions on their behalf. As such, the government must always guard against the paralysis that is often associated with leaving decision-making to the people. Being a leader requires being unpopular sometimes — if it is in the best interest of the whole. History always exonerates those who have acted with integrity– and stood alone when necessary. I trust that our new government will demonstrate its capacity to lead as the skies fall all around us.
