There is a general consensus, inside and outside the Anguilla House of Assembly, that members on the Government and Opposition benches are demonstrating a level of mutual cooperation which is to be encouraged and commended.
This was mentioned at the last sitting of the House on Friday, September 25, by Premier Dr. Ellis Webster, and the Anguilla United Front’s Island-wide elected representative, Mr. Jose Vanterpool.
Mr. Vanterpool’s comments came as he seconded the introduction of a Bill for the Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2020, by the Minister of Infrastructure and Communications, Mr. Haydn Hughes. The legislation is regarding the tinting of windscreens and windows of vehicles.
Like the Minister, Mr. Vanterpool was among a number of select persons who were involved in discussions and negotiations with Commissioner of Police, Mr. Paul Morrison, and others.
Mr. Vanterpool said in the House: “Madam Speaker, in light of the environment that the House has been operating in today, as the Honourable Premier alluded to, in terms of mutual cooperation, I would like, first of all, to start off by thanking the Honourable Member for Road South, for doing his part in bringing this Bill across the finish line.
“This is a Bill that has been long anticipated and awaited not only by myself – but several members in the community, particularly amongst the youth. As the Honourable Member alluded to, there are several persons who, whether due to their job, or otherwise, are forced to leave their vehicles out in the sun, exposed to the elements which have a lot of health concerns.
“But there are some other issues that have been clear, perhaps, to the older demographic in society, as to why this was such a major issue for the youth. We are existing in a financial climate, right now, where things are not as good as they used to be. For several young persons, including myself, who are fortunate enough to have been able to save for, and purchase, a vehicle – our personal vehicles tend to be our most significant and substantial investment. So we don’t necessarily look at tint as just something that we want. Like any versed person, we are looking for ways and means of securing our investment…So we definitely count it [the tint agreement] as a win.”
Mr. Vanterpool disclosed that during his group’s meeting with the Commissioner of Police, they not only reviewed the tint laws in Anguilla, but the regulations in different parts of the world as well. He pointed out that there were further significant considerations that had to be made before they arrived at the tint limits in Anguilla.
He said it was a very significant and arduous negotiation process because, even though the police wanted to be responsive to the concerns of the people, they also had to take into consideration their concern about their primary function – protection and safety.
Mr. Vanterpool thanked the police for having been so cooperative – and Mr. Hadyn Hughes and his Ministry, for moving rapidly to address the tint matter, thus finally putting an end to it.
In conclusion, he told the young people of Anguilla: “Today is a win for us…Part of what happened with the regulations was coming to a mutual bargaining ground, meeting the needs of the people, the duties of the police, as well as the safety of the entire community. I ask that the youth should please abide by these tint limits. They are more than fair and we have come a long way from where we originally started.
“There is no need for persons to be driving around with their front windshields fully tinted, for example. I ask that they should please stick to the limits defined in the legislation. While the limits were lowered, I would also like to highlight that the penalty was doubled. So anyone found violating these limits is subject to a fine of 10,000 EC dollars. It is 60 dollars to apply the tint. It is 10,000 dollars to pay for breaking the law. Please stick within the limits.”
Responding, Minister Hadyn Hughes spoke about having taken immediate action to address the vehicle tint regulations during his meeting with the Commissioner of Police; his [Mr. Hughes’] Permanent Secretary; and members of the tint fraternity. He said an agreement, relating to the levels of tint, was quickly arrived at and was later approved by Executive Council for passage in the House of Assembly.
Mr. Hughes joined Mr. Vanterpool in appealing to young people not to be rebellious, but to obey the vehicle tint regulations in Anguilla to avoid paying a high fine.
The tint regulations are available in the Vehicle and Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2020, on the website of the Government of Anguilla.
