A highlight of the Singspiration on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, for Anguilla’s Revolutionary Leader, Mr. James Ronald Webster, was the laying of a wreath at his Mausoleum by Premier Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster. He was assisted by Mrs. Cleopatra Webster, widow of the Revolutionary Leader.
The Premier had a close relationship with Mr. Webster and is known to have assisted him with the writing and publication of one of his books.
During the Singspiration, Premier Webster said, in his recollections of the Revolution Leader: “Many times the questions were asked: ‘Why are you in it [the Anguilla Revolution]? And what are you getting from it?’ The questions were asked to the Father of the Nation and he wrote this answer: ‘Because I love my people and I love this country.’ He was born here, left here and made a life for himself elsewhere, but came back at a time when Anguilla needed him and he felt it was his calling. He had the passion, the energy and the intensity. I think that is reflected in the life that he lived. He cared about Anguilla and its people and made the sacrifices that were necessary. It was not always easy but he had a passion and the idea of a new Anguilla, where there would be paved roads; running water; electricity to every house; and telephones. He knew that he did not make it all the way to his final goal which was economic and political independence for this country; but he always talked about it…”
Premier Webster took the opportunity to read some excerpts from Mr. Webster’s book: ‘Revolutionary Leader’s Reflections on Life, Leadership and Politics’ chapter 62, published in 2012 and entitled “A new Anguilla’.
Writing about the island at the time, he stated in part: “The old Anguilla with its multiple social and political difficulties is in the past; and what has emerged is a new Anguilla with a bright future for its people. With the clarification of its constitutional status, the island now enjoys its own separate identity and occupies a most comfortable position among the Caribbean family of nations…”
