“I would like to announce to the people of Anguilla that unfortunately, I would not be here for the upcoming by-election,” Mr. Vanterpool said, “as I am going away for a good cause.” He was at the time speaking with Evans McNeil Rogers and Cardigan Connor on the radio progamme “Just the Facts”, last Monday, 16th May.
He noted that the opportunity had arisen for him to go to Australia to take part in a residency programme for parliamentary procedure. “In February of this year,” he said, “the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) sent out an invitation, not just to Anguilla, but to parliamentarians throughout the Commonwealth, inviting them to take part in a parliamentary residency programme in Australia.
“The CPA,” he explained, “gives training and support to parliamentarians from all around the world. In 2016, it began offering courses in training specifically to help new parliamentarians to be skilled in performing their roles in Houses of Parliament. The Honourable former Speaker of the House, Mr. Terry Harrigan, would have benefited from such a course in 2017. He was part of the 2nd cohort, and in 2019 I took the course as a member of the 3rd cohort. It allowed me to graduate with a Professional Development Certificate in 2020.
“The CPA has, in 2021, launched its Parliamentary Academy. This is an online academy for parliamentarians where they can access courses in training. Part of what they do at the Parliamentary Academy is that they offer courses in hands-on residencies.
“The Academy has been progressively adding persons for training, and this year it announced its Parliamentary Advance Residency Development Programme which is essentially targeted towards parliamentarians who have completed the full Professional Development course.”
As a member of the Anguilla United Front, Mr. Vanterpool stated that Mrs. Shellya Rogers-Webster has his best wishes at the polls on 24th May. Further, he indicated that he would recommend her for enrollment in a CPA course, pending her by-election success at the polls – as a prospective Parliamentarian. Mr. Vanterpool left the island on Wednesday, 18th May.
