We have been listening to the back and forth on radio with respect to ANGLEC, WCA and the government of Anguilla – and each entity continues to tell its story. Everyone seems ready to weigh in on the matter and, meanwhile, Anguilla is losing big!
Let it be stated up front that the issues of which I speak are not limited to the current government administration. These are issues that have plagued Anguilla over the years, and they continue today.
One of the things that we as Anguillians need to understand, is what really happens when investors – specifically hoteliers – come to Anguilla.
Most hoteliers recognise that in order for their businesses to run efficiently, they cannot rely on the services which are produced in Anguilla – i.e. water and electricity. They have gone about literally ignoring the services that are provided on the ground by Anguillian service providers. That is because they deem our services to be sub-standard – inefficient, unreliable and costly.
We, especially at the government level, need to step back and ask the question: Why is it that we cannot provide the services and goods that folks – who are providing 5-Star service to their customers – can feel a level of confidence in our ability to deliver a quality service at a reasonable price?
When we issue licences for persons or companies to come in and provide an accommodation service in the hospitality sector, we have a responsibility – as government – to ensure that the services that they need to run their operation can be provided by our country – Anguilla, at a fair and reasonable price, reliably and that they are of a certain quality. That should be our guarantee to an investor coming to Anguilla. Unfortunately, our guarantee seems to be the opposite.
The reality is that many of our large properties are producing their own bulk water, some of them are producing their own electricity and, occasionally, some of them grow their own food. Meanwhile, at times our government enables this rather than take appropriate measures to remedy the problems that exist with our service-delivery.
In fact, our government is agreeing with the investors and developers that we, here in Anguilla, are unable and incapable of consistently providing the services to the hospital sector to meet their standards.
What makes us incapable of delivering service at a professional level, and of a certain quality and efficiency? Why do we sell ourselves short as Anguillians? Why do we sell ourselves short as government when dealing with foreign investors or developers? It all boils down to management and leadership.
What the hoteliers are saying to us when they go out and provide these essential services themselves, is that they are running a professional service at their hotel – hospitality – and anyone who is going to provide a service to them also needs to be running a professional service that they can count on, and that is affordable to them. And since you are not doing that, in order for them to continue doing business in your country they have no choice but to provide these services for themselves.
So, let’s look at the two glaring service issues before us: some of the hotels are supplying water to themselves, and some of the hotels are providing electricity for themselves. Our government has allowed and enabled this to be so.
Let’s turn our attention to WCA as the water-service provider.
Any resident or person doing business in Anguilla, and who is connected to the Water Corporation of Anguilla (WCA), can bear witness to the horror stories of the WCA – over the years. And while the details of the stories may not all have occurred at the same time or location, they have all been similar in nature and in narrative. So, who owns WCA? The government of Anguilla owns it 100%. Is it being run efficiently? No! Is it operating reliably? No! Is the price of water affordable? No! If the answer to all of these questions is no, can we really fault hoteliers for becoming their own water service providers? Absolutely, no!
Things have gotten so bad in Anguilla with regard to water service that the government – i.e. the WCA used to buy excess water from the hotels. If we don’t see that as a shame, it can only be because we see the hoteliers’ service as better than our own.
Let’s now turn our attention to ANGLEC as the electricity-service provider.
Any resident or person doing business in Anguilla can attest to the high cost of electricity service on Anguilla – over the years. The Anguilla Electricity Company Limited (ANGLEC) is the company that was formed to provide electricity to consumers in Anguilla. Its history is not important, but what we do know is that the government of Anguilla owns 40%, NCBA owns 23% and Social Security owns 16%. In total, the government of Anguilla takes responsibility for 79% of ANGLEC.
Over the years, the government of Anguilla – as the majority shareholder – has been imposing a politically appointed Board to run the affairs of ANGLEC – a private corporation. Truth be told, bad management, litigation issues, and the current high fuel prices on the world market, have contributed greatly to the financial stress of the company – and its need to increase electricity service costs.
In an effort to offer cost relief to electricity consumers on Anguilla, the government has allowed and enabled residents and hoteliers to provide electricity service to themselves through the installation of solar panels and solar farms. This might not be so bad, if it didn’t place the cost of electricity service to shared public spaces, like streets and roads, squarely on the consumers who do not have solar panels.
With the high cost of electricity service continuing to rise even higher, can we really fault hoteliers or residents for becoming their own electricity service providers? Yes and no!
With large business customers, and an increasing number of residential customers coming off ANGLEC’s electricity grid, things can become so bad in Anguilla, with regard to electricity service that the government will need to offset the cost of electricity service, to shared public spaces like streets and roads. If we don’t see that as a government obligation, it can only be because we don’t see the equity in shared responsibility.
So, what does government do to address the water and electricity service needs of hoteliers? Rather than fix the WCA production and distribution problems, and honour its arrears to ANGLEC in a timely manner so that both service providers can generate and distribute more reliable and affordable services, it sends a clear message to hoteliers and residents: “Persons and business, you want to receive 5-star services, and we understand. You can’t rely on our systems of service, so we will enable you to deliver that level of service for yourselves.”
Why do we sell ourselves short, Anguilla?
In recent times, there has been this public feud back and forth between WCA, ANGLEC and, by extension, the government, and a more subtle ‘aside’ regarding hoteliers. But there should be no need for feuding as we are not a ‘banana republic’ and we should not behave as such. In Anguilla, there are regulations that govern what is right. There is an Electricity Act to guide the process of electricity service, and there is a Company’s Act that should help to decide what a government can do with a private corporation. In terms of ANGLEC, there are bylaws that govern its issues.
Government should focus on its responsibilities – deciding how the country is run and enabling economic development. WCA should focus on its purpose – to provide all residents and businesses with a clean, affordable and reliable source of water. ANGLEC should focus on what it does best, ensuring that it delivers value for money to its customers, that electricity is reliable and sustainable, and that it is affordable. Hoteliers should have to focus on what they do best – provide hospitality services to their guests and patrons.
If each entity functions efficiently and effectively in its respective roles, the government, the WCA and ANGLEC could, and should be, able to run as smoothly and efficiently as the best run hotel in Anguilla.
Let’s call a truce Anguilla. Let’s call a truce.
