The new ANGLEC Board which was appointed by the Government of Anguilla, recently has lost one member in less than a week after being commissioned on Wednesday 12th April, 2023.
Official news of the resignation of Rev. Damien Hughes was released by the Honorable Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Haydn Hughes, during the Government’s Press Conference on Monday 17th April, 2023.
“As you know, we now have a new Board of Directors for the Anguilla Electricity Company (ANGLEC). Unfortunately, we have lost one member, as the church has had some pressure from certain persons on the island,” Mr. Hughes said. “Consequently, an ultimatum was given to one of the Board members who is a Methodist Minister. That Minster has decided to conform to the wishes of the church and has tendered his resignation.”
“It is unfortunate,” the Minister said, “and it reeks of hypocrisy. When you take Rev. Damien Hughes into consideration, who is this Methodist minister, he is not the only man of the cloth who has served on local boards.”
The Minister made mention of a number of clergymen who had been board members in the past including Dr. Clifton Niles (another Methodist Minister) who had served on the Board of ANGLEC and on the Constitutional / Electoral Reform Committee. He also mentioned that another Methodist Minister, in the person of Rev. John Gumbs, had served on Boards as well.
In addition, Minister Hughes made mention of the late Rev. Wycherley Gumbs who served on a number of Boards, as well as Pastor Gareth Hodge who was not only a former member of the ANGLEC Board, but also the Chairman of ANGLEC’s Board of Directors. Besides, he noted that Mr. Rodney Rey, who holds a prominent position in the Methodist Church, also once served as the Chairman of the ANGLEC Board.
“So, when the rules are skewed in this way, it says a lot to me,” Minister Hughes said.
When Felicia Hennis of Radio Anguilla hinted that the general view is that Rev. Hughes resigned because he does not believe in Government’s position with regard to an ANGLEC PPA, Minister Hughes vehemently responded:
“That is political propaganda. It is ludicrous and ridiculous. That is not the position of Rev. Hughes,” he said, “but it is just political gossip. He resigned purely because certain individuals encouraged him do so.”
The Anguillian’s efforts to contact Rev. Hughes for a comment were unsuccessful.
