Outgoing Governor of Anguilla, Mr Alistair Harrison, delivered a wide-ranging farewell address on Wednesday, July 17, the day before leaving Anguilla with his family after serving as the Queen’s and the British Government’s representative for four years.
Mr. Harrison and family left the island by ferry in-transit through St Maarten. They will be spending four weeks’ holiday in Canada, the United States and Iceland before returning to the United Kingdom. It is understood that he will later take up an appointment at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London in the Oversees Territories Division. He has however not ruled out seeking another Foreign Service appointment later on.
For the benefit of the Anguillian public, and for the national record, the full text of Mr Harrison’s address, which he circulated to the media, is published below:
“When I leave these shores tomorrow I will inevitably think back to my arrival four years ago on this island of which I have become the longest serving Governor. Most of this address will be taken up with thanking various people who have helped me and made my job easier over the last four years. But before I do so, I would like to address one particular group, namely Anguilla’s young people. I was inspired to do so by a conversation a few days ago with a group of students from Campus A. They were all lively, intelligent and articulate. Anguilla’s clearly got talent. I was interested in their views, particularly on independence which, to me at least, were somewhat surprising. But two points disturbed me a little and I want to address them. Firstly, when I asked the students what they wanted to do in their careers, the vast majority said they wanted to leave Anguilla and work in the United States, Canada or Europe. Very few wanted to stay and put their talents at Anguilla’s disposal. I hope that at least some of them will come back to Anguilla after studying and perhaps working abroad. Because Anguilla certainly needs you. We need talented public servants, doctors, lawyers, managers to run the tourism industry and financial services industry. So don’t leave forever.
The second point that disturbed me was that none of the students wanted to pursue a career in politics. Whilst Anguilla needs able people in all the fields I have mentioned, it also needs able politicians. You have wonderful role models in the shape of Ronald Webster our legendary revolutionary leader – one of only three leaders to declare UDI from Britain and the only one to do so bloodlessly. And you have another superb role model in our great former Chief Minister Sir Emile Gumbs. But every generation needs to produce its leaders, and they need to rise to the challenge. So if there is out there a fifteen- or sixteen-year old future Chief Minister, I wish her well. I use the pronoun deliberately – Anguilla now has its first woman speaker, and later this week will have its first woman governor. But the last female Minister was Albena Lake Hodge almost twenty years ago. I hope we don’t have to wait twenty years for the next one, and I would say to all young women in Anguilla, there is no glass ceiling here. Not only will there shortly be a woman governor, but a majority of the Permanent Secretaries are female, as are a majority of the legal profession, and Britain was the first major western country to have a woman prime minister.
These thoughts inspired me to muse a little on what constitutes good leadership. Good leaders are those, quite simply, who take responsibility for what they do. No-one gets it right all the time, but when they make mistakes good leaders admit them, and do not seek to blame others or avoid responsibility. In this context I would like to salute my successor who is an outstanding British public servant who has worked as Private Secretary to a Cabinet Minister, and at the heart of government for the Prime Minister at No 10. She understands government, and good governance, better than anyone. It is a real signal of the importance that the UK Government attaches to Anguilla that they have chosen her to be Governor.
But I said that my main purpose was to thank those who have been part of my life over the last four years. Firstly, I should thank Chief Minister Hubert Hughes. We have not always agreed on everything but, even when we disagreed, he has always been personally courteous to me, and I hope I have been the same in return. I would also like to thank his predecessor Osbourne Fleming and the Ministers who have passed through EXCO in my time here – Neil Rogers, Victor Banks and Ken Harrigan from the AUF, Evan Gumbs and Eddie Baird from the AUM and Jerome Roberts from the APP. I would also like to thank the Speaker Barbara Webster Bourne, Anguilla’s first woman speaker as I said. The way she carried out her duties demonstrated the importance of the House having a speaker who understands and respects the laws and rules governing its deliberations. Leroy Rogers, my second nominated member (agreed by both the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition), has been an outstanding stand-in, particularly given his many years in the role of Speaker. I pay tribute also to David Carty who was Barbara’s predecessor, and who presided over my swearing-in those many years ago. And I pay tribute also to Haydn Hughes, the first nominated member and Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for Tourism.
I should like also to pay tribute to the many friends we have made over the last four years. Some of them might be embarrassed to be mentioned by name, but one in particular will not be. I refer of course to Sir Emile Gumbs and his lovely wife Josephine, who have given me lots of wise advice over the years. Their house has always been a source of serenity and comfort in the most difficult times, and I have greatly appreciated their concern even though I have struggled to play Harry Potter to Emile’s Albus Dumbledore. I have done my best to rise to the challenges of Anguilla’s answer to Bellatrix Lestrange and Crabbe and Goyle.
An ex-Governor said to me before I took up this job that it was an easy one provided you had the support of an outstanding Deputy, an outstanding Commissioner of Police, an outstanding Attorney-General and an outstanding wife and family. I have been lucky in all those areas. Firstly I would like to pay tribute to Stanley Reid who has been supportive but also frank in his advice and help. With him, I have tried to do the most important job of any Governor, to maintain the integrity, quality and political neutrality of the public service. We had to remain steadfast when an attempt was made to stop a routine Permanent Secretary re-shuffle eighteen months ago. My conviction that the re-shuffle made sense was confirmed when tributes were paid to Aidan Harrigan, Foster Rogers and Aurjul Wilson in their new jobs by the very people who had opposed the re-shuffle. I echo those tributes, and also pay tribute to those who didn’t move on that occasion – Chanelle Petty Barrett, Bonnie Richardson Lake, and Larry Franklin. Stanley is the first Anguillian Deputy Governor, and I have never agreed with those who want Anguilla to step back into having a British Deputy Governor. Anguilla can be proud of Stanley’s work, not least as, in my opinion at least, it puts beyond doubt that all future DGs will be Anguillians.
Rudi Proctor has also been an outstanding Commissioner of Police and I have greatly appreciated the support I have had – and Anguilla has had – from him and his predecessor Keithly Benjamin who is now doing an excellent job as a magistrate. Crime is an emotive issue on Anguilla, quite rightly, and I have been criticised for doing too little – and indeed on other occasions for doing too much – in the fight against crime. But the RAPF cleared up 80% of the murders committed last year, a clear up rate the NYPD can only dream of, and can be proud of their efforts in difficult circumstances. But they need your help. We can clear up the final murder of last year if witnesses will only come forward. There is no evidence that it is dangerous to do so, so if you have information come forward. I am not asking you to do anything I haven’t done myself. As I said a year ago, I obtained some information of possible illegal activity and followed my own advice by passing it to the police. It concerned an alleged visit to an illegal gambling den by four people, including some very senior persons, who should have known better. I wish Rudi and the RAPF all the best for the future, and assure them of my successor’s strong support.
I also pay a tribute to James Wood and his team at the AG’s Chambers, whose dedication and hard work often pass un-noticed. And to Ivor Greene who has stood in with great skill in the gap between James and his predecessor and on other occasions. There is a tendency to blame the AG’s Chambers when ministries have failed to give them clear instructions, and it’s part of a more general tendency to blame the lawyers when they fail to rescue one from one’s mistakes. But I was particularly saddened by the recent demonstration against the AG. Demonstrations against the Governor, or Ministers, are fair enough, and I have always received such demonstrations courteously, and enjoyed discussing the issues with the demonstrators. But demonstrations against a public servant are unacceptable. The presence of a lawyer of some seniority was particularly disturbing. An attack on the AG is an attack on the rule of law. By her presence she let down Anguilla, she let down her profession and she let down herself.
Finally, I should like to thank my family. All of us who have children know that they sometimes drive us mad, but I can honestly say that my children have done more than anyone else to keep me sane. As for my wife, I would only say now: “Sarah, I could not have done it without you”. As Wagner didn’t quite say: “Ruhe, Ruhe die Goettin. Rest now, rest now, O goddess”.
Those who have listened to my radio addresses over the years have probably learnt something about me – the names of my children and the fact that my favourite psalm is Psalm 51, for example. But they may not have learnt about my incurable addiction to the world’s greatest science fiction hero over the last 50 years. And in fact the Governor has something in common with Dr Who – he never leaves or resigns or retires, he regenerates. And, although, as my children constantly remind me, I bear more resemblance to William Hartnell than Matt Smith, my regeneration will be more spectacular than anything Matt manages, as I am replaced by the similarly sibilant Christina Scott. Christina will, I know, strive to implement British Government policy in Anguilla in a manner which brings most benefit to the people of Anguilla, which has been my raison d’etre throughout the entire time I have been privileged to spend with you all as the Governor of Anguilla.
And my last words are to all the people of Anguilla – you are such stuff as dreams are made on:
Goodbye
Good luck
May all your dreams come true”
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
