The Editor
The Anguillian
September 25th, 2013
Dear Sir:
“Preach the Gospel always and sometimes use words.” That phrase was attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Though I’m not about to start preaching, I was moved by a letter in the last edition of this paper by Eye Spy, in which he discussed the deplorable condition of the old Valley Well and pumping station, and to his statement I will add words. I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment of the situation. You see, I have a special attachment to the old Valley Well. Back in the early fifties, my uncle Mr. David Harrigan of Island Harbour apprenticed and worked at The Valley Well and eventually went on to become the engineer for The Valley Well. Later on, he would go back to East End, Mt. Fortune to be exact, where he ran its pumping station.
I would like to follow up on Eye Spy’s letter and add my own two cents (words) if I may. I have always balked at the powers that be that seem not to care about our heritage. Anguilla is divided into three tourist zones, the last third falling on the east – the heritage part of the picture. While the other two thirds are doing just fine, we in the east seem to be left alone to fend for ourselves. Last July, when I was in Anguilla, I drove around to visit old friends and to reacquaint myself with the island – and I was really disappointed to see the terrible condition of the old East End School, and what has happened to it. I again agree with Eye Spy when he says the place leaves a bad impression about us. It’s as though no one lives on the island. One has to ask, how could we possibly let a building as old as, and with as much history as the East End School, look the way it does now? Many years ago, Mr. Felix Fleming and his Sunshine Theatre Group wanted to use the school as a national theatre and was flatly told no by the government. It’s easy to now see that they had great plans for the place. They’re waiting for it to collapse on itself. I later drove to Mt. Fortune to check out the old pumping station. Well, it’s still there, but the building looks as badly as or even worse than The Valley Station. The front door was hanging by one hinge and what was left of the motor was still mounted on its stand. The Mt. Fortune Well was covered and obscured by overgrowth. I then drove up to the White Hill to check on the reservoir that used to loom large when I was growing up in the area and now it too was obscured by overgrowth. The once huge tank now looks like an ordinary cistern. As I stood looking at the old place, a lot of childhood memories came back. I used to take my uncle’s breakfast to him in the morning on my way to East End School, but before I got to him I had to shut off a special valve that would prevent any runback down the hill. As I approached the station I could hear the pounding sound of the motor with a strange noise coming from the twisted belt that turned the pump. I always meant to ask my uncle, why the belt was twisted and I don’t remember what he told me. Oh well.
I’ve been arguing about some of our landmarks and why they’re not readily accessible to us but, maybe, given the way we treat the things that we have, their unavailability might be a blessing in disguise. We let our heritage fall apart. I like to quote James Baldwin who said, “Know from whence you came. If you know from whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.” We keep talking about where we need to go, but until we come to grips from whence we came, we’ll be like the Israelites wandering around the desert, a job that we seem to be pretty good at. In African folklore, the symbol for the Sankofa is a bird with its neck reaching behind to reach an egg off its back, and its proverb says, and I quote: “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”
My fellow Anguillians, I think it’s time for us to reach back for that which we’ve forgotten. We hear talk of starvation, of kids having to go to bed hungry and get up the next day and go to school in the same manner. Research has shown that a hungry child with its stomach growling cannot concentrate, cannot study and yet our government holds roundtables on the radio discussing the upcoming elections. Are you guys serious? You have screwed up so badly and you seriously expect the Anguillian constituencies to give you another five years? Are you kidding? Folks, let me ask you something? (This is right out of Ronald Reagan’s playbook.) Are you better off now than you were three and a half years ago? Think about it! These guys instead of getting up off their rear ends and trying to help the people, they’re talking nonsense. I mean, who gives a damn about what you guys have to say now? Do us a favor: collect your severance pay and ride off into the sunset like the cowboys that you all are.
In Mathew 7-5: The bible says: “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam of thine own eye; and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” An admonition that this government should heed. We seem to be reactive rather than being proactive. We don’t see things coming and therefore we are always cleaning up one mess after the other. We tend to bite the hand that feeds us. We need help from the UK but, rather than sit down with them and negotiate, we pick fights that are unwinnable. We have passed the point of no return – passed buyers remorse. This old dog won’t hunt. So we’re at the mercy of incompetent politicians who haven’t a clue. Anguilla is everyone’s business. Like I always say, we have to pull in the same direction in unison. Let us roll out that good old Anguillian ingenuity, that can do attitude, that respect for our elders, that friendly and cheerful good morning or good afternoon as the case may be. Let us start wearing our pants about our hips again. No one wants to see anyone’s drawers – it’s unattractive and it says penal system. I say again, let us reach back for that which we’ve chosen not to use, not that we actually forgot it – we just became something else, our own doppelgangers. Let’s retire our doppelgangers and become ourselves once again.
Before I go, let me say this: It is understandable when the government charges a levy on vehicles and other big ticket items. After all money has to be generated somewhere. I find it hard to swallow, though, when someone brings an item for his or her own wellbeing and winds up just about buying the items back from the government. It is all well and good to give investors a break because, after all, they’re investing millions in our country which in turn provides jobs for our people. But when you change the rules to benefit some, at the expense of others, that’s not fair. A person should not have to pay an exorbitant tax on an item because you have to generate money for the treasury. Sure, I understand, that a nominal fee would be just fine, but not to almost buy the item back from the post office? Again, I fully understand that the Government’s coffers are replenished by tariffs on incoming merchandise. If you bring in several cases of dry goods, then you should expect to pay tariffs on them especially if you are going to resell said merchandise. We are more than generous with certain companies and I understand that. There has to be some reciprocity – some give and take. It’s a win-win situation for all concerned, but when one has to practically buy the items back – that are absolutely necessary – then I think that’s shameless.
I’ve heard of natives coming back and trying to get things done and are getting the runaround – and are being hit with outrageous fees. That makes my blood boil, when I think of those of us who made the sacrifices to get us to where we are now, and how we have ended up with a bunch of incompetent carpetbaggers, whose only interests are their own. My fellow Anguillians, I ask you again: Are you better off now than you were three and a half years ago? Get a legal pad or any pad for that matter. Start reflecting and when 2015 comes around, vote your conscience.
I’ve been listening to Ms. Webster and she’s the only one who sounds like she’s got a plan. The time has come for women to step up and assume the reins of this government. Thirty seven years of male domination. Gentlemen, say goodnight. The party’s over. You’ve had your run. Whether it was good or not, history will decide. Let’s follow the Sankofa bird and reach back for that which we’ve forgotten. Until then, may God bless us all, and may God bless Anguilla.
Tyrone Hodge
