The Anguilla Tourist Board, one of the statutory bodies which a Minister of Government can dissolve under the legislation without any hindrance, was dismantled; some of its members reappointed; and new persons appointed by Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Mr Hubert Hughes.
The Minister sent letters of termination to the Chairman and the members of the Board late last week.
The action followed an exchange of letters, last month, between Mr Hughes and the then Tourist Board in which there were expressions of disagreement on such matters as public funds and expenditure, marketing, administration and dysfunction.
In his letter, dated April 7, 2014, the Chief Minister told the Tourist Board, after a litany of statements and accusations: “I am no longer prepared to countenance such dysfunctionalism within the ATB. As such I am taking immediate steps to create a new atmosphere of structure, order and accountability, within the tourism portfolio. I will notify the Board and the Director of the steps I am taking in due course and trust that you can appreciate as the ultimate steward of the public funds, it is my duty on behalf of the people of Anguilla no matter how difficult the decision to act in the best interest of people whom we are all here to serve.”
In its defence, the Tourist Board replied to the Chief Minister stating among other things: “We are of the view, however, that much of what is written in your letter comes as a result of inaccurate and misguided information provided to you.”
The Chief Minister fulfilled his threat to the Board by dismantling and setting it up again as stated above. Mr Hughes told reporters about the situation at a press conference on Friday, May 9, and again on Tuesday, May 13, with little deviation: “I have stated time and time again that I have problems with all the statutory boards. But, more particularly, I have to show a keen interest in what happens in the Tourist Board because tourism is our lifeblood, and quite a few conspiracies have been going on there for quite a while.
“There was no harmony, no harmonious working relationships between members of the Board; between the Director of Tourism and the Chairman of the Board, and so I felt I had to do some reconstruction. What I did was to dismantle the entire Board and have it reconstructed. I was able to bring back most of the Board and I think they have now one of the best Boards we ever had in tourism in Anguilla.
“The new Chairman is a lady who manages Ani Villas (Mrs Bonnie Bloom). She is an American and she was living here for about twelve years. She is very keen in Anguilla’s tourism and I think that she will do some stabilisation of the whole process.”
The Chief Minister could not remember the name of another newcomer to the membership of the Board; and did not mention the names of the other three persons who were dismissed or, in other words, who were not reappointed. He had said at an earlier meeting with the press that the former Chairman of the Board was reappointed as an ordinary member.
