Rey Hill
Anguilla
21 February 2012
The Editor,
The Anguillian
Dear Sir,
Permit me to bring to your attention my outrage and disgust at Mr Victor Bank’s unwarranted attack on me on the Anguilla United Front’s platform (AUF) at a public meeting held in Island Harbour on Saturday night, 18 February 2012, and to set the record straight. At that meeting he falsely claimed that I, Shirley, have been calling him asking for help. Since that meeting people have been calling my home to tell me that they did not know that Mr Banks was supporting me, so he definitely gave them the wrong impression.
Let me begin by saying that at the time of the meeting I was dialing my friend’s number, and somehow I must have touched the wrong number and dialed Mr Banks’ number by mistake. As soon as I heard his voice, I said, “Oh God wrong number,” and I hung up. He called back, but I did not answer.
For him to move from that incident to attacking me on the platform is beyond belief.
I would also like to state that years ago I was an ardent supporter of Mr Banks, as everyone knows, but when he broke up the ADP Government led by Mr Hubert Hughes and joined the AUF, and asked me to follow him, I refused. Despite our political differences, however, we maintained the friendship that had always existed between his family and mine.
As is also well known, I took sick in 2000 and had to travel to theUSAfor medical treatment. I told many of my friends, including Mr Banks, about my illness and my decision to travel to theUSAfor treatment. Upon hearing about my problem Mr Banks offered to give me a donation. He came to my home afterwards and gave me an envelope containing US$400.00, for which, of course, I thanked him. I assumed the gift came from his heart, in a genuine attempt to help defray the cost of my treatment. Please note, Mr Editor, that he offered – I did not ask him for money then, and I have not asked him since – and that he came to my home of his own accord. I would also like to point out, for the record, that my medical treatment in theUSAcost US$150,000.00.
Nowadays, we bemoan the ethics of the younger generation, but Mr Banks comes from the generation which believed strongly that it was ‘low’ to remind someone of a kindness you had done for her/him in the past – “to throw it in their face” as Anguillians used to say. It was considered ‘low’ to even tell someone else of the kindness you had done.
Accounts have been set up in banks and the public asked to donated funds to these accounts to help defray the cost of the expenses of persons seeking medical treatment overseas, and in some instances organizations have been approached for the same purpose. By such means thousands of dollars have been raised for medical attention overseas. I wonder how many persons who gave their $100, $25, or $200, in whatever currency they could afford, would ever think of ‘throwing’ that ‘in the face’ of the recipient one of these days? Mr Banks’ donation of US$400 to me does not even qualify in this category, for I did not solicit any funds from him – he volunteered to help.
Yours truly,
Shirley Wong-Richardson
