Battered, bruised, weary and limping, from a vicious campaign, political parties and candidates will face the people of Anguilla in a general election on Wednesday, April 22. It is the culmination of a long period not only of campaigning and much social disquiet, but a time which, unfortunately, has even seen sharp divisions among families and friends in a small and tightly-knit island community like Anguilla. That is the part of the shame of politics gone wrong and wild – and the consequent need for redress and a return to unity when all is said and done.
Though having had a long and brutal downside, the upside of the island-wide campaigning is that a substantial mix of thorny and important issues, relating to the administering and progress of Anguilla, has been conveyed to the electorate for consideration, judgment and acceptance. It is now up to the voters to sift out what they consider to be the truth, and in the best interest of the future of Anguilla and its people, and to vote intelligently. They should even pray for divine guidance as they stand alone in the ballot box. Anguilla stands at many crossroads and thankfully, by a free, fair, and peaceful ballot, Anguillians can choose the leadership they want and think is best capable and worthy of their confidence and to guide the future of their beloved island home.
Many plans and programmes have been articulated by the parties and candidates and in most cases there have been a duplicating of ideas. The fact is that for too long Anguilla has been bedevilled by poor economic and financial activity to the extent that even persons in leadership positions have openly declared that the economy is dead. If that is so, then everything else that hinges, or is dependent, on a buoyant economy, is likewise either dead or at a standstill – and this includes job opportunities and other social and economic prospects. In such a plight, taxation and the high cost of living have become great burdens on our people, and so there is an urgent need to fix the economy in whatever way that is practical and keenly beneficial for all of us.
As we look forward to Election Day we can only hope that all will go well and that the Commonwealth Team of Observers will have every reason to report that they were generally satisfied with what they had seen. Preparing for a general election is a colossal task and one has to be grateful to the Supervisor of Elections for her oversight and to the Polling Clerks, Presiding Officers, Electoral Officer and Returning Officers for their work. Their task is to facilitate the voter and to ensure that the electoral process is seamless in all areas of execution. It is up to the electorate to seize the opportunity of a free and fair system to choose the best parties and candidates to govern the affairs of Anguilla.
This brings us to the point where our people must be encouraged to turn out to the polls in large numbers. Over the years, before adult suffrage, people have suffered and died for such a right and privilege. In every practicing democracy, there is now freedom to vote – and the ballot box, rather than the gun or decree, has become the means for choosing or disposing of governments. The future of Anguilla demands that every qualified voter must see it as his or her personal responsibility to go out and vote on Election Day without hesitation. Voters are required to place their x carefully on the ballot paper to avoid spoilage or rejection; and, having voted, to willingly and cooperatively immerse their right index finger, or other digit, as may be necessary, in the electoral ink as required by law.
The counting of the ballots thereafter, with all the highly-charged anxiety it entails, will determine the winners of the election and the eventual new government of Anguilla. Our hope, as mentioned above, is that all will go well with the polling.
