Mr. Editor,
Democratic Election in Anguilla
I cannot be prouder of the people of Anguilla! As an African-American living in Anguilla, to see a real democratic election is a true blessing! Anguillian politics is as hard-fought and entrenched as American politics.
The Anguillian people differ on how and who should lead the country. Their face-to-face debates are fierce and to-the-point. It’s like seeing and hearing hardcore Republicans and Demo crats go at it full blast! Looking each other in the eyes and speaking their minds, they often have a few jokes thrown in for good measure.
On Sunday April 19 the two biggest parties both had a motorcade around the island. I stood on the side of the road as both parties passed by. It was very interesting–the supporters in the cars that drove by were very excited about their candidates and their parties. They were beeping the car horns and yelling excitedly at everyone they passed. I looked closely at the interactions of the two major parties (the AUM and the AUF). The people would look at each other, as they passed opposing groups. They would see friends they recognized and would smile and say, “Hello.” They would see family members in the other party, laugh, then say, “Call me later!” I witnessed the clear respect and love in the middle of a very hot and heavy campaign.
As a white American friend said, Anguilla is a “granular democracy,” because with every grain of their being the people of Anguilla care more about self-empowerment than whoever gets elected. So on Wednesday, because of the cross-pollination the winner will be–Anguilla!
Reginald Oliver
