On Friday February 5th, Blondel Cluff, the newly appointed representative of the GoA to the UK and EU, made a short Visit to Anguilla. Mrs Cluff who was on a Cruise, choose to visit Anguilla when the ship docked in St Maarteen. On her visit she met with Ministers of Government and senior staff of the various ministries. She also took the opportunity to spend some time with her old friend, Hubert Hughes, with whom she has worked during the past five years in her capacity as Chief Executive of the West India Committee, a UK based charity whose object is to improve the general welfare of the peoples of the Caribbean and the societies in which they live and work. Hughes said of Mrs Cluff, “ this is one of the best Anguillian women living in England!” and congratulated her upon her recent appointment as Government of Anguilla representative. Mr Hughes expressed his confidence in her ability to perform her role on behalf of the country, which, as specified by the Chief Minister, Victor Banks, is apolitical in nature as demonstrated by the warm reception received by Mrs Cluff during her visit.
In her meeting with the Minister and senior officials of the Ministry of Social Development, Mrs. Cluff presented three projects, namely the Giant Rat of Anguilla; the effects of rising sea levels on the country; and the Caribbean’s Great War, derived from the archives of the West India Committee who were responsible for administering to West Indian troops throughout the First World War. The archive has recently been provisionally inscribed by UNESCO as a Memory of the World, second only to a World Heritage Site and contains interesting records on Anguilla’s war effort. It may be accessed free of charge on http://westindiacommittee.org/caribbeansgreatwar/.
Mrs Cluff also held talks with Minister Rogers on the strategy of the Anguililan Health Authority and presented work recently undertaken by Ms Sonia Fleming and her team in the London office, who are responsible for health.
Discussions on Anguilla’s infrastructure were also held with Minister Richardson, and was swiftly followed up with a research paper on matters arising.
In the time spent with the Chief Minister and his Permanent Secretaries at which Minister Richardson Hodge and Parliamentary Secretary Cardigan Connor were also present, Mrs. Cluff was given a useful overview of Anguilla’s interests and policies.
Despite the limited time available, Mrs. Cluff also met with the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the Deputy Governor designate, Perin Bradley. Mrs Cluff’s appointment has been well received all round, and although barely a week in office, both she and her team have commenced work on behalf of Anguilla in earnest, as was evident from the various presentations made throughout the day and the open communication now enjoyed with London.
Mrs. Cluff will be on her first official mission later this month when she joins the Anguilla Delegation of Chief Minister Banks, Permanent Secretary Foster Rogers and Chief Projects Officer Ms Anthea Ipinson at the 14th OCT-EU Forum and OCTA Ministerial Conference in Brussels from February 22-27 2016.
