The following statement was made by the President of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Keithley Lake, on behalf of the Board and members of the Chamber. He was at the time speaking on Radio Anguilla on Friday, June 1, concerning the growing crime wave on the island, and in particular as it relates to the increasing incidents of gun violence.
We as a Chamber, have heard the cries from our membership and the general public who continue to express their fears and frustration concerning this chronic situation. Businesses have had to shorten their opening hours, in an attempt to avoid being confronted by these criminals, as well as having to deal with their concerns for their personal safety as well as that of their staff and customers.
In the larger context, this state of affairs if allowed to continue can and will have a direct and devastating impact on our one-legged economy which is heavily dependent on tourism. It is an established fact, that no matter how beautiful our beaches, how nice our world class resorts, and our friendly people, tourists will not journey to our country if it is perceived as unsafe or their security is uncertain. If this continues to exist countries such as theUS,Canadaand even theUKmay issue travel advisories warning their citizens to avoid travelling toAnguilla.
Moreover, this situation also brings with it economic costs, which can also have the additional impact of making our tourism product less competitive. Many of you may recall a time, when security personnel were either minimal or nonexistent. Our homes were often left unlocked, and our business did not have to expend vast sums on electronic surveillance equipment. Further, as this risk increases so will our insurance costs. These are all costs, which someone has to pay. This will in turn impact the prices of goods and services that we as citizens have to purchase in our everyday lives. It is therefore, clear we are all impacted by this situation either directly or indirectly.
The Chamber shares this anxiety and has in the past sought to assist in promoting solutions but to no avail. Please permit me to explain. About five years ago, the then Chief Minister challenged the Chamber to get involved in addressing the growing violence from gun crimes. We took up the challenge and canvassed our membership. The response was immediate and overwhelming. We then presented a 20 point recommendation (with many subparts) to the Government and to this day we have not received an acknowledgment or any other indication as to whether the recommendations were being addressed. Those recommendations are now posted on the ACOCI Website at http://www.anguillachamber.com.
The actions to date, that we know of, appear to be anemic and inadequate. We have been subjected to endless prayer meetings, speeches, requests for cooperation with the police and pleas for unity. Please don’t misunderstand me for one moment. No one can ever understate the power of prayer or the civic obligation to cooperate with the police. The Good Book also says “the Lord helps those who help themselves.” So we can and must do more. Bold action is needed. There should be no doubt in the mind of the criminals that the present state of affairs will no longer be tolerated and that they will be held accountable.
Any country, nation or state confronted with a threat to its national security must act with resolve and determination. You may of course recall the 911 terror attacks onNew York, and the 7/7 attacks inLondon, resulting in great loss of life. The resolve and determination by both theUSand British Governments were swift, decisive, radical and some may even say, constitutionally suspect. In both cases, those countries saw the attacks as aimed at the economic and constitutional foundations of their countries and reacted in kind. Homes were invaded, massive arrests made the public subjected to great inconveniences and even innocent people killed.
We say this to make the point that given the direct impact of crime on our economy, in our context, it is tantamount to terrorism, because with diminished economic activity there is no question that our very survival is at stake. Consequently, action and resolve is needed. We must demand accountability from the Governor, the Police, our Elected Leaders and the Community at large.
Under our constitutional framework, security matters are the exclusive province of the Governor. Apart from appealing for community cooperation, we are not privy to any bold, urgent or proactive plans that have been initiated to address this situation. To be fair, the Chamber is aware of past efforts to make expertise available to our local force but this has not been popular with the local police officials. As a result those resources no longer exist. It is obvious that we need to do something more than what is being done. If we do not have the necessary laws to deal effectively with the situation, let us draft and pass them immediately. If we need expertise, let us swallow our pride and ask for it. Stop being concerned about imaginary limits on police authority and get on with it.
The hypocrisy regarding the lack of urgency has not escaped the notice of the Chamber. We have watched and observed the haste and urgency with which international obligations are addressed. Laws are drafted with dispatch, resources allocated to engage foreign consultants, and local businesses are subjected to an ever increasing and burdensome regulatory regime. Should not then, this same or even more enthusiasm extend to addressing this situation? It is clear that our priorities are misplaced. Instead, for example, one sees our police giving priority to tint on vehicles rather than being focused on the gangs and common criminals that are ravaging our peace and order.
So where do we go from here? We need to draw inspiration and resolve from statesmen who have faced difficult and chaotic times. Edmund Burke, the narrator and philosopher eloquently stated that “Evil can only triumph if good people do nothing. Action is required.” To quote Winston Churchill the renowned statesman and leader faced with the Nazi juggernaut and very little help at the time, and no prospect of help in the future in defending Great Britain during World War II, stated when asked what he was going to do and I quote:
[WE WILL…………..]
“wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.” You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory — victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
We therefore, appeal to His Excellency, the Governor and our Elected Representatives to move ahead now to implement bold and decisive policies, to deal with this scourge of crime and violence and take the fight to the gangs and the criminals. Fight we must, we cannot surrender; our only aim must be victory no matter how long or how hard for without victory our island will be lost. The Chamber stands willing to assist in any way it can. This fight is for all of us and we pledge today to join in the fight.
Thank you and may God Bless Anguilla, our people and the Chamber of Commerce.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
