Let me first of all congratulate the hosts of Radio Anguilla Show ‘In Your Face” – which to my mind is one of the best an unbiased talk shows on the island; similarly let me also congratulate the many callers that participate the in programme consistently.
As a number of callers alluded to on Saturday night June 2nd 012 Anguilians are tired of the lip service expressed over the years, I also think that it is high time to walk the walk and forget about the talk and make the final step or move to self determination within as short as is practicable. However some of our skeptics will ask what do we have to make this final leap? To this question my humble opinion here are the possible answers, and I quote.
1. THE FATHER OF THE NATION – OUR MOSES- has come out strongly that the time is ripe to make this plunge. My humble belief is that he has by his faith in God received a vision from our Heavenly father a sign to this effect to inform us fellow Anguillians that the time for Anguilla’sIndependenceis now
• The Rock has been blessed with some of the best white sandy beaches in the region possibly in the world
• Anguilla is unique in that eighty to ninety percent of its land masses are indigenously owned by Anguillians, thus having our collateral, a far cry from other countries where the land is owned by a few of the very rich.
• Fellow Anguillians let us diligently guard this asset with all our eyes and ears because this can be taken from us if we in our present constitutional arrangement with the Majesty’s Government
• We already have a banking system Eastern Caribbean Central Bank one of the best regulating banking system in the world. It unique in a number of ways including its exchange rates has been consistently the same for over thirty years.
• the commitment of Lord Caradon, United Kingdom’s representative at the United Nations in 1969 indicating that the United Kingdom’s Government would not place Anguilla under an administration that they do not want.
• Her Majesty’s Order in Council giving Anguilla a special constitutional status – All Anguilla needs is a referendum towardsIndependencea soon as Anguillians decide to take this plunge
• Our natural resources – our fishing banks are awash with all the sorts of fish as well as the possibility of offshore oil resources. Once again fellow anguillians if we do not change our present constitutional status with her Majesty’s Government these assets are likely to be taken away from us as a people. As I indicated in a former correspondence to this news paper, Britain’s and the European Union’s are on these natural resources as the dogger banks and the Newfoundland Banks are using quotes for fishing on these banks.
• Anguillians are by nature and independent minded people. We have academics in almost every profession (if not all) in this age of technology and science, literacy scattered over the glove who are willing and able to assist us in our quest for independence.
• Finally both Government and opposition seem to be reading from the same page- Anguilla’sIndependence. The above fact is alleged to be the ease, them Angillians for what are we waiting.
2. What do we need?
We need an education system which embraces the entire education system and meets the needs of each and every individual for him to function effectively and efficiently from early childhood education, Primary, Secondary ( Academic as well as vocational) taking into account each child’s ability to achieve maximum development and finally tertiary for those who can and will benefit from such a system. However if the system is not part and parcel of Governments entire development Policy taking into account its basic needs of the island we will drift along with tide and never making any progress.
The system of education should highlight our civic responsibilities as well as privileges- political science, specific areas such as preparing for jobs such as Ambassadors/High Commissioners, negotiators as well as preparing our youth for their privileges and responsibilities as individuals and collectively.
As Anguillians we have the ability to remove party politics of the issue ofIndependencein this equation. It is too serious to be a party thing. It is an Anguillian thing for each of us. I am of the opinion that the Anguillian spirit will prevail GOD BEING OUR HELPER
I, Fellow Anguillas view theAnguillarevolution. You see fellow Anguillians our episode could be compared with the Israelites of old marching through the Political Wilderness to promise land. They spent forty years before they achieved their goal while we have spent forty five years thus far. Who will be our Joshua, for us to achieve our goals. God in His Mercies knows who that individual so be the Lord’s will be done. Let us leave the final plunge in to His Almighty hand and God’s Will be done.
3. What are the negatives
We are to rid ourselves of the envy, greed and corruption which exist in our society and become a united people under God.
We have a habit of flinging stones and hiding our hands e.g some of us write articles and are afraid to indicate who we are. This is downright cowardice on the part of the writer. And is even alleged that Anguillians at home are trying to sabotage Anguilla’s move toIndependence. It is also alleged that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is ensuring that prospective developers are advised not to bring business toAnguilla. Such an alleged aim is to ensure that Anguilla becomes a failed state so thatBritaincan have an excuse to repeat what was done in theTurks and Caicos Islandssome years ago.
Some politicians enter politics for the wrong reasons, for example to see what they can get out of it for themselves and their immediate families among other things. You see, fellow Anguillians, God has given each of us specific gifts to assist other fellow human beings and not for our individual selves. In fact they are not ours specifically for our individual selves, but to assist humanity.
Fellow Anguillians until we as Anguillians realise that we our brothers’ keepers and put ourselves collectively and individually with God as our Helper our goal forIndependencewill be elusive. It behoves us therefore fellow Anguillians to move forward to our goal ofIndependenceforAnguillanow, God being our Helper, trust in faith and believing that the time is ripe.
Fellow Anguillians please let me end my discourse to you with a quote from Confucius, and I quote, To put the world in order we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must cultivate our personal lives and to cultivate our personal live; we must first set our hearts right.
