There is much debate throughout the island and beyond on the conditions attached by the British Government to the humanitarian aid to help with the restoration of the island as a result of the infrastructural damages caused by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. It is not my intention to elaborate on the arguments for or against such requirements by the British. However, I wish to add that the purpose of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity following man-made or natural disasters. The United Kingdom’s prerequisites for Anguilla to access any of the pledged humanitarian aid leave a lot to be desired and can be considered somewhat inhumane in light of the current state of the island.
The focus of this article, however, is my response to the call for political independence from some persons within the community as a counter to the position of the British Government regarding the aid to Anguilla. I consider the call for independence to be a knee jerk reaction when we have so many fundamental political and socio-economic issues that need addressing immediately. In fact, we are so polarized politically along party lines where egos, greed and selfishness are prevalent, rather than we having conversations to bring out the best in others, and not to put them down, nor cut them out. History has shown that we were down this road already, but we have strayed away from what made us a people looking out for each other and chartering our own course. In the 1830s and 1840s, Anguilla was hit by droughts and economic famines. The British government attempted to ship the entire population to Guyana. The islanders refused to go but remained displaying grit and determination that helped them to overcome the harsh conditions. I reported on glimpses of this resilience and indomitable spirit exhibited by Malliouhana employees in last week’s article.
Before we talk about political independence, we need more inspired servant leadership in government, churches and workplaces. True leadership is about serving others and not leaders wanting to be served. The workplace is so toxic where employees are not cared for, valued, respected or trusted. It is reported that 67% of employees are not happy with their bosses. This is a reflection of the poor management and leadership styles that now exist. Some managers used their position of power to intimidate, victimize and push around employees, instead of empowering and motivating them. Research has shown that 7 out of 10 people lose their jobs because of personality conflicts. Relationship skills are far more important at work than knowledge or technical skills. However, managers still rely on the old traditional style of leadership that is very ineffective.
How can we talk about independence when the old trick of divide and conquer is so prevalent within our society? It is disheartening to see how successful this philosophy still is. Some of our own leaders used this for their own selfish and personal agenda to the detriment of the general society. Additionally, I have observed outside influences having a feeding frenzy utilizing the divide and rule method to separate us in order to maintain the status quo and keep us in mental bondage. Sadly, many of us fall for this devious tactic. However, anyone who is aware of their schemes and decides to speak out is seen as a threat, and is often ostracized, ridiculed and thrown under the bus. I encourage those persons who work for the common good of all within our society, and not for a selected few, to never become weary in doing good to help bring about a unified society.
The discussion about political independence has to also take into consideration the need for a clear vision for the island. To date, we are still grappling with the development of a long-term plan to bring about sustained socio-economic benefits for the island. It is said that a people without a vision will surely perish. “A language of leadership is a language filled with vision.” There are many examples of countries that were extremely poor, but later became prosperous because of the leaders’ foresight and impeccable vision. For example, over 25 years ago, although Singapore, a former colony of Britain, was a small poor country, it became independent. However, with great sacrifice and a twenty-five-year plan, today Singapore is one of the world’s most powerful financial centers. Singapore became successful because the far-sighted leaders travelled to, and learned from, countries that had already excelled. Singapore also kept its locals happy by providing adequate educational programmes, housing and economic opportunities that brought the country economic stability. Unless we move away from our narrow view that we need a construction project, that only acts as a band aid, our people would not be able to realize their full potential.
Let me categorically state that I am in full support of us laying the foundation for political independence to control our own destiny. However, we would be deceiving ourselves to believe that it is a quick fix project. We all need to have a new mindset and true leadership without ego to unite this community. In a nutshell, political independence gives a nation the right to decide its own destiny. Whether that fate will be a good one or a bad one depends on the vision and leadership qualities of our leaders. As they say, ‘Staying free is harder than becoming free’. We are a blessed people, but we need to be more kind and compassionate to one another. “It only takes one person to make a change… Let it begin with you”.
