At a time when authority figures seem to be of the firm belief that their objectives are best achieved by surrounding themselveswith only like-minded persons, we must truly treasure those who still tell it like it is. Experience has shown many of us that surrounding ourselves with persons who will challenge us, and force us to rethink, revisit and refine our thoughts and our intentions, generally serve us best. It is for this reason that those of us who had occasion to engage with Mrs. Verna Fahie, during her lifetime, consider ourselves to have been better served by such engagements.
Mrs. Fahie, a beloved educator, suddenly passed away on Friday 18th September, 2020. One commentator in describing Mrs. Fahie in a Facebook post captured her essence in these simple words – “U got it straight from her every time and never with malice. If she told u, it needed to be said.” Another Facebook commentator observed – “She was honest, blunt, and painfully truthful, but it was for our good. May others rise to her level.” Many commentators, recounting their encounters on Facebook have noted how they benefited from Mrs. Fahie’s directness and willingness to convey the message you needed to hear – but did not necessarily want to hear. Today, more than ever, authority figures would be well served to cultivate relationships with persons who, like Mrs. Fahie, are willing to tell it like it is.
Anguilla is in a perilous state at the moment. Our economy is in shambles, and our government and government agencies are heavily reliant on funding provided by the United Kingdom Government – in order to continue to offer essential services and to pay the persons who provide those services. It is not clear what strategies are being employed to rescue us from our current predicament, or whether all available resources are being tapped to ensure that we are making our best efforts. In fact, the transfer of Permanent Secretaries in the midst of this crisis situation, and in the immediate aftermath of our General Election – which resulted in a change in Government – does not suggest that we are making the best use of our available resources.
The Ministries of Finance and Economic Development have been deprived of the institutional knowledge bases of Dr. Aidan Harrigan and Mr. Larry Franklin who, prior to July 2020, served as Permanent Secretary Finance and Economic Development, respectively. It is widely believed that the transfer of permanent secretaries, immediately after the General Election, was motivated by the unfortunate and unintentional publication of certain private comments, made by Mr. Larry Franklin, which some elected members possibly found offensive. If this was indeed the motivation for a change in the portfolios of Permanent Secretaries, at such a crucial time, it does not bode well for the exchange of candid opinions between elected officials and senior public officers. Mr. Franklin is known to be a well-researched person who will tell it like it is. Transferring him to a post where he will have limited opportunity to engage with elected officials, who hold the seat of power and would benefit from his breadth of knowledge and experience, is likely to have done Anguilla a disservice at a very crucial time.
It is very likely that others, both in and out of the public service, having observed what has transpired in relation to Mr. Franklin – following the unfortunate and unintentional publication of his personal views – will hesitate to offer valuable observations which might not find favour with elected officials. If this occurs, we will certainly not be the beneficiaries of the wealth of knowledge and experience we know our Permanent Secretaries, and others in the private sector, possess.
Anguilla is very likely to go into 2021 while still having to rely heavily on UK financing. In such circumstances, we will certainly need all hands on deck to ensure that we are afforded the best opportunity to remove ourselves from a growing state of dependency. This requires an appreciation and cultivation of our freedom to hold and express differing views.
We need to encourage more persons to reflect the attributes we so admired and respected in Mrs. Verna Fahie. The Education Sector, where she contributed greatly, and her many students, benefited immensely from her candidness and her willingness to say what needed to be said. Mrs. Fahie is no longer with us and while her sudden passing shocked many persons, our memories of her will hopefully serve to fuel our desire to speak up when it counts – to do so without malice, and to genuinely care for those whose interests we should represent or over whom we have some authority. This attitude should become pervasive as we seek to offer a real and meaningful response to our current economic and financial dilemmas.
