Is it unreasonable to ask the question, was the invitation to the Central Bank the right thing to do? Did leadership consider the consequences of its actions? Not for when the banks were supposed to revert to the Anguillian people. It didn’t happen. Six months turned into one year, then two, and then three; finally, the new government, which had a conflict of interest with the banks, killed them.
We have met the enemy, and it is us. Until we go back to being a nation that cares about each other, we will never prosper. Until we, the parents of this generation, bring up our children to where they can differentiate between right and wrong, we are in deep trouble. A friend told me that a couple of young boys came onto his property and stole coconuts from his trees – the other day. To his surprise, the young thieves not only stole his coconuts, but they also sat under the trees, shelled the nuts, and ate them. So, what does that say about our parenting skills? What are the priorities?
The bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 – to “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” So, we are reaping that which we sowed. There is a concept in psychology known as nature versus nurture, which involves whether human nature is determined by a person’s life or by a person’s genes. A child who is nurtured is expected to behave in a way conducive to his/her upbringing, and conversely, the child who has been neglected is scheduled to be the exact opposite. When a parent pursues the almighty dollar, at the expense of providing an environment where that child is properly cared for, what are we to expect?
If we are to succeed as a nation, we must eliminate all the excess baggage holding us back. That begins with a constitution that contains the necessary moving parts by which we will be governed. Until we do that, we are running in place. Don Mitchell describes some of our recent leaders as: “Unintellectual and avaricious, devoid of any intellectual foundation for the birth of a nation in the womb.” “Consequently,” he continued, “fishermen and goat herders who were the fathers of our nation had little formal education and no grounding in the principles of good governance. The result of this lack of preparation was inevitable.”
Mr. Mitchell continues: ” Everything changed with the development of upmarket tourism in the 1980s. Anguilla’s economy was catapulted from the 19th century into the 21st century, hardly stopping for the 20th. The result is that Anguilla’s modern socio-political culture is new and unsettled. There has not been enough time for binding conventions and new social structures to develop. Anguillian culture may said to be essentially that of a frontier society; unsettled, shifting , brash and unruly.”
As we look forward to a new year, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen to us. We are mired in the middle of a pandemic that shows no signs of letting up. Our Treasury is broke, our government is inept, leadership seems to have abdicated its role, and we are being taxed to death. As a result, our young people are leaving in droves, and Anguilla, once the jewel in the crown, now seems to be nothing more than a cheap imitation.
So, as we ring in the new year, we are faced with many choices. Which way do we go? Do we sit around and follow a government that does not look out for our best interests? Do we sit around and let those who refuse to be vaccinated spoil it for the rest of us? Maybe we ought to do as they are doing in the Philippines, where if you get sick from covid, and you have not been vaccinated, you pay 25000.00 for your care. It’s time to get serious about what gets done. The Brits will only carry us for so long – before they come in and read us the riot act. We are being set up for failure. Why can’t we see it?
We just had the opportunity to make some real change in the way things are done in our government. While the ayes still have it, an opportunity presented itself whereby the government would have been forced to account for their actions. Sadly, that didn’t happen. It reverts to business as usual, where the opposition has its say and the government has its way.
As we stare down both barrels of what is called GST, no one, government included, seems to know how the hell this will work. What is known is that at the end of the day everyone will be affected. The question that we should be asking ourselves, is how do we feel about this? Are we satisfied to see our government trying to do things which they think will guarantee them another five years, while our people can’t afford the price of gas, electricity, water and all the bare niceties of everyday living – while our government has the audacity to give themselves a fifteen percent raise?
What are we doing? Why did you guys seek public office if not to serve the people?
Can any of you honestly say, with a straight face, that you care about the people of Anguilla? If you can answer in the affirmative, then go for another five years. If you can’t, then get the hell out of public service and let someone who gives a damn take the job.
We have been at this for far too long now, to tolerate in the incompetence with which we are being governed. We are much too sophisticated to stand by and be bamboozled by a bunch of ne’er-do-wells who, by all accounts, really don’t give a damn about us. We are our own worst enemy. We have met the enemy and he is us. My fellow Anguillians, we hired these hacks, and we also have the right to fire them. Enough is enough. Let us show them what real change looks like. Till next time, may God bless us all, and may he continue to bless Anguilla.
