“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Yesterday, the 25th of June 2022, was a day that must be etched in our memory banks and the annals of Anguilla. It was the day, one of the youngest members of the Webster-led government lobbed a hand grenade at the government in the form of his resignation letter.
It would be the second time a Hodge would have walked away from a Webster-led government because of differing opinions on the direction in which the island was headed. Kyle’s grandfather, Mr. Collins Hodge, did the same when he disagreed with Mr. Ronald Webster on the path that he was taking Anguilla.
Mr. Kyle Hodge, Minister of Economic Development, Investment, Commerce, Natural Resources, and Information Technology, made clear his reasons for resigning, which are many, only as a last resort after all attempts at reasoning with Premier Webster had failed.
The question that we as a people must grapple with now is, where do we go from here? What happens next? What do we want to happen? Do we want to see this government fall, given that we are known for boating and voting, or do we want cooler heads to prevail? Do we have the intestinal fortitude to eat a large helping of crow, or will we stay true to form and continue the path of least resistance?
We are a small island that has suffered its share of crises and indignities. We cannot continue to do the same thing year after year and expect different results – that’s Einstein’s theory of insanity. Are we then insane or just self-centred?
Anguilla finds itself at a crossroads, and our chosen direction will decide whether we will have a homeland we can call our own.
We can no longer listen to politicians who mislead us – who make promises they’ve no intention of keeping. No longer can we be innocent bystanders at a time when active participation is the order of the day. We are a democracy and must make our voices heard, not by throwing stones and hiding our hands, but by holding our leaders accountable. So, what are we doing, for goodness’ sake?
With Minister Kyle Hodge’s resignation, this government has been given a reprieve if it chooses to take it, and by that, I mean it’s an opportunity to start over. It is a chance for leadership to say to the people – I hear you, and I’m deeply sorry for being oblivious to your needs and for showing a lack of compassion. I erred, am genuinely sorry, and will do whatever it takes to right the ship.
Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote a book called “Team of Rivals” in which she chronicles Abraham Lincoln’s attempt to unite the United States after the civil war. He appointed people with whom he differed politically, men who had campaigned against him, but he saw the need to include them in his administration for the sake of the Union.
I referenced Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals” to make a point, suggesting that this government has been given a second chance to start over. However, given that we are a deeply divided island is it possible that the government will work with the other side for the country’s good? Can we or will we settle our differences for the good of Anguilla?
It is said that Anguillians don’t know what they want until they get what they don’t want. Unfortunately, Kyle’s resignation highlights a host of things that we don’t want. We don’t want a tone-deaf government that’s oblivious to the needs of its people. We don’t want an arrogant, condescending, and inflexible one whose modus operandi is my way or the highway, but a kinder, gentler, and compassionate one that genuinely cares about its people.
It is the government’s job to do for the people what they can’t do for themselves, to ensure that they have affordable healthcare, and that the necessary people are in place to care for the ill. We need a government that will protect and defend its people, to stand up no matter the cost – a government that’s honest and forthright, one that will not say anything to get elected and then abandon the promises. But, unfortunately, we seem to have forgotten from whence we came. We have become so polarised and tribalised that even suggesting that both sides could work together for the good of all might be a bridge too far.
Can we get off our white horses and set aside our differences for the good of our island? This government has an opportunity to fulfill the promises that it made. Get the banking report, stop the wholesale auctioning off of Anguillian properties, throw the Asset Management off the island, and let us clean our own house, remove ourselves from the Central Bank, and retrieve the money that’s tied up in the New York banks. An attempt to look out for the people will start restoring the credibility of this government.
We have allowed our island to become a means to an end for everyone else. We have been flailing in the wind for fifty-five years, and we are no closer to self-determination now than we were when we started this journey. There is work to be done. There is no cavalry coming to the rescue. It is up to us, young and old alike, to take the reins and get this rock, we call Anguilla, back on track – if not us, then who, and if not now, when, and if not here, then where?
As a God-fearing people, we understand He works in mysterious ways. Could it be that Mr. Hodge just brought front and centre that which ails us? The ball is now in our court, and what we choose to do with it will determine where we go. Do we run out the clock, or do we take the Kobyesque shot and win the game? You decide.
In his 1960 inaugural address, President Kennedy encouraged his people to: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” So, my fellow Anguillians, I implore you: “What are you willing to do for your country?”
With bated breath, we’ll wait. Until next time, may God bless and keep us safe, and may He continue to bless the motherland.
