Well, well, well! Anguilla’s politics is now like nursery rhymes.
First, we had the abrupt resignation of the Honourable Kyle Hodge from the Anguilla Progressive Movement (APM) and as a Minister of Government on 24th June 2022, just a few days short of the second anniversary of his appointment as a Minister. The former Minister cited the Government’s approach to the GST, his dislike of the Premier’s leadership style, the disregard for his concerns or suggestions, and the lack of an organised party structure as his reasons for resigning. He placed his resignation letter in the hands of the media virtually at the same time as it was shared with the Premier and Governor.
Almost immediately, the former Minister was hailed as a hero, a man for the people, a champion for the poor. When the House of Assembly next met, he sat on the Opposition side of the House, though not as a member of the Anguilla United Front (AUF). When the business sector and other members of the community marched in protest against the GST on 1st July 2022, the Honourable Kyle Hodge stood amongst the protestors. He stood by his convictions that GST is not the right tax for Anguilla – a position he took about a year ago when he voted against the GST legislation in the House of Assembly. His vote, though applauded by many, was probably the first sign that all was not well within the APM party. It was expected to result in his resignation or termination but he continued in the administration. If we accept what is alleged in his recent resignation as true, we can conclude that his vote resulted in some discord in the party.
While the country was still reeling from the resignation of Mr Hodge, we learned that the Honourable Dee-Ann Kentish Rogers was going to hold a constituency meeting in Rey Hill on 29th June 2022. This was after widespread speculation that she would soon follow suit. In a video message, the Minister and representative for District 4 appealed to her constituents to come out so she could hear from them. From the snippets of the meeting that were subsequently circulated via various media, it was clear that the persons attending wanted their representative to dissociate herself from the Government and the APM party. They certainly did not hold back in expressing their disillusionment with the Government and also their disappointment that their representative did not appear to have made a decision as to whether she would remain or resign as her former colleague did.
The next day, 30th June 2022, Ms Kentish-Rogers attended the House of Assembly and sat on the Opposition side and in addressing the House indicated that she had tendered her resignation to the Honourable Premier. To my knowledge, the media has not been afforded a copy of that resignation. Though not unexpected, Ms Kentish-Rogers too was applauded by the public for taking a stand. However, her decision meant that the Opposition side of the House now had 6 elected members, compared with 5 on the Government side of the House. While the Government could continue as a minority, there was a possibility that the Opposition could stymie Government’s legislative agenda if they strategically absented themselves rendering the House unable to meet due to the lack of a quorum. This left the Government in a highly precarious position.
While there was much speculation as to how Government would continue to function, those speculations were short-lived as, on Monday 4th July 2022, there was a video announcement by Ms Kentish-Rogers that she was accepting reappointment as a Minister of Government in the APM administration. This was confirmed in the media by the Premier who also announced a Ministerial appointment for the Honourable Mrs Quincia Gumbs-Marie (former Parliamentary Secretary) in a new ministry called the Ministry of Sustainability, Innovation and the Environment, and the appointment of the Honourable Merrick Richardson (former Special Assistant to Ms Kentish Rogers) as Parliamentary Secretary. The Governor’s Office facebook page also confirmed the appointments and reappointment.
Though I am sure that die-hard supporters of the APM probably breathed a sigh of relief with the reappointment of Ms Kentish-Rogers, the rest of the country went into a tail-spin with confusion, dismay and betrayal being the main sentiments expressed. People expressed confusion that she would renege from her previous decision in a matter of days, dismay that she chose to remain with a Government which in their view is not working in the interests of the people, and a sense of betrayal that, after consulting with her constituents and making a decision in keeping with their wishes, she changed course without any further consultation with them. We would probably never know for sure what would have caused Ms Kentish-Rogers to “flip-flop” on a decision of this magnitude, and what would have propelled the Premier to have her reappointed, but I believe her actions have done irreparable damage to the trust her constituents placed in her. Further, given her actions – her vote against the GST bill last year and her recent resignation – it is my hope that she appreciates that her continued association with the APM is likely one of convenience and not built on mutual trust.
It is probably safe to assume, for the time being, that when the House of Assembly next sits Ms Kentish-Rogers will be seated on the Government side of the House. However, this musical chairs is not good for Anguilla. It is a sign of immaturity in leadership that disagreements are played out publicly rather than resolved internally and a unified position presented to the public. Leadership is not easy and even more so when you are leading a country. I don’t know if our young political leaders appreciated what they were signing up for, or whether they got caught up with the campaign hype. The real work begins when the campaign ends. This is not nursery rhymes or Sesame Street. There’s a country to run, and you cannot run at the first signs of trouble.
