Let’s call a “spade a spade”! Christmas is a time of good cheer and time of joy. But there was no joy in the Chief Minister’s so called Xmas Message. As a matter of fact the content of the message is so base and poor that one gets the feeling, when reading it, that it was not written by the Chief Minister but by “Scrooge”. Ba humbug! Not even Scrooge could hide or camouflage the intent of it. We are not that stupid that we cannot notice the difference between a political message and a Christmas Message. The offering on the radio and newspaper is raw politics and he is using this time of the year to put it forward. It has nothing to do with spirit of the yuletide season. It is a shame that the author would ruin the mood of the season with this lengthy diatribe.
The people whom he is addressing have heard it all before. The offering is the regurgitation of the summary of all the nonsense he has been spewing over years. There is nothing new in it. He would have been better off had he said “Merry Xmas fellow Anguillians – times are hard. Please bear with me and let us see what happens next year! But instead he is behaving as though he has a monopoly on what is right and launches into a tirade of blame on everybody else.
This period, according to the bible, is a time of good cheer and goodwill to all! But what do Anguillians get?
A message pointing fingers at other people; casting aspersions on others promoting oneself as pristine and painting others corrupt.
Of course it is easy to cast aspersions on other people and to forget the wrongs we ourselves have committed. But we should try and remember these words whether we are politicians or laymen: – “He that is without sin let him cast the first stone!” That presentation is typical of what the Chief Minister gives — no peace only combat and confrontation. Apparently he thrives on that. It is his recipe that is poisoning the pot and holding up this island. Blame has now become shame.
Tourism is a fugitive industry and it flees to places of better success, and this is what should be understood. It will go to places where it feels welcome. Where the investor senses an atmosphere in which he can without hassle make returns on his money. Money will not go to places of conflict, uncertainty and confusion. And what is worse is that chronic uncertainty will, in the long run, lead to abandonment. This is the primary issue for us to fear. Dwelling in the past would not cure the lack of investors or opportunity lost for investment. The Xmas offering is one of good cheer or even hope for the New Year. It looks back in anger and disappointment — there is no joy in it. It is a litany of savage attacks; finger pointing; and ill will.
In the heat of World War II the enemies laid down their arms at Xmas. But what is happening here is the regurgitation of nasty things belonging to a bygone era. Who is he that is so bereft of kind thoughts and goodwill that would succumb to the desire to express such meanness during the Yuletide? Really, is that his best shot at leadership? Does Anguilla remain at that low cultural level in 2012? The Xmas offering lacks class and spirit. However, it tells us what to expect next year. It tells us that we are stuck in the mud and can’t get out. There are no fresh thoughts. So we can predict more of the same. Unfortunately, the economy will remain in a rut as investors continue to stay away. Some of us will not be fully fed since we will have no jobs and therefore lack purchasing power. The Chief Minister ignores his own failures! He will keep on chewing the cud. Let us hope that he will one day come across the saying that “those who live in glass houses should not throw stones”. Chances are, if this happens, and he looks in the mirror, he might get a different picture and try another way of doing things.
But the larger issue is that the leadership of the AUF will not continue to ignore indictment by innuendo and association. The rabid content of the article published under the guise of the Chief Minister’s Xmas Message is convoluted and devious. It must be challenged and tested in a court of law. It has nothing to do with Xmas. It is the beginning of the smear campaign for election or referendum whichever comes first. It is nothing but campaign propaganda and the author of the article spreading pollution around Anguilla.
