Change can’t wait is the mantra of the Anguilla Progressive Movement [APM]. It swept the party into office and remains the constant refrain of at least one minister. Some of the proposed changes are however surrounded by some controversy.
The debacle between the APM Government and ANGLEC is a reflection of the controversy surrounding certain changes being proposed by the APM Administration. The current ANGLEC Board of Directors does not favour the Government’s Power Purchase Agreement. The Board feels that ANGLEC has the capacity to proceed on its own. The Government’s apparent response is to demand a special shareholder’s meeting for the purpose of removing and replacing ANGLEC’s Board. The absence of dialogue between the two entities, until very recently, has been cause for concern.
The public water supply on Anguilla is woefully inadequate. Although access to a clean water supply is recognised as a basic human right, the unavailability of such a supply of water does not appear to be commanding the level of attention one would expect from the APM Administration. The APM’s apparent response appears to be a move to dismantle the Water Corporation and return the management of the supply of public water to the Anguilla Public Service. Has any consideration been given to why the Water Corporation was created? Has anyone considered why it has failed to deliver its mandate and whether the return to management by the Public Service will address the reasons for its failure to deliver its mandate? In the absence of meaningful communication with the public these questions remain unanswered.
The dismantling of the Health Authority of Anguilla and the return of the health services to a department under the Ministry of Health appears imminent. The Honourable Premier, who is also the Minister of Health, has been consistent in his insistence that the Health Authority be dismantled. His initial timeline has not been met but his recent pronouncements suggest that this change will be effected by the middle of this year. Why? This question remains unanswered in the minds of many persons. The Premier’s insistence that the Minister of Health needs to have greater control over health related matters does not appear to be a valid reason for the dismantling of an entity that has certainly seen an improvement in the delivery of health services over the years. The question whether greater oversight can be achieved under the current legislative framework, which governs the Health Authority, has gone largely unanswered.
The Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School has functioned on a shift system basis since 2017. The long awaited return to a normal shift is reliant on the completion of the new school buildings in the Quarter. It appears that progress on the construction of those buildings have slowed, almost to a halt. Some persons feel that the same level of energy that has been evident in relation to other infrastructural projects is clearly not present in relation to the completion of the secondary school project. The Carter Rey Boulevard, the George Hill Bypass, the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal and now the Airport project have all benefited from a level of energy that appears absent in relation to the delivery of the secondary school project. This feeling is made even more prominent when one considers that the Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister of Education have been vocal in their condemnation of the decision to build the new school on the chosen site.
One wonders whether any consideration has been given to the process by which the site for the new school was selected. It is not a great stretch to conclude that the process for choosing the site must have even obtained the blessings of the UK Government, which has funded the project. The UKG representatives have certainly kept a tight rein on all things relative to the expenditure of the UK Grant provided to Anguilla in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Whatever the concerns with the chosen site one anticipates that, in relation to this project, there is now no turning back. Will the focus be on the completion of the project rather than constantly raising displeasure with the chosen site? Will the welfare of the students and teachers be a paramount consideration?
Change is said to be the one constant in life. It can be radical or it can be incremental but the one thing it should always be is justified. Will reason prevail in relation to the changes being contemplated by the APM Administration?
