Just when it was thought that the Government of Anguilla was close to reaching agreement with the British Government on the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility, re-styled Framework for Fiscal Sustainability and Development, Chief Minister Hubert Hughes says: “Anguilla and Britain are at war” over that and other issues.
Asked by The Anguillian what was holding him back from signing the partnership document as he reportedly said he would, Mr. Hughes replied: “It is because the British is not cooperating with us. We have been very reasonable in our approach, but Britain is not. They are not negotiating out of good faith. I am willing and ready to sign. Even if there was no Britain, I would execute a framework for fiscal responsibility. Even if we were not a British Overseas Territory, I think every country should have a framework for fiscal responsibility, but for it to be imposed without taking any note of our own appraisal and analysis of the economic situation of Anguilla, is most ridiculous. This is a dire strait of economic collapse.”
The Chief Minister was asked about a reported conference call this week between technocrats in Anguilla and British officials. He replied: “Whenever you have a conference call to England, and you believe you are convincing the officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, they then put you off on another wild-goose chase –that they have to now convince the DFID Ministry. The DFID doesn’t have any direct contact with us. We have direct contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office but we are not making any progress with the communication because DFID passes Anguilla by in every way. It does not assist us anyway. Everything that Montserrat wants, Montserrat gets.
“Right now the British Government is spending seven hundred million pounds sterling on building an airport for St. Helena with four thousand people, and when we get private companies coming here to put in an airport, the British stall it. There is a deliberate attempt by Britain to destroy Anguilla’s economy. That’s the way I see it.”
Asked about the start of the British financial year and the position of Anguilla’s 2013 budget, Chief Minister Hughes said: “I think Britain is sending a clear message to Anguilla. You either be assimilated into Britain, or you go your own way. That’s the clear message I am getting from Britain. The British can pass their budget without anybody telling them when, where and how…We worked hard like beasts in getting a budget balanced. We balanced our budget since the end of the year. Before Christmas we delivered the budget in the House of Assembly. It was duly balanced and passed, but we are not able to execute the budget…All the proposals that we have scientifically worked out to ensure that we have a balanced budgetary framework for 2013, Britain has now stalled because we have not been able to implement those measures. This is all because of the arrogance and deliberate attempt by Britain to destroy our economy.”
Mr. Hughes was pressed about when he thought he would sign the FFR. He responded as follows: “On the simplest fragility, Britain refuses to compromise. All we are saying is that a review clause should be acceptedin the legislation that Anguilla reserves the right to have this whole Framework for Fiscal Responsibility legislation reviewed after five years. So much can happen within five years and you are going to tell me that the British Government will continue to starve Anguilla out of food and medicine for that? This is not something that just happened overnight. This has been coming on for many years. The evidence is crystal clear.”
Pressed further about signing the FFR, Mr. Hughes went on: “We cannot anticipate the next move by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office because we responded to the British Government in time. We sent a letter off to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the 14th of December 2012. We did not get any response to that correspondence until we had to put in the press. If The Anguillian did not ‘advertise’ that letter, Britain would not have responded. So therefore it is quite obvious that the British Government is hell-bent on destroying the livelihood of the people of Anguilla.
“Everyday in Anguilla is a fight. Everyday there is a fight and, not only that, they are telling foreign investors not to invest their money in Anguilla – direct from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. So we are at war. We are at war…It cannot continue. Something got to give. We will have to appeal to the United Nations once again. I have been to the United Nations in June last year, and I think we will have to ask the United Nations to intervene in Anguilla. What Britain is doing in Anguilla is genocidal”.
Asked if all of his statements can be published, the Chief Minister replied: “Everything I say you can publish.”
Meanwhile, Governor Alistair Harrison expressed the hope that the Anguilla Government would soon sign the partnership agreement because there were huge benefits for the island.
