Dear Sir:
The press release issued to the media by the Anguilla Christian Council and the Anguilla Evangelical Association, last week, was not well received in the sense that it came rather late when political abuse and name-calling have long been the order of the day on the island.
It was both selective and partisan to respond to the Chief Minister having been called “a lunatic” by an Opposition spokesman. I too do not like such references and would be the first to cry foul, but to have ignored the many public outlandish statements made about persons by the leadership of this island in particular (and I include other political leaders by definition) appears political and insensitive on the part of the two religious bodies. The fact that the Chief Minister is the leader of Anguilla does not only demand respect for him, but he, too, must show respect for others as well.
Speaking broadly, I think this type of name-calling rhetoric needs to come to a screeching halt. We must always be cognisant that our young people are observing every move we make, and every expression we utter, and are patterning their lives and responses on whatever they hear and see. If we, as grown-ups, and responsible persons, cannot control our own behaviour, how can we direct or control the lives and attitudes of our teeming young people?
I think the Christian Council and the Evangelical Association have a lot of work ahead of them, and need to look at the broader picture always in carrying out their leadership roles on the island and within their own churches.
Apolitical
