“Zemi Beach stretches along 1,000 ft of beachfront at Shoal Bay East, ranked ‘World’s Best All Round Beach’ by The Discovery Channel in 2005. It is a collection of 73, one to three bedroom, exclusive beachside freehold residences with private plunge pools. Residents will have access to first-class facilities including bars and restaurants, infinity edged pools, a luxury spa, juice bar and a top of the range fitness centre with state-of-the-art gym and an outdoor yoga terrace.

“Prices for the residences start at $645,000 and the properties range from 1200 to 3700 square-feet.

“The resort is the creation of world-renowned Caribbean architect, Lane Pettigrew Associates, who have designed over 60 diverse luxury homes and resorts in over 20 Caribbean countries. They have initiated the design for the resort in classic Caribbean style with modern overtones including sweeping verandas and graceful rooflines.

“Located on Shoal Bay East, next to Fountain Cavern National Park, one of the most important named Indian cultural sites, every facet of the development has taken the environment into consideration, with sustainability and conservation as fundamental criteria in development decisions. Coastal areas remain untouched, indigenous plants have been removed and stored in a nursery for replanting, an energy-efficient reverse osmosis plant has been installed using collected rainwater and solar panels have been fitted to assist with water-heating.

“The development team assembled for Zemi Beach has a history of excellence in this field. Design architecture is provided by Lane Pettigrew Associates and sales and marketing are provided by Cardea Property Consultants. Like all of their previous projects, the team have put a precedent on employing a local workforce and helping boost the local economy. The construction of Zemi Beach will provide over 300 jobs and a further 127 jobs when the resort is operational. It is estimated that it will contribute around US$20,000,000 to the local economy.

“Zemi Beach has views over either the Caribbean Sea or the nearby Fountain Cavern National Park, which is home to a historical religious cave dating back to the Arawak Indian era. The name Zemi has come from the three-pointed religious stones that were found in the Cavern. It was venerated for its natural pools of water, originally the main freshwater supply of the island, which led islanders [the early inhabitants] to dedicate the place to their water deity, Jocahu.

“The Goldstein family has donated $37,500 towards scientific research of the National Park.Cardea Property Consultants, a boutique consultancy which focuses on marketing niche high-end properties and resort developments to individuals worldwide, will be marketing Zemi Beach.”

DFID Consultants and Anguillian personnel

The project, entitled “Taking Action Against HIV and AIDS in the UK Overseas Territories”, was aimed at ensuring a low rate of sexual infection transmission and improving the quality of life for those living with HIV infections.

Participants at the meeting

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, said that in order to achieve that goal, territories were offered technical assistance to strengthen their capacity to lead an integrated national sexual reproduction health response.

“There are a number of outputs for this project here in Anguilla,” the Permanent Secretary said. “These included the Tourism HIV Study; the Policy and Legislative Review which resulted in a series of recommendations; draft legislation to be considered by policy-makers; training for teachers to conduct health and family-life education; and the development of the terms of reference for a multi-sectoral HIV Committee.”

Dr. Richardson-Lake stressed that the issue of HIV required input from all sectors. “It is partially a health matter, but there are many other players that are important in this fight against HIV,” she stated.
She emphasised that it was important to ensure that young people were equipped with the necessary knowledge and information to keep them free of HIV infections. “With young people making up more than half of those living HIV, it is now more important than ever to ensure that our young people are getting a quality education,” Dr. Richardson-Lake continued.

“The training of health and family-life education teachers was an important step in ensuring that HIV prevention messages are reaching our children. Stigma and discrimination continue to fuel the HIV pandemic, and the very laws and policies put in place to protect the public, in many cases, are either blatantly or inadvertently discriminatory against those living with HIV. The policy and legislative review was key to helping us understand how some of these issues are at play here in Anguilla, with a view to making amendments to discriminatory laws and policies that we may have in place. Executive Council has not yet ratified the recommendations coming out of the review, and these recommendations will be presented to Council shortly for consideration.”

Education Officer for Primary School Education, Veda Harrigan, said children were faced with numerous physical and social difficulties, thus increasingly making teaching a challenge. “Given our mandate of ensuring the total development of students, school is the place to address the social and physical issues confronting the students,” she said. “Health and Family life Education had been recognised as the programme and approach to deal with the issues…It has been proven that health and education are intrinsically linked in ensuring a productive community.”

Ms. Harrigan said that the Caricom curriculum for Health and Family Life Education was developed for use by schools in the region. “In Anguilla, which is one of the smaller islands in the Eastern Caribbean, there are six public primary schools, with an approximate population of 1400, and one comprehensive secondary school,” Ms. Harrigan told the meeting. “Issues faced by youth in Anguilla are no different to those faced by youth in the rest of the Caribbean region. In this programme, that forms the foundation of the Anguilla Health and Family Life Education curriculum, we adopted and adapted the regional programme. A customised programme was developed for kindergarten to grade three classes, and our grades four to six will use the Caricom curriculum as is.”

Alfred Thompson, General Manager of Carimar Beach Club, one of the properties which participated in the tourism project, spoke about the workshop for the industry workers. “The underline reasons were to determine the general level and knowledge within our industry of the HIV/AIDS virus and its effects on the tourism industry through the workers,” he explained. “It also involved an understanding of our own lifestyles, social habits and practices which suggested alternatives for implementation as well as highlighted some potential pitfalls and dangers within the workplace and between co-workers.”

Mr. Thompson was of the view that some sound ideas and best practices were learnt over the past few months.

An overview of the DFID project, outcomes, challenges and the emerging best practices was delivered by Ms. Arlene Husbands, DFID’s Technical Advisor, and Mrs. Civilla Kentish, former Coordinator of the National AIDS Programme. Ms. Husbands said that in addition to Anguilla, there were four other UK Overseas Territories which participated in the project. “The idea is to share some of the good practices across the OTs in order that they can see what is happening, and what they may wish to replicate in carrying out this work that has been started,” she stated. “We have to keep up with this epidemic and therefore we have to re-sharpen our tools and put all of our efforts to continue to address this epidemic.”

Other speakers included Ms. Lydia Elliott, the Policy & Legislation Drafting Consultant, who gave a related presentation on the DFID-funded HIV/AIDS project.

ATU President Emma Ferguson (l) with Teacher Indah Leiba (1st Vice President)

She made the statement while explaining why they did not attend a joint meeting with the Civil Service Association called by Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Hubert Hughes, last week.

Mr. Hughes, who explained that he wanted to speak with Government workers on matters of general concern, said he was insulted by the teachers’ refusal to attend the meeting.
Ms. Ferguson said the Teachers’ Union members were alarmed by a press release from the President of the Anguilla Civil Service Association, and one from the Chief Minister, about the issues for discussionwhich were not what they wanted to discuss.

“My teachers felt emphatically that,as we look forward to 2012, we wanted to know what state we were in financially; what were the implications for us as builders, moulders and shapers of the nation,” she stated. “As we are called as educators, we wanted to make sure that when we sit in an audience with the Chief Minister that we are able to line out things that are affecting us, yet we are still called to produce.

“We indicated that at the meeting, on that platform, we were not going to be given the chance to identify our issues; so we decided collectively – myself along with the Executive Board and our membership – that we will schedule another meeting, make sure we are together, and we will then invite him [the Chief Minister] to our meeting so that he could come and address the issues of the nation.

“It was never our intention to insult him but, as intelligent adults, and currently voters, we have the right to decide what meeting we want to attendbecause it was not a meeting called on Government time. Even if I had showed up as President, my membership had the right not to, but my members said, boldly, I can say, that this was not the way they wanted things to flow; they did not want to be a part of that right now. They wanted to be clear on our points and then we would invite the Honourable Chief Minister, Mr. Hughes, and his technocrats, to a meeting for us to say these are our concerns. That meeting on Tuesday, January 3, was not the setting. To say that we insulted him, we did not. Mr. Hughes knows where we stand. I talked to him prior to the meeting. It was not our intent to insult him. We do respect him, but that meeting was not the setting for us to attend.”
Ms. Ferguson was asked about some of the concerns of the teachers.She responded: “As quietly as it is kept, and as proud as we are as a people of Anguilla, teachers are hurting. Nothing has changed from June last year when we met with the Chief Minister and his technocrats. We understand that we have to budget the nation, but we also understand that some of our teachers are losing homes, some are losing cars, some are losing sleep, and some are seeking second jobs because we cannot make it; and others are having difficulties feeding their children…

“Whether or not he can do anything about it, he should at least give the people an opportunity to cry…To tell us that he is not going to listen, or talk to us, is unacceptable. If the people of Anguilla trust us enough to manage and mould their children from 8.25 – 3 o’clock, then we are worthy and intelligent enough to manage our own personal lives.”

Ms. Ferguson declared that teachers were now on the poverty list. “In 2010 we finished the [Country]Poverty Assessment. Less than six months after we finished that document, we got a whole new class of poverty – the working class poverty,” she stated, and referred to a number of new taxes which the people of Anguilla were now required to pay.

“My people were very upset to read in the minutes from Executive Council that the Chief Minister…asked for a refund of money for phone bills twelve years ago – ahead of my time, I must clarify,” she went on. “But yet you can’t pay us our money now for two years. You want to go back twelve years and you refuse to go back two years for us! It doesn’t sound good to the Anguilla public when you tell me you have a surplus but can’t give me my money. Yet you passed in Council to pay somebody 10,000 US – 27,000 EC – to be a lawyer to figure out a loophole not to pay me. You don’t think people are upset?…”

The Teachers’ Union President was referring to a decision in the Executive Council, in December, for Lawyer Anthony Astaphan of Dominica to advise on the implications of discontinuing the deferred payments to public servants and other Government officials. The matter is in relation to salary deductions made over two years ago.

“This is unacceptable. When we are grooming people’s children, we are grooming future leaders.” Ms. Ferguson stressed “My people told me, ‘Teacher Emma, we don’t want to hear any talk about any independence [from the Chief Minister]. We want to hear what the financial situation is. We are concerned about how not passing the budget is going to affect us.”’
Replying to the Chief Minister’s statement indicating that he no longer wished to meet with the teachers, Ms. Ferguson said: “Protocol says that I have a right to call on him, and I am going to use that right. I am not taking it personal, but we have a voice. It isn’t that we are against the Chief Minister. We are not working against him.We are just exercising our right about what we should participate in. I am really displeased.

“I indicated to him that I will put our concerns in writing, and I will ask to present them to him live; and when we do that we will invite the media,” she said. “It is not Emma speaking. It is Ms. Ferguson, the ATU President, and she can only speak according to her membership.”

Told that she appeared to have a lot of courage, she replied: “That is why the members elected me. Maybe I am a mini female of Mr. Hughes. God gave me holy boldness. I hope, desire and aim to walk with integrity before my people. The type of President you are makes you speak what the body says, whether you agree or disagree with it, but my people have spoken.

“They want to get their issues out. We don’t want to get stuck on dollars and cents everyday, but the reality is that we need to know where we stand.Our ancestors have fought in the revolution for such a time as this. The Anguilla Teachers’ Union is in its 50th year. Persons ahead of me…set up this union for such a time as this. I just happen to be the woman in the front seat who has to walk that path for such a time as this.”

Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes

Mr. Hughes explained why, after all, he had signed the warrant. “We have, for instance, weekly-paid workers. They are at the bottom of the wage structure. It would be unfair for us to punish these weekly-paid workers, and their children must be fed,” he stated. “So despite the fact that I have to send a clear message to London, I had to ensure that I don’t bring hardship to the poorest in the community. This is why I delayed the signing for one week only, and I have now signed it to be effective up to the end of the month.”

Former CM, Osbourne Fleming

On Monday evening, prior to Mr. Hughes’ signing announcement, former Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, in a radio and television broadcast, called on him to sign the warrant to ensure that workers got paid on time.

“The most recent developments created by the Chief Minister relating to the assent of this year’s budget, concern me deeply,” Mr. Fleming said in his address published elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian. “The Chief Minister has again created an uncalled for war. That the budget was not assented to before December 31 is not uncommon. As a matter of fact when Mr. Hughes was first Chief Minister, between 1995 and 1999 everyone of his Government’s budgets was assented to in January. In 1996 & 1998 it was January 12; 1997, January 13 and in 1999 January 21. I am sure that on each of these occasions the Minister of Finance signed the provisional budget. I am calling on him to do the same this year. Sign the provisional budget and ensure that the workers get paid on time. Failure to do so will result in the ‘wheels of Government grinding to a halt,’ a situation that he himself would have created, not the British Government or Governor.”

Mr. Hughes said at Tuesday’s press conference that the technocrats in the Ministry of Finance began working on the 2012 budget very early in 2011 and completed and delivered it to London in October. He stated that there were some minor adjustments, but in the end Minister Alan Duncan of DFID “was immensely pleased with the measures we had taken and the fact that we had a balanced budget.”

The Chief Minister questioned, however: “Even if there were little discrepancies, do you hold back a Government because of that when they can be straightened? They asked us to produce a budget by October. We produced the budget by October…Whatever problems they had with that budget, they wrote them to us and we straightened out everything.”

Mr. Hughes informed the media that while it was provided for him to sign a provisional warrant, if the Governor did not sign the annual budget, Anguilla stood to lose quite a lot.

“The reasons the Governor gave [for the delay is signing the budget] are unacceptable in today’s world of high technology and easy communications,” he further stated in his written statement. “On one side the Governor says that the Ministers went on vacation and cannot be reached; from the other side he is saying that the Ministers are busy doing constituency duties, and yet another side he is saying that while the Minister for the OTs, Mr. Bellingham, sees nothing wrong with the Anguilla budget for 2012, he needs to clear it with other Ministers including Mr. Duncan, Minister for DFID.

“I have enough reason to conclude that these actions of the local UK representative serve to undermine the economy, disrupt the smooth running of the Public Service and so distract the Ministers from getting on with the essential task of running the affairs of Government. No doubt by creating instability, the concept of declaring Anguilla a failed state becomes a glaring possibility and what is happening in TCI may not be just an isolated example.”

The Chief Minister said he was morally and politically obliged to inform the public that there were a number of negative consequences of signing the provisional warrant which both the Governor and the Opposition had been calling on him to do.

“Without a signed budget [by the Governor] none of the measures which were suggested to be used for the estimates to be raised at the end of this year can now be implemented,” he continued. “We will therefore lose that revenue. Last year when we lost revenue because of having to utilise a provisional budget, the same FCO was asking us to implement increased taxes.

“Now that we have to do this again, do not be surprised that later in the financial year the FCO could suggest new or increased taxes to make up for that uncollected or lost revenue. When the Governor refused to sign our first budget, in April last year, we lost EC$8m during the two months under the provisional arrangement. That loss left us with only six months to December 31 to raise the estimated revenue.

“Again, when the Governor refused to sign our budget in December 2011, we were forced to sign a provisional facility. Not only did we lose substantial revenue, even though declaring publicly that there was nothing wrong with the budget, we were still compelled to increase the surcharge Customs tax by 5% and a payroll tax of another 5% was suggested by London.” He said, however, that instead of the payroll tax, he, as Minister of Finance, along with his technocrats, proposed a National Insurance Fund, now called for the time being the Interim Stabilisation Levy.
Mr. Hughesstressed that there was another drawback to using a provisional budget. “If the British Governor does not approve and sign off Anguilla’s budget, our only aid donor – the European Union – will not discuss aid which we are entitled to get from the European Development Fund,” he told the reporters. “Last year the European Union should have deposited EC$9M in Anguilla’s Treasury but owning to the Governor not signing our 2011 budget, we did not receive that EC$9M. Again, this year, we were entitled to receive aid in the same amount. However, when once I have to sign off the Provisional Budget the chances are again that we stand to lose this aid.”
The Chief Minister concluded his statement as follows: “My decision to delay the signing of the provisional warrant for one week was to send a clear message to Britain, and to the people of Anguilla, that we will not continue to be blackmailed in this way. It is about time that Anguillians understand why it is absolutely necessary that we stop fighting among ourselves in our jockeying to convince the electorate to elect us. We can only succeed when we once more find a reason to unite. We have to aim for self-determination.

“Today I have signed the Provisional Warrant which expires at the end of January.”

Meanwhile, on the question of independence, to whichMr. Hughes frequently refers, former Chief Minister, Mr. Fleming, had this to say in part: “There is no need to create a war with the Governor and the British. The British Government has stated on many occasions they will not get in the way of independence for Anguilla…If it is independence you want…then hold a referendum on independence and let the people decide.”

The necessary instruction to pay the Chief Minister was passed, by Executive Council, to the Permanent Secretary (Finance) and the Accountant General. The Executive Council’s minutes in which the matter is contained, was released by the Governor’s Office on Tuesday, this week, January 10.

The matter, in which he declared an interest, resurfaced when he raised it in the Executive Council on December 15, 2011, but it was “deferred for further research”. The issue was returned to Council on December 22, and was “further deferred pending information to be submitted by the PS, Finance, to Executive Council”. Within another week, December 29, the Council agreed to reimburse the Chief Minister the EC$40,000 he claimed.

One cannot but note what seems to have been a feverish persistence demonstrated by both the Chief Minister and the Executive Council to have the reimbursement effected. It appears to be part and parcel of the Chief Minister’s much admired personality and determination to achieve any objective at all cost, either within the shortest possible period, or however long its takes, once he believes he has reason to contend for it. Probably it is like his fascination for independence, as far off as it may be.

While nobody has really argued against the Chief Minister being reimbursed for his telephone bills, it strikes a discordant note in the lamentations of public servants, including teachers, who contend that they should be refunded the deductions from their salaries for two years now. “Here is he getting $40,000 for serving 12 years ago and we can’t get back our money taken from us two year’s ago,” the President of the Teachers’ Union complained. That is a point well taken.She followed it up by saying that the Government had decided to bring in a lawyer, and pay him US$10,000, to look into the implications of deferring the payments to the public servants. In other words, to make the deductions permanent. No refund. It is believed that the money owed to public servants may be less that EC$20,000,000. That could easily have been paid from the windfall money from Viceroy, rather than the Government reportedly using a portion of it to balance the budget, presumably, just to look good in the eyes of the British Government and whosoever else.

Although he is undoubtedly entitled to his claim, the Executive Council’s agreement to reimburse the Chief Minister EC$40,000, andhis acceptance, may have placed him in a rather awkward position at this time. Given the poor state of the economy,the scarcity of public funds, and the cries of public servants, the timing of what is considered to be a huge reimbursement to him may have been a miscalculation. It is alsoas though someone reasoned that the Chief Minister should be repaid before the Treasury goes completely broke.One commentator, citing the grim economic situation, casually observed: “It is like Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice demanding a pound of flesh from ‘nearest the heart.’” It may also appear that the Chief Minister can hardly continue to accuse former Government Ministers of looking out for themselves, while others suffer.

Public servants in Anguilla have made many sacrifices and suffered many losses over the years. Our politicians and leaders must also be preparedto be sacrificial in their public service and to lose sometimes, remembering the traditional adages that “it is an honour to serve” and “it is more blessed to give than to receive”.

Mr. Hughes, who delivered statement to the media at a press conference which he called on Tuesday, January 3, was responding to a delay by Governor Alistair Harrison in signing the Government’s 2012 budget passed in the House of Assembly late December. The Governor said he was awaiting instructions from British Ministers who were not available after the Christmas holiday period.

“Once a Budget has not passed, the Government is entitled to utilise the option of signing off on a Provisional Budget,” Hughes said in his press statement. He went on: “The Provisional Budget means that we cannot use the initiatives that we have planned for in our 2012 Budget and have to stick to what was done in 2011. In that case, it means that our proposed revenue generating measures – not taxes – are compromised, and it means that every single day that we are unable to put our 2012 Budget into effect we become compromised in meeting our monthly targets and in meeting the overall deadline set by the UK.

“If you recall last year, as a result of not getting a timely assent to our Budget, we lost over EC8 million dollars in revenue. Of particular significance for Anguilla, however, is that every year we are supposed to receive funds of about EC$9 million from [the] European Development Fund in the form of budgetary support.

“We did not get it last year, however, because of the fact that our Budget was not assented to and we had to utilise a Provisional Budget. I have been informed by my technocrats that already the European Department has been enquiring as to our state of affairs on the Budget, and if again I am forced to sign a Provisional Budget there are strong chances that we would have jeoparised being able to receive those funds.”

While delivering his press statement, the Chief Minister claimed that the British Government’s agenda to move his two Permanent Secretaries was to replace them with UK personnel.

Governor Harrison, who indicated that he might issue a more formal statement later, made the following comments on the budget in reply to those by the Chief Minister, and to concerns expressed by four Permanent Secretaries in emails to him, regarding his delay in signing the 2012 budget:
“The Chief Minister’s announcement that he will not sign a provisional budget for a week is puzzling. I told him and other members of EXCO on 22 December that it was unlikely that I would receive instructions to assent to the budget until the first few days of January, so he has known for some time that the budget is likely to be assented to within another week at the latest. There is therefore no need to withhold what is normal operating procedure in the circumstances. This procedure has been used no fewer than 10 times in the last 16 years fore various reasons.

“Revenue gathering can continue without a budget as the legislation is in place. It is only expenditure, including wages and salaries, that would be affected. It is normal procedure for the Finance Minister to sign a provisional warrant to allow bills and wages to be paid and there is no reason for him not to do so this time.

“Ministers in the UK are being consulted and I am sure will take a decision very rapidly. It is a pity that the budget was not taken to the House until so late in December since, as the Chief Minister says, consultations with the UK were completed in late November.

“It is worth clarifying that the technical assistance the UK has offered in connection with the Chief Minister’s concerns about the re-shuffle of Permanent Secretaries would be at his request. There is no intention of imposing anything he does not want, although the British Government was trying to help. Also, previous TA [technical assistance] has been in the form of the services of independent (not necessarily) British consultants – not UK public servants.”

It is believed that there have been recent talks about the proposal, but it was in May last year that, at the invitation of Anguilla, a high-powered ten-member Government of St. Maarten delegation visited the island for talks with the Government and other officials. The discussions, then, were about using Juliana International Airport as a hub, with a section to facilitate Anguilla-bound travellers, as well as associated matters on immigration issues.

St. Maarten’s Deputy Prime Minister, Theodore Heyliger, was one ofthat island’s main officials who succinctly stated how his Government wanted to assist Anguilla’s travel needs. “We want to simplify the process of making sure that guests coming to Anguilla have a more seamless effort in getting there through St. Maarten,” he stressed.

It is understood that one of the challenges facing travellers to Anguilla has been a proper designated area where in-transit passengers could assemble to board ferries bound for the island. The St. Maarten Minister of Justice, Ronald Duncan, was of the view that an agreement was at hand on the “area which would really help to simplify visitors and residents travelling forward and backward.”

From the decision taken by the Executive Council in Anguilla in December, for both Governments to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the lease of property, construction and operation of a docking facility at the Simpson Bay Lagoon, it is assumed that the designated area has now been found. Such an area and facility, in close proximity to Juliana Airport, though costly, should turn out to be a big plus and win-win situation for both Anguilla and St. Maarten.

It will be a gathering point for all ferries and other passenger boats travelling to and from Dutch St. Maarten with relatively quick turn-around. St. Maarten’s Immigration personnel will reportedly be stationed there from about 7.30 in the morning until 11 pm. The late hour will make it possible for in-transit tourists to be able to travel to Anguilla rather than having to overnight in St. Maarten. The docking facility will also be of much value to intra-regional travel and business in St. Maarten.

The travel difficulties experienced by tourists bound for Anguilla have been of much concern to the Anguilla Tourist Board personnel and industry partners who have had to deal with many complaints. Chairman of the Tourist Board, Eustace Guishard, has spoken about one such complaint from the owner of a 10-million-dollar villa in Anguilla. He quoted the investor/visitor as having said: “I will not bring my family back to Anguilla again. If I can sell this villa, I would do so because I spent five hours with eight of my family members trying to get from St. Maarten to Anguilla. It is quicker to get from New York to Anguilla than from St. Maarten to Anguilla. I am not prepared to go through that anymore.” It is hoped that when the new docking facility and travel arrangements are eventually in operation in St. Maarten, such difficulty would be a thing of the past.

Apart from an improved ferry service between St. Maarten and Anguilla, there is also undoubtedly a need to find an improved way of facilitating in-transit passengers by air. It would be a good idea for the relevant authorities and service providers to look into this matter, to see how it could be made easier for travellers by air arriving in St. Maarten, and bound for Anguilla, to be transferred to one of the shuttle airlines operating between the two islands.

Be that as it may, it is hoped that the docking facility referred to above would be provided soon so that there could be seamless effort for guests getting to Anguilla through St. Maarten. The move towards that end is not only praiseworthy, but an example of good neighbourly cooperation.

The jet flights, which showed a sizeable increase from the middle of December, brought a lot of activity, over the Christmas holidays, to the airport where traffic during the past months had been relatively low. It was reported that on Boxing Day alone there were up to 41 flights and that the figure could be substantially higher for the New Year’s Day holiday.

The eastern and middle portions of the airport are occupied by a number of jet aircraft in tightly-parked formations waiting to fly out their passengers holidaying on the island. So far, there have been direct flights by some of the bigger jets from London, Spain and the Azores which are said to have taken over six hours to arrive in Anguilla. These private jets included Global Express, Falcon 7X and Gulf Stream 550. Depending on their configuration, these larger aircraft can reportedly carry up to sixteen passengers.

The majority of the flights by some of the above jets, as well as the Gulf Stream 4 and other medium sized aircraft, came in from various parts of the United States and also from Brazil in South America.

The Anguillian met on Christmas Day with Captain Mike Funiciello who, along with his crew, flew a number of visitors to the island on his Gulf Stream 4 direct from New York, a journey of about three and a half hours. “I have been coming to Anguilla every year,” he told the newspaper. “I can’t think of a nicer place to spend the week.”

He went on: “We like the runway. We started coming here as soon as the runway was made longer. It is nice. The guys at Lloyd’s Aviation Services [providing the ground-handling operations] are the best.”

Taxi-drivers and other observers at the airport expressed delight in seeing the jets roaring in and out of the island. Their comments pointed to the fact that Anguilla’s Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport hadmuch potential for jet travel to the island.

“See here, we are doing nothing absolutely to have the jets coming here,” one thoughtful person remarked. “They are flying in on their own and the parking space can’t hold them. We need to expand the runway by about 700 feet. Two thousand feet more would attract larger passenger jets with many more tourists. Tell the Government to work on lengthening the runway.”

Wallblake Airport, as it was originally known, was expanded by 550 feet, leading to the displacement and relocation of a number of residents in close proximity at both ends.The new runway, with other improved facilities, came into operation on January 28, 2005, having been declared open by Mr. Eric Reid, then Minister of Social Development.

It was renamed the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport by the AUM Government which came into office in February 2010. The renaming ceremony was presided over by Minister of Infrastructure, the Hon. Evan Gumbs.

If ever a time there had been a need for a redoubling of our efforts in further developing the tourism sector, it is now. Just recently Government and tourism officials had been scratching their heads to find answers to declines in tourist arrivals and to what Anguilla can do to pep up its marketing initiatives to stay ahead of, or abreast with, other regional destinations. There must be no letting up in seeking new ways to boost tourism, the biggest employment sector on the island and the mainstay of the economy.

It was encouraging to hear some positive news about the industry in the budget address delivered earlier this month by the Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism. “Due to the hard work of my tourism team, our arrivals are rebounding and we expect steady growth in that industry thus providing more opportunities for our people,” he stated. It is hoped that this trend will continue into 2012 and beyond.

There is a need to spend much time on tourism since it is the main vehicle that drives our economic development. The Sustainable Tourism Master Plan, completed in October 2011, provides for the first time a clear vision ahead for Anguilla; and, if closely followed, it may well provide the answers we need to reorganise the institutional arrangements for the sector, improve air and sea access, enhance and diversify our tourism product and upgrade our standards of service.

It must be disappointing that there has been no visible evidence to show that the Chief Minister has yet been able to turn around the economy as he declared he would have done in 18 months. While this was said with good intentions, the reality of the world’s economic plight, and its impact on Anguilla, decreed otherwise. That does not, however, relieve the Chief Minister of his responsibility to try to succeed against all odds.

There has been a record of at least three budgets which were not approved by the UK Government between 2010 and 2011, a reflection of the island’s financial woes. While the Chief Minister has made the point that “you can’t tax a dead economy”, there was in fact the imposition of a series of new taxes, levies and increased fees aimed at balancing not only the last two budgets, but the 2012 budget as well. To quote the Parliamentary Secretary in the House of Assembly recently, speaking on one tax against which there has been much public outcry, and on which the Government heavily relies: “No Stabilisation Levy, no budget.”

While the 2012 budget makes provision for capital expenditure of 29.21 million dollars, with small inputs from a number of sources, no clear public sector investment projects have in fact been outlined. Government needs to be in a financial position where it can participate with private sector investment to develop Anguilla to a point where there is full employment and a buoyant economy.

As we look to the New Year the hope is that,despite the varied uncertainties, there will be a turn around of the economy to the relief of all the people of Anguilla.

Mr. Lennox Vanterpool directing St. Augustine’s Chorale

Called the Christmas Song, the one-hour programme was first presented on Sunday, December 25, and drew much applause and a standing ovation from the audience. A repeat performance has been planned for Sunday, January 1, at 6 pm.

St. Augustine’s Chorale in varying performances

Chorale Director, and professional musician, Lennox Vanterpool, told The Anguillian that for the past eleven years the group had been producing Easter and Christmas cantatas and had toured a number of islands.

Three Kings L-R: Ronnie Fleming, Rudie Webster and Calvin Harrigan with Vanburn Brooks (at visit to King Herod)

“This year is a sort of a renewed spirit because we took a break last Easter and we have now we have resumed,” he went on. “We have new outfits and new recruits as well. That is what is responsible for the nice rich sound; and we did a number of things in terms of technical exercises, chorale mechanics, different placing of the members and so on. The overall camaraderie has been really enriched by the injection of new blood and drama.”

The Morlens Music School, which Mr. Vanterpool owns, provided prelude music.

Section of the congregation

The narration was beautifully done by Tameika Fleming who has perfected her skills in this area over the years. The clarity of her articulation and intonations in presenting the various selections and their settings, without script, added much to the excellence of the programme. Other features were items of drama performed by Chrispen Gumbs, James Harrigan, Sandra Liddie, Eversley Browne and Vanburn Brooks.

Section of the congregation

The spiritually uplifting, and well-rendered, progamme included songs such as the Christmas Song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, My Saviour and My Son, a Degree and a Journey, No Room, Angel Announcement, A Nativity Medley, A Visit to Herod, Procession of Kings, Who Would Imagine a King?, and Joy, Joy with the Christmas Song.

L-R: Chesney Hughes, Shane Burton, Kelbert Walters, Jahmar Hamilton and Coach, Cardigan Connor

The cricketers, Chesney Hughes, Shane Burton, Kelbert Walters and Jahmar Hamilton, left Anguilla on Monday, December 26, for Antigua to attend a two-week training camp ahead of the Tournament. “What is important for them is to fine-tune a lot of the training they had been going through, and make sure that as the Leeward Islands’ team they will bond well over the next couple of weeks,” Anguilla’s Cricket Development Officer, Cardigan Connor, told The Anguillian.

“Although young, they have a great deal of experience,” Mr. Connor stated. Both Kelbert Walters and Chesney Hughes have been part of a West Indies Under-19 squad over the last couple of years. They have played for Anguilla in the 20-20 Tournament at the age of fifteen. Jahmar, of course, has played as well. They have had at least four or five years of experience.”

Chief Minister Hughes presenting the Budget Address in the

This has enabled Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Hubert Hughes, and his Cabinet, to take next year’s estimates of revenue and expenditure to the House of Assembly with a measure of confidence and to have it passed without any worry of disapproval in the run-up to Christmas.

The 2012 budget is being supported by the imposition of a number of taxation measures, including the unpopular Interim Stabilisation Levy, which were introduced earlier this year. There are several additional new revenue measures which are now to be implemented. These include the Withholding Tax, an Education Levy; a three percent increase on the already seven percent Communication Levy; and increases in driver’s licences.

Opposition Members Evan McNeil Rogers and Othlyn Vanterpool

The Budget Address was presented to the House by the Chief Minister and Minister of Finance on Thursday, December 16. The debate commenced on Tuesday this week, December 20, with the opening speakers being Elected Member for Island Harbour, Othyn Vanterpool, and Elected Member for Valley North, Opposition Leader, Evans McNiel Rogers. The debate continued on Wednesday with contributions from the Government’s side of the House as the 2012 Appropriation Bill, incorporating the budget, moved towards its eventual passage.

The figures in the Budget Address show that Recurrent Expenditure for 2012 is estimated at 181 .51 million dollars, while Recurrent Revenue is estimated at 187.65 million dollars. Provision was made for 29.21 million dollars for the Capital Budget.

The Galleries at the House of Assembly

The financing is expected to be sourced from the European Development Fund in the sum of 12.24 million dollars; grants from the private sector; 5.9 million dollars from the UK Government; CRRIF funds of 5 million; and from reserves of 5 million dollars.

Meanwhile, according to the Budget Address, at the end of this year (2011) Recurrent Revenue collectionsare expected to total 194.23 million. This would represent an over collection of 16.54 million of the original 177.69 million dollars.

Madam Speaker, Barbara Webster-Bourne

It has been pointed out that “the recurrent balance for 2011 is expected to be a surplus of EC$21.51 million; that projected capital expenditure totalled $10.81 million; and that the overall balance for 2011 is expected to be a surplus of approximately 10.70 million dollars.