The final Cock Tales episode of the year didn’t tiptoe around anything. Held on Saturday, 22nd November 2025, and themed “Rhymes, Rage and Reality: Music, Youth and Violence”, the conversation landed right in the middle of International Men’s Week. For host Diquan Reid, it was the perfect moment—not just to “celebrate men and boys,” as he put it, but to take an unfiltered look at the forces shaping them.

Joining him were Devin Hodge and Lesroy Lake, two voices who combined research, raw honesty, and a clear worry about where young Anguillian men are heading.

From the start, Hodge made it clear: youth violence isn’t just a “young people problem”—it’s a public health issue. Young men, he said, are both the main perpetrators and victims, and the ripple effects hit everyone. Families. Schools. Healthcare. The justice system. “Men sit central to a lot of the incidents of youth violence,” he said, stressing how important the Department of Youth and Culture is in addressing the issue.

Lake drove the point home with a blunt truth: Anguilla’s prison is filled with men under 40. To him, the problem starts long before crime—“Men are actually neglected… there is no support or not much support for men.” In homes. In schools. In society.

And that neglect, the panel argued, shows up everywhere.

One of the strongest threads of the night was simple but heavy: what children see, they repeat. Lake said it plainly —“Violence does breed violence.” Kids absorb the patterns they witness, especially from fathers or father figures.
Hodge added that violence in small communities like Anguilla often has layers. Old conflicts don’t die; they’re inherited. Generational grudges get retold until they become part of young men’s identities. “From geopolitics to neighbourhood spats,” he said, the cycle repeats.

But both men agreed: cycles can be broken. Just not by accident.

When the conversation turned to music, the debate around Trinibad and other violent genres brought out some of the strongest opinions of the night. Hodge pointed out that many Trinibad artists themselves admit the line between “crime and music” is paper-thin. That, he warned, is where the real danger lies.

He didn’t argue that music creates violence, but he emphasized its influence. Everyone understands how music sets a mood — gospel for Christians in the morning, romantic R&B for date nights, hype tracks in the gym. So why pretend violent lyrics don’t also have emotional impact? Reid took a different angle. For him, the real pull of “badman” music is the lifestyle it advertises. Flashy jewellery. Power. Fearlessness. Respect. For teens without money or stability, that image is magnetic and music videos become roadmaps.

No one on the panel supported banning music, but they all agreed that not every song belongs in every space. Hodge recalled being at a community event when a song about “spitting skulls” blasted through speakers — with children present. That, he said, is where the line should be drawn. Reid floated the idea of fines for promoters who play explicit music around kids, noting that high schoolers overwhelmingly supported stricter limits. Lake countered that the real issue starts at home, where toddlers sing along to violent or sexual lyrics because adults normalize them.

And of course, as audience members reminded everyone: how do you regulate anything when a child with a smartphone can access the entire internet at any time?

Reid argued that music has always reflected society — calypsonians were airing dirty laundry long before TikTok. The difference now, he said, is that “we are desensitised and it’s normalized.” Not glorified. Just… shrugged off. Lake added that even toddlers are mimicking sexually suggestive dances, and adults brush it aside as “culture.” In the rush to seem trendy or unbothered, harmful behaviour slips through the cracks.

Local teacher, Neil Gumbs, in the audience, shared that he grew up surrounded by community support so violent lyrics never shaped him. Many young people today don’t have that buffer. Lake agreed, saying that even children raised with solid values can be swept up by peers, especially when friends feel like the only stable thing in their lives.

Hon. Merrick Richardson pushed the conversation deeper. Violent music doesn’t exist alone, he argued. It mixes with video games, early marijuana use, group pressures, and the emotional chaos of adolescence. Together, they “blur the lines.”

“You are what you listen to,” he said, especially when your brain is still developing and your guard is down. He also lamented how disconnected today’s youth are from moral grounding. Church attendance is down. Community leagues have faded. “That little voice saying, ‘this is wrong’ — a lot of children don’t hear it anymore,” he said.

Nobody sugar-coated the reality: parents are tired, young, stretched thin, and often doing their best with limited tools. Reid acknowledged that while parental controls help, it’s hard for someone working two jobs to monitor every lyric, video, or TikTok trend.

Lake added that parents often hand down their own media habits—good or bad. Expensive devices get used as pacifiers. Cycles repeat.

An audience member pointed out something many adults already feel — the people teens look up to are often the most entertaining, not the most responsible. Reid answered with a wrestling metaphor: if society wants healthier role models, it can’t just hope young men notice them. It has to “put all the lights, all the bells and whistles” behind them.

But Hodge revealed a harder truth: mentorship programmes often struggle to find male volunteers. “We find more women than men,” he said. Boys end up “raised to be boys and not men.”

Hodge highlighted how unforgiving the system can be. One early mistake and a young man becomes an outcast. He referenced the UK’s “spent convictions” system and argued Anguilla needs similar reform.

Reid added that economic inequality on the island feeds resentment. Many young men feel stuck at “the bottom,” and the frustration becomes combustible.

Sports came up frequently as one of the few reliable safety nets left. Coaches talked about watching teens release anger, find discipline, and gain confidence through physical activity and mentorship. Young men, they said, “follow what they see.” They need more examples of healthy conflict resolution, not fewer. Hodge called for significant investment in safe, welcoming spaces where young men from different communities can interact. Sports facilities. Community centres. Mentorship hubs. By 2028, he hopes Anguilla will have a dedicated facility focused solely on supporting young men.

Audience members also highlighted school initiatives like “Speak Your Truth,” aimed at addressing emotional trauma early. But they warned that unless older men confront their own issues, the next generation will inherit them unchanged.

By the end of the night, one thing was clear: the challenges facing young men don’t come from one source. They come from everywhere — music, culture, technology, absent fathers, strained households, drugs, violence, inequality, and a loss of community structure.

But the panel didn’t end on hopelessness. They stressed that change is possible and already beginning. Through intentional mentorship, stronger institutions, proactive parenting, moral teaching, and rebuilding community spaces, Anguilla can reshape the environment young men grow up in.

By Janissa Fleming

During recent New Year’s festivities, the global media displayed vast crowds packed “like sardines” into places like Times Square, Sydney Harbour, London near Big Ben, and the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to watch fireworks at the stroke of midnight. For the curious, “packed” as in crowded, pre-dated the expression “packed like sardines,” which was first cited in 1911. As may be obvious to anyone who ever opened an actual can of sardines, the expression usually refers to people being so close to one another that they cannot easily move.[1]

Reflecting on the Festive period in 2019-2020, Mr. Dwight Carty “averaged the number of jets flown into Anguilla between the days leading up to Christmas Day [2019] and December 30, to have been 160 – a favourable comparison with the same period last year.” The Anguillian Newspaper described the jets as “parked like sardines”.[2]
With pent-up demand, Festive 2022-2023 appeared to have similar “post-Covid” counts, but if this year’s guests were represented by jets at the airport, one might think GST stood for, “Goodbye Sweet Tourists”! Gone were Festive days of “sardine” parking. But we were being told that another doubling of the tax burden was needed for a bigger airport. So, do we need lower taxes or longer taxiways?

Lobbying to Lower UK Tourism VAT – and Ditching Dutch and Spanish Tourism Taxes
The World Trade and Tourism Council summarized the impact of taxation by saying it, “increases prices which can lead to fewer visitors.” They linked higher taxes to greater risk for smaller enterprises that are more vulnerable to competitive pressures when unable to pass along such costs. “As well as putting them in jeopardy, [higher taxes] will also result in lower sales across the full range of businesses … (e.g. restaurants, hotels, entertainment providers), with a knock-on effect through the supply chains, on wholesalers, builders and so on. All these businesses pay property and other local taxes and, importantly, employ local residents who also pay taxes and spend the majority of what they earn in the local economy.”[3]

Their examples included lobbying to reduce UK tourism VAT from 20% to 5% to compete with EU destinations. They projected a £1.65 billion improvement in the UK balance of trade over three years if they prevailed.[3]

Another case was a newly imposed Dutch aviation departure tax of ~11 to 45 Euros (for short or long flights, respectively). The tax was repealed the following year, as ~ 2 million fewer passengers traveled through the Amsterdam Schiphol airport by diverting to others – with an estimated loss of US$1.7 billion to the Netherlands economy. [3]
And, a new tax imposed in the Spanish Balearic Islands raised £12 million and paid for some tours and trees its first year. However, their international tourists “plummeted…and a newly-elected alternative government scrapped the tax a year later.” [3]

?10% Higher VAT Decreased Tourism Profits ?9%: Worse than Global Recession!

Yet another tax debacle was examined in a 5-year study of 23,388 food and beverage service firms in Portugal that found “an increase of VAT has a negative impact on GDP, employment, real wage rate, and compensation of employees with a logical rise in unemployment” – with comparative data from Spain and Greece. [4]
Specifically, they found a 10% VAT increase in Portugal caused a 9.4% decrease in restaurant food and beverage services sector profits. That compared to just a 1.15% decline during the financial crisis! It also led to a “massive increase” in the “inactive” firms to 8-9% following imposition of VAT, compared to 2-3% inactive firms during the recession. Thus, 10% VAT increased the likelihood of a firm going bankrupt by 3.063 times.

Following a 9% increase in prices, the study also found a 9% decrease in “non-resident” [tourists] hotel and restaurant revenues, a decrease in total visitor spending of 6.2%, and 2.6% lower goods and services consumption overall.[4]

10% Higher Tourism Tax Decreased Destination Demand by 5.4%
With upwards of 70% of government revenue coming from tourism in the Maldives, a newly published study of taxation and tourism from 1997 to 2017 showed that a 10% increase in tourism tax caused a decrease in demand of 5.4%, overall. With further analysis, they found greater elasticity across the global economy among those visitors from source markets with lower relative shares.

At first, these findings might be dismissed for Anguilla because travelers from our primary market, the US (and Germany) increased travel relative to higher travel taxes in the Maldives.[5]

However, these data were eclipsed by a US Statista survey conducted during 2022 post-Covid inflation. They found that “70 percent of polled [US] travelers with an annual income of $100 thousand [US dollars] or more planned to adjust their holiday programs due to rising prices.” For those earning less than $50 thousand per year, the impact rose to 84% saying the rising cost of living and prices would impact their travel choices.[6]

Lower Taxes or Longer Taxiways?
In the above examples of repealing taxes, it took a year to see the full impact for the incumbent Dutch government in one case, and required a newly-elected Spanish government in the other, to remove such impediments to prosperity for their economies. Whereas, in Portugal, the imposition of 10% VAT resulted in nearly an equal decrease in the vitality of the tourism sector. And the Maldives took a dive, losing ~5% of their tourists when the government increased tourism taxes 10%, not 10% across the board, as with VAT/GST.

Here in Anguilla, this last Festive closed out our first full year since GST was imposed against the will of the People – at 13%, not 10% as in the Portuguese case. Let’s hope the open spaces at the airport meant more people were coming by ferry. If not, we must ask: Do we really need longer taxiways – or lower taxes? Because the only sardines around here were the ones on the plates of those who could not afford festive fare, thanks to GST.

Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. [1] https://idiomorigins.org/origin/packedpacked-like-sardines; [2] https://theanguillian.com/2020/01/jets-crowd-anguillas-airport-for-christmas-and-the-new-year/; [3] World Travel and Tourism Council: Fairer and more Intelligent Tax Policies in Travel & Tourism – January 2018; [4] Mateus, Cesario and B. Mateus, Irina, “Does a Vat Rise Harm the Tourism Industry? Portuguese Evidence” (October 1, 2020). Tourism Management, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3702886; [5] Adedoyin, FF et al “The Effect of Tourism Taxation on International Arrivals to a Small Tourism-Dependent Economy” (Journal of Travel Research 2023, Vol. 62(1) 135–15); [6] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359630/inflation-impact-holiday-plan

Many of us, for many years, said our financial challenges could not be blamed on “the British” because our leaders kept spending and borrowing. Not the governors.

Sadly, that spending and borrowing forced us into the shade. That is, our leaders burned themselves, and thus Anguilla, into yielding to whatever the British demanded, as they doubled our tax burden, and doubled it again, in a single generation.[1]

But then. The British acted legally, but immorally. Perhaps like seeing a speeding shark approach unwitting swimmers, without trying to warn them from the shore. Or more recently, seeing a shark attack and saying it is in the public interest to abandon the wounded swimmer on the beach. That is, after blaming the swimmer for getting in the water, and telling fishermen to stand down.

Our Share of the Blame for Financial Challenges: Buying Votes Year after Year
So. Why do they drown us in over $20 Million of taxes every month? When the same government had served us well on $5 Million, even $10 Million a month, how did such burdens arise? [1]

They tell us “Government” is doing things “for” us, as if we don’t pay for all they do. We pay salaries, wages, and expenses for them. Yet they try to justify what they take as if we build their sandcastles. That is, most investments for terminals, roads, medical facilities, and school rooms are made from loans and grants.[1] In short, they borrow our children’s futures to cut ribbons and take photos for vacation postcards and posts.

District 8? …Treating Government and Boards as a Voting Block
When not taking from one sandy pocket to stuff another among voters, they treat our government workers and politically appointed boards as an 8th district. Cars, allowances, travel, insurance, pensions, rental of buildings and heavy equipment from happy renters, paid board seats – while hiring and hiring – and hiring – their children and friends – and consultants, yet adding new departments to give department heads, well, big heads. [2,3,4]

They only carry water for their ministries, then force us to pay for whatever they want, including raises and promotions whenever they like.[5] Like a dip in the sea, our ministers soak us with every trip to the House for their own vigor in spending. Our interests are theirs for only one election day at the beach, before sending us away to pound sand – while they give “District 8” all they ask – for another 5 years.

British “Blame” Began with Bungling Budgets…
Every year, the British must approve an annual budget, because each is a law authorising government to spend our taxes. The British signed off on years – and years – of irresponsible hiring, borrowing, and bureaucratic bungling. Under the umbrella of “good governance” the governors were nonetheless about as bothered as parents sipping drinks while children built seaside forts and moats, repeatedly swamped by errant waves at the beach. Until.

Until they tired of sandcastles and told the children to bury one another up to their necks, pushing our most vulnerable into poverty. It was a destructive game on the hottest days of our lives after Irma and the blistering scorching from Covid.

They knew. They knew all along. Every unsustainable budget they approved added weight to that sand. Until they told the children a fairy tale that they could break free, if they piled on more, from GST!

Still. As the election neared, the British in Anguilla could plainly see we were choosing between alternatives to being buried by GST – or the weight of its full imposition. Rallies and radio shows put the issue into the light: The People wanted change, especially to avoid GST and ever higher waves of taxes. They dove into the water and swam in the polls.

…and Then the Shady British Crossed the Line!
’Seems a governor true to his oath would have been reporting campaign cries to the highest levels, while seeking a lifeguard to save our democracy. As the last votes were counted, it was clear the British would have to wipe out our election to complete their “GST mission” – you know, to add more sand while deep in the depths of Covid?

The People could have elected anyone. It didn’t matter. Weak willed or strong. Innocent children or sophisticated professionals. They could have put up a dauphin – or a dolphin – as premier! The People just wanted an alternative to GST ? and to “curb” all that spending.

But. The British crossed the line. Knowing what they knew, they knew it was shady to even ask about GST. Legal, but immoral. You know, like discrimination in South Africa was “legal” for generations? They knew exactly what they were doing when they asked to erase our election during the hottest days of our lives.

Domestic, Diplomatic Abuse: Legally Immoral
While they may hide in legal shadows, their immorality is lounging in the sun for all to see. When they asked our newly elected government to betray us on the blazing hot issue that elected them, it was a dishonourable act of domestic, diplomatic abuse – within hours.

And. They had no moral right to direct the Attorney General and Deputy Governor to override elected Ministers’ votes thereafter – nor seemingly condone reprehensible behaviour by another, in recent days.

Seeking Sun after Years of Shade
So. The shady British are to blame for our financial challenges, after all. After approving mounds of unsustainable taxes beneath it, and now wanting to bury us with GST.

The rest is farce and the games of children. The British are still looking the other way while our leaders are burying us deeper in taxes and debt. They defiled our democracy by asking newly elected leaders – even their appointees, to betray us. No matter who supports any party or government. No matter who curses the betrayal. They had no right to ask. While legal, it was immoral.

They must withdraw assent, reinstate the previous taxes, run the tax consultants off the beach, and restructure for sustainability – so we can begin to bask in the sunshine of prosperity.

Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 12000-2023 GOA Budgets; 22023 GOA Budget, p. 11; 3 2023 GOA Budget, p. 17; 42020 GOA Budget, p.81; 5Minutes: 139th Meeting of The Twelfth Anguilla Executive Council, 8th June 2023.

News hit the airwaves last Thursday evening, August 31st, 2023, as a letter from Leon Lake’s parents addressed to the Acting Governor, Paul Candler, Premier Dr. Ellis Webster and the Representative for Road South, Mr. Haydn Hughes, was read on Klass FM Radio Station, refuting the Attorney General’s dismissal of the case concerning the Honorable Minister of Sustainability, Innovation and the Environment, Quincia Gumbs-Marie, and Leon Lake.

The May 23rd 2023 altercation involving the two individuals, took place at a restaurant in South Hill. Mrs. Gumbs-Marie was captured on a video recording uttering strong expletives and threatening to kill Mr. Lake and bury him.

The matter had engendered some degree of public out-cry on the island, calling for the authorities to take some measure of action against the Minister for her conduct. However, after the matter had been taken over by Attorney General, Mr. Dwight Horsford, he made the surprising decision to discontinue the case.

On the morning of Friday, September 1st, Mr. Lake’s lawyer, Mr. Devin Hodge, along with Mr. Lake, himself, took to the radio waves on Klass FM, to apprise the public of the Attorney General’s decision.

“Regrettably, on August 28th,” Mr. Hodge said, “Mr. Lake and I were the recipients of a notice of discontinuance which was signed by the Attorney General of Anguilla. It is headed ‘Notice of Takeover and Discontinuance of All Criminal Proceedings’ and it is pursuant to Section 34 of the Constitution of Anguilla. This notice is in respect of Mr. Leon Lake and all matters that arose from the incident that occurred at Tasty’s Restaurant on May 23rd.”

“We do not accept this decision by the Attorney General at all,” Mr. Hodge said, “as this is one matter that has been in the ‘public’s interest’ for some time. We believe that there are very important considerations that were not regarded in arriving at this decision.”

“Notwithstanding,” Mr. Hodge said, “Section 34 of the Constitution gives the Attorney General the powers to take over any criminal prosecution and to discontinue that prosecution.”

“Persons had expressed an interest in there being a private prosecution on the case. But a private prosecution would not in any way remove the power of the Attorney General to take over and discontinue a case. The same exercise of his power would have been open to him if the case were under private prosecution. And now, as we know, following an investigation of which I am dissatisfied, the AG has filled a discontinuation of the matter,” Mr. Hodge noted.
“Because the Constitution is set up in this way, there must be some recognition for the separation of powers that is intended to exist. When the Attorney General functions in this capacity,” he said, “he is functioning as an Executive Officer with quasi-judicial powers. So it is not a matter of simply approaching a court to say you as the Judiciary needs to step in and review the AG’s decision. This is a matter of legal doctrine. We understand that separation of powers ensures checks and balances in the society.”

“But in a case like this, it is our view that we must seek to ask of the court to treat this matter as one with ‘exceptional circumstances’,” Mr. Hodge said. “This is our viewpoint, because one must bear in mind that a Judicial Review of the Attorney General’s decision is an exceptional remedy. And that is because the Law has made accommodation for the separation of powers – between the Executive where the AG stands and the Judiciary.”
He explained: “If the Attorney General’s decision making can always be subjected to the Judiciary intervening and saying, ‘this wrong we don’t agree,’ it would mean that his role would be ineffective. Granted, his role is given much accommodation in Law.
“However, there are avenues in which one can pursue argument through the court in respect of this being an ‘exceptional case’ seeing that this matter caused significant public interest, and there is no doubt that persons wanted to see an outcome that was not to be usurped by the power of the Executive.”

“People expected that there would be a ‘day in court’,” he said. “And when the AG took this decision, what he did was to take away the right of access to the court that Mr. Lake has. He took away any availability of a remedy for Mr. Lake who had suffered a wrong. The perpetrator of that wrong is the beneficiary of a discontinuance of this case by the Executive. And the perpetrator has not been brought before a court so that the court can independently assess the facts of this matter.”

He said that presently he is assessing the way forward with regards to a Judicial Review. In such a case, he said that persons need to be mindful of the fact that a Judicial Review is not just a matter of right, but one must be able to persuade the court that the Attorney General should be called upon to justify the decision that he has made.

In the meantime, during the weekly Government Press Conference on Monday 4th September, 2023, when the Honourable Premier Dr. Webster was asked whether he will respond to the letter from Mr. Lake’s parents, relative to the Attorney General’s discontinuance on the matter, he answered in the affirmative.

“Yes, I will respond to the parents,” he said. “But I do think that the Attorney General has the power, given to him by the Constitution, to discontinue any matter that he deems fit to discontinue. Essentially that is how I will respond.”

Ever notice how folktales and proverbs serve as timeless looking glasses that help us see our humanity, our fortes and foibles, even our clothing? As with Biblical, ancient Greek, and Latin references, false prophets and wolves have appeared in “sheep’s clothing” to deceive those around them. Whereas tales of the Emperor’s clothing dare onlookers to deceive themselves and one another.

When it comes to the Anguilla budget, we have our very own pageant of swimsuits, evening gowns and peacock feathers – every year!

Deception of Kings: Garment Magic Based on Birthright
Perhaps the earliest story about a merchant swindling a monarch by weaving invisible clothing was an Indian fable in 1052 about a king purchasing a “supernatural” garment that couldn’t be touched or seen “by any person of illegitimate birth…” While wearing it, the king’s “whole court pretend[ed] to admire it.” Only when “common folk” raised the question did the king realise the deception.[1]

However, the Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, based “The Emperor’s New Clothes” on a German translation of such stories. In that narrative, the king’s magical clothing could not be seen by “any man not the son of his presumed father” – while casting another aspersion on everyone’s mothers, that telling allowed for legitimacy of marriage, if not paternity.[1]

One birthright deception in the Anguilla budget is that General Orders help ensure that citizens are given preference in government hiring, yet millions are spent on professional consultants, with some departments and ? up to 20% of the budget going to ? statutory bodies that have had some transparent exceptions. Not to mention, imposters deceiving our King to think we are self-governing!

The Emperor’s New Clothes: Illusions for the Intelligent
When Andersen took up his pen in 1837, he replaced fears of false paternity in the earlier works with “courtly pride and intellectual vanity” to iconic effect. In his version, “Two swindlers arrive at the capital city of an emperor who spends lavishly on clothing at the expense of state matters. Posing as weavers, they offer …magnificent clothes that are invisible to those who are stupid or incompetent.” [1]

With elaborate fanfare, they begin a protracted pantomime of “weaving” on empty looms with periodic inspections by the emperor and his officials. “…Each sees that the looms are empty but pretends otherwise to avoid being thought a fool.”[1]

After great anticipation, the swindlers go through the motions to fit the “finished” attire on the emperor to lead his entourage through the streets. “The townsfolk uncomfortably go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear inept or stupid, until a child blurts out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all. The people then realize that everyone has been fooled…”[1] You know, the same way they fool so many, saying we have to wear rags, so they never go without?

Confusion: Government “Help” Is Like the Emperor’s Clothes
It’s unclear if the Biblical phrase “out of the mouth of babes” inspired Anderson’s voice of truth. Yet when it comes to the Anguilla budget, many have been fooled into thinking the “government” can provide for them, but it produces nothing at all! Government can only give what it takes, and then, as tatters of welfare or begging from investors. That is… While pretending to serve the People, our government has forced us to serve it.

They have taxed many times more than they “justified” in a system without checks and balances to protect the People as taxpayers.[2,3] The tax burden has been “woven” four sizes larger over many years. And, GST was the final cloak in that ensemble, draped over layers of taxes, duties, levies and fees.

Indeed, we are fools if we don’t see countless departments demanding one fee or another – just like those empty looms pretending to serve interests other than their own. Instead, they make it harder to make a living and keep clothes on our backs, while taking more of our hard-earned dollars to control every stitch of our lives. At the end of the day, through a patchwork of laws, the government is forcing every taxpayer to pay for whatever they decide will advance their pretense to vote for one administration or another.

From denying “free” scans for lack of a technician ? to frequently invisible drugs at the pharmacy after fabricating a magical “shield” for our seniors, to glorious tapestries depicting government riches from 13% GST at restaurants and stores, instead of hemming 4% from what they take to spend on themselves. The feather in one’s cap was to suggest the generational burden of a future shrouded by GST could be justified by a single set of buildings bursting at their seams from mismanagement, yet which will soon be sewn up and paid in full.[2,4]

Coercion: Stripped of Civil Rights
Still. The most heinous humiliation was how the GST law stripped us of civil rights, first our vote, then the votes of our elected representatives. That law bares us all with exposure to intrusions, audits, inspections, confiscations, forced testimony under oath without legal protection, and years at risk of retrospective assessments – contrasted by the shock of amendments and changes any day they wish to walk into the House.[5]

Not to mention, forced reporting and records retention, required payment for permission to protest any amounts demanded as due – under penalty of fines, charges and imprisonment detailed in a knot of penalties for what used to be simply sticking to our knitting and minding our own business[5]: And all that after shredding our dreams and taking second jobs trying to survive insufferably increasing fees, taxes, levies and fines that have torn holes in our pockets for years.

In fact, one might describe our lives after GST as: “a system of government in which lawfully elected representatives maintain the integrity of a nation state whose citizens, while granted the right to vote, have little or no participation in the decision-making process of the government… [which] retains full power of expropriation and full power of imposition, i.e., the right of control over everything and everyone…”[5,6]

In fact, the imposition of GST left us so naked, so stripped of our civil rights, that this description seems tailored to fit us like a glove. Notably, it is the premise of an Israeli historian who defined and popularized the term, “Totalitarian democracy.”[6]

Shh… Empress Julia and her entourage are getting dressed to walk among us. Only fools will fail to see these naked truths, but the question is, will she?

Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor%27s_New_Clothes; 22023 GOA Budget; 3Slide 4, Retail and Wholesale GST Consultant’s Presentation (2021); 4GOA Facebook Post, “GST Performance,” (11 July 2023); 5Goods and Services Tax Act, 2021; 6https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarian_democracy

Have you ever received a call that summons you to pray? What was it about? Was it urgent? How did it make you feel? Did you accept it? Did you obey it? Or did you feel it was a waste of time? Well, many of us can attest that we have received on occasions a call to pray for someone or for some place during a time of crisis. It was an urgent call, and it was a demanding call.

We are all called upon today to join in prayer for our country and its people. It is an urgent call, and it is a demanding call. So, we should all band ourselves in prayer as we petition God to intervene in the affairs of our land.

1 Timothy 2:1-6, 8 instruct us, “I urge, then, first, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed at the proper time. Therefore, I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting holy hands without anger or disputing.”

Prayer is a powerful weapon my friends because it is an act of worship that glorifies God and reinforces our need for Him. Prayer is a powerful tool because it connects us to God, strengthens us for the fight, and keeps us grounded. It is the communicating and fellowshipping with God, that will strengthen our relationship with Him. It is Prayer that will activate all the armour of our warfare against the enemy. That is the reason why it is used during a period of crisis.
Queen Esther knew and understood the power of prayer. That was the reason why she summoned her people to pray. She needed God’s wisdom because she knew God was the only one who knows the future. He is in control of the universe and everything that happens in it. Esther knew she had no power to control her king’s decision. Neither could she convince Haman to take down his deceitful plan. Thus, prayer was all that she had to get through the trial.

She asked the Jews to fast and pray for three days before she went to see the king, and it was their prayers that helped her succeed in her mission. God is powerful my friends, God can make the impossible possible.

The Jewish nation was in crisis and Esther’s faith was put to the test. You know the story. They gained the victory. What a powerful God we serve! We can rely on Him! He can be trusted. God is an unstoppable God.

When his nation was in trouble, at a point of crisis, Mordecai knew that he had to act. He sent a message to the queen, imploring Esther to intercede with the king, to stand up “for her own people.” Esther’s heart must have sunk when she heard that message. Here was her greatest test of faith. No doubt Esther panicked but she too knew she had to act and do it quickly because time was of the essence. Mordecai asked Esther: “Who is there knowing whether it is for a time like this that you have attained to royal dignity?”

For Esther, the time of decision had arrived. Her nation’s faith would be put to the test as well. She summoned her people to pray because she was in a difficult situation. She knew that she had to act quickly and decisively to prevent the genocide from happening. She asked Mordecai to get her countrymen to join her in a three-day fast, concluding her message with a statement that resonates down to this day in its simple faith and courage: “If I perish, I perish.” She called on all Jews to fast and pray for three days and nights, asking God for help and guidance. She must have prayed more fervently in those three days than she ever had in her life.

Finally, though, the moment came. She dressed in her very best royal finery, doing all she could to appeal to the king. Then she went. Queen Esther gained an audience, a hearing ear with the king. She took a stand for her God and for her people, setting a beautiful example of faith for all servants of God down through the ages. God intervened and her people were saved. We too need to be obedient to the call of prayer. That is a lesson we can learn from this powerful woman of God. Nothing happened by accident. Esther was placed in the palace at the right time in that nation’s history. God knew exactly what He was doing. Esther’s prayer was answered, and she was able to convince the King to revoke the decree. The Jews were saved from destruction, and the holiday of Purim was established to commemorate this event.

Can you imagine what would have happened if Queen Esther had dismissed Mordecai’s plea for help? Have you even wondered what would have happened to the Jewish people had they disobeyed Queen Esther’s summons to prayer? It pays to be obedient to God my friends. Do not underestimate God. God can use anyone, He used Mordecai. God had a plan and God always has a man or woman to execute that plan. Things were just unfolding, and God was in control. Nothing takes God by surprise. God moves in mysterious ways my friends.
There is no denying that we are engaged in spiritual battles every day and, as Christians, we often feel the effects of the enemy’s attacks. Each time we take a step forward, we are met with resistance in the form of doubt, fear, persecution, or any number of other strategies Satan uses against us. However, God will never leave us, and we are not fighting the battles alone. He has armed us with several spiritual weapons, and prayer is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal.

Hence the calling to prayer is a battle cry, for us to come together and pray. Our prayers will connect us with God, strengthen us for the fight, and keep us grounded. Our prayers to God will open a dialogue with Him and He will reveal things to us we can only learn from Him. Jeremiah 33:3, instructs us, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not”.

God is on our side my friends. Prayer under the blessing of God will lead to a new birth, strengthen our faith, move our mountains, and will promote spiritual growth and contentment that will enable us to rise above our circumstances.

Therefore, let us pray to God: Lord, we are here to stand in the gap for our land before you. We confess our sin of putting our own will above Yours, which You have laid out in Your Word. Forgive us for losing sight of being Your body to the world. Purify our hearts. We pray for a national revival and spiritual healing. Please heal our land. We pray for Your peace and blessings to be poured out upon our nation according to Your mercy. Amen

Remember: You cannot pray for someone and hate them at the same time. Prayer is about exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God. The function of prayer is NOT to influence God, BUT rather to change the nature of the one who prays. God SPEAKS to those who take time to LISTEN, and He LISTENS to those who take time to PRAY.

About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volumes 1 through 3. Coming Soon – Volume 4. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre

The Honorable Minister of Education and Social Development, Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers, has shared her position relative to the political upheavals last June in which she was involved.

The Minister was a guest of Mr. Elkin Richardson, host of the radio programme “To the Point” on Monday 28th August, 2023.

At that time, both Minister Kentish-Rogers and former Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr. Kyle Hodge, had relinquished their posts in the APM Government in protest against the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
While Mr. Hodge took a hardnosed stand against the implementation of the tax (GST) even to present; within the space of one week after relinquishing herself from her ministerial position, Minister Kentish-Rogers returned to the APM government.

Mr. Richardson asked her: “What would you say to your supporters who feel that you have betrayed them by going back on your decision and rejoining the Government which implemented the GST?”

Minister Kentish-Rogers replied: “I think that time then was a very highly charged time for most people emotionally. They viewed the Goods and Services Tax through the lens of ‘we don’t want it’. And because they did not want it, they felt that as their representative I would have to do what pleased them — to stay out of Government.

“That perspective is something that I heard multiple times from my constituents. Many people complained that I should have stayed out of the APM. But on the principle of a long term, I maintain that I never did enter the field of Anguillian politics to become a career politician. This means that I did not join the political arena to simply make the easiest, most popular decisions for the masses to say ‘yeh she made the decision I wanted her to make, so we good.’
“I think it is important that anyone who is tasked with the responsibility of leading a country does not take the road of least resistance, but that he or she takes that road which creates the largest benefit for the country and/or the least degree of harm to the country.
“From my perspective, the decision to return to Government and to continue working, looking at GST as providing [the] ability to financially emancipate ourselves as a country, is the real crux of that decision-making matrix that I went through.”

The Minister said that she understands people would be emotionally charged and that they will feel a certain objection to her decision because they were not interested in her returning to Government. However, she said that it was equally important for her to make the decision that is in the best interest of the country and not in the best interest of herself.
“If I was only looking at my re-election prospects,” she said, “then I could have sat outside in Opposition for the entire period and come in 2025 and say, ‘vote for me, because I voted against GST.’ With that, there would have been nothing else on my record to show, other than the fact that I voted against GST.”

She said that her desire to be in office is anchored by her desire to see change and improvement for the country, by making the circumstances and the lives of the people of District Four and the wider community better.

“It stands to reason for me, then, that the fate of my political career is of less importance than the fate of Anguilla,” she said. “That is my personal perspective. And if others had taken that perspective, then Anguilla would be in a better position than it is today. There would have been no need to implement a rushed tax like GST, in the first place.”

She reiterated that if other politicians would have taken the position that ‘this is not about me and my political career — if they would have realized that this is about the country at large, rather than ‘kicking the can down the road’, then the country would have been in a better position today.

The smart students have all figured out that GST is failing us all. It is devastating our economy, morale, and social fabric. And, they bullied our democracy right into the hospital after the last election, and then battered it into Intensive Care the night they forced GST into law. So, after a long school break, let’s ease into the new semester with a True-False Maths Quiz as a GST refresher! First question…

1. True or False? Our tax burden increased 81% from 2010 to 2013.
False. Earlier! Our tax burden increased 81% from 2004 to 2007. It has continued to increase ever since.1

2. True or False? Our tax burden grew from $63 to $246 Million/year ? with British approval!
True. Budgets are “laws” governors must sign (i.e., appropriation bills). They have assented to budgets with new and higher taxes year after year.

3. True or False? In 2023, Property Taxes will pay for 5% of government spending.
False. Less! Property Tax projections are ~$10 Million ($9,622,174EC). That’s ~4% of spending, but the class chatter makes it sound as if they pay for everything.2

4. True or False? Instead of helping government lower costs and pay debt, they sent Tax Consultants to impose new taxes, like GST – and force the People to keep paying more!
True. While wages, business revenues, and tourism were about the same – or fell, due to the recession, Irma, and Covid, government passed laws for 4x as many taxes.1 Instead of managing costs, Tax Consultants focused on forcing People to pay more taxes, like GST!

5. True or False? GST was imposed to fill a “gap” of $70 Million per year.
False. Far less! Tax Consultants presented a $22 Million “gap” to “justify” GST – with the borders closed! To make up for fiscal mismanagement, GST was forced on People who were forced to make do.3

6. True or False? After promising to “curb” spending, government staff increased from 949 to 1,217.
False. Even higher! Since the last election, government staff increased almost 40%, from 949 (2019 Actual) to 1,313 (2022 Actual, +38%).2,4 With most businesses struggling, considering leaving, or just closing, we need a balanced budget law – or we risk becoming a failed state unable to get extra credit.

7. True or False? There were alternatives to GST – and still are.
True. GST was imposed in the depths of Covid. The most obvious “alternative” was to keep existing taxes and open the borders. Upon reopening and before GST, the original taxes far exceeded the “gap” (over $25 vs. $22 Million). GST was unnecessary ? and ultimately forced everyone to pay six times what was expected.2

However, even with closed borders, government kept taxing and spending, without sharing sacrifices the People were making due to lost jobs and wages. Another “alternative” was to freeze budgets and cut or defer ~10% (to offset the “gap”). Spread across dozens of departments, “curbing” spending was a fair approach, which could have been done over time, without a layoff.2
Bonus answer: Adjust existing taxes! Over 100 taxes, fees, and levies could have been adjusted to fill that “gap”.2 This alternative would have also preserved civil rights lost to GST ? and saved administrative costs for businesses and government.
And… Existing taxes would also have scored higher after reopening, especially without GST deductions from accommodations. Early trends also suggest long-term impacts, from erosion of tourism, future occupancy, and gratuities, especially in restaurants, and from increased crime driven by regressive taxation. Businesses and villas are also exiting the economy and employing fewer people, leading to lost wages, lost jobs, “ferry” shoppers – and lost residents through emigration. These factors appear on track for contraction once the rebound from reopening borders resolves.

8. True or False? “Services” like lawyers and restaurants were not paying taxes before GST.
False. A business doesn’t have to “collect” taxes to pay and pass them on to customers. Our taxes are “broad-based” with few exceptions. Paid by everyone, about 50 cents of taxes are passed along in every dollar we spend. Lawyers – and just about every other business, pay duties and fees on all equipment, furnishings and supplies, work permits, the Levy, property tax, business and vehicle registrations, electricity, phone and internet taxes. Restaurants pay ? and pass on to patrons – duties, fees and excise taxes on food, beverages, supplies, plus liquor and food handling licenses, fuel surcharges on tankers of propane, and many more. Most important, “service” sector members have always employed others to pay their share – and attracted visitors, clients and patrons to support the economy for decades – before GST.

9. True or False? If government saved just 4 cents per dollar, GST could be removed from restaurants and retail (especially, grocery stores!)
True. GST is upsetting restaurant patrons and making it hard for “retail” customers to make ends meet – all for less than a few cents of every $1 government spends ($4.8 and $3.99, respectively, vs $246 Million budget). Thus, restaurants and stores could be exempt if government saved 4% instead of forcing tourists and shoppers to pay 13% more!2,5

10. True or False? Since 1999, government has taken $4 Billion EC from the People for the same services.
True. Given 2023 projections, government has taken over $4 billion for about the same population and services since 1999 ($4.1 Billion, with barely any inflation before 2022).1,2,5 Extra credit: How many houses, cars, college educations, new businesses, or even travels have the People sacrificed so the government could spend whatever it wanted and keep passing laws to force the People to pay more? And remember, that law says they can change GST to any amount any day! (Hmm. One more for extra credit: Did the British really change “Change Can’t Wait” to “GST Chains Can’t Wait”?)

Time’s Up! The Substitute is Leaving the Class!
Pencils down. Check your answers and sit up straight! As the new semester gets started, our substitute teacher is going home. Teacher Julia is due any minute. Will she fail us all, or pass this test? We’ll learn a lot by whether she pays her respects to our dying democracy at the hospital on the way to her first day of school.

Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1 2000-2023 GOA Budgets; 2 2023 GOA Budget; 3 Slide 4, Retail and Wholesale GST Consultant’s Presentation (2021); 4 2020 GOA Budget, p.81; 5 GOA Facebook Post, “GST Performance,” (11 July 2023)

Little eyes see a lot! Do you believe it? Have you ever thought about it? Where do we always see little eyes? Think about it for a moment. Here are some places where little eyes can be seen. Little eyes can be seen in the home, little eyes can be seen at school, little eyes can be seen at church, little eyes can be seen on the streets, little eyes can be seen in the village, little eyes can be seen in the community, little eyes can be seen everywhere. Is that not awesome? Is that not scary? Is that not sobering? Is that not thought provoking?

Well, if little eyes are seen everywhere, do we not have a responsibility as adults, and as parents? What do you think? What kind of responsibility should we have? We do a lot of things during the day and think that no one ever sees or bothers about it, but little eyes see a lot. What we always need to remember is that the formative years of children are very important, and they have a very impressionable mind. They may not be able to speak properly, but they very quickly learn and absorb mostly by hearing and especially by observing.
Hence, each one of us as, parents, sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, friends, pastors, policemen, and neighbours, influence the life of one of them. Therefore, let us expose them to the right values, manners, and habits, at home, at school, at church, in the community and other places, to help them grow into good persons, and wholesome and productive citizens to make up the future generation that will shape the world.
James Dobson once said, “Children are not casual guests in our home. They have been loaned to us temporarily for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built.” And Nelson Mandela said, “History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children.” And the Bible tells us, children are a gift from God. Offspring are a reward from Him! Because of this, God cares about how children are raised and nurtured.
As parents and adults, we always complain that children do not listen to us, but they never fail to imitate us. Children always learn more by seeing than by hearing but let us not worry that children never listen to us; let us worry that they are always watching us. Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat what we should not have said.
Here is a poem written by Dr Ahmad Sabirin Arshad, that every adult and teenager should hear, because children are watching us, and doing exactly as we do, and not as we say. It is entitled, LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT:
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all must help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should share with those who don’t.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we must take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grew up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know, to be a good, caring, and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”
Is this not a beautiful and powerful poem? Well, now that you are aware of those little eyes, what will you do when you see them?

Remember: Children are our most precious and valuable resource. They are not coloring books. We do not get to fill them with our favorite colors. Each day of our lives we make deposits into their memory banks. They learn more from what we are than what we teach them. They are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. Our Children are mirrors, they reflect back to us all we say and do. So, let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.

About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volumes 1 through 3. Coming Soon – Volume 4. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre

Ever heard the phrase, “(There’s) no show without Punch?” It describes, “a particular event, performance, endeavor, etc., [that] cannot be held or proceed as intended without the most important person or purpose. [It refers] to a Punch and Judy Show, a traditional puppet show starring Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy.”1 While many who have been to England might recall seeing such performances, anyone who has lived in Anguilla since Hurricane Irma can say they, too, have seen a Punch and Judy show!

A Puppet Show Following Dark Times

This hallmark of British culture was first documented in 1662 as a show featuring stringed marionettes actually performed by an Italian puppeteer.2 Notably, that was soon after years of Puritanical oppression that spanned the execution of King Charles I in 1649, the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, and two years of his son’s ineptitude after his death. Fortunately, the king’s son Charles escaped into exile, although without a fortune or many friends before returning in 1660.3,4

The Declaration of Breda then enabled Charles II to restore the monarchy and ushered in a period of “general amnesty, liberty of conscience, an equitable settlement of land disputes, and full payment of arrears to the army” – as well as reopening public theaters.4,5 That said, the nation expressed some lingering trauma just a year later, when Cromwell was exhumed for a gruesome posthumous execution.3 Emerging from dark times, indeed.

As for our show here, like the puppets, the “humanitarian aid” after Irma had many strings.

Origins of Punch and Judy

In fact, King Charles II invited the Italian puppeteer also known as “Signor Bologna, alias Pollicinella” to perform and was enthralled enough to reward him with a gold chain and medal at the time.2 And as various performers came to Britain under the restoration, the genre evolved from its “roots in the Italian ‘commedia dell’arte’, where masked actors improvised comic plays… Polichinello was the subversive, thuggish character whose Italian name [was later] anglicised to Punch [and] may have developed from the word pulcino, or chick, referring to the character’s beak-like mask and squeaky voice” – a characteristic exaggerated by employing an oral device to distort the puppeteers’ speech.2

By 1709, Martin Powell was a prominent puppeteer who had “made Punch famous” as a frequent character, along with his then wife, Joan. By 1738, a license was issued “to open Punch’s Theatre” in London. However, that run was “short-lived” due to cost over-runs, which forced the sale of the marionettes. Thereafter, Punch performances progressed to glove puppets “in small portable booths [that] became a familiar sight on city streets and country lanes…”2

Some marionettes who caused cost over-runs in Anguilla were also forced out in the 2020 election, but they were immediately replaced by puppets who then worked “hand in glove” with the puppeteers.

Punch and Judy: Iconic Symbols of Conflict

By the 1800s, a prominent Punch dance performance was featured at Covent Gardens – his “wife was being called Judy…and he had a dog called Toby, usually played by a real dog.” As the comedy shows gradually dotted seaside venues, they also featured adult themes of physical marital conflict – as well as, Pretty Polly, Punch’s mistress.2

Prototypical plots included: Judy going out and leaving Punch to mistreat their Baby, returning to fight with him over the Baby’s care, and the Constable coming to address the fray, who would then succumb to being wildly clubbed by Punch. Thereafter, Punch delightedly “takes his stick” to other characters, often a Doctor, Skeleton and a Clown – until his final fight with the Devil, a Crocodile, Ghost or Hangman.

With a fixed smirking grin on Punch puppet faces, an image of “gleeful self-satisfaction” and squeaking laughter gave rise to the saying, “Pleased as Punch” – and as he clobbered one character after another, another adage, “That’s the way to do it!” likewise entered English-speaking cultures.6

Although the renowned author Charles Dickens asserted that the violent shows were harmless and perhaps socially cathartic in a letter to Mary Tyler in 1849, their depictions of domestic abuse led to a phase of perceived political incorrectness in the late 1990s. However, a resurgence of popularity followed with British commemorative postage stamps, performances spanning the United Kingdom, Canada, the US, Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – and being voted as an English “icon” in a 2006 poll.6

And, there would be no show without the punch of VAT in most of those places, except the US. A prototypical plot, to be sure.

Punch and Judy – and GST

For any watching closely, they could see our last two governors were our very own Punch – and then Judy. We had it all. First, Punch smugly danced the night the voters sent the expensive marionettes home.

The “Baby” was our democracy. Punch pummeled it by forcing the new stage of puppets to go behind the curtains and abandon their election promises. The Baby was gasping by the time Judy came along, and she hammered another blow, making the Constable and Toby steal the show from the elected Ministers voting against GST.

Of course, The Stick was GST. In our show, the old marionettes passed it along. They showed the new puppets how it could flatten other characters into Skeletons that couldn’t afford to eat ? and make restaurants need a Doctor to survive. The Stick also helped make Clowns of those supporting GST and any thinking “services” were not already paying their share of millions in taxes ? like wholesalers, financial consultants, lawyers, contractors, other retailers – and manufacturers, which were Ghosts in the play from the start. Yep. Punch has gleefully smashed our economy, and worse, destroyed the joy of living here and sharing our beautiful home with visitors and friends who become our families. That is, we’ve had our own Punch and Judy show of domestic abuse, where The Stick has been wielded by those sworn to ensure our care.
So. As the lights dim and curtains close on those last two puppets that inflicted such harm, we are reminded that the next act will begin soon. This time another named Julia will make her debut. Shh. Will she take up The Stick and finish us off? Or… By chance, will she save the Baby and make Punch break his pact with the Devil, so he and The Stick take their last bow?

Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/there+is+no+show+without+Punch; 2https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/thats-the-way-to-do-it-a-history-of-punch-and-judy; 3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell#The_Protectorate:_1653%E2%80%931658 4https://wwnorton.com/college/english/nadrama/content/review/shorthistory/antiquity-18c/english1660.aspx 5https://www.britannica.com/topic/Restoration-English-history-1660;6https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_and_Judy

When all the dust has settled from the Summer Festival activities, I think I must take my hat off to the thoughtful songwriting and singing talents of Tyrique Gumbs who goes by the calypso name Super Mario. He had performed in the Junior Calypso Competitions for many years, and now he has stepped up to the status of Senior. And though he did not compete in the show this year, the song which he recently dropped is, to me, most noteworthy.

Amidst all the social criticism, political rancor, and demeaning accusations that have been launched at this Anguilla Progressive Movement (APM) administration, Super Mario had found a wealth of virtue in the performance of the current government, and he has attributed to it a collage of wonderful compliments in his 2023 calypso, “Promises Made, Promises Kept”.
As far as calypsos go, I love the art form as long as the lyrics are clean and conscious, so long as the content of the song is free of immoral, sensual connotations, and as long as the message is relevant to our times. Thus, when it comes to Super Mario’s hit, I must say that I was impressed and intrigued with his delivery, ever since I first heard it released a few weeks ago. His depiction of the number of promises made and kept by Premier Webster’s administration is thought provoking.

Indeed, the “Five Boats, Five Votes” Ellis Webster campaign of 2020, under the mantra of “Change Can’t Wait”, rallied hard against the imposition of the notorious GST. However, looking back in retrospect, it would do us well to understand and appreciate that, faced with the circumstances of the day, Premier Webster at the helm had no other feasible option at the time than to “go back on his word” and “give in” to the bureaucratic pressures”.
And it was no secret or any conspiracy. The Premier had publicly explained it. It was as if Anguilla’s neck was being squeezed in a grip-hold of British diplomacy. One might have justifiably asked: “how could the Government impose GST in the face of a debilitating pandemic?” But it was not altogether the Government. If we were to receive any benefits of UK COVID-19 Relief, then we were required to make the sacrifice of accepting GST and all its repercussions. It was all brought on by the demands of the then UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, now the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and there was no way of circumventing it.

For all intents and purposes, all of us who are in leadership positions, at some time or another would find it necessary to rescind our initial resolution and reverse our former stand, making a calculated decision for the greater good of the unit which we represent, whether it be a family, or enterprise, a school, church or any such organisation.

And while I compliment Super Mario for a song well composed and sung, I wish to express the way I feel when I chance to listen to disparaging comments on radio – and in the wider community – which are designed to degrade and belittle the performance of the APM administration. After all, hasn’t the government “delivered” many of the benefits which we see around us and enjoy today?

On account of GST, some people go to the extent to denounce the government’s efforts for development. Why should we take such blessings for granted, though? Some of these benefits were only the brainchild or plans of former administrations who were not blessed with the impetus or prospectus to deliver.

As Anguillians, we must take a good look back and see from whence we have come. We must inspect the promises that were made, kept and delivered.

It makes absolutely no sense to decry the efforts of a government who has the best interest of its populace at heart. Indeed, there is more good that should unite us than the evil roots of bitterness and criticism that serve to divide us. We should be grateful as a people who were actually hewn from a hard and dry rock of our relatively recent impoverished past.
Today, we enjoy numerous blessings and amenities which our forebears would be astounded to experience. So, why shouldn’t we be grateful enough to rally behind the work and efforts of our ambitious administration instead of looking for every opportunity to detect its faults and criticize its flaws?

We must come face to face with the truth. And this is that this administration is indeed an ambitious one. Even the blind can see that this government has accomplished much to contribute to our sustainability over coming years. That is the truth.

Super Mario referred to a scripture verse in John 8:32 which says, “the truth shall set you free”. He noted that relative to the performance of this government, this verse has made a believer out of him.

May we all consider our ways and come to believe that truly, by the help of God, and with the tenacity and resolve of this administration, the prospects of our future can remain secure as long as our government continues to deliver for the wellbeing of its people in the fear of God.

So, may God bless this government and may God bless Anguilla.

Hmm. Was it sick? Savage? Or stupid? Perhaps erasing our last election and elected Ministers’ votes, budgetary bungling, and cultural contempt to force GST into force reflected a level of stupidity ? best described by the Tom Cruise character, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, in “A Few Good Men”: After his colleague innocently suggested a stunningly dangerous tack in the courtroom that would risk severe repercussions, he retorted, “…Should we or should we not follow the advice of the galactically stupid?”1 Apparently, none of our leaders paused to ask that question.

Sadly, the skills in that screenplay to elude a dire fate are simply foreign to the Foreign Office. That’s how this Galactically Stupid Tax was undemocratically, unjustly and, well, stupidly, inflicted on Anguilla.

“3 R’s” of Our Economy: Rentals, Restaurants and Retail

Three glaring examples of GST stupidity include: replacement of Accommodation Tax; restaurant devastation; and “retail” GST, generally gutting grocery stores where empty carts are disappearing from empty aisles with empty shelves, as shoppers flee on ferries. Perhaps a few good men (and women) would forgive the innocence of some, if not the arrogance of others, at the outset. However, persistent proponents dismissing its risks may be among the hapless that Lieutenant Kaffee was describing.

Lesson One: 100% of Restaurants at Risk ? for 2% of the Budget!

Before GST, restaurant dining was second only to our beaches in tempting tourists to our shores. Members of nearly every household also enjoyed them in an egalitarian society that has cherished and sponsored its elite chefs, from food stands to global standing in competition ? while savouring some of the best cuisine in the world. Restaurateurs have made colossal contributions to the community for decades, contrary to galactically stupid assertions that, as services, “they weren’t taxed” at all!

They paid ? and thus, their patrons paid ? countless Customs duties and fees on food, supplies, shipping and brokerage and excise tax plus duties and fees on beverages, plus business, liquor, food handling licenses, work permits, property tax, commercial and private vehicle registrations, surcharges and taxes on tankers of propane, as well as premises and home electricity, phone and internet taxes, to name a few. Most importantly, they have employed others to do the same – and attracted visitors eager to patronise them three times a day, plus beverages on the beach throughout their stay.

Guests now wander grocery stores, resorting to “eat in” at resorts, or seeking rooms with kitchens, so they can cook and clean dishes on vacation! Just to afford Anguilla, by limiting restaurant meals. Wow. In fact, dining prices have soared since fondly remembered menus and dishes on their last trip. How? 9% global inflation, 15% service charge and 13% from Galactically Stupid Tax. Will they go elsewhere next year? Fewer patrons ordering fewer courses – or sharing – mean fewer hours, meager “extra” tips, if any, and thus, fewer denizens with disposable income. Hey, you back there wearing dunce caps – did you know inflicting GST on restaurants also means workers working fewer hours – which means, fewer having means to feed that fat budget?

So how is GST a Galactically Stupid Tax? Restaurant and dining tourism are at risk ? for 2% of the GOA budget! That is, they have ravaged restaurants to take $4.8 Million from their tables while spending $246 Million!2,3 Just think: They could save dining tourism by saving just 2 cents of every dollar they are taxing and taking! Really.

Back to Class: Rentals, Residents – and Revenues Removed from Renting!

Want to go to the front of the class? Listen up: GST has compelled numerous owners to withdraw their villas (and other businesses) from the economy, rather than submit to its intrusions.

For those whose advice Lieutenant Kaffee cited, that means fewer people participating in commerce and generating – you guessed it, tax revenues! You know, taxes the auditors are chasing so hard they make investors regret investing in Anguilla? And, it means housekeepers, gardeners, chefs, car and villa rental agents, maintenance contractors and taxi drivers employed for those rentals – are likewise no longer generating taxes from those villas. Now, they are vacant, for sale, or enjoyed only by owners now and then.

Here’s extra credit: Investors lucky enough to sell their villas and leave have removed themselves not only from renting, but the economy! You know, from paying 30-40% Customs duties and fees on furnishings, upgrades, and supplies – plus GST? Business licenses, taxes on utilities and fuel? Costly bookkeepers and property managers, risks of penalties, constant threats of brutal audits, recordkeeping, duplicate invoice creation, endless uncertainties, and having to prove the source of every cent in one’s business. It’s just not worth it for anyone accustomed to paying Accommodation Tax whenever they rented before GST.

And, GST has inspired visitors to remove themselves from Anguilla after being gouged 22% more for everything on the island. Quick Quiz: Why 22%? Remember they forced 13% GST on top of 9% global inflation!

Worse – and truly stupid, GST reduced tax revenues! Forcing GST to replace Accommodation tax has cut tax collection with endless GST deductions, audits, documentation, wasted time, and months to await or challenge credits in the most productive sector of the economy. That is galactically stupid.

Retail? People Could Be Saved if GOA Would Save 2 Cents per Dollar!

That global inflation and GST cut everyone’s income, taking bread from every table. Boasting they raked in Retail GST of $3.99 Million2 – they have forced people to forgo over 20% of all we had, rather than GOA saving just ~2% of its bloated budget!3 Not to mention other sectors, lost wages, lost tips, lost ferry shoppers, and lost workers who have simply left to escape that Galactically Stupid Tax ? and leaders of equal measure. Tragically for its proponents, GST is making them look galactically stupid – and savage.

They are better than this. The Foreign Office and our leaders are smarter than this. All we needed was to reopen our borders and for the British to respect our culture, including our election and elected Ministers’ votes. The verdict is clear: We need a few good men (and women) to do the right thing and win the case to repeal GST!

Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1https://methodshop.com/a-few-good-men-quotes/; 2https://www.facebook.com/anguillagovernment/posts/pfbid02USVKFJww93zSoErbyn7 2xySaoRqUVHPuJESiWRRx8FvQ2kC TjUHw1PeRTNyZUEaQl /; 3 2023 GOA Budget.

Since November 2022, I have been dealing with FLOW on a regular, monthly basis trying to resolve disputed charges posted to my account. It seems that there are some shady dealings going on. I have been charged for roaming data/voice whenever I utilised my mobile phone whilst in another country even though zero bytes were used. Now, this is quite perplexing!

I always keep my cellular device’s settings connected to the Wi-Fi whenever I travel away from Anguilla. Internet connections are used for making/receiving all calls, messages, texts, and accessing emails, social media apps, and websites. That way, I am ensured of not accumulating higher billable charges. Nonetheless, FLOW has applied excessively exorbitant charges for roaming data and roaming voice over the past nine months.

In addition, for the past five years until June 2023, FLOW credited my post-paid account for EC$69.00 charged each month for a NetSpeak Plan, which provides unlimited calling to and from Canada and the USA utilising a Voice Over IP (VOIP) connection through the Internet. Suddenly, during my enquiries regarding the roaming charges, the company started charging me again for this plan without crediting it. All calls are made/received using a Broadband via Internet connection for which FLOW charges EC$149.00 monthly. Thus, the company is making a substantial profit charging an unnecessary fee for NetSpeak.

Although I have asked questions, I am unable to obtain any truthful answers from the company’s personnel. If I am experiencing such issues, it is certain that other customers are also having similar problems. I suspect there are some unscrupulous business practices used to overcharge for telecommunication services.

These shady business dealings are brought to the Public’s attention as well as the Government of Anguilla (GOA) officials, who spoke earlier this year of developing a consumer protection policy. We do not have any sort of recourse, other than taking legal action to rectify any disputes, unlike in larger developed countries such as in the USA where one can contact the Better Business Bureau and State’s Attorney General.

The majority of people are probably aware of unethical operations occurring in various companies and corporations across the globe. In this day and age following the height of COVID, we find numerous challenges dealing with establishments in both the private and public sectors. The excellent customer care received from numerous commercial entities prior to 2020 has diminished substantially. Handling business matters is becoming tediously time consuming.

On occasion, an unintentional mistake occurs because of human error – such as oversight, miscalculation, change in price indicated on the shelf, new cost not input into the computerised cash register system, transposed numbers, or products mislabelled with incorrect barcodes. In some instances, a seller’s greed or dishonesty propels charging a much higher price than is necessary to yield a reasonable profit.

There are accounting or billing inaccuracies, double-dealing, embezzlement, fraud, and misappropriations. In the USA, reputable medical institutions have submitted falsified insurance claims for medicines and/or procedures that were not provided. A reliable American news source reported a hospital had billed Medicare and insurance companies for healthcare services not given to patients.

We must regularly scrutinise our financial accounts, review bank statements and invoices, and examine receipts for goods and services because uncorroborated transactions are posted that need to be queried. It takes diligence and persistence to correct erroneous billings.

Everyone needs to pay closer attention to the products that are purchased and the ethical standards of the profit-making enterprises, which are supported with buyer’s purchasing dollars. Oftentimes when shopping in Anguilla’s stores, we find one price marked on the shelves and a higher figure printed on the receipts. With the added expense of 13 percent (%) goods and services tax on top of 7 to 18% service charge and tips, dining out costs at least 20 to 31% above the food and beverage prices on menus. Last week, the petrol price at Island Gases on the Long Path went up from US$5.78 to US$5.97 per imperial gallon. Since GOA extended the GST exemption on diesel/gasoline/LPG, why has it increased?

As consumers, we need the Government’s protection from merchants who overcharge, create false charges on accounts, and overprice. We also require businesses to be honest and transparent in pricing. Our costs of living have increased. Yet, we must get away from this greediness, advocate for lower prices, and implement price controls, so all a’ we simply thrive.
_____________

Ms Kay M Ferguson is a contributing columnist who writes on diverse topics impacting the Anguilla community. She encourages everyone to evolve and positively transform our world. Link with Kay at anguillawriter@gmail.com.

In an exposé on Radio Station Klass FM on Tuesday 1st August, 2023, Attorney at Law Devin Hodge, presented an overview on the matter pertaining to the May 23rd incident between the Honourable Quincia Gumbs Marie and civilian, Mr. Leon Lake.

Ever since the incident took place, people in the community have been eager to know what action, if any, would be taken and what decision would be made, particularly as it pertains to the conduct of the Minister.

The incident took place at a local restaurant on May 23rd when an altercation between the Minister and Mr. Lake ensued, with the Minister being recorded on video uttering threats to Mr. Lake.

Attorney Hodge, who represents Mr. Lake in the matter, said he had appeared on the radio to apprise the public of his position on the matter, of which no substantial decision was taken, though the incident occurred some two months ago.

Referring to the law, Mr. Hodge said he was refuting the stance taken by the Commissioner of Police who stated that he has turned over the files to the Office of the Attorney General.

“There has been some speculation within the public domain as to the current status of Leon’s matter, Attorney Hodge said. “Leon as the client has instructed that he wishes for there to be some clarity with regard to the process that has been undertaken so far. He thought it is important that information should be shared so that those persons who have expressed concerns as to the state of affairs are not kept in the dark.”

Hodge noted that when Mr. Lake was arrested on the day of the incident, when he appeared at the police station and saw him in the presence of police officers, it occurred to him that there was a lack of impartiality because there was not a corresponding arrest on the other perpetrator of a wrong.

“Upon Mr. Lake’s discharge,” he said, “there was no charge made against him. It was indicated to me as his council that he would be discharged pending further investigation.”

“What stands out to me,” the Attorney said, “is that we are now two months removed from the incident, and Mister Lake, who happens to be a complainant in the matter, having made a complaint to the Royal Anguilla Police Force relative to the matter, has not received any meaningful update given to him by any person representing the Royal Anguilla Police Force…”

“What I can tell you,” Mr. Hodge said, “is that as his Council, I have written to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Robert Clark, and the indications from Mr. Clark are unconvincing as it relates to the conduct of this matter. The first indication was that the investigation is on-going. That was followed by an email where Mr. Clark indicated to me that the file had been presented to the Attorney General for consideration.”

He said that after he received that email he had sent Mr. Clark another email, imploring him not to allow his discretion as the Commissioner of Police to be fettered in any way, meaning that he must not allow anyone to cause him to delay or obstruct his decision, if that at all is taking place.

Mr. Hodge said that the current Law in Anguilla sets out the powers of the Police with regard to charging decisions. The law also specifies any obligation that the Commissioner of Police has to obtain the consent of the Attorney General of Anguilla. He said that all this can be found in the Criminal Code of Anguilla.

Ah, open The Guardian newspaper, and lo and behold, our colonial masters’ progressive permission is being extolled! They have respected our locs and our docks – but not our ballots! Of course. Why would they care about our hair or shunning cruise ships, once in the yoke of GST? And… All just in time for Carnival, you know – our summer festival, to commemorate emancipation and celebrate being free?

Belated Accolades for Liberated Locs!

Just last week, Nyima Jobe reported for The Guardian that sadly some Trinidadian boys were forbidden to partake in graduation ceremonies, not for their grades but for the hair on their pates. Calling out the “colonial mentality” online, intense policy criticism led the “minister of education to recommend that cornrows be allowed in the classroom” in the upcoming semester.¹ Hair, hair!

The article went on to explain how such workplace and school requirements reflect entrenched attitudes throughout the world and lead to discrimination, whereby “afro-hair is often deemed unacceptable” and how the history of such policies was truly dehumanising.¹ That is, deeply entrenched, especially in Trinidad and Tobago, which has been independent from Britain since 1962.

That said, Anguilla was belatedly hailed, taking center stage as the “first Caribbean island to introduce a national policy against hair discrimination” in April 2022! Our very own minister of education was quoted at length, saying, “It was important for me to put forward this hair code because your rules and your laws really tell who you are as a people. We have removed the remnants of very Eurocentric thinking and are rewriting how we do life here in Anguilla. Consider it our pre-independence.”¹

Rules and laws? Hmm. Like the GST law? ’Seems they missed that remnant, or else they need to do a lot more “rewriting” about how we do life.

Coastal Access and the Colonial Mindset

Anguilla also made it into the global media a few weeks earlier, as Kenneth Mohammed, another Guardian reporter, examined the issue of island development and “whether remnants of the colonial mindset” drive real estate and natural resources decisions, including a “worrying trend of governments readily selling off assets to foreign corporations and political financiers.”² Like a marina, perhaps?

Mr. Mohammed also noted that “local communities’ concerns and aspirations must be heard and factored into decision making.” Well said! Otherwise, the impact from such trends can range from lost birthrights for access to beaches and landmarks, such as the Saint Lucian Pitons where adjacent lands have been sold to Canadian developers, with a similar threat looming over the spiritual retreat at Jamaica’s Bull Bay – to corruption scandals, damage to fragile ecosystems, fishers losing their livelihoods, and “invitational” development. The benefits of such “progress” are too often limited to “low-skilled positions that offer minimal wages, while the highest paid management jobs are filled by foreign workers.”² Sound familiar?

Here again, Anguilla’s government was applauded for regional trendsetting! How? With their decision to “end cruise tourism, as the negative environmental impact outweighed the revenue generated.” Despite obviously not having a suitable dock or infrastructure to accommodate such tourism, the journalist kindly ascribed such wisdom to a “forward-thinking approach to sustainable development.”² Regardless of why, who wouldn’t support the decision to spurn cruise ships, especially as throngs of such tourists too often bring their own picnics, litter the beaches, ravage the restrooms – and then decamp to their next port of call?

Indeed, good call! No taxis. No restaurant dining. No accommodations. One wonders why more Caribbean islands haven’t followed our lead. From Venice to Barcelona, Amsterdam to Santorini – and from California to Maine, more restrictions are being placed on where some 4.8 million cruise tourists can disembark, crowd out local citizens, and risk environmental catastrophe, every year.³

…And a Pox on Our Ballot Box

Apparently, our magnanimous masters (and at least one of our ministers?) assumed we would be appeased by such “rights” as liberated locs and tranquility on our docks. One might say it was the economic equivalent of “let them eat cake” since how we wear our hair or which tourists help pay our taxes would matter little to our masters.

No. Their goal was control. The British brazenly put a pox on our ballot box. They nullified a decisive election decidedly against GST and then nullified the votes of duly elected ministers to force into law a law voted down twice: By the People and a majority of elected ministers.

While only cited in regional media, that same minister’s concerns seem to have had a haircut since remarks made immediately following nullification of that parliamentary vote, saying, “Truth be told this GST Bill is the weight and yoke for generations to come, inflicted by the decisions of past governments. Herein lies the paradox of how we move ahead.”⁴

Our Leaders Need to Go Big or Go Home!

Of course, it is paradoxically progressive and tragic to yet revel in bodily and border autonomy in 2023 – and to imagine that such advances might lead others in our realm. But. If Anguilla is to lead the region in improving people’s lives, our leaders should go big or go home. Repealing the yoke of GST – and reinstating socially accepted alternatives – could lead those vanquished by VAT to free their trade, enliven their entrepreneurs, and restore wealth wherever such regressive remnants of Eurocentric taxation keep far too many down. Has anyone warned TCI about a certain governor?

It is time to find out just who we are as a people. We now have proof⁵ we could remove our colonial yoke of GST, whereby “how we do life in Anguilla” and how we fund our government can enable us to move ahead based on decisions by this, or a future, government. Yes. Our leaders should go big or go home. Reinstate our civil rights by repealing GST – and end this intrusive atrocity.

All we needed was to reopen our borders and for the British to respect our culture, including our election and elected ministers’ votes. Yes, as well as our young scholars’ hair, serenity on every shore – and freedom from GST for all, to give renewed meaning to Carnival, fore’er more!

Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. ¹ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/jul/26/colonial-mentality-from-the-caribbean-to-kenya-black-people-are-challenging-hair-discrimination;
²https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/jun/06/caribbean-beaches-public-access-development-transparency-engagement; ³https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/04/20/cruise-ships-erosion-air-pollution-and-overtourism-are-driving-cities-towards-bans;
⁴https://www.caymaniantimes.ky/news/anguilla-passes-controversial-tax;
⁵https://www.facebook.com/anguillagovernment/posts/July 11, 2023 GST Performance

During its meeting on Friday, July 21st, the Committee on Gun Crime & Violence had as its guest, well-known local lawyer, Mr. Devin Hodge. Mr. Hodge shared some very relevant pieces of advice with the committee members, and by extension with the general public. One of his prime concepts was armed neutrality, advocating that more persons should have the right to bear weapons for their protection.

To support this gun-crime mitigation concept, Mr. Hodge explained the arms environment in the jurisdiction of Switzerland where the number of licensed gun users is high, but where gun-related violence is very low.

“One of the fundamental mechanisms that is used in Switzerland to achieve such a low rate of violence with the use of firearms,” he said, “is the inculcation of young people, from a tender age, where boys and girls acquire education and training in respect to the use and ownership of firearms.”

“For a society like ours,” Mr. Hodge went on, “this would be an odd concept to even fathom. However, when one is assessing the likely causes for such a high rate of firearm crimes in our country, I believe that education can go a long way, as it does in Switzerland. Here, you expose persons from a young age to realities of the use, ownership and the legal implications of guns. I believe that education can help to ameliorate the violence that we see in our society.”

He promoted arms neutrality as a key principle of the Swiss society. He felt that our local legislation should be altered to some degree to provide more consideration to qualified persons who apply for firearms licenses.

“Armed neutrality in Switzerland,” he said, “essentially takes into consideration the fact that when a large number of persons in a society are equipped with equal or proportionate force, in comparison to that of would-be offenders, then such an offender would second guess or think twice before imposing any sinister force with his weapon because he would realize that he could be met with the same force from a licensed firearm holder.”

However, Mr. Hodge said that he realized what this would mean in the Anguilla context with regard to its Firearms Act.

“With regard to our Firearms Act, at present,” he noted, “the Commissioner of Police is the licensing authority. I want to make the point that I think there should be some refinement to the legislation with respect to the criteria that is applied for the granting of firearms licenses.”

“Currently, the Act requires that the Commissioner finds there to be good reason,” he said. “But I think the concept of ‘good reason’ is far too subjective. I think there needs to be more objective criteria because the different positions of incoming Commissioners of Police will impact upon whether or not licenses are granted.”

“This is problematic,” he said. “Historically, there has not been enough consistency in the granting of firearms licenses. And this is something that we must consider if we are to aspire toward armed neutrality.”

In advocating the concept, Mr. Hodge said that persons must be trusted to take care of their own protection because due to the geographic location of Anguilla, government would never be able to keep the island’s borders safe over the long term and guns will definitely continue to penetrate over the long term.

“What this means then,” he said, “is that the people who live here needs to have a better sensitization to the negative effects of firearm use and possession, and people will need to be entrusted, through training and education, in order to responsibly possess firearms. And that is how you will achieve armed neutrality.”

Mr. Hodge said among other measures that should be taken to deter the proliferation of gun crime and the entry of guns would be to install more lighting at all the ports.

He suggested solar lights should be installed, as well as a system of CTV cameras at vulnerable bays where boat operators would be prone to smuggle in weapons. “Like in the Forest – Let’s light up the Forest at night time,” he declared.

Take a closer look at “pirates” and one soon discovers a legal form of piracy when commissioned and committed by a “privateer”! The term can mean the sanctioned ship or a sailor on one obligated to share its “booty” with its government in exchange for authorisation.1 Hmm. Sound a bit like being forced to register for GST collection from one’s customers, so long as the government gets its share?

Letters of Marque

Typically issued when lacking naval and financial resources for retaliation, but not a declaration of war, privateering privileges were bestowed by a Letter of Marque. This “gave their owners authority to capture or destroy property belonging to a certain group or nation.” The first such Letter of Marque was issued in 1243, you might have guessed it, in England, by Henry III.1 In fact, some well-known figures have left their marks in history as – yes, legally empowered pillagers.

A Plethora of Pirates!

Privateering continued into the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, whose “Sea Dogs” notably included Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, who ransacked Spanish ships after they had raided gold and silver from the Incan and Aztez Empires, among other abominations. Meanwhile, European nations’ use of privateers waned in the 1700s while they built up their naval forces. In turn, many privateers turned to piracy, as their commissions were withdrawn, especially in the Caribbean. That left such colourful characters as Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, and Captain William Kidd, to their own devices. Notably, Kidd learned he had been declared a pirate upon sailing to Anguilla in 1699! And, the British colonies later turned privateering against Britain and enshrined it in the US Constitution, employing it for funding and protection from the Revolution to the War of 1812.2,3
Indeed, the practice of “legally” taking things from people, especially from other nations’ people for one’s government seems as seamy as pirates, buccaneers, and corsairs – not to be confused with musketeers! Whereby pirates plunder, capture and destroy property for their own gains. Buccaneers were pirates in the Caribbean and Pacific coast of Central America, coined from “boucan, a grill for smoking meat… applied to French wild game hunters …in western Hispaniola” in the 1600s. Whereas, Ottoman and Christian corsairs were privateers marauding in the Mediterranean from the 1300s to the 1800s, engaged in religious targeting beyond sovereignty.4

Old Habits Die Hard: Forced Funding from Foreigners

Today, passing laws to take things from foreigners has abandoned all ships. The same Tory government that shoved GST into force after years of fiduciary foundering is now simply snatching the savings and property of foreigners if they dare to come ashore. Prime Minister Sunak is seeking to raise £1 billion for 5-7% pay raises for UK government workers paid largely by immigrants, such as the annual healthcare fee of £1,035 per person, a 417% increase in just five years. With significant impact on businesses in need of workers, and the immigrants, especially in low-paying jobs, one critic noted, “They should be welcomed and treated with respect, not punished for the government’s failure to fund public services properly.”5 Sound familiar?

Targeting foreigners in the UK is a sister ship “in line with the best practice…to improve the efficiency of tax collection” right here in this colony! How reassuring to hear that, “Most GST due to IRD is generated by Accommodation and Public utilities (67.8% combined) and not the direct citizenry of Anguilla.”6 Really?

So, Anguillians in households and businesses struggling to pay ANGLEC, phone and Internet bills are not considered the “citizenry of Anguilla” by our government! As with our tourists, they seem pleased to push people into poverty since they see the public as foreigners – not to mention the foreign transfer tax for those trying to help families back home! Privateering without the salty mess of sailing to pilfer our purses. Wow!

Lost at Sea and Sinking Fast

Their recent pronouncement made it clear that reinstating renamed and repealed taxes would right our ship (see table). After exploiting us with years of unbearable budgets and devastating debt, compounded by conditional “humanitarian” aid after Irma, their tax consultants demanded more while drowning in the depths of the pandemic! How noble.

And then, they scuttled our ship with GST, a European tax, regulations and penalties that ravaged our morale and culture like rats devouring dwindling provisions on a ship lost at sea. Forcing the new government to walk the plank, sinking our people into poverty, sailing on ferries for food, chancing more crime, and burying our civil rights at sea were proven cruel and unnecessary the moment we surfaced from Covid. But, like past privateers, our governors marked us with Letters of Marque, freeing them to plunder with GST after they nullified our election and duly elected ministers’ votes – legally! So good to know.

All we needed then was to reopen our borders and have our election and culture respected. Today, all we need is to repeal GST, reinstate the taxes it repealed, including revenue-neutral IGT as duty, restructure for resilience, and pass a balanced budget bill to end the endless exploitation.

Please. Director Candler, please help the Foreign Office sail their way to the right side of history by helping restructure for resilience, without GST – and put Anguilla back on course for prosperity!

Sink GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1http://www.thewayofthepirates.com/pirate-life/letters-of-marque/; 2https://www.thecollector.com/english-privateers/; 3https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Kidd; 4https://www.britannica.com/story/pirates-privateers-corsairs-buccaneers-whats-the-difference; 5https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/16/borderline-racist-rishi-sunak-plan-to-fund-pay-rises-by-hiking-migrant-fees; 6https://www.facebook.com/anguillagovernment/posts/pfbid02USVKFJ ww93zSoErbyn72xySaoRqUVH PuJESiWRRx8FvQ2kCTjUHw1PeRTNyZUEaQl /.

The Host and Co-host of the Parliamentary Opposition ‘Just the Facts’ radio programme have opined that Elected Representatives are not like ordinary persons on the street.

The Honourable Opposition Leader in the House of Assembly, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, said during the weekly radio programme on Monday 5th June, 2023, that Elected Representatives should not act like ordinary citizens on the street, but behave in a way that is expected of them.

Mrs. Richardson-Hodge, who is the host of the radio programme, was responding at the time to a statement made by her Co-host, the Honourable Representative for West End, Mr. Cardigan Connor, as they both discussed a recent issue involving a Minister in the ruling Anguilla Progressive Movement (APM) Government.

On May 23rd the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Sustainability and the Environment, Mrs. Quincia Gumbs-Marie, was involved in an altercation with a citizen at a popular restaurant in South Hill. During the altercation the Minister was recorded on video making threats mingled with words of profanity.

Mr. Connor, an avid sports enthusiast, had drawn an analogy between an elected representative’s role and that of a professional sportsman.

“I like to compare sports to life,” he said, “because there is some parallel. If a professional sportsman has a contract for five years and is paid 200 million dollars, it comes with conditions: your performance and your behaviour. Most of us who play sports for fun can go out there and behave in any manner. We can have a laugh or whatever. But it is different when people are paying your wages. They expect you to behave at a certain standard, while they expect you to perform. If you don’t perform, there is a boss that says: ‘sorry we need to move on and get someone else to fill your place’.”

“The public in Anguilla is our employer,” he said. “That is why we are called civil (public) servants. And it is not that we ‘bow and scrape’ to our people. We are human like everyone else, but we are expected to behave in a certain way. And if we don’t behave in the way that is expected of us, just like the pro-athlete, we could lose our job.”

In response, Mrs. Richardson-Hodge said: “You are absolutely right. One of the things that I said at the Anguilla Day Parade ceremony on the Park is that we, as elected representatives, are simply care-takers. We are simply persons who are here for this point in time and our job is to make Anguilla better. That has to be our goal.”

“We did not put ourselves in our positions. Each one of us who are elected would have gone out to the public and asked them to give us a chance to represent them. We would have told them that we consider ourselves as the right people for the job,” she said. “So when we take on these positions, we have to understand that we are not like the ordinary person on the street…”

With fewer people inspired by compelling careers in today’s global workforce, many are ascribing to the “FIRE” movement. FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. For a family, it is a “program of extreme savings and investment that aims to allow them to retire far earlier than traditional budgets and retirement plans would permit.”1

Could Anguillians Achieve FIRE?
With new and higher taxes like GST every year, financial independence or “retiring early” may only be accomplished by leaving Anguilla or being remotely employed. Personal savings and investments for FIRE may no longer be possible here, where taxes increase the cost of living faster than wages or profits.

Fettered Indebtedness – without Our Consent!
“Curbing” spending is the only sustainable alternative to GST. However, years of mismanagement have driven “policy-dependent” debt, like imposing GST and other taxes. Failure to balance budgets and build reserves burdens taxpayers in a spiral of fettered indebtedness, without our consent.

Independence Isn’t the Answer: Global Shocks vs. IMF
Notably, there are other island nations ruled by banks, irrespective of independence. With 22 million people in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka had enjoyed a “booming tourism industry” with internationally acclaimed infrastructure investments; however, since the “early 2000s, successive Sri Lankan governments have been increasingly borrowing…” while apparently likewise amassing fettered indebtedness. Gradually, China and India owned 10 and 3% of the debt, respectively.
Last month, Sri Lanka defaulted. As uncertainties emerged, India agreed to deferments, trade credit and possibly more aid. Whereas China allowed a currency swap but not debt restructuring.2 With both powers seeking influence, safeguarding neutrality may require Sri Lankans to submit to IMF (International Monetary Fund) controls, rather than those of India or China.

Iceland is another independent island nation forced into fiscal austerity when its banks collapsed in the great recession, versus the pandemic aftermath, as in Sri Lanka. Icelanders hoped for “…a deal to repay Britain and the Netherlands the $5.7 Billion loan it used to compensate foreign depositors for losses in Icelandic banks.” Sound familiar?

Health spending cuts were compounded by higher gas prices, interest rates and unemployment. Icelanders were especially angered by devastating impacts on personal loans tied to international rates and developed a “widely held belief that it is the IMF and not the government …dictating policy.”3 It took another 10 years of regulatory measures, personal and sovereign debt restructuring, and indictments to stabilise Iceland’s economy.4

Independence Isn’t the Answer: Disasters vs. International Climate Finance System
In fact, island nations are as vulnerable to the international climate finance system as to disasters, which the Fiji UN Ambassador described as “cruelty.”5 Despite pledges by “rich” nations of $100 billion per year made soon after Iceland’s crisis, just $15.4 billion had been disbursed to the “46 least developed countries” in 2019. From Barbados to Dominica, Antigua to Jamaica, Caribbean frustrations mirror those in Fiji. To attempt to access funding, millions are often required for damage assessments and project proposals – which can then linger for years in a “lottery” vying for grants from IMF, World Bank, European Investment Bank – or private-sector pension funds. The “system” thus leaves nations with fewest resources and greatest needs to languish, unable to rebuild before further calamities compound the devastation.5

Independence Isn’t the Answer: Islands vs. Chinese Interests
Following military “exercises simulating an encirclement… intended as a ‘serious warning’” – on April 21st, the Chinese foreign minister said, “…any who go against Beijing’s demand to exert control over [Taiwan] are ‘playing with fire.’”6 Despite worldwide dependence on Taiwan for computer chips as an island nation of 24 million, “de facto independence”” has not ensured their freedom.

Closer to home, Forbes reported in January that “China is now one of the largest trading partners of many Caribbean countries, and it finances infrastructure projects across the region…” Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago have all signed Belt and Roads Initiative MOUs worth billions in commitments. In response, the US senior Caribbean policy advisor observed, “The acid test of [these relationships] will be China’s reaction to the anticipated spate of sovereign debt defaults in emerging economies. Will China forgive or restructure, or will it claim infrastructure and land as collateral?”7

Independence Isn’t the Answer: Islands vs. Russian Interests
If 43 million people in an independent country didn’t ensure freedom for Ukraine, we have a glaring object lesson from Russia’s invasion.
In the Caribbean, Russia has “strong ties to authoritarian regimes” whose leaders enjoy its political, economic and security assistance. However, “Putin wants more in Latin America” and conspicuously hosted leaders from Argentina and Brazil shortly before that invasion. And, when seeking to expel Russia from the UN Human Rights Council: while 19 Latin American and Caribbean nations voted in favour, Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua voted against the resolution – and 10 others abstained, with Mexico, Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago among them. While sanctions and Ukraine have slowed munitions and propaganda initiatives, they are likely to vigorously resume if Russia withdraws from Ukraine. The US “needs to … to step in where Russian activity has ceased or become problematic. The alternative otherwise might come from Beijing… [the US] must … seize this moment in the hemisphere before others do.”8

The Only Independence is Financial Independence!
As long as we live in an uncertain world, whether weathering storms, raking sargassum, or being imperiled by global inflation, recessions, or pandemics, we as a People have a stark choice: demand restructuring of a sustainable, affordable government with a balanced budget and unparalleled investment funds – or continue to pay new and higher taxes like GST, as more families and friends slip into poverty and the humiliation of handouts, forever fettered by our indebtedness and ruled by our creditors, regardless whether we remain a British colony or declare independence tomorrow. The only independence is financial independence – for Anguilla, and every family aching for the freedom to build their own FIRE!

Demand repeal of GST – and a balanced budget bill. Now.

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-independence-retire-early-fire.asp; 2https://www.dw.com/en/sri-lankas-foreign-debt-default-why-the-island-nation-went-under/a-61475596;3 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/business/global/28iceland.html; 4https://www.bis.org/fsi/fsicms1.pdf; 5https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/climate-justice/small-island-nations-suffer-under-broken-and-cruel-climate-finance-system; 6 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-foreign-minister-threats-taiwan-rcna80790; 7https://www.forbes.com/sites/earlcarr/2023/01/27/chinas-engagement-in-the-caribbean-and-the-united-states-response /?sh=394e66b5ac3f; 8https://www.bushcenter.org/publications/russia-and-latin-america-after-february-24

Recent “consultations” asserted “…a decision must be made as how to garner revenues that would… provide for a sound economy. [and] …that casino gaming could meet this need.”1 Sounds like they ran out of aces on economic development!
So. Let’s go to class on a classy alternative to a casino crapshoot – one that could double the economic contribution of tourism! Or perhaps, multiply it by 52!

Caribbean Colleges at the Head of the Class
Many regional “for profit” medical schools offer “second chances” for those unable to enter US or European programs. However, dropout rates, residency “matches” and test passage seem stacked against them with costly tuition and vague chances for practice after graduation. Ultimately, the winners have “proven that they are capable of training students to become physicians in the United States”; these include the “Big Four”: St. George’s in Grenada, founded in 1976; Ross University in Barbados – and American University of the Caribbean (AUC) in Sint Maarten, both founded in 1978; and Saba University, which has graduated physicians since 1989.2

St. George’s University, Grenada
Opening in 1977, St. George’s has expanded beyond medicine, while boasting over “…990 first-year US residency positions, more than any other school in the world” the first 5 months of 2022 – with 40 years of alumni having a “profound effect” on US, Canadian and global healthcare.3 Also among the “Best 168 Medical Schools” in 2012,4 its 6-7,000 students represent nearly 6% of Grenada’s population.5

Ross University, Barbados
One year later, Ross University was founded and has grown to some 3,700 students – with over 650 residency matches in 2019. While headquartered in Miramar, Florida, it represents about 1% of the Barbados population, while approaching 9% of that of Saint Michael.5,6,7

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), Sint Maarten
That same year, Dr. Paul Tien founded AUC, also administered from Miramar, Florida. With a low attrition rate, relatively lower tuition and smaller class sizes, AUC “matched” 315 students in 2019. And its average of 650 students approximates 1-2% of Sint Maarten’s population.8,9

Saba University School of Medicine, Saba
Notably, while headquartered in Massachusetts, the most affordable of the “Big Four” has nonetheless “earned residencies at a rate on par with U.S. and Canadian medical schools… significantly outpace[ing] graduates of other international medical schools.” Saba University’s 200-300 students make up 10-15% of the population, adding a significant contribution to the island economy.10,11,12

Saint James School of Medicine (SJSM), Anguilla and Saint Vincent
And, here in Anguilla, SJSM is headquartered in Illinois but was established in 1999 in Bonaire. The campus relocated to Anguilla in 2010 and opened another in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2014, after the Netherlands Antilles dissolved in 2006. SJSM has 74 residency matches for 2023 from about 250 students, comprising nearly 2% of our population.13,14

…and American University of Anguilla (AUA)
Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, our newest educational sector member signed its MOU in December 2021. Its first class with 5 members has already increased to 24, with many promising plans for the future.15,16

Academic Tourism: 1 Student = 52 Tourists!
Students seldom stay beyond graduation, purchase property or expatriate raw land; as such, they are temporary residents, or “academic” tourists. While these enrollments represent 1-9% of their island populations – and up to 15% in Saba, every week of the year, students represent an equal number of weeklong tourists, renting property and cars, paying duties, taxes, and fees, consuming utilities and dining.
Grenada would need to attract some 340,000 weeklong tourists, and Barbados, nearly 200,000 to match the year-round economic benefits of St. George’s and Ross students, especially with faculty and families. And, it would take an additional 35,000 tourists for Sint Maarten to match AUC’s contribution – while Saint James is already approximating well over 13,000 weeklong tourists, with family and faculty included. AUA is likewise approaching the equivalent of 1,800 weeklong tourists in its second full year!
In fact, attracting 1,500 students would match the equivalent of 75,000 weeklong tourists in Anguilla, about a full year’s average before Covid – with less risk from impacts on traditional tourism. While Grenada and Barbados far exceed this enrollment with just medical schools, additional disciplines of dentistry, nursing and veterinary medicine could shorten the path to this goal. And…While “gaming” revenues are projected at $4.4 Million, Accommodation Tax, alone, has exceeded $30 Million per year – which could be matched by tens of millions in economic activity from just another ~1,200 more “academic” tourists right here in Anguilla!

Graduates vs. Gambling?
Although two of the “Big Four” are on islands with casinos, none of these schools were founded in such places. AUC began in Montserrat and had to relocate in 1998 following volcanic destruction. Ross was founded in Dominica but forced to relocate after Hurricane Maria. Whereas St. George’s, Saba University – and Saint James were founded and continue on islands without casino temptations, that is, unless Anguilla rolls the dice.

Casinos, College – and GST: Chancing Our Future Development
Any responsible parent or serious student aspiring to complete medical school would surely consider the greater community when investing tens of thousands to study and choosing between a gaming “environment” or one with fewer distractions. Such risks and considerations are underscored by a survey of 2,003 UK students in December 2022:17
“Results showed that 71% of students had gambled at least once in the previous 12 months…. rates of ‘moderate risk’ gambling were 20% and ‘problem gambling’ were 17%…Half of all respondents who gamble reported that gambling had impacted their university experience, with 13% having trouble paying for food, 10% missing lectures and tutorials, 10% saying gambling affected their assignments and grades, and 9% struggling to pay bills or for accommodation.”
Since GST would gamble away 13% of all students’ budgets regardless of casinos, and if up to 40% of students reported “moderate” to “problem” habits, with many having “trouble paying for food… bills or [pay] for accommodation” – would up to 53% of all students then risk dropping out due to insufficient funds? Or, would repealing GST and voting No on casinos help Anguilla win over future students, cash in on university opportunities, and ensure the odds for Anguilla’s economic development?

Ask your Minister for a motion to repeal GST – and to vote No on casinos!

This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1https://theanguillian.com/2023/03/attendees-at-public-consultation-meeting-object-to-casino-gaming/; 2https://www.prospectivedoctor.com/best-medical-schools-in-caribbean/; 3https://www.sgu.edu/academic-programs/school-of-medicine/facts-and-figures/; 4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George%27s_University_School_of_Medicine; 5https://www.4icu.org/; 6https://medical.rossu.edu/student-consumer-information; 7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_University_School_of_Medicine; 8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_University_of_the_Caribbean;9https://www.aucmed.edu/about; 10https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saba_University_School_of_Medicine; 11https://www.saba.edu/; 12https://www.princetonreview.com/med/saba-university-school-medicine-1037715#!studentbody; 13https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_James_School_of_Medicine; 14https://www.sjsm.org/students-success/; 15https://www.aua.ai/;16https://theanguillian.com/2022/04/mou-signed-with-american-university-of-anguilla-medical-school/; 17 https://www.ygam.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Annual-Student-Gambling-Survey-Feb-2023.pdf;