In a functioning democracy, transparency is a fundamental pillar. Regular government press conferences should serve the purpose of informing the public, providing clarity on the latest government plans, programmes, and policies in a neutral and objective manner. Recently, however, these press conferences have begun to resemble political campaign rallies, filled with self-praise, political rhetoric, and a tone that is increasingly out of touch with their intended purpose.

No one denies that our current administration has made commendable strides in several areas. Investments in infrastructure and improvements to public services, are all laudable. The public acknowledges and appreciates these accomplishments, but do we really need weekly reminders? Constantly rehashing past successes in an almost celebratory manner detracts from the primary objective of these meetings: to inform and engage the public in a meaningful, transparent dialogue about the future.

In recent weeks, these press conferences have degenerated into thinly veiled campaign stops, where public servants spend more time defending their political position than discussing the progress of government programmes. Elected officials are supposed to use this platform to answer critical questions and address concerns, not to promote their own re-election campaigns. It is disheartening to see an important forum for public communication being misused for political gain.

Furthermore, the tone of these meetings has deteriorated. What was once a professional and informative venue has turned into a spectacle filled with divisive language and defensiveness. Instead of fostering open communication, we are witnessing a breakdown in decorum that alienates citizens who simply want to understand where their government stands on important issues.

Transparency is not achieved through repetition of achievements or political grandstanding. If the government truly wants to serve its people, it must return to the core purpose of these press conferences: delivering clear, factual updates on the nation’s progress and future plans, without bias or political spin. The public deserves better, and we call on our elected officials to restore the integrity of this important platform.

Let’s get back to the business of governance, not campaigning.

Signed: Regular Listener

Dear Editor,

Anguilla’s Intangible Mineral Miracle

While Anguilla endured over 200 years of financial and moral hardship under the governance of various St. Kitts administrations, prior to 1967, it was not recognized as a country. But in 1967, things slowly began shifting.

Anguillians arose and shined. They shipped out the St. Kitts police, put every wheelbarrow, drum, old truck, cat, rat & dog on the 2 x 4 run way and then had a mock funeral saying Bradshaw, was dead! They had a coffin, they walked and danced the streets giving thanks to God for finally, centuries of heavy financial burdening pressure had lifted.

However, legislations recognizing Anguilla as a country were still not in place in 1974, so Anguilla was not eligible to receive a global country code. (Many thanks to the letter written in The Anguillian last week giving such historical facts).

Just think……. If Anguillians had rebelled and received country recognition any time before 1974, AA would most likely have been our code, which Aruba was given. Does this sound like luck?

It took Anguilla several years, mainly wrangling, begging and arguing with the British and fighting St. Kitts, to be separated and obtain a Constitution (1982) and be officially recognized as a country. The country code AI was later given to Anguilla.

Clearly, what Bradshaw and other St. Kitts administrations meant for evil, God was working for Anguilla’s good! In retrospect, could this be a reward for what our forebears suffered, yet remaining some of the most kindest people? The .ai Domain is our oil. Or as Mr. Lynwood Bell said daily for over two decades, “It is Anguilla’s potash” (take a minute and research potash in Canada and what its used for).

When we do hear the projected figures from the intangible .ai Domain for the next 5 years, which could potentially snowball again over 5 years after that, I believe we will see how living the next 200 years without heavy taxes, seasoned with ingenuity and patience, is quite possible for us. We will lend to other countries. We won’t have to borrow. Some will try to derail it. What will be our response? Will we cherish, preserve and advance it?

Sometimes Anguillians are called too quiet and not aggressive enough, but Solomon says ‘To everything, there’s a time’. On 30 May, 1967, It Was Time!

It therefore is an insult to God’s presence, providence, protection and provision, to relegate the .ai Domain to “luck”. Today, along with Tourism and other industries, it can furnish Anguillians with freedom from heavy taxes for possibly centuries, as we honour God, and if we with the funds,
1. Place in savings and in reserves
2. Build our people and nation sensibly
3. Manage wisely, including paying current huge debts before committing to new

In Anguilla, Bradshaw’s rule died on 30 May, 1967.
What Bradshaw couldn’t fully do however, some Anguillians and non-Anguillians now want to do. Most forget that most countries were way way ahead when Anguilla was suffering. With only 40 years under its belt as a country, most countries now want Anguilla to join them in applying heavy taxation. Let’s not put ourselves in bondage by ourselves Anguilla! Where there is a will, There is a way!

History & Economics are Siamese twins, they’re conjoined at the head, sharing one brain. Anguillians, let’s use the whole brain, open our eyes and stop people from, unintentionally and intentionally, attempting to masterfully separate the two in order to kill aspects of our Anguillianness!

Today, we are especially grateful for Anguillians going back 250 years, for what they did to secure our current state, when they had nothing. Let us in 2024 be so responsible with what we have now, so that in 2224, our descendants can look back and be grateful to us for taking care of what sounds to me, like a God-ordained Miracle.

Loving Anguilla,
Avenella

To The Editor
“The Anguillian”
Anguilla

Don Mitchell’s Article: “Anguilla’s Autonomy In Question”

Many of us would agree with much of Don’s article which appeared in your publication of 8 March 2024. But not all of it.
Don spends the first 3 paragraphs discussing whether something he read is AI-generated and concludes saying “I admit I could be mistaken in my conclusions”. Does it matter if the topic was AI-generated? Sure, we have to be wary about deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation in a year when over a thousand million people go to the polls. But, if the offending piece was written by AI and nobody was aware of it till Don reacted to it, Don gave it a prominence that it hadn’t expected.
Don then talks about the financial services industry, claiming that there were “several hundred other paper banks and tens of thousands of shell companies, some of which seemed to serve no purpose other than the commission of fraud of one kind of another”. Well, “some” might have been, just as “some” similar entities currently operate in the UK, USA and the majority of countries around the world. But how many of these thousands of companies are “some”? “Some” is often defined as “an unspecified amount or number”. But readers could be led to believe that in Don’s context it refers to a large number. And “some” could have been incorporated by Don’s own firm.

We then read that, “By 1984, offshore banking in Anguilla was dead”. Not to people who were around at the time. Different, yes. But “dead”? The paragraph continues “Rodney Gallagher was sent in to shut down the offshore banks”. Well, if the industry was dead, what was there to shut down? Don adds that “Gallagher was an MI5 operative provided with cover as a chartered accountant by Coopers & Lybrand’s branch in Barbados”.
Many in the financial services industry (and some are still around) had no great affection for Mr. Gallagher (which might speak well of his effectiveness and the consequences he caused). Furthermore, MI5 operates within the UK to protect its national security (whereas the Special Intelligence Service, popularly referred to as MI6, is the foreign intelligence service of the UK). Moreover, it is generally understood that the only member of the staff of MI5 whose identity is made public is the Director General (currently Ken McCallum); the identity of everyone else is kept secret for operational reasons. So, it appears that the “chartered accountant as a cover for being a MI5 operative” is iffy – the only way that Don could know that Rodney Gallagher was an MI5 operative would be by a process of deduction (which is not stated) or if Gallagher or someone who Don knows was talking vaingloriously, and Don accepted it without question – because real MI5 operatives don’t admit to being such: if someone tells you they work for MI5, you can assume they don’t; if someone doesn’t tell you they work for MI5, maybe they do and maybe they don’t. On the balance of probabilities, Gallagher wasn’t an MI5 operative.
Although the FSC was formed in 2004, its first director, John Lawrence, was in Anguilla before then; Mr. Lawrence set up the FSC – the FSC was not created before he joined it. Before the FSC there was the Financial Services Department headed by, among others, Mr. Lawrence and Alex Richardson – among his claims to fame was composing the Anguilla National Song.

Don then goes on to state, quite boldly “Since at least 2017 the EU has included Anguilla on its blacklist of tax havens”. The first thing to note is that the phrase “tax haven” is rarely used by serious journalists or commentators these days. Seriously, ask yourself, “what is a tax haven”? If country A charges a tax at 50% and country B charges that tax at 30%, does that make country B a tax haven? Is Florida a tax haven because it does not charge income tax? If so, most countries in the world are tax havens. Secondly, Anguilla was added to the list in October 2022 and it should be noted that the team headed by the Government of Anguilla and the FSC are working assiduously to get Anguilla removed from that blacklist.
Two paragraphs later, Don accurately states that “within the past 12 months [Government of Anguilla] revenue began to grow exponentially from a combination of unpopular new taxes and the sale of international services”. I think that by this he means “GST and revenue from the .ai domain name”. We all communicate differently, but I wish that he had spent less time writing about whether something he had read was AI generated or not, and more on the impact of GST and the .ai domain name. We read reports of these revenue measures but with rare exceptions, there seems to be little in the way of information that can’t be described as “lies, damn lies, and statistics”. So, we have to go hunting ourselves.

Much of what Don says may be put into context by an authoritative, external source, which puts into perspective taxes and other revenues going to Anguilla’s Government as a percent of GDP. Even if there are biases in the figures, they are likely to be fairly constant across this list. If we accept that premise, Anguilla ranks as the 7th highest in the world (and this was as of 2017, so it could well be another 20% to 40% higher today – we could be at the top of that list): https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/taxes-and-other-revenues/country-comparison Even by this list (which was pre-GST etc.), Anguilla’s percentage of government income (tax mainly) as a percentage of what the economy produces, was far higher than anywhere in the Caribbean region (excepting – then, but maybe not now – Cuba), the UK, USA, Canada, China, and even renowned socially egalitarian countries such as Sweden and Norway. Governments that raise revenue from one source (e.g. “.ai domain name”) often reduce it from another (e.g. GST) and maintain the same level of service.

THAT, dear reader, is where the real story is.

Yours faithfully,
J.B.

21st August

Dear Editor

I am just a simpleton, a Bobo Johnnie, standing on the side of the road, hearing the street talk from people passing by. Too much toxic talk around now, deliberately sowing discord. Why?

Suddenly the incident of May 23rd is the crime of the century, of the millennium. Its negative influences seem responsible for the bad deeds of the past as well as the vices of the present and according to the newspaper may be a ‘significant roadblock’ to the concerted efforts to reducing violence in this country. Really??? Under the law, whether written or unwritten, everyone should have equal access to a fair hearing. The law is an approach to justice and the aim is to be fair. In navigating this path to fairness, is the same treatment meted out to everyone? Does a principal have the same view of the youth, who has 7 detentions on record and the one who has none? A story always has more than one side and a good principal will try to sift through the nature of the circumstances, the varying perspectives, state of the minds among other factors. Pontius Pilate caved in to mob judgement to “crucify him” rather than face the backlash that would erupt from his personal determination.

STOP the wrangling, the divisiveness. Stop throwing rocks of blame and the politicizing of information. Don’t destroy the resources of our small population, we need understanding and remediation. Noisy bullying could trigger more mental issues. Let’s be calm, cool and collected, able to analyse and arrive at effective strategies to curb violence. Come together!

Sincerely simple,
Simpleton on the Street

Dear Editor,

Your platform for speaking to Anguillian matters is beyond appreciated. Thank you for your service to country.

Please allow me to comment on our former Honourable Premier, Mr. Victor Banks’ speech in your last paper.

The current and former Honourable Premiers, are both wrong on this matter [Casino Gaming]. One stands to gain from GoA [Government of Anguilla] tax revenue and the other business revenue. Sadly, none seem sincerely concerned about the tragedy of even one high end Anguillian who would lose his/her possessions and not have anything to give their children, or any other inevitable sad stories.

Mr. Editor, 90% of the time people lose in casinos games. NINETY! Google it. Black Jack has a higher win percentage but even that the ‘HOUSE’ fixes it so that people lose often.

Mr. Banks was correct in pointing out that everything has an element of risk, including Tourism. But he didn’t mention that Tourism does not call for locals having a 9:1 chance of losing their money if they go into it, like casinos do.

How can Anguillian leaders be happy knowing that they are bringing something into their island home in which their people will be entertained through the risking of their assets on a table that is rigged for them to lose 90% of the time?

The ‘HOUSE’ always wins, so if you are a part owner of the ‘HOUSE’, you will support the assent of the ‘HOUSE’ in the House of Assembly…. but the NATION with casinos always loses. Ask St. Maarten, ask Trinidad, ask St. Croix, ask around.

Currently, instead of going like boxers to a bank to deposit money, too many of our people go like zombies to lotteries, which failed Accounting 101. That sight hurts.

Behind gaming/casinos is not a boogey man, Mr. Editor, behind casinos are demons, their names are Greed, Destruction, Poverty and Bondage.

Again truthfully, Mr. Banks mentioned that every industry has side effects, but he did not go into the side effects of casinos because casino side effects are like those from some medication that have too many life threatening ailments that ya [you] better off doing without the medication, similarly casinos.

At the end of the day, there is one other incontrovertible fact in all of this that Mr. Banks did not mention, Gaming is an internationally known destroyer of society and a whirlpool for money launderers.

Indeed, as Mr. Banks stated, not all gamblers are losers, but, the whole truth is, it’s just 99% of persons who play, lose. Google it.

How can I say I love my neighbour when I approve, represent clients for, partner in, have shares in and legalize an entertainment system that gives my brothers adrenaline while robbing 99% of them?

I call that injustice to neighbours and their families. That’s not Christian. Mercifully, all of us Christians can repent from our wicked ways and He will hear, forgive and heal.

Mr. Editor, our current and former Premiers ought to humbly heed the Word of the Lord to the GoA: Righteousness exalts a nation but casinos are a reproach/disgrace to any people.

Loving Anguilla,
Avenella

Dear Mr. Rogers

Re: Goods and Services Tax Act

1. The subject refers.

2. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 16th May, 2022, regarding the matter under reference, on behalf of the Honourable Premier and on my own behalf.

3. The contents of your said correspondence are duly noted.

4. Undoubtedly, the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, being a taxation measure of the Government of Anguilla, is a matter of public and general importance, and, rightly a legitimate subject of free and democratic debate.

5. However, your essential complaint is that the GST Act (the Act) is unconstitutional for violation of the principle of the separation of powers implicit in the Constitution. The provisions of section 45 are highlighted in your correspondence as demonstrative of the contravention of the separation of powers doctrine in this behalf.

6. Your correspondence under reference describes itself as a pre-action protocol communication, and makes certain critical legal propositions in respect of which I am obliged to respond suitably.

7. Regarding the constitutional validity of the Act, which on your contention, is impugned in the manner such as you have propounded, I am obliged to advise you as shall now follow.

Separation of powers principle

8. Constitutions established on the English Westminster Constitutional model comprehend a separation of the principal organs of the state and government.

9. It is accepted that those organs are principally three branches of government, namely, the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches.

10. A living conception of the separation of powers doctrine simply stated is that neither branch must trespass upon the legitimate province and functions of the others.

11. However, separation of powers in English constitutionalism, such as have been inherited under Westminster-type constitutions, is a concept differently understood to American constitutional founding, for instance. The distinction lies in the notion of institutional separation of powers in contrast to the functional separation of powers. Institutional separation of powers requires that the personnel in performing the functions of each branch of government must themselves be separate and that neither performs any functions of the others.

12. Of contrasting significance, because constitutions such as ours are evolutionary, not revolutionary, in the way they were conceived and devised, and provide for continuity of government, it has been judicially acknowledged that the practice in drafting constitutions is to leave much to implication.

13. There is a fusion and overlap in the operations of the main branches of government in English constitutionalism- some of which we have inherited. Indeed, our Constitution directs that members of the executive branch are to be derived from the legislative branch and that nothing in the constitution shall operate so as to prejudice the provisions of any laws in force in the territory whereby functions are, or may be, conferred on persons or authorities other than the Executive.

14. The modern constitution on the Westminster model is a written code regarding which the principle of separation of powers is therefore implicit

15. The Constitution is, in truth, the supreme law of the land, and all laws enacted by the Assembly are tested against the prescribed criteria provided by the Constitution for the protection of the fundamental guarantees, which it assures to the person against the overreach of the state.

16. So much is uncontroversial.

17. However, the constitutions on the Westminster model by their very structure provide for functional flexibility in the interlaced character of the workings of government and the deployment of sovereign authority, requiring a distinction to be made at times between executive authority and executive function.

18. The legislature enacts law, the executive enforces the law and the judiciary interprets and applies the law passed by the legislature.

19. Section 22(2) of the Anguilla Constitution empowers the Assembly to confer core executive and governmental functions, such as that of revenue assessment and collection, upon the Comptroller for the purposes of those executive functions of the government – the Comptroller is not exercising executive authority as such, but an executive function expressly permissible by the Constitution.

Separation of powers in proper perspective

20. The discussion by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to which you have alluded in reference to Hinds v R [1976] 2 WLR 366 (PC), emerged from the historical and juristic backdrop referred to at paras. 8 to 14 hereof. Unsurprisingly, therefore, Lord Diplock in describing such constitutions said in Hinds (at 372 c – d): “all these constitutions .. . were negotiated as well as drafted by persons nurtured in the tradition of that branch of the common law of England that is concerned with public law and familiar in particular with the basic concept of the separation of legislative, executive and judicial power as it had been developed in the unwritten constitution of the United Kingdom.”

21. Of critical significance is what Lord Diplock (writing for the majority) had to say in Hinds (at 372 F- G)- he said: “It is taken for granted that the basic principle of separation of powers will apply to the exercise of their respective functions by these three organs of government Thus the constitution does not normally contain any express prohibition on the exercise of legislative powers by the executive or of judicial power by either the executive or legislature. ”

22. Later (at 373 d-e) Lord Diplock observed that “What, however, is implicit in the very structure of a constitution on the Westminster model is that judicial power, however, it be distributed from time to time … is to continue to be vested in persons appointed to hold judicial office in the manner and on the terms laid down in the chapter dealing with the judicature, even though this is not expressly stated in the constitution. ”

23. In sum, Lord Diplock’s observations in Hinds regarding the principle of separation of powers were more aptly expository of the penumbra of judicial powers which emanate from the basic structure of the constitution, the outer limits of which extend to preserve judicial independence from the legislative and executive branches, rather than as elevating this unwritten principle of separation of powers to an overriding constitutional rule.

24. Subsequent and recent judgments of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have put the separation of powers doctrine in proper perspective.

25. Separation of powers is not an independent constitutional cause of action that it was once conceived to be. The principle of separation of powers is not an overriding supraconstitutional principle but a description of how the powers under a real constitution are divided. Most constitutions have some overlaps between legislative, executive and judicial functions: Matthew v State [2004] 4 LRC 777 (PC) at para [28] (Lord Hoffman for the majority).

26. Again, recently in the unanimous judgment of the Board delivered by Lord Hodge in Chandler v State [2022] UKPC 19 at para [75] the Judicial Committee emphasised that:
“The Board has repeatedly taken the view that the doctrine of separation of powers is not an overriding principle that exists independently of a constitution but is implicit in a constitution having regard to the powers of the judiciary, the legislature and the executive which are laid down expressly or by implication in a constitution. ”

27. Where, under a constitution on the Westminster model, a law which it is alleged confers judicial power upon a non-judicial or executive body or person, the question whether the law conflicts with the provisions of the constitution dealing with the exercise of judicial power does not depend on the label which attaches to the Act or provision, or, even words of a provision, but rather the inquiry is as to the substance of the law and the true nature of the transaction or the jurisdiction being exercised. (See – Hinds at 374 B-C (Lord Diplock) and Duncan v AG[1998] 3 LRC 414 (ECCA) at 427 e (Byron 0).

28. So that, to fasten on the phrase appearing in section 45(2) of the Act to the effect that – “the Comptroller may file, with the clerk or registrar of a court of competent jurisdiction, a statement certified by the Comptroller setting forth the amount of the tax due and payable by that person, and that statement shall have the effect of a civil judgment lawfully given in that court in favour of the Comptroller for a debt in the amount specified in the statement; and the court shall issue a writ of execution in respect against the defaulter/; and equiparate this enacting formulation to mean that judicial powers of the Court are purportedly transferred to or conferred on the Comptroller of Inland Revenue, is, with great respect, misleading.

29. The assessment and determination of tax liability is inherently a function of the Comptroller as the Chief Revenue Officer under the Act. This function is not judicial in character. The collection of tax and enforcement of the taxation measure are entrusted to the Comptroller – those functions are intrinsically functions of the executive. The determination upon assessment of tax liability of the taxpayer is not akin to a claim to be adjudicated, but a determination of liability (tax debt) by the tax authority, in respect of which, unless otherwise judicially disturbed, is an enforceable debt, for which court process is appropriate. The taxpayer is afforded access to the courts, mechanisms for disputation of the assessments and rights of appeal. All of these are constitutional safeguards, which particularly affords the person the protection of the law guaranteed by the constitution itself. There is no usurpation of the functions of the court.

30. The determination of constitutional validity of a legislative measure is not for this reason a unidimensional evaluation.

31. It is not accepted that the provisions of section 45(2) contravene section 7 property right protection under the Constitution either, for the exaction of taxation is a permissible derogation from property right guarantees as is made abundantly clear in section 7(2)(a) of the very Constitution itself.

32. Moreover, the grievance expressed with section 38( 4) and (5), whilst its intuitive disagreement is understood; it overlooks certain matters of precedent consideration.
The first is that it is not objectionable or unconstitutional for the Assembly, as the legislature for the territory, to enact as a condition precedent to conferring or enabling a statutory right of appeal or right of objection on the taxpayer that he should pay 50% or the whole of the tax in dispute before he can mount a challenge to the Comptroller or in the appeals tribunal. The deposit requirement positively imposes no fetter on the taxpayer’s right of appeal or right of objection because the taxpayer has no such right unless he fulfils those requirements. All rights of appeal and objection are procedural and created by statute. The right to the protection of law is otherwise afforded by the various mechanisms for access to the courts and recourse to judicial arbitration of tax related disputes built into the enactment and the Constitution itself.

33. Second, sections 38(8) and (9) provide for full refund to the taxpayer, with interest, in the event that an objection to the tax assessment succeeds.

34. We consider that it is a correct statement of constitutional principle that it cannot be the case that every Act of Parliament, which impinges in any way upon the rights protected in the Constitution, is for that reason alone unconstitutional. Legislation frequently affects rights such as freedom of thought and expression and the enjoyment of property. These are both qualified rights, which may be limited, either by general legislation or in the particular case, provided that the limitation answers a legitimate aim and is proportionate to it. It is for Parliament in the first instance to strike the balance between individual rights and the general interests. The courts may on occasion have to decide whether Parliament has achieved the right balance: Suratt v A-G of Trinidad & Tobago [2008] 2 WLR 262 (PC) at 282 para [58] (Baroness Hale of Richmond).

Reasonably required and reasonably justifiable

35. We respectfully do not accept your contention regarding the matter of whether the Act in question is reasonably required. As we understand the law, the test of ‘reasonably required’ and that of ‘reasonably justifiable’ are comprehensively distinct.

36. In AG & Anor v Antigua Times Ltd (1975) 21 WIR 560, to which you referred in your letter, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council held that “the proper approach to the question is to presume, until the contrary appears or is shown, that all Acts passed by the Parliament were reasonably required. ”

37. If, however, it is shown that the provisions of the Act are so arbitrary as to compel the conclusion that it does not involve an exertion of the taxing power but constitutes in substance and effect, the direct execution of a different and forbidden power, then the presumption is rebutted and a determination must be made as to whether the legislative measure is reasonably justifiable.

38. The determination of the question of the arbitrariness of the measures provided for in the enactment requires an analysis of whether the limitation upon guaranteed rights is excessive or proportional. The three-fold criteria for evaluating the ”reasonably justifiable’ requirement propounded by the Privy Council in DeFreitas v Permanent Secretary (1998) 53 WIR 131 has been reformulated by the UK Supreme Court and extended to a four-fold fact-dependent evaluative criteria for determining the proportionality of a legal measure which has the effect of limiting a protected right (see

Bank Mel/at v HM Treasury(No. 2) [2013] 4 AllER 533 (UKSC)).

39. The three elements of a tax Act are that- (i) it must be imposed by the Crown or public authority, (ii) it must be compelled, and (iii) the imposition must be for public purposes.

40. We are satisfied that the GST Act is not unconstitutional and is a valid exercise of the legislative competence of the Assembly.

41. Nevertheless, the Government assures that just as the implementation of the Act continues to be a legitimate subject of debate, equally, the GST Act continues to undergo necessary revision and amendments responsive to the overriding objective of efficiency and simplicity in its implementation.

42. In this connection, stakeholder and sectoral feedback are important aspects of informing this revision.

43. In the final analysis, we consider that litigation with the enterprise of striking down the Act would be unprofitable, costly and inadvisable.

44. In the result, I am to advise that the Government is familiar with the substance of the matters communicated in your correspondence on behalf of your clients, and will doubtless consider them together with other stakeholder and sectoral input as part of the ongoing revisions being made to aspects of the GST Act.

45. Many thanks.

Sincerely,

Cc: Her Excellency, The Governor
Honourable Ministers of the Crown
Honourable Ministerial Assistants of the Government of Anguilla
President of the Concerned Citizens of Anguilla

What is hydrogen peroxide?
Hydrogen is water (H2O) with an extra oxygen molecule (H2O2). It is a chemical compound and has been used as a first aid antiseptic for injured skin since the 1920’s. In the past it was a common ‘go to’ when there is a wound, and it can usually be found in most households’ first aid kits in Anguilla and many other countries. It is time to retire peroxide from first-aid duty. Numerous studies have found that hydrogen peroxide irritates the skin. It may prevent the wound from healing, doing more harm than good.
Hydrogen peroxide can be used in many places, from your kitchen to your bathroom, but keep it away from wounds and acne.

The blood and other living cells found in a wound use the catalase enzyme to attack the hydrogen peroxide and convert it to (water) H2O and (oxygen) O2. In its low concentration, hydrogen peroxide will start a bubbling action which helps remove debris from the wound and works to kill bacteria cells by destroying their cell walls.
Although hydrogen peroxide is thought to be a good first aid antiseptic, hydrogen peroxide can damage skin cells and angiogenesis which is the process of new vessel formation. This will delay wound healing.
People on certain medications will have delayed wound healing potential – as well as people with other co-morbidities such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. These individuals are starting the wound healing cascade already impeded by low healing potential, so pouring hydrogen peroxide on their wounds, even initially, can drastically affect their chance of ever healing.

For diabetic patients, especially after a skin injury, the odds of healing not only stack up against you but they do so quickly.
So the question is not whether hydrogen peroxide is beneficial. That is not up for debate. There are many good uses for it, just not on wounds. Wounds can instead be cleaned with mild soap and water immediately after an injury.

On a long-term basis, there are a myriad of wound cleansing options available which will help to remove biofilm and reduce bioburden in the wound but not affect the healthy skin cells – allowing the proliferation of fibroblast cells in the wound cells that play an important role in forming new granulation tissue and getting the wound healed.
Although the debate on the effectiveness of using hydrogen peroxide on wounds may continue, one thing that is certain is wound care has grown so much especially over the past 20 years. There are many advanced wound care modalities available.

What to use for wound care?
So what do you use on a scrape or cut? I strongly recommend a good wash with soap and plenty of clean water. After washing, pat dry with a clean towel. Then apply an antibiotic ointment and cover it with a bandage. There is no need for hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.
Seek medical care for larger wounds and gashes, excessive bleeding, or if there is debris stuck in the wound.

Hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant
I strongly urge you to move your peroxide from the medicine cabinet to the cleaning cabinet. Hydrogen peroxide is a great alternative to bleach.
Use peroxide in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves. There is a chance of toxicity if you inhale it, and it can irritate the skin and eyes.
Hydrogen peroxide is a great germ-killer for:
• Bathtubs, sinks and showers.
• Counters.
• Cutting boards.
• Door knobs.
• Garbage cans.
• Mirrors.
• Refrigerators.
• Toilets.
• Toys.
Peroxide kills bacteria, fungi and viruses. It can come in handy if you do not have disinfecting wipes or bleach. Just be careful not to get it on your clothes or furniture, or it may bleach them.

Conclusion
While hydrogen peroxide does have known antiseptic properties, it may do more harm than good when it comes to wound care. Numerous studies have confirmed that hydrogen peroxide should not be used to clean cuts and scrapes. Many of us will say my mom (or grandma) told me to clean it out good with hydrogen peroxide. Unfortunately, this deeply held belief extends across multiple cultures and generations, and health professionals must do more to educate the population on why hydrogen peroxide should not be used for wound care. There are many other good uses for hydrogen peroxide but wound care is not one of them.

Ask Your Doctor is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. The reader should consult his or her physician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field are ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented.

Dr Brett Hodge is an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor. Dr Hodge has a medical practice in The Johnson Building in The Valley (Tel: 264 4975828).

Anguilla Hotel and Allied Workers Union (AHAWU), as well as, Organized Workers and Labourers Union (OWL) have been in existence for collectively over a decade. We have been asking the Hon. Hubert Hughes since 2012 to implement legislature to allow unions to function and not merely exist. He has refused, AUF government has refused and now you are refusing also either by ignorance or by design.

Currently there are laws allowing unions to exist but no laws to allow them to operate. An example of the law that needs to be passed for example is: A trade union claiming to have as members in good standing a majority of the employees of an employer in a bargaining unit may, subject to this Part, make application to the Commissioner to be certified as the exclusive bargaining agent of the employees in the unit.

Thus your statement that unions should be formed is unfounded as they are already formed. Please see the evidence provided below.

Anguilla Hotel and Allied Workers Union Labour code request

Anguilla Hotel and Allied Workers Union AppealS to CM

Message from President of The Organized Workers and Labourers Union

On 18th February 2021 during the policy session at the Attorney General Chambers, you claimed, as stated that it was, “Very positive and instructive for me.” I would like to suggest to my Anguillian people that this is the main reason why unions have not been operating in Anguilla. i.e. We elect persons into office who are not equipped passionately and intellectually to deal with the issues of their portfolio. For example, we elected an eyes, ear and nose surgeon to fix our financial problems expecting progress. Indeed, Anguillians are a unique specie. My evidence for such a claim can be seen in the term of the previous Minister of Labour. Even though she is a lawyer and would have no difficulty understanding what is needed, instead we see her passing the Labour Department Act with no mention to trade unions. She claims that it would have come with the third part of the code, if the AUF were re-elected. That argument holds no water, for if the intention was to provide for the worker then it would be perfect to mention in the same Department of Labour Act the clause: The Commissioner shall in writing within a reasonable period of time not to exceed three months of the receipt of the application for certification of bargaining agent – (a) certify the trade union as the recognized bargaining agent for the bargaining unit.
It is apparent that the Covid saga has made your position more problematic. Like any politician you naturally will be concerned about public opinion and ratings. In such a position it is human nature to deflect the resolution or rather responsibility, from oneself onto the uninformed work force. I want to emphatically state that you are disingenuous and even condescending in saying that workers should pay their part. It is worthy to note that from Teacher Kelly days nearly 20 years ago, to present, we unionists have been advocating for workers to join regardless of the union being ineffective. We did not collect salaries unlike yourself and your 2 previous counterparts.

In closing, the position of Unionism in Anguilla is such that when government finally passes some edited law to allow the uninformed to be informed, that measures would be taken to ensure that some political group or lobby would have the major influence over the union. I just think it is a slap in Gods face to call yourselves Christians but yet you prosper off the sweat and tears of your neighbour and fellow man. If you are really concerned about the workers then explain to them how longer will they have to wait. I personally have been waiting for 10 years this year and have heard all of the excuses. I am confident in saying that you are still in the learning stage of the issues of labour and as such, elections will come again and then there will be a new minister of labour who will have to take 2-3 years as well, to learn what you now know.

Yusuf Abdul Ali
OWL UNION
Defunct President
3rd March 2022

The proposed GST (Goods & Services Tax) is a prime example of Regressive Taxation. A Regressive Tax is a Tax that BENEFITS the WEALTHY, while imposing a much greater BURDEN on the WORKING PUBLIC!

This is particularly the case in this instance, as the GST is to REPLACE (among others) the Hotels & Villas Accommodation Tax. The Accommodation Tax is clearly paid directly from the pockets of those well off enough to pay several hundreds, thousands, and even TENS of THOUSANDS of Dollars PER NIGHT, to visit our lovely Anguilla!

Make no mistake about it – with the new GST, every single individual and family will pay more for Groceries, Gas, Clothing and our daily needs, while the Hotels & Villas will continue to charge whatever they will, WITHOUT PAYING their ACCOMMODATION TAX!
The suggestion that charging people MORE will result in LOWER costs is financial NONSENSE! 4%, 9%, 13%, 13% of 13% – is all economic bait & switch! I have a Law Degree and I can not understand these mathematical manipulations. Can anyone explain it clearly to me?

There are also the extra Government costs and bureaucratic nightmare of trying to implement & perform the necessary accounting for each business on the island. To check each cash register, credit card receipt, cash transaction and etc, is costly and time consuming for both Government, and also the businesses themselves.

Anguilla has always been for Anguillians first. Why is Government now proposing to go in a different direction, by taking hard earned income & wages from OUR pockets, and leaving it at the Hotels?

A Respectful Belonger

LOST IN ANGUILLA

Most people do not enjoy being bewildered on unfamiliar roads. But last week being lost was instructive.

My husband and I were in The Valley looking for a way to bypass the construction. We wanted to go to a restaurant near the airport. Somehow we ended up at Katouche Bay.

Although we have been visiting Anguilla for 25 Februaries, we had no idea how we’d gotten to these unfamiliar roads.

Then we saw two locals up ahead. We stopped and asked directions to the airport.

“Oh, just follow us. We will run along side the car until you get to the right turn.” I was amazed and embarrassed. Where we come from in the States, someone might point to a turn ahead or give verbal directions. No way would we run along side the car.

“Oh no,” I said. “I’d never ask you to do that. Just tell us how to get there.”
The young woman said running by the car was no problem but she gave us verbal directions. “Turn right at the ditch, “ she said.

We set off, having no idea where there was a ditch. Soon we ended up where we’d started – lost at Katouche Bay.

To our amazement, we saw the same young woman and young man running down the road after us. They’d seen we had no idea how to proceed correctly.
“I have another idea,” the woman said. “See that garbage truck? My cousin is the driver. I’ll tell him where you want to go. Just follow him. “

So we got behind Waste Away as he led us to known territory.

Who does this much helping? We were awed by the kindness of these strangers. In a time when there is so much hostility and meanness in the world, we were thankful for the spirit of Anguilla.

Evelyn and Bob Jackson
Wellfleet , Massachusetts

And walk on the Right, both in Daytime & at Night!

I want to praise the article in the 14, January, 2022 issue of The Anguillian; “Night-time Safety on Anguilla’s Roadways”. The importance of these two main topics: walk facing traffic, and dim high beams to oncoming traffic; have always been serious safety concerns, and should not be taken lightly!

It is VERY important dim your high beams to oncoming traffic, so as not to impair the other drivers vision; BOTH as a simple courtesy as well as an important SAFETY measure! The seriousness of the potentially blinding effect on oncoming traffic is specifically being addressed by many automobile and truck manufacturers. High end, and newer vehicles are now equipped with mechanisms which AUTOMATICALLY dim high beams, when sensing oncoming traffic! Unfortunately, most less expensive or older vehicles don’t have these modern safety features yet, and without being manually lowered, high beams continue to interfere with oncoming motorist’s vision!

We must practice this simple safety measure, and ALWAYS quickly dim our high beams to oncoming traffic!

With the issue of pedestrians walking with their backs toward oncoming traffic at Night; I respectfully disagree, in part, with the Article. Although nighttime makes things even more dangerous, pedestrians should ALWAYS walk FACING traffic, DAY or Night! Motorists, even in daylight can easily become distracted from the road ahead or have a short lapse in concentration for a variety of reasons: cell phones, passengers, potholes, goats, dogs, sun in eyes, a passing friend & etc. Walking on the right, facing oncoming traffic, gives you the Pedestrian the ability to ALSO observe and react to any possible problem! Thus doubling the protection.

As encouraged throughout the world, in the absence of sidewalks, ALWAYS walk facing oncoming traffic!

Perhaps these two simple, but extremely important safety measures, if not already, should be mentioned in school classrooms? They certainly should be taught with any driving lessons!

A Respectful Belonger

(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)

Public Servants in Antigua Request Salary Increase After Talk of Pay Rise for Gov’t Ministers
Public servants in Antigua have been reacting to possible salary increases for Cabinet ministers.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne revealed on the weekend that “many of my ministers, since last term, would have said to me that at some point we have to review the parliamentary pay”.
The comment has provoked public servants to take to social media and the radio to also request a salary increase in tandem to any rise given to ministers.
The collective clamour is that nurses, teachers and police officers are also deserving of long-awaited pay rises.
Currently a government minister gets paid EC$13,000 a month including allowances, Browne told The Observer last night.
In making a case for an increase, the Prime Minister argued that compared to the Cayman Islands, local parliamentarians do not make a sufficient wage.
He also said that their salaries are “less than a number of public servants” in Antigua and Barbuda.
“If you had to do an analysis of work that ministers do, and in particular the pay, there are many who will argue that they’re underpaid, based on the existing pay scales even in Antigua and Barbuda both in the public and private sectors,” Browne said.
However, he added that while increases can be considered, it would not be possible now and certainly not without also increasing the salaries of public servants.

I would very much like you to print what I have to say about my and my husband’s visit here this week.
We are regular visitors to Anguilla normally 4 times per year. (we even came in November 2017, just after the hurricane to try and help in whichever way we could)

Since the outbreak of Covid our 4 trips per year have not been possible. We were unable to visit after our February 2019 trip but finally managed to come in July this year for 4 weeks. Whilst our permission to visit certificate was only received almost at the end of our deadline for flying, things went smoothly from then on KIND OF? On arrival we had to undergo another PCR test as some visitors from the previous day had been found to be positive for Covid. We arrived at approximately 12.30pm and were tested about one hour later. We did the usual – i.e. covid carriage to hotel, send out for food, stay in apartment until results of test (within 24 hours we were told) Our test results were emailed to us at approximately 3.00am that morning. (9.00am we were all ok to enjoy breakfast in the hotel and go).

This was an efficient service.

Imagine our horror NOW, we arrived at 10.00am Wednesday 1st December, knowing and fully aware that we had to have the pcr test yet again, this time the test which was carried out at 10.15am. was agonising and 2 nostrils instead of the 1 that happened in July. On leaving the test room/centre IMAGINE our further HORROR to find the arrival lounge flooded with water, we are both in our seventies and having to wade through an inch of water, workmen drilling, unable to hear anything, then trying to finally find some safe way to exit this horrendous mess. Neither I, my husband, or any visitor, should have to cope with this terrible danger.

Both the arrival nurse and administrator informed us that we would get our test results within 24 hours. That they would be sent to the email address on the ivisit anguilla application.
Obviously, stupidly expecting the results to arrive similar to those in our July visit, we had no news on thursday morning, so, checked the email all day long to no avail. We even had people trying to contact the ministry of health all day, only to be finally told that there was a backlog.
Spent all of Wednesday, then all of Thursday with no results (also no food or drink, and a car hire we had been paying for since Wednesday and could not use)
At 6.15pm Thursday night (32 hours after the test) the result for me came through -NEGATIVE but nothing for my husband. Later that evening he had a telephone call to say he was positive and would be tested again on Friday at the hotel. His test was taken at approximately 11.am Friday 3rd December, (along with 2 other visitors, who we now hear that their samples have been lost), on a rapid result test he was negative, but has to still await the PCR test result which should be in 24 hours.
6pm here now and still no result and still piling up costs on car, take-aways etc.etc.
SO YET AGAIN IT IS NOW 31 HOURS SINCE YESTERDAY’S TEST,
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE, IT IS NOT ONLY A DISGRACE IT IS ABSOLUTE CRUELTY

Both the Minister for Health and the Minister for Tourism should be replaced immediately, you do NOT entice visitors to the island knowing full well that you do not have the infrastructure to support those visitors and leaving them in Limbo for God knows how long and at their own expense.

We both put a lot of money into the community here but I am afraid to say as soon as we get a very, very, very late result we will leave and forgo our 5 week holiday and socialising with our friends here and immediately return home.

Please will you make visitors and your nationals aware of what I am saying, as this
must desperately be improved NOW, you will have probably lost $50,000 from us that would otherwise have gone into the economy.

We have always just loved Anguilla and the people, but time to say goodbye, maybe forever unless things improve.

Susan Ashley & Frank Ashley

Office of the Speaker of the House of Assembly
Attention: Honourable Speaker, Mrs. Barbara Webster Bourne
The Valley
Anguilla

Dear Madam Speaker

I refer to the unfortunate, careless and reckless allegations made by you against the Anguilla Football Association (“AFA”), of which I am President, in the Anguilla House of Assembly on the morning of Tuesday, 23 November 2021.

During your opening remarks in the House, you framed your concern for abuse against women and young girls and “very young girls” by singling out the AFA in language which alluded to the AFA as a supporter, instigator and initiator of such violence. You stated to the House of Assembly, without putting forward any evidence whatsoever, that “keen attention must be paid to this” because in your words, “this is growing”.

I wish to state categorically on behalf of the AFA that we have never supported neither do we condone the abuse of women, girls or “young girls’ in Anguilla whether within our ranks or within the community. Part of our mandate has been to promote opportunities for women and girls in order to educate and empower them. This has been evidenced by the robust programmes we have put in place over the past several years for the sporting wellbeing and education of the girls and women of Anguilla.

Therefore, I wish to assert that such bold-faced allegations tendered by you against the AFA will not go unchallenged. It is unfortunate that you should attempt to use the position of the Speaker of the House in an attempt to intimidate the institution of the AFA into furthering what one can argue are interests which align with your own personal interests.

To ensure that proper context is given to the actions you took before the House, I wish to outline the factual matrix:

i. I refer to the evening of Sunday, 21 November 2021 during which you made an extremely inappropriate phone call to me on my personal cellphone.

ii. During that phone call, you asserted that you had a personal interest in a matter which was presently being adjudicated by the Disciplinary Committee, an independent, impartial body which hears and settles disputes for the AFA.

iii. After I told you that I was awaiting the final report by the Disciplinary Committee, you shamelessly stated that you were greeting me as the “Speaker of the House and not as Barbara Webster” and that you needed the matter to be resolved by the very next morning, Monday, 22 November 2021.

iv. Adding insult to injury, you proceeded to state that if I did not provide a resolution by the next morning, you would use your powers in your capacity as a high ranking politician, (notwithstanding that you are an unelected official), to revoke work permits at will, thereby affecting the work of the AFA.

v. You boasted that you had done it to other parties already and that you would do it again unless I acceded to your demands.

vi. Even though I sought to reason with you and remind you that in any dispute regarding any member of the AFA, due process must take place by an independent committee, (over which I had no control), you threatened that if I did not personally provide a resolution to the dispute, by the said Monday 22 November, 2021, you would raise this personal matter in the House through your position as Speaker of the House and revoke relevant work permits tied to the AFA. We then concluded the call.

vii. On Monday 22 November 2021, you were informed that all preliminary interviews had been completed and we were awaiting the final report with a decision by Friday 26 November, 2021.

viii. This was still not good enough for you. On the morning of 23 November, 2021, the general public was treated to what amounted to your carrying out part of your threat to the AFA during the House sitting.

In light of the foregoing, I wish to inform you of certain facts:

i. The AFA is an apolitical, collaborative sporting institution, whose interest lies in the wellbeing of the football constituency and the broader community of Anguilla. We do not intend to be intimidated into furthering the personal interests of any politician which does not accord with the requirements of integrity, transparency and fairness, which we as a body try to model within the community.

ii. As President of the AFA, my responsibility is to ensure that due process is observed in any matter concerning any member of the AFA. Therefore, as you should know, all relevant parties must be given the opportunity to participate in any investigation initiated by the AFA in order to achieve a fair resolution.

Furthermore, the AFA has had several matters involving players and their well-being and you have never lent your voice or used your good office to address same. Why now? It is hoped that in the future the office of Speaker in the House of Assembly will not be used with such scant regard for procedure and due process in an attempt to further or promote personal interests. Where there are matters regarding the AFA, you should refrain from damaging, irresponsible and defamatory language.

It is ironic and unfortunate that on a subject such as the abuse of women which you referenced before your disparaging statements, you chose to use your platform in a manner which undermined the significance of this topic and divert the conversation to a matter which aligned principally with your personal interests.

Madame Speaker, I hope this misstep will be corrected in the House where it took place.

Sincerely

Girdon Connor
President of the AFA

cc. Her Excellency The Governor, Ms. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam
Honourable Perin Bradley, Deputy Governor
Honourable Premier Ellis Lorenzo Webster
Honourable Dee Ann Kentish-Rogers
Honourable Kenneth Webster
Honourable Kyle Hodge
Honourable Haydn Hughes
Honourable Merrick Richardon
Honourable Cora Richardson- Hodge
Honourable Cardigan Connor
Honourable Quincia Gumbs-Marie
Honourable Evans Neil Rogers
Honourable Jose Vanterpool
All Media Houses

The 2019 constitutional talks in Anguilla represented a collegiate and productive week of
discussions, where agreement was reached on the vast majority of the draft prepared in
Anguilla. The Anguillian team included representatives from across the political spectrum,
church leaders, the legal profession and others. A record of the talks was prepared, a
revised draft constitution was published and a joint statement was agreed by all of the
participants.

The talks included debate on the issue of same-sex marriage and civil partnerships, with
members of the Anguillian delegation expressing views on both sides of this debate. The
UK Government is committed to equal rights, including LGBT + rights. European
Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) obligations recognise the need for legal recognition
and protection of same-sex relationships more broadly but do not, yet, require same-sex
marriage. The UK delegation was on the record during the talks stating that it would prefer
that the Constitution should not discriminate and should include a right for Anguillans to
marry, but that the terms of marriage should be defined in Anguillian legislation passed by
the House of Assembly, as is the case now. The UK proposals on the right to marry in the
Constitution would not therefore require same-sex marriage in Anguilla.

It has recently been alleged that the UK delegation lied or misled the Anguillian delegation
on this issue – this is categorically not the case. The official record of the constitutional
talks clearly notes:
“On same sex marriage – the UK is not going to insist on inclusion of a
provision on right to marry for same sex couples, as this is not currently
required by international law. Other OT constitutions included provisions
for right to marry, but it was left to local law to determine what this looked
like in practice. However, consideration can be given to the BVI wording,
which the UK used for its proposal”.

The UK delegation looks forward to returning to Anguilla in due course to continue the
constitutional reform talks.

Adam Pile
Deputy Director, FCDO

Dear Editor:

I am writing from Leeds, England, to say I have been getting a kick from the recent letters by Pastor Philip Gumbs, and Mr. Don Mitchell, regarding same sex marriage – and related matters – now under constitutional discussions in Anguilla.

I thought both articles were informative and I liked the title of Pastor Gumbs’ article: “The one-engine plane has crashed.”

I have seen that Pastor Gumbs does some serious research for his articles insomuch that he was able to correct a statement by Mr. Mitchell and secure an apology from him. I found that to be very interesting and amusing.

I look forward to reading more articles and other writings on your online version of The Anguillian newspaper.

Eugene Somas,
Leeds, West Yorkshire,
England.

I was advised via email that I should quarantine for a period of 4 days and then, on the fourth day, I should go to the Ministry of Health to do my exit test to which I gladly complied. During my swabbing experience, I did not feel when the swab entered my nostril, and asked the nurse if she was finished, to which she replied ‘All Done!’ I have done approximately 9 tests during the past 3 months, so I know what it is to be swabbed properly, and effectively. However, I had my doubts that the swab was sufficient to provide a suitable sampling. The following day, I tried calling the contact number (497 3930) for my results, only to receive an automated message which said, “End destination cannot be reached.” On the fifth day, I received a call at 7:30 am that my mom had tested negative for her exit test. I asked about the status of my test and was told that my results were in another batch and I would be called later that day.

In my conversation with one of the agents who I contacted personally, I was told that my test was inconclusive and is with the Chief Medical Officer who would give me a call later during the day. By this time, you can imagine the anxiety beginning to mount as I’m thinking I must have tested positive but is being left in suspense. I received a call a little after 2:00 p.m. which heightened my anxiety as I was told by the doctor that I seem to have been exposed as my test results came back positive for Covid19. I retorted, “How could it go from Inconclusive to Positive?” The doctor proceeded to ask me pertinent questions relative to the results in hand, but I challenged the result, and therefore I was asked to be re-tested in a few days.

I slept on the result, but did not settle for a positive result especially as it was an alleged older infection. I therefore made contact with my personal doctor, Dr. Lowell Hughes, and arranged to have an independent test done. Within a few hours, my doctor called and alerted me to check my email for my results from his clinic. Indeed, the test was negative and, according to the doctor, “Without a trace of positive.” Although I received that negative result from an authorized Medical Facility, I still had to re-test at the Ministry on the following day. This time the test was properly executed), but I had to remain in quarantine until those results came back 24 hours later because I could only be cleared by the Chief Medical Officer. On the morning of eighth day I received a call at 7:25 to inform me that I was negative, and was therefore released.

My Take a-ways and questions are as follows:
1: How many other persons tested positive and were not truly positive?
2: If I received a negative result from the only other authorised testing facility, why could I not be immediately released?
3: Was the reason for the positive result a matter of the swab not being properly administered, or was the equipment faulty? Persons administering the tests should be duly qualified to do so.
4: Why did it take almost 24 hours after my second test to be released? There was no sense of urgency in escalating or advancing my test results, although I forwarded my results to the Health Department immediately after receiving them.
5: Are we receiving authentic tests or are we receiving placebos? Are some of the swabs compromised or cross contaminated?

I beg of the governing authorities, and the Ministry, to check into the number of positive cases we have been seeing lately, to ensure that persons do not go through the mental trauma and anxiety that I have been through after receiving word of a positive test. I would also suggest that the swabbing be taken seriously and be done accurately. If in doubt the patients can do the swabbing themselves as they would know their comfort levels. Anyone can receive a positive result, but it must be authentic as we are all susceptible.

The aim of my writing is not to discredit the system but rather to challenge it by highlighting some possible irregularities and flaws, and to ensure that persons receive the correct results. As a businessowner, besides the loss in business opportunities, the mental trauma was most concerning.

In closing, I would like to sincerely thank those persons who have gone above and beyond to assist me in getting my results and for their genuine care and concern. I join with our medical professionals and caution all to take all necessary precautions to avoid this deadly virus. I am still convinced that the vaccine helps in fighting this deadly virus.

Submitted by Sandra D Richardson

Observing the town hall meeting on constitutional reform, last Thursday 7th October, the standout – and in fact only topic up for ‘debate’ – was same-sex marriage. It was therefore surprising when one of the speakers veered into pedophilia conspiracy theories, involving the establishment classes of England driven by “top cops, magistrates, judges and parliamentarians”. This is based on a conspiracy theory that found traction, last year, in the UK and was influenced by the ‘Q-Anon’ conspiracy theories in the US. These have been debunked as ‘conspiracy theories’. We should be mindful where we obtain our information from – and not put our trust in things just because they fit in with our agenda. The speaker was correct that pedophilia does occur in England but, unfortunately, it occurs in most societies, even Anguilla.

However, the point about pedophilia was made because the speaker was making a link between sexual abuse, at a young age, being one of the main causes of homosexuality and not that people were ‘born that way’. In fact there is some evidence to support this argument. A much quoted study in the US states that, ‘Anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant subset of children abused by clergy identify as gay as adults’ (Brady, 2008). Hailing from the “perverted” country of England, as the speaker referenced it as such, during his presentation, I know several people who are gay. They came from stable backgrounds, had not been abused as children, and they all have one thing in common – that they knew they were gay from early childhood at 4 or 5 years of age. This is not really the stage in life where people are thinking about ‘lifestyle choice’, which was another of the speaker’s arguments. Knowing how some people in Anguilla feel about homosexuality, why would anyone here choose to make that ‘lifestyle choice’ knowing they may be faced with a life of discrimination and derogatory remarks? This is not particularly an attractive proposition.

The Pastor argued that there was an agenda in England to increase the gay population from 2% to 10% or 20% (why there would be a motivation to do this was not explained) by “getting to the children” because “children are impressionable”. He also opined that teaching six year olds about same-sex relationships was “indoctrination”. This is sort of ironic because isn’t this just the same practice used to propagate religious belief?

Christianity is the major faith of choice here, but we heard time and again that marriage was in some way under the exclusive ownership of Christianity – and a Christian institution. The institution of marriage was around before Christianity was even thought of as a religion.

I am not gay, so banning same-sex marriage would not impact me directly – other than I would rather that we as a society did not discriminate against people based on who they love. Interestingly, we never seem to hear from the people who this ban would directly affect. We never hear their voices and I wonder why that is – I wonder why?

During the meeting, the Honourable Minister for Home Affairs shared that he and his fellow members of Government were of the opinion that same-sex marriage was a “no”, so it would appear that same-sex marriage has little chance of being part of the constitution. But aren’t Governments supposed to govern for all the people and promote equality by passing laws that are non-discriminatory? It would appear that on this matter it is a case of ‘Change Can Wait’.

Iain Bibby

Dear Mr. Editor

Anguilla is a developing nation. There is a constant demand for good quality infrastructure, transportation and services. But since Anguilla is a small island, with quite a sizable population, this problem still has not been addressed in totality. Anguilla has paved roads on the main streets to hotels and businesses while many households and some Villas and Restaurant owners are driving on poorly constructed ones with many potholes in the dirt, big rocks and pools of water. This is very bad for one that pays for a yearly vehicle licence fee.
Having a poor road system makes it more difficult for children to go to school, and more expensive for household owners to travel back and forth to their homes. Bad roads adversely affect people in countless other ways – and thus it makes people poorer. Building and repairing roads make a powerful impact on people’s lives in the rural areas.
Additionally, road development brings social, cultural and economic changes in the lives of the people, in terms of providing connectivity between people and places – and thus helps in reducing poverty by direct market access to the rural producers. It is a fact that if roads in an area are well-developed and properly maintained, travel time is reduced – and access to local supermarkets, work places, educational institutions and medical and health services is increased.

Benefits from improved road connectivity are delineated pointswise in the following:
• Safe, paved roads that can be used in all-weather conditions mean that people who once suffered at home, or died intransit, can now reach modern medical care.

• More and more pregnant women prefer to visit the hospital for the delivery of babies.
• Lives will be saved, as the ambulances can reach the villages on proper roads.

• The improved road enables people, particularly women, to find jobs, commute to work and schools, and go to clinics and hospitals more quickly and safely.

• An improvement in the employment situation in terms of more job opportunities, avenues for self-employment and so on will be generated.
• Better road connectivity will increase sources of income, and increased income will help in reducing debts – and would increase the buying power of the people, thus would improve overall standards of living.

• Good road connectivity will give a boost to better livelihood options in terms of a hike in land prices, increase in business opportunities, change in people’s lifestyle, shifting of occupation from farming to business, increase in mobility, goods transport and travel facilities, good accessibility, reduction in poverty, illiteracy and ignorance.

Finally, it is concluded that the effectiveness and impact of the road building projects that connect poor, vulnerable and isolated communities to schools, services and markets are key to socioeconomic development. Also, road building and repairing roads make a powerful impact on people’s lives in the rural areas. It is imperative to understand that infrastructure such as better roads carry a profound role towards reducing poverty.

Anguillian Community Citizen

Why are we allowing the unvaccinated in the population to hold our country to ransom? Weeks ago, Premier Ellis Lorenzo Webster said that frontline workers in health, public service, and hospitality must be vaccinated against COVID-19, but neither the government nor employers have mandated this. Consequently we only have 58% of the population vaccinated. If we had reached 90% we would not be in the position we are today.

With 90% vaccinated we would have freedom – no masks, no regulations for gatherings plus, most importantly, fewer cases – and less expense for the government that currently has to test all contacts and provide hospitalisation when needed. Vaccinated tourists would be able to enter the island without the current protocols and testing which must be a deterrent to many. In other words, the island would be able to function and progress.

Many governments and employers in countries around the world, including in the Caribbean, have mandated vaccination for sections of their workers. Why not Anguilla? Is it so difficult to be strong for the sake of our future? The selfish attitude of those who won’t vaccinate endangers not only their own health but everyone else’s too. It allows the virus to thrive and evolve giving unnecessary work for the health workers. The vaccine has proven to be safe and effective so there is no reason not to take it.
Failure to vaccinate, without a medical reason or for the under aged, is a failure for all of us – and failure for our country to move forward.

Signed: Vaccinated Anguillian