Editorial

There is a feeling in the air that a showdown may well be in the offing between Britain and Anguilla as both parties appear to be heading on a collision course over the question of full internal self-government. It is a request, or perhaps more politically correct, a demand by the Anguilla Government backed by all factions of the island’s political divide and the entire population, all now united on going forward with an advanced system of constitutional modernisation.

This week some of the important business of the Government, such as the sitting of the House of Assembly, has been postponed to pay attention to a review of Anguilla’s Tourism Strategy and, hopefully, to a revitalization of the tourism policy and thrust into the marketplace. This is both timely and necessary if we are to preserve the growing but otherwise fickle industry and maintain its sustainability and survival in these challenging times of fluctuation and high competition.

In years gone by Anguilla was not in a position to undertake major borrowing. One reason was certain restrictions placed on the island as an Overseas Territory by the British Government. Eventually the Anguilla Administration was able to put forward a strong case which led to a relaxation of the rules which guided the requirements for borrowing.

The Rt. Rev. Errol Brooks, one of Anguilla’s accomplished and well-respected sons, celebrated the Tenth Anniversary of his Consecration and Ordination as Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba with a special service at St. Mary’s Church on Tuesday evening, March 25. The large crowd, from all walks of life, which filled the church to capacity, was indicative of the high esteem in which he is held and the great appreciation the populace has for his ministry in Anguilla and in the twelve-member islands of the Diocese on a whole.

After three long, challenging but productive years at the helm of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, and having been knighted for his outstanding work, Sir Brian Alleyne, SC, KCN, is going into retirement next month still in his position as Acting Chief Justice. It is a let down of the Judiciary and the people of the sub-region that a legal luminary of his calibre was not accorded the honour to be fully-appointed to the post. It would have been a crowning achievement not only for him, but for the Caribbean and the justice system in the eyes of the world.

There are two matters that are being handled in a manner that can breathe a fresh air of hope and relief across Anguilla.

There is growing concern over the increasing number of accidents and fatalities in Anguilla due largely to reckless driving. The vehicles, which many of our motorists are paying high prices for, as a means of pleasure, transport or part of their livelihood in a developing island economy, are sadly, in some instances, becoming rockets of destruction on the vastly improved surface of several of our roads.

While there has been a noted disinterest in the cultivation of some of the traditional agricultural food crops in Anguilla, occasioned to some extent by the ageing and passing of growers, there is every reason for encouragement that farming on the island is still alive and well.

The sentencing by the High Court on Monday this week of an 18-year-old to life imprisonment, the ultimate punishment under the laws of Anguilla for murder, sends a strong message to young people who are engaging in acts of violence on the island.

When there are such achievements in a society like prosperity embodying lucrative economic development, an abundance of money, full employment and good living, people usually lose their focus on other important matters. In Anguilla today, ours is a bustling society and there appears to be little time to seriously look at other parts of the equation which are necessary to complement many of the strides we are making in various areas of life.

Alas, the days when revolutionary leader, Ronald Webster, with clinched teeth and determination of purpose, bluntly told British officials “I’m not taking that,” appear to be over. Those were the times when Anguilla claimed with much success that it had a special case to argue and Britain bowed in acknowledgement. But what about these days when constitutional reform and devolution of power to elected representatives are on the lips of many people in the Overseas Territories? Just how much leverage is there for us in Anguilla?

Cap Juluca has long been regarded as the flagship of the island’s up-market tourism industry. Conversely, its 400-odd staff, almost entirely Anguillians, have been praised for their sterling commitment to duty and service par excellence. And yet there have been no other workers in Anguilla who have had to endure so much uncertainty and frustration at the workplace than they.

We are in the last days of 2007 and on the threshold of 2008, haunted by some of the problems that made us to be concerned and fearful during the closing year, and apprehensive about what may be lurking over our heads in the coming and unknown year.

The front page story presents much evidence of the phenomenal economic growth of Anguilla over the years. When one considers the many financial and development opportunities still looming ahead and within our grasp, the island appears to be set for a rosy and enviable future.

Anguilla was among the lucky islands in the Caribbean to have been spared the ravages of the 2007 hurricane season which officially ended on November 30 and, unfortunately, one has not really heard much thanksgiving here that none of the storms came our way.

The current 40th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution is one of those high points from where we can survey some of our accomplishments and look at a number of challenges facing us as a small developing nation and how we can go about meeting them head-on. The theme of our present Tourism Week, “Managing Change”, is a well-thought out slogan.

Anybody who attended Tuesday’s meeting at the Anguilla Tourist Board at which there were overviews of achievements during 2007, a market review and the dissemination of other pertinent information, could only have concluded that the various presentations provided much food for thought.

The Anguilla Social Security Board is to be complimented for hosting yet another National Development Conference. It is the third so far and has had as its theme: “Anguilla at 40, A Self-Evaluation: Conversations on a Blueprint for Tomorrow.” The theme has basically been hinged on the 40th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution and while it presented opportunities for an analysis of what has been achieved, it held out some very useful suggestions of what should be the island’s achievable goals in the future, leading to the further empowerment of the Anguillian people.

The late Premier of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Robert Bradshaw, once said during the 1967 Anguilla Revolution that one reason he could not allow the island to secede was because “it held the key to the economic development of the entire Associated State.” Apart from its world-class beaches and tourism potential, Anguilla was then in fact a poorly-treated and grossly-dominated sister island which had inherited the embarrassing description as “a backwater of the Caribbean.”

If there is an achievement that the people of Anguilla should be proud about, apart from their 1967 stunning Revolution, it is the success story of the island’s Social Security system. In fact both the Revolution and Social Security (the latter of which was introduced some 14 or15 years later), are inseparable. They are a kind of “Siamese twins” having a tremendous impact on the development of Anguilla and the lives and wellbeing of its people.