Editorial

Over the past few years, and even at present, Anguillians have been hearing quite a lot about poverty assessment, and some persons whose households were randomly selected for the purposes of the information collecting questionnaires have become somewhat uneasy about the matter.

It seems that it was just the other day that Anguilla, though possessing the potential for perhaps being the most prosperous territory in the chain of Caribbean islands, was an impoverished and grossly unknown “backwater” in the region. The now 41 years of its revolution in which it broke away from St. Kitts-Nevis, have sped away and everyone, everywhere, who knew the hapless plight of the island and its people, are amazed by its economic growth. It is certainly a success story.

There is an urgent need for something to be done with respect to the exorbitant cost of living now affecting the people of Anguilla but who are not alone in this malady that is spreading across the Caribbean and indeed the world. Everybody is complaining. If persons who are well-salaried and with better financial means are crying, how about those among us whose income and resources or not just marginal but almost non-existent?

The Royal Anguilla Police Force, was formed in February 1972 following the withdrawal of the London Metropolitan Police, originally comprised Anguillians only. Luckily for the small law enforcement body, several of the rank and file came with some training and experience from other Caribbean jurisdictions.

Anybody who was in the Anguilla High Court on Tuesday morning, May 6, when Madam Justice Janice George-Creque delivered her ruling with respect to the dolphin project, almost shouted the Shakespearean phrase “a Daniel has come to Judgment.” It was a case in which a number of persons, represented by Webster Dyrud Mitchell, applied for a Judicial Review relating to an undertaking by Dolphin Fantaseas to construct a Dolphinarium/pier at Sandy Point Bay Beach, Blowing Point.

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.