Editorial

The success of young Omari Banks on the West Indies Cricket Team playing in competition against well-seasoned international teams, is both a personal and a national triumph. Omari is seen as a hero and an ambassador for Anguilla. The fact that he was followed to Antigua for last weekend’s match against the Australians by cheering fans and compatriots, speaks to the pride and high esteem in which he is being regarded at home and abroad. The praise showered on him by commentators and other persons outside of Anguilla and on the island is a source of encouragement not only to him but to all of us. It encourages us to aspire to other positions of achievement, honour and influence.

Mother’s Day, like Father’s Day, may be a good time for reflection for it has something to do with family life and the bringing up of children everywhere. Small societies like Anguilla can easily become tarnished by wanton behavioural patterns among young people. For this reason the challenge to maintain high standards of discipline and to keep youngsters out of trouble appears to be even greater. Experience these days has shown that unless there is strict parental guidance and control in the home environment, we stand a great risk of having a generation of unruly people among our population, if not now, certainly later on.

It is a matter of interest that towards the end of this month a team from the United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonisation will be visiting Anguilla. Thirty-six years ago in 1967, the island would have gladly welcomed such a visit when, following the Anguilla Revolution, our people, fighting for self-determination, were groping in darkness and uncertainty. The only thing that fortified our leaders who were simple men, inexperienced in the art of politics and administration, was their unwavering will to press on and the mass support of the citizenry they enjoyed.

The upcoming Public/Private Sector Civil Society Policy Forum by the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) may provide some good result and a cross-fertilisation of ideas from which Anguilla in particular can benefit.

It has been demonstrated repeatedly that when people anywhere are consulted on any matter affecting their lives and wellbeing that it turns out to be a blessing and contributes to an informed and peaceful society. When there is no consultation with the people on sensitive issues, misunderstanding and chaos can be the order of the day. No one wants this to happen in an otherwise democratic and law-abiding place like Anguilla. That’s why we welcome the current series of town meetings in which the people of the island are being given an opportunity to have their views and wishes reflected in the Labour Code now being developed for the island.

There has been little or no further information about the proposed expansion of Wallblake Airport since the flurry of press briefings and other meetings held over the past few months.

If the protest march against violence in the school and community in Anguilla on March 25 was an indication that a serious stand will be taken to stamp out this menace in our society, then there is some reason for hope. It was a welcome sight to see representatives from community groups and the churches marching along with the large number of school children and teachers.

No one can turn a blind eye to the fact that Anguilla is changing and that if we are not careful we can lose the good name we have built up on the regional and international scene. And it is hard for us to see the character of our island falling into jeopardy when it is only a handful of lawless and misguided persons at work in the schools and communities.

The possibility that the American Eagle might withdraw its ATR-42 aircraft from Anguilla at the end of the year, at the start of the new tourism season is not a comforting thought. It is a serious matter which must be addressed from now. We cannot allow the life blood of our economy, hotels, workers and their dependants to suffer from any loss in our tourist numbers and income levels without taking some decisive action to address the situation.

The impassionate plea by the newly-appointed Commissioner of Police for the upholding of law and order in Anguilla was still ringing in the ears of his listeners when certain acts of violence were reported on the island. The incidents seem to demonstrate that if we are not careful, Anguilla can find itself in a lot of social difficulties later on.

We join in saying a hearty thanks and goodbye to Mitchell Harrigan for his distinguished service and leadership role in the Royal Anguilla Police Force. We are grateful to him for leaving the island with a workable and useful community/policing contract to further the aims of law and order and the promotion of peace in our fair land. At the same time, we welcome Keithly Benjamin the new Commissioner and wish him every success during his tenure of office.

February 27, 2003 passed without Anguillians attaching any significance to the date and forgetting that 36 years ago the island together with St. Kitts-Nevis became an Associated State with Britain with the Central Government in St. Kitts fully responsible for internal affairs. Anguillians not trusting that constitutional relationship tore down the Statehood Flag at dawn. Earlier in the month they broke up a Statehood Queen Pageant, at the then Valley Secondary School, staged largely by a visiting drama group from St.Kitts. This was followed by a series of violent incidents which eventually blossomed into the eviction of the St. Kitts Constabulary and the taking over of the island’s affairs on May 30, 1967 in what is commonly referred to as the Anguilla Revolution. Thirteen years later the island was granted the present separate status of a Dependent (Overseas) Territory.

While there is so much in Anguilla to make us mind our own business, we do not live in isolation and must therefore sometimes look at events around us. It appears from information published elsewhere in this paper that St. Kitts-Nevis may now at last be jointly and cooperatively deciding to end their constitutional ties and going it alone. They are about to do so while preserving the cordial relationship between the peoples and governments of the two islands, under a possible Treaty of Friendship.

The private sector in Anguilla may need to take steps to put security measures in place or to improve any system it may already have to protect itself from robberies. Times are changing and we must be prepared to deal effectively with this type of crime as it rears its ugly head. We must not wait until it occurs to act but should anticipate it and have in place structures that may help to prevent it and to catch the perpetrators. Some sections of the private sector are equipped with burglar alarm systems but there are circumstances where there is a need for security officers to be employed.

The meeting late last week among hoteliers, other stakeholders in the tourism industry and two top level officials of American Airlines at Paradise Cove resulted in more questions than answers. They met to discuss the planned withdrawal of the American Eagle from Anguilla on December 31 this year and the interim period during which work will be carried out on the expansion of Wallblake Airport. Originally, we heard that the project should be completed by September of that year and then that date was brought forward to March.

The prospect of war in Iraq in the near future with US and British troops leading the assault, is not comforting news to anyone. Apart from being aimed at disarming the Middle East country of alleged weapons of mass destruction, the war will have a catastrophic impact on human lives and welfare. Already international financial markets are jittery as the conflict looms closure and once again, like September 11, 2001, the world is being plunged into a state of tension and violence. It seems that we all must look to the prophetic words of the Bible for the answers to the times and events of our day.

Luckily for all of us, Anguilla is a place of low crime. However, as part of a world besieged by every vice imaginable, and in fact to a great extent unimaginable, we do not expect our little island to continue as it is today. There are already uncomfortable signs that changing times and behavioural patterns, as well as certain influences, are resulting in a steady increase in the crime rate and something ought to be done to keep the situation under control. There seems to be a mushrooming of the number of young people appearing before the Magistrate’s Court week after week. This is perhaps a matter of much concern because a small island like Anguilla needs well-disciplined youth to help shape our future and to fulfill our ideal dreams.

The protection of the environment is an important consideration in any country, great or small. If we were to narrow this down to ourselves, we would all certainly agree that our people cannot be complacent when it comes to this matter for bound up in the caring of the environment are two vital aspects of our lives. They are our up-market tourism industry and our health, the latter of which may be considered of even greater importance.

The possibility that the American Eagle might withdraw its ATR-42 aircraft from Anguilla at the end of the year, at the start of the new tourism season is not a comforting thought. It is a serious matter which must be addressed from now. We cannot allow the life blood of our economy, hotels, workers and their dependants to suffer from any loss in our tourist numbers and income levels without taking some decisive action to address the situation.

One cannot but marvel about the fleeting time and sometimes how we are really unaware of it until a new year has dawned upon us.