Columns

Lillian ‘Lilli’ Azevedo, Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholar and archaeologist, has been living on Anguilla since 2009. Her PhD thesis on heritage and heritage management in Anguilla at the University of Southampton will be submitted in May 2012 and her current headquarters are at the Anguilla Heritage Trail Headquarters at Historic Wallblake House in The Valley. During her time on Anguilla, she has led an underwater archaeological survey to identify historic shipwrecks (2009) and spearheaded the Anguilla Heritage Trail (2010).

Many Anguillians at home and abroad are becoming more and more frustrated, disgusted and divided over what appears to be a never-ending duel between the Chief Minister and the Governor of Anguilla. Hardly a week passes when there is not some apparent conflict, war of words, subtle charge and counter charge, denial, and the like. For some, the situation is confusing, for some it is divisive, for some it is foolish and embarrassing, and for some it is seen as an opportunity to play party politics and score political points.

I cannot believe it. Impossible! What? The Executive Council of the Government of Anguilla, my Anguilla, approved the payment of $40,000 to the Hon. Hubert Hughes, Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, for telephone calls made from his home phone, some twelve to fifteen years ago? My Chief Minister, our Chief Minister, heading our Anguilla Government has been awarded $40,000 for telephone calls that were made a long time ago. And did you say he had previously made the claim, the same or a similar claim, on the Anguilla Government during the tenure of the Hon. Osbourne Fleming as Chief Minister, and was turned down?

This week the Anguilla United Front completed its Annual Convention.The Convention is an important part of the organization of our party, and the development of an effective strategy to inform and educate the people of Anguilla into making the right choices when the time comes, sooner or later, to select representatives that are capable of providing sound national leadership.

Citizens, Residents and Visitors during the week of January 22nd to January 28th, 2012 the Royal Anguilla Police Force celebrates its 40th Anniversary and Police Week under the theme “Public Security A Shared Responsibility”.
The Royal Anguilla Police Force was established in the year 1972 to maintain law and order, fight crime, to protect life and property and to maintain peace and tranquility in our society.

The unknown author of the familiar song “I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas Day…” must have been quite optimistic about the prized contents of those vessels. Whether those “ships” relate to a real experience, or whether they are only a figment of the imagination when that old English carol from the Victorian era is sung every year prior to the sacred day, it expresses a surge of glee and anticipation for the joys of Christmas.

This week, instead of his usual press conference, Governor Alistair Harrison gave separate interviews to Radio Anguilla, ATV 3 and The Anguillian. Above are some of the main topics on which he spoke to the newspaper on Tuesday afternoon.

Following is a statement issued to The Anguillian on January 12, 2012 by Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Evan McNiel Rogers

The Chief Minister, The Honourable Hubert Hughes shocked a number of Anguillians, residents on the island and his supporters when a little over a week ago a published decision from Executive Council revealed that he was able to maneuver his Ministerial colleagues into approving a payment on his behalf in the amount of EC$40,000. The payment to be made to Mr. Hughes for calls he claims to have made from his own home phone on behalf of the Government of Anguilla. All of these calls were made between twelve and fifteen years ago.

The Chief Minister was interviewed by a most “accommodating host” on “To the Point” on Monday January 16, 2012. And true to form, with an assortment of lies and other distractions, he tried to explain away the fact that he was able to get his colleagues in EXCO to agree to pay him EC$40,000 for calls made from his home phone some fifteen years ago.

Do you know that from time to time we are called upon to make a conscious decision to fight whether we want to or not? Well, sometimes we have some big giants in our lives and we have to be willing and prepared to fight in order to conquer them.
When our lives are under threat we have no other option but to choose to fight. When that happens we must have a made up mind like David, if we choose to take that course.

Fellow Anguillians, permit me to address you for the next few minutes as a former Chief Minister of Anguilla, a businessman and an extremely concerned Anguillian. Firstly, on behalf of my wife Ruby and on my own behalf I extend Happy New Year greetings to all Anguillians, residents and visitors to our shores. We wish you good health, happiness, success and God’s continued guidance in 2012 and beyond.

As the longest standing Minister of Finance in Anguilla and as a concerned Anguillian I feel strongly moved to comment on the Chief Minister’s Press Statement of January 3, 2012 in which the main issue is that the UK Government has not yet assented to our Budget.

It was interesting to hear the views of the heads of the largest public staff associations in Anguilla on the state of affairs in our island. I am referring to the recent statements by the President of the Anguilla Civil Service Association (ACSA) and that of the President of the Anguilla Teachers Union (ATU). Ironically, both of these leaders are pastors in their various Churches, so they may be expected to be fair and just in their presentations of the issues --- yet their assessment of the Chief Minister’s conduct seemto be vastly different.

Following is the third and final extract for the Budget Address delivered by Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Hubert Hughes, on December 16 dealing with Ministries and Departments expenditure in 2012

Fellow Anguillians,

Let me take the opportunity first of all to wish to Anguillians both at home and abroad as well as other visitors to our shores a Happy New Year as we enter 2012. I wish also to publicly convey the sentiments of the Season and best wishes of the New Year to the Father of the Nation, Mr James Ronald Webster and his dear wife Mrs Cleopatra Webster. No one knows the future either on a personal level or indeed on a national level and therefore as a Nation, we enter this New Year in Faith and Trust that God will see us through.

The Executive Council has just released minutes, covering several of its recent meetings, containing some matters of interest to the general public.

Following are a set of emails to Governor Alistair Harrison by Permanent Secretaries regarding the need for him to sign the 2012 budget. A copy of the emails was released to the media by Chief Minister Hubert Hughes at a press conference he called on Tuesday, January 3.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MISSION & VISION: THE MISSION OF THE ANGUILLA COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS,
“To respond to the needs of the community through the delivery of an array of high quality programmes and services in an environment which promotes innovation, open access and lifelong learning; and to empower students through the acquisition of skills, knowledge and values to contribute meaningfully to the development of Anguilla, the region and world.”

Fellow Anguillans, Visitors and Friends a Blessed New Year to you all.
Once again I give God thanks for affording us the opportunity to be alive to see this year.