"We The People Of Anguilla"

The following Letter from The “Concerned Citizens of Anguilla” was handed in to the Governor’s Office and distributed to the public on Friday May 28 by Lolita Davis Richardson, Convener of Civil Society.

His Excellency the Governor
Government House
Old Ta
Anguilla

Your Excellency, we the people of Anguilla believe that it is the right of every colonial people to enjoy progressive Constitutional advancement to deliver the maximum possible level of self-government and to achieve a modern, non-colonial status. Anguilla is not an exception.

There are, as your Excellency knows, Constitutional advancement initiatives taking place in the Overseas Territories. Indeed, the Overseas Territories White Paper encourages them.
We believe the powers of Her Majesty’s Government should be reflected in the Constitution in terms that are not colonial in nature and which reflect the purposes for which they must rightly exists.
We share the views of Her Majesty’s Government in the UK that it has the right to expect high standards of probity and governance in the Overseas Territories.
We regard our standards of probity and governance to be at least as high as those in the UK. This is not because the UK expects or demands it, but because the people of Anguilla deserve a democratic and not an autocratic form of Government.
In nurturing a fledging democracy such as ours, the people in exercise of their democratic rights, are the most appropriate arbiters of standards of Government. The people of Anguilla are no less able to do so, than their counterparts in the UK.
We also share the views of HMG in the UK that it is important to ensure the independence of the civil service, the judiciary and the police, in the very same measure and manner, as it is important to do so in the UK itself and in all democratic countries. And so in the non-colonial climate that we wish to exist, these institutions in Anguilla should be appropriately independent of everyone, including the UK Government and the Governor, and not just independent of the democratically elected local Government. Independence and colonialism must not be confused with each other.
The point that we are making is that the vitally important task of ensuring the independence of these bodies does not require colonial mechanisms, because the same vitally important independence is achieved elsewhere (for example, in the UK itself) by democratic means that are not colonial in nature.
The independence of these institutions can be achieved by colonial or by non-colonial means. We favour non-colonial mechanisms for these important purposes in Anguilla as well.
The UK also emphasis its responsibility to ensure that Overseas Territories comply with international obligations.
We acknowledge this, but the issue is not that simple. Often, these obligations are not in the interests of the Territory and place unaffordable financial strain on it or place huge constraints on its economic and social development. Sometimes the international measure serves the UK’s own domestic policy interests at the expense of the interests of the Overseas Territories.
We believe that it is morally wrong to impose these measures on the Overseas Territories and very probably legally indefensible, given among other things the nature of the UK’s obligations to the Territories under the Charter of the United Nations.
It was with nothing less than horror that we read in the various publications that the foreign office wanted what would amount in effect to reciprocity for over three hundred million Europeans, with freedom of movement to our microscopic island of only 35 sq. miles and 8000 Anguillians.
We are very conscious of what has happened to the native people of our neighbouring French St. Martin. If the depopulation of these small black colonies in the Caribbean were an intentional ploy, by covert means such as racial discrimination and marginalization of us in our native island, so that it is “better” for us to go off to the ghettoes of Europe or live on the dole in England, that would be a crime against humanity, but of course no one, including the native people of French St. Martin saw the consequences of integration for small native populations when the tide of migration turns and they are over run with all the negative aspects of that tragedy, including institutional racism against the ethnic people.
We have witnessed the consequences, which can be genocidal in effect. There is an old saying, “when your neighbor’s house is on fire, wet yours”. There is another old saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. The statement that “The Overseas Territories will reflect the best of what is British”, the imposition of British Citizenship on a colonial people in the shadowy world of globalisation, and the concept of Good Governance which seems to translate into “do as I say or I will do it for you”, paints a frightening picture for whose forefathers knew the pains of capture, deportation and slavery.
Recently in Anguilla we have noticed what may be regarded as attempts to massagenate our population, by violating the provisions of the constitution which requires 15 years residence for belongership status.
Recently also, laws which contravene most democratic principles, including principles of freedom, fairness and justice and the right to just and prompt compensation for our land have made their way into our law books under the guise of “consolidation”.
It would not be “nice”, Your Excellency, for the British Government to be playing “colonial games” with the people of Anguilla, while they expound the principles of freedom and democracy elsewhere.
We the people of Anguilla look forward to a good working relationship with Your Excellency as the Governor of Anguilla, and for good governance in the best interest of all the of Anguilla.

CONCERNED CITIZENS OF ANGUILLA
Friday 28th May 2004

Lolita Davis Richardson
Convener of Civil Society