Anguilla's Revolution Still Moving Forward By Mr. Jason Allen

Within the first month of my residency here in Anguilla in June 2005, to understand the island and its history better, I started to read the book Under an English Heaven by Donald E. Westlake. It was loaned to me by the then Deputy Governor of Anguilla The Honourable Mr. Mark Capes, who has recently moved on to be the Deputy Governor of Bermuda. There is such a rich and immense history throughout the Caribbean and, of course, the history of Anguilla is unique in many ways. One of the most salient facts I remember from the book is the notion that Anguilla’s revolution occurred without firing one shot. It was not violent in terms of war, but it was in terms of ideals. I am not going to proceed on giving a history lesson to my readers as we have Mr. Colville Petty who frequently reminds us of this. Yet, I would like to expound on this notion of revolution and how it pertains to the actual times in Anguilla and more specifically to youth.

All too often, from the outside, people of the Caribbean are noted for their relaxed attitude and of course relaxed can sometimes be confused with complacency or more simply, laziness. Although I can agree on many levels that laziness is rampant, I must admit that it is confined to only certain activities in general. For the most part, it has been obvious to me, especially in Anguilla, that there is a history of standing up for things that are not right and trying to make a difference as a community. Since I have been here, I have seen marches on the Secretariat when people opposed the physical planning bill, a community getting together to combat the problem of violence in schools, businesses who constantly provide support financially to organizations trying to make positive change, as well as a gathering of the minds and people to eradicate crime.

Indeed, Anguilla has come a long way since 1967, but it is obvious that the revolution is continuing. The Anguillian people are still working hard to put their homeland on the map and situate themselves as a cut above the rest of the islands and territories. We currently have a booming economy based upon high end tourism. There are three world class hotels and resorts, with two more being built and another on the drawing board in the east. As much as there is physical development and improvement of infrastructure such as the road project, there is much to be said about social development. There are numerous sports programs on the island for both youth and adults, clubs such as the Optimists, Soroptimists, Anguilla Beautification Club, Rotary Club, and many more. I could go on and on about the many people and clubs that have plans for big things to happen in Anguilla and I will try my best to highlight all of those people.

In terms of the youth, every time I watch KCN, pick up The Anguillian, or listen to a radio station, I am constantly either hearing or reading about positive youth initiatives. Although the recent surge in crime has been blamed on the youth, I cannot say that things are worse than they were two years ago. There are so many more opportunities for youth, thanks to many organizations, clubs, and government. Anguilla is definitely on the right track.
Anguilla’s revolution occurred so that the quality of life could improve for everyone. It is amazing how people in a community can still come together to help make change and this has been evident to me just in the past two years and I assume it has been that way consistently for the past 40 years. Of course, there are still many problems in our society, as it is in any society, but during this time of celebration, we should focus on the positive. So, I wish Anguilla a happy 40th anniversary and I am proud to be living in such a wonderful culture and as equally honoured to be part of the change making process.