Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4774/-1/133/
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The Anguilla Revolution, Patriotism And Lessons For Anguilla's Youth In 2007 by Mr. Marcel Fahie
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The following keynote address was delivered by Mr. Marcel Fahie at an Anguilla Day programe last week.
The people of Anguilla were highly motivated, inspired and fiercely determined in 1967, when they took firm action and broke the constitutional and political relationship with St. Kitts and Nevis. They grasped political power and let it be known to the whole world that from henceforth they would take direct responsibility for Anguilla’s political, constitutional, economic and social destiny. Their radical and courageous actions, on and before 30th May 1967, brought an end to the presence in Anguilla of the police officers, representing the authority of the Central Government of the Associated State of St.Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. Thus they gave birth to the Anguilla Revolution on May 30th 1967, the 40th anniversary of which we are celebrating in 2007.
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Mr. Marcel Fahie
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The people of Anguilla, guided by their leaders and other revolutionary pioneers, set out on their revolutionary journey with great enthusiasm not knowing exactly where the road would take them, but determined to make their island home a better place in multiple ways. They had a vision for a “New Anguilla”, even if that vision was not very clear, nor well formed. They had a purpose for themselves. Their purpose was to be the planners, the designers, architects, engineers and builders of the “New Anguilla”. In short, they wanted political self-determination and therewith the power to decide the future direction of their beloved Rock, Anguilla, for themselves.
Who, you might ask, were those Anguillians who participated in creating the Revolution and in ensuring its survival and success? Who were they? They comprised the leaders of the Revolution. But leaders alone cannot get the job done. Who were those other Anguillians? They were ordinary Anguillians living in Anguilla and overseas with deep love for their homeland, desirous of seeing Anguilla rise out of the dust and despair of underdevelopment, who took action when the opportunity presented itself to do so. They translated their desire into action in a variety of ways and responded to the call of the revolutionary leaders to fight the battle, indeed the war, for Anguilla’s freedom, for their freedom, for our freedom. They were all Anguillian patriots, most of them unnamed in the books on the Anguilla Revolution, written to date, but known to those who participated in the Revolution, who are still with us 40 years on from that momentous date of 30th May 1967.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a “patriot” as a “person who strongly supports his country”. The Webster’s New International Dictionary (no relation to the Hon. James Ronald Webster) defines a patriot as “a person who loves his country and defends and promotes its interests”. Again I ask the question, who were these patriots? The patriots comprised the overwhelming majority of the people of Anguilla the young, the middle aged and the elderly.
The Webster’s New International Dictionary defines a “patriot” as “one who advocates or promotes the independence of his native soil or people from the country or union of countries of which it is a part”. This specific political definition of a patriot is particularly applicable to those who were the young people of Anguilla in 1967 especially those young people who actively participated in promoting, organizing and defending the Anguilla Revolution. It is also particularly applicable to those young people in 1967 who ensured that the public service of Anguilla continued to function, small and undeveloped though it was. They laid the foundation for the Anguilla Public Service that we now have 40 years later. It is applicable to the young people who dreamed of becoming business owners but put their dreams on hold to defend the Revolution, to Anguillian young people working overseas who made sure that resources were gathered and channeled back to Anguilla to help finance the Revolution.
The defining act of expelling the Police Force of the Central Government of the State of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla by itself could not make the Anguilla Revolution. A revolution is a process of rapid and major social change resulting from intense conflict between opposed political, economic, social or cultural groups over an extended period of time. It leads to major shifts in the distribution of political, economic, social and cultural power and influence from the previously dominant country, people, group or class to the previously subordinate country, people, group or class.
The Revolution freed creative energies and forces and set them to work in and among Anguillians. These energies and forces have been conducive to achieving our island’s economic development. Our people seized for themselves the power and authority to devise and adopt their own strategies and to determine the path they wished to follow in their quest to achieve the progress and prosperity of Anguillian society. The main political objective of the Anguilla Revolution, to establish Anguilla as a separate country in which the people would have the power to decide on their destiny by themselves for themselves, was accomplished in 1980 when Anguilla became an Overseas Territory of Britain by means of the Anguilla Separation Order 1980.
The broad economic and social objectives of the Revolution, to achieve prosperity and a better way of life for the people of Anguilla in a peaceful and harmonious society, have been much harder to achieve and has taken much longer to accomplish. Our standard of living has increased tremendously, but the peace, harmony and mutual love and respect that Anguillians had, in the past, for each other and for the strangers among us, have been severely eroded and the symptoms of social disharmony and conflict have become much more prevalent. This is an extremely troubling situation for those who have the responsibility to ensure the development of the Anguillian community, in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
The Anguilla Revolution is therefore an unfinished work. And there is much work for young people to do in helping to complete the vision and noble goals of the Anguilla Revolution. What should you as young people do? What should be expected of you? And what should you be expecting of yourself? The inspirational words of the revolutionary patriots from 40 years ago constitute excellent instruction to you today to chart the course for Anguilla over the next 40 years.
In 1967 they penned the following as part of a rallying song of the Anguilla Revolution to inspire and motivate Anguillians to the revolutionary effort:
God has a plan for every man for me as well as you
To build this little country till it’s all together new
So men of courage come along there’s work for us to do
With Christ our pioneer.
“We’re out to build a new Anguilla
We’re out to build a new Anguilla
We’re out to build a new Anguilla
This band of pioneers.
These words emphasize the need to trust in God and to invoke his power and guidance in the development of Anguilla and to assist all of us as we strive to contribute to that development. They identify the social mission for each and every member of the Anguillian community, citizen, belonger or long term resident, in building Anguilla and the Anguillian community into a new, just and harmonious society based on a strong moral and ethical foundation.
The Anguilla National Song, composed many years after this rallying song of the Revolution, re-echoes the importance of building the future Anguilla on a strong ethical and moral foundation, with God in the midst of all our efforts.
As young people today, I challenge you to base your life on a strong ethical and moral foundation. Love not only yourself but your fellow Anguillians in particular and your fellowmen in general. Dig into the history of the Revolution for inspiration and then dedicate yourself to developing your talents to their fullest for your own benefit but also for the benefit of your country, the place and the people that have been, and are nuturing you, and have given you the foundation on which to build your future.
Be patriotic towards Anguilla in your work and play and follow in the great tradition of the patriots of 1967.
THE REVOLUTION CONTINUES!!!