Will The Mouse Roar Again?

There is a feeling in the air that a showdown may well be in the offing between Britain and Anguilla as both parties appear to be heading on a collision course over the question of full internal self-government. It is a request, or perhaps more politically correct, a demand by the Anguilla Government backed by all factions of the island’s political divide and the entire population, all now united on going forward with an advanced system of constitutional modernisation.

That support for a greater degree of self-determination is even wider when one considers the stated views of the United Nation’s Decolonisation Committee and well-placed members within the British Parliament. The objective in Anguilla is to have the powers of the Governor considerably reduced except for those subjects relating to internal security, defence and foreign affairs in particular, and responsibility for many specific matters hopefully to be devolved to the island’s elected representatives in the interest of constitutional democracy and the free will of the people.

Unfortunately, the British Government does not see eye to eye with Anguilla’s resolve and maintains its oft-repeated objection to full internal self-government and its position that such a step should be accompanied by a time-table for independence. The Chief Minister has been forthright in his views that Anguilla is not getting any financial aid from Britain, is carrying its own weight cushioned by its economic success and the time is ripe for elected representatives to have responsibility for many of the subjects and powers now being handled by the Governor. With the British stand-off on the issue, Anguilla, which has not been in serious conflict with Britain since its 1967 revolution, and the eventual separation of the island from the former Associate State, now appears to be a bug in Britain’s collar again.

On the other hand, however, while Leigh Turner, Director of the Overseas Territories, dismissed Anguilla’s request as something that is not in the British scheme of things, he nevertheless invited the island’s Government to bring its proposals to the table. Surely, in these modern times Anguilla and other aspiring territories must not be discouraged from the process of going forward and achieving a level of advanced constitutional and economic growth befitting small developing states.

Anguilla appears to be so bent on the question of full internal self-government that its leaders and people will not easily accept no for an answer. History has an interesting way of repeating itself and so it is possible that the little mouse that roared so hard that its scream was heard around the world in 1967, may roar again if the occasion arises. It is a matter of interest that this new call for an advanced status of self-determination has come on the heels of the 40th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution which brought about much economic prosperity on the island and freedom from its former unpopular union. The hope for full internal self-government must not be denied because, for one thing, it may be the genesis of a new initiative for responsible leadership for our people with all the pride and dignity it affords to a developing territory and its citizenry.