For years now I have been inundated by requests from people seeking a peek at my compendium of quotes by Anguilla’s political leaders. Indeed, some of the quotes are quite apt. Like this one from Albert Hughes (1989): “The risk is too riskful.” And from Hubert Hughes (2001): “Public relations makes a woman who has a thousand bumps on her face . . . look as smooth as a 2001 Ford because she is so well made up.”

Colville Petty

My compendium is extensive so I have chosen to provide, in the small space allotted to me, a peek at quotations pertaining only to political leadership. Reason for choice? Political leadership is always a subject of public debate. The quotations which follow give an insight into how, over the years, our political leaders have been presenting themselves to voters with respect to their suitability for political office. From the quotations one gets a good picture, both from the mouths of our politicians themselves, and the mouths of other political and social players, of how Anguillians see political leadership and qualifications for leadership.

Welcome to my compendium:

“As leader I feel bound to respect the opinions of the people who put me in the position of leader.” (Ronald Webster, 1968)

“Humility has been my lifetime companion and it has taught me how to accept responsibility without conceit.” (Ronald Webster, 1969)

“Put your confidence in your representatives and they will in turn treat you with utter tenderness and care.” (Ronald Webster, 1972)

“Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me.” (Ronald Webster, 1981)

“You gave those with shoes a chance already. It is now time to give the man without shoes a chance.” (Evan Richardson, 1981)

“Let me state here that Ronald Webster stuck to your side when things were dark and gloomy and I will do so to the end. I will never leave you nor forsake you. No! Never!” (Ronald Webster, 1981)

“Every developer on the island will tell you that Hubert Hughes is the most honest and the most able man that he has met in politics in Anguilla.” (Hubert Hughes, 1981)

“They say the only way Victor Banks could win his seat is if he run with James Ronald Webster. But I ain’t got no fuss with that. Maybe that is the case. But the fact is that when they are saying that they should recognize that there is a man in Anguilla who has the respect of the people of Anguilla to the extent that they could gain votes by being associated with him.” (Victor Banks, 1984)

“I was to the last end of my constituency today, at the last house in District No. 2, and whom should I see: Mr Eric Reid carrying water for an old crippled couple. [I challenge you to] stand against the record of Eric Reid.” (Quincy Gumbs, 1984)

“I am saying that we have a lot of plans for this lil island and it don’t need no GCE O levels. It need common sense and I have a lot of that, so let the people with the education do the book work and I will go in the field.” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1984)

“I am a fisherman and mason by qualification. Obviously this does not give me . . . any qualifications to become a member of Government but I have a few reasons: One, as a young man who live, work and play among young people. Two, I am one to whom you can call upon and bring your problems. Three, I am a resident person here. I have no way of escape, no green card.” (Wilson (Sonny) Richardson, 1984)

“You don’t go up to Island Harbour and take a little nasty boy and make him Minister of Finance and Lands. To be Minister of Finance you’ve got to be a responsible man and you’ve got to have some sort of ability. . . . You don’t learn that by repairing a little outboard motor.” (Hubert Hughes, 1985)

“Those of us who hold high government office must learn to place country above self, humility above lust for power and status; must put work and deeds above mere empty words and must give the country a chance to prosper.” (Emile Gumbs, 1985)

“You know I went to the disco the other night and I heard the lil boys say: ‘Eh, eh! How Hubert Hughes could dance so long? I never see a man dance so long!’ I said: ‘Man I always keep fit!’” (Hubert Hughes, 1985)

“Those of you who may listen and hear them talk about losing wife, and the rest of it; sure, I sacrificed her. But I sacrificed her for Anguilla. I sacrificed her for you.” (Nashville Webster, 1985)

“I have a couple of degrees and a lot of college subjects and all that sort of thing. To me that does make a person qualified in a way, but what’s more important is honesty, loyalty, integrity, devotion. Those are the sterling qualities that people need when they are running a government.” (George Hodge, 1988)

“We need sound and experienced and well balanced men. Not men who are carousing at nights drinking beer out of soda cans.” (Ronald Webster, 1988)

“They say that I . . . dance by myself. I do, and I love dancing. But they are many who say that I do it quite ably with style and ability, with vigour and vitality and I don’t quit. Now these are the qualities that a politician should have. Let me just show you where these qualities come in. If you were to send me abroad to represent Anguilla, I will do it with style, with ability, with vigour and vitality and I wouldn’t quit.” (George Hodge, 1988)

“They say I am a slow talker. This is true. But yer know there are people who could talk like a typewriter and they never get anything done. But I am like a mill dat grind di corn, very slow but sure.” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1989)

“Listen to me. It’s very good to be a college graduate. But if you take all the college graduates to run Anguilla they will run it in a hole. You need a mixture. You need a half ‘duncy’ person like me to mix wid dem.” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1989)

“Anguilla needs and Anguilla deserves men who are strong: men who are forceful, yet caring. We need people who stand for principles though the heavens fall: people who are not party men but people who are people’s men; people who are going to defend you and not the party.” (Ophelia Richardson, 1989)

“Mr Reid is so sincere, so honest, so church going. Aren’t you going to vote for him?” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1993)

“They say the only thing Kenneth can do is give you a wheelbarrow of dirt. [But] I am not a doctor. I cannot go in the hospital and cut a ‘pendix. I can’t fly a plane. But there are things that I could do to bring the necessary things to you: water, roads.” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1993)

“I tried my best in No. 2 [District]. Whenever there was a construction, air-conditioning, electricity or a plumbing job, I came and look for the fellows in District No. 2. Whenever there was a little vacancy, I pushed the guys from No. 2 in those areas.” (Osbourne Fleming, 1993)

“We stand in need of someone who could read, write, think and who have vision.” (Ken Smith, 1993)

“Behind Osbourne’s ‘gruff’ voice is a caring soul.” (Ann Gumbs, 1993)

“We need people for political office who have an interest in people. People must be at the heart of those who want to govern.” (Rev Wilfred Hodge, 1993)

“Some of the greatest politicians were humble people whose greatest qualification was the strong desire to serve their community and not themselves.” (Evan Lake, 1993)

“God bless I get a decent salary. It help me to help the poor.” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1993)

“I can recall in 1966 when I came from St. Kitts on Albert Romney’s boat. Hubert Hughes and I slept on the deck on a mattress and he kept me up all night talking politics.” (Edison Baird, 1993)

“Some of you are expecting miracles tonight. I am glad that you came for a miracle because I am a miracle.” (Cuthwin Webster, 1993)

“There are certain supporters in Valley South who tell me plain that if you join up with Hubert Hughes we ain’t voting for you.” (Victor Banks, 1993)

“The best way to deal with a mistake is not to make it at all.” (Kelly Richardson, 1994)

“If I am not for myself then who will be for me? But if I am for myself then who am I?” (Sidney Gumbs, 1994)

“You have a candidate in District No. 1 by the name of Cuthwin Webster who is not a fake. He is not a fake by any stretch of the imagination. I would like to describe Cuthwin Webster to you. He is no good. He is rotten to the core. He is ‘tricksy.’” (Cuthwin Webster, 1994)

“I have a dream of an island which [will] continue to be governed by honest, unselfish men and women with integrity: people with untainted by self-induced scandal; people who do not owe favours to the sharks and wolves threatening our shores.” (Merritt Lake, 1994)

“You need people with backbone, people with stamina, people who can represent you, and I do not see this in the man [Roy Rogers] who is challenging me for this seat.” (Eric Reid, 1994)

“He [Mello] doesn’t want a job. He has one. He has a multi-million dollar business.” (Hubert Hughes, 1994)

“I am a hands-on man: a man of action. Too much of talk is bull sh--!” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1994)

“We need men in government who are prepared to stand up and tell the British that what they are doing is simply stupidness.” (Edison Baird, 1994)

“Political leadership should not be pompous and or mysterious.” (Conrad Hodge, 1994)

“When I got to London I was picked up in a fancy car, limousine, and can you imagine me with my tie and suit. . . ? As a man with no degrees, you have to be a talker. You got to be a crier. When we finished having lunch [he] said to me: ‘What could we do for Anguilla?’ I said to [myself] ‘by God I got him!’” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1994)

“He [Kenneth Harrigan] has learnt management from the University of Life.” (Kennedy Hodge, 1994)

“I have a degree in begging and that’s what you need for Anguilla: beggars to get this island moving.” (Kenneth Harrigan, 1994)

“I began to wonder why they put me out as the first speaker. But I said to myself: ‘You know something; this is a cricket match and you have to put your best ‘batman’ out there if you want to score.’” (Albert Hughes, 1994)

“I sat down with Mr Webster and I talked to him and I found out that the man has wisdom in his very toes.” (Emmanuel Webster, 1994)

“I believe that I have the ability to follow in the footsteps of Sir Emile Rudolph Gumbs and take Anguilla forward.” (David Carty, 1994)

“I can assure you that the day you vote for the AUP that this Belto that you see standing before you: every man will tremble because I am sure that they have to give you a decent wage.” (Albert Hughes, 1994)

“I will never think in terms of signing any document on the first of April because anything that has been signed on the first of April never comes to maturity.” (Albert Hughes, 1994)

“You cannot trust this country and the future of your children to people [the ADP] who got a cloud hanging over them.” (Eric Reid, 1994)

“Kenneth is a man who is full of love. He don’t like to hurt people. He is so full of love that I don’t know what di hell would happen if he was a woman.” (David Carty, 1994)

“In spite of the fact that Osbourne might not be a real Christian, if there is one thing about me, I believe deeply in God.” (Osbourne Fleming, 1994)

“I told Governor Harris, ‘I am no longer boy! I am man’.” (Hubert Hughes, 1999)

“People believe that I am easy and I cannot deliver myself. But you know where I got that big kick off from? When I went to Jamaica. When I went to Jamaica, I had an opportunity to go to the University of the West Indies Technology with one of the greatest men in Jamaica, and when that man started [to speak] every hair on my head raise. And I say, ‘Lord, if I could be like that man! Ah say, ‘Come on Belto, when you go back to Anguilla, you got to be on high!’” (Albert Hughes, 2000)

“If you have to fight an alligator you got to go in the swamp. If you want to fight a pig you got to go in the mud. If you want to fight a rat you got to go in the sewer . . . I am now in the sewer with the rat.” (Victor Banks, 2000)

But I am not going in the sewer of political quotations. Instead, I end by congratulating the Honourable Kenneth Harrigan on his appointment as Acting Chief Minister. He always felt that he was well equipped to handle the job. Listen to him in 1993: “Give Uncle Kenneth a chance. The man who went in there [in government] as a layman and today I am able to carry any Ministry from Chief Minister down.” That was twelve years ago and now Uncle Kenneth is in the Chief Minister’s seat in an acting capacity. We should not expect the position to go to his head because he has always maintained (1993): “I just want to be humble Uncle Kenneth to do your work right in your backyard.” Humility par excellence.

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