Following his arrival in Anguilla on Friday, July 7, newly-appointed Governor, His Excellency Andrew George, was sworn in on Monday, July 10, at the Atlin Harrigan OBE Parliamentary Building. The oaths were administered by High Court Judge Justice Janice George-Creque after Attorney General Ronald Scipio read the instruments of appointment.

Judge George Creque swearing in Governor Andrew George

Mr. George succeeds Alan Huckle who has been assigned to the Falklands. His swearing-in was followed by welcome addresses by Acting Chief Minister, Victor Banks, and Opposition Members Hubert Hughes and Edison Baird to which he replied. During the speeches partnership between Anguilla and the United Kingdom was a key word.

Inspecting Guard of Honour

Mr. George said his task would was to work with the Ministers of Government to ensure that the three hundred-odd years of relationship between Anguilla and the UK continued to flourish and develop in ways which would benefit the Anguillians. He welcomed the appointment of Stanley Reid as the first Anguillian to hold the post of Deputy Governor and looked forward to the constitutional and electoral proposals to further improve and develop the island’s system of Government.

Scene at the reception at Government House

“The United Kingdom Government continues to place a high priority on its relationship with Anguilla and all the Overseas Territories,” he went on. “Ensuring the security and good governance of the Overseas Territories remains one of the UK’s strategic priorities, reaffirmed in March this year. This has been agreed across the whole of the UK Government at the highest level.”

Scene at the reception at Government House

He said that while he had to answer to the UK for his work in Anguilla, he had a clear responsibility to ensure that the legitimate interests and concerns of Anguillians were properly presented to the Government of the UK.

Arrival and Welcome at Wallblake Airport

The Governor continued: “The key factor in making relationships work must be a true partnership. I will always work closely with the Honourable Chief Minister and his colleagues, and with all sectors of Anguillian society, to support the Government’s efforts to promote the interests and sustainable development of this island. Anguilla has taken great strides in its economic development in recent years, particularly in the tourism sector, bringing benefits to many. But rapid economic change is not without its costs and dangers.”

Arrival and Welcome at Wallblake Airport

He stated that major projects should be fully assessed before they were implemented in order to avoid destroying the features which had made Anguilla attractive to investors in the first place. Developers must be sensitive to Anguilla’s needs and try to minimise the impact that development could have on the island’s resources and heritage.

Scenes in the House of Assembly during the Swearing In and Welcome by Hon. Victor Banks

The Governor said there were important social issues to deal with, referring to the recent increase in criminal activity. He pledged to make it his high priority to work with the Anguilla Government and the police to ensure that decent and law-abiding residents and visitors could go about their lives without fear of a tiny minority of wrong-doers. He said the whole of society should stand up against unacceptable behaviour and support the justice system to ensure that guilty persons were apprehended and punished.

Scenes in the House of Assembly during the Swearing In and Welcome by Hon. Hubert Hughes and Hon. Edison Baird

He also spoke about good governance including the impartial enforcement of the rule of law, an independent judiciary, an impartial and effective police force and an efficient and politically impartial public service. He was certain that he could count on the support of the Government, other officials and the people of the island to share in the joy of developing Anguilla for those living now and generations to come. “I hope to serve you well,” he added.

Scene in the House of Assembly during the Swearing In and Welcome

In welcoming the Governor, Mr. Banks said that the partnership with the UK had worked well for Anguilla but at some point the island had to move on. “It therefore behoves us to use this period of tutelage to prepare us fully for that eventuality. Her Majesty’s Government has enshrined the terms of this relationship clearly in the “Partnership for Progress and Prosperity [document] and as a people we take those mutual covenants seriously.”

Scene in the House of Assembly during the Swearing In and Welcome

Banks told Governor George that he had made history in that his first official function later in the day would be to swear-in Anguilla’s first local Deputy Governor. He said Reid, a young Anguillian, had distinguished himself as a professional capable of taking on the very challenging appointment especially at this critical period of national development.

“We believe that his appointment highlights the sincere commitment of Her Majesty’s Government to devolve, where practicable, more and more authority to the peoples of its Overseas Territories,” Mr. Banks said. “It is in the context of this attitude that we expect you to work closely with us …to put forward our views on constitutional reform coming out of the present exercise taking place in Anguilla.

“Over the last six years, Anguilla has advanced from a struggling economy in 2000 to a vibrant one since 2004. That achievement has been both an aspect of the close partnership with Her Majesty’s Government as well as the bold initiatives on the part of both the local government and the Anguillian people to readily accept the sacrifices which had to be made to restore what was referred to as ‘fiscal stability.’ He expressed thanks to the British Government for its technical and financial support over the years.

Opposition Member Hubert Hughes, told Governor George that Anguillians, now British citizens, were looking to him, as the Queen’s representative, for fair play, the avoidance of political and other forms of victimisation; the ensuring of sustainable economic and political development; prevention of the exploitation of the island’s limited land resources by local and foreign real estate agents; the maintenance of the rule of law; the integrity of legal justice for all; as well as the social needs of the poor, the elderly, the physically and mentally handicapped and the underprivileged children on the island.

“You will now inherit the most important role in overseeing the conclusion of the Anguilla Constitutional and Electoral Reform,” Mr. Hughes told the Governor. “I hope the people of Anguilla end up with a document which is most democratic and which safeguards the social, political and economic wellbeing of the Anguillian people.”

Mr. Baird said he was pleased to welcome the Governor to Anguilla. He called on him to ensure good governance on the island by encouraging transparency and accountability in Government and the functioning of a Public Accounts Committee.
He asked for a greater amount of Good Government Funds to be made available to Anguilla to assist with well-needed projects.

In terms of social problems, he drew the Governor’s attention to the rising incidence of crime and the need for a better equipped, trained and well-paid local police force to deal with crime on the island. He also referred to the growing number of young people on the streets and appearing before the Magistrate’s Court and asked that something be done about it.

Mr. Baird said that in some respects there was a cloud over the island and he called on the Governor to use his appointment to dissipate that cloud of concern.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, the Governor inspected a Guard of Honour drawn up outside the House of Assembly and comprising members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force with the accompaniment of the Police/Community Band.
In the evening the Governor entertained a large number of invited guests from throughout the island at Government House.

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