The Anguilla Progressive Party (APP), comprising a number of upcoming political aspirants, who contested the last General Election in Anguilla without winning any of the seats, is back again on the scene as another election looms ahead in 2010.

Brent Davis addressing Forum

The party held its first town hall meeting for 2009 at the Scouts and Guides Ruthwill Auditorium on January 15. It was called to give the candidates an opportunity to examine current issues affecting the island, focusing primarily on its economy and the recently-presented Draft Labour and Immigration Policy.

The candidates who spoke were Brent Davis, Jerome Roberts and Wilmoth Hodge.
A separate speaker was Managing Director of Fair Play Group of Companies, Quincy Gumbs, who spoke on “The State of the Economy of Anguilla” from a businessman point of view.

Group of listeners

Mr. Gumbs noted that the Caribbean region was not immune to the global economic crisis and was heartened that to date there had been no intervention by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank into the region’s liquidity situation.

He noted that the ECCB had “done an outstanding job in establishing regulatory controls in the banking system.” He went on: “To date we have had no banks in the region collapsing despite the fact that there would be liquidity constraints because of the small size of our economies. Our banks within the ECCB sub-region are in a secure state and at this point there is no need for panic.”

Another group at the Forum

Mr. Gumbs expressed caution, however, as to how long the region’s banking system would be able to endure the pressures of the declining situation if the major economies were to remain in recession for a long period, and if regional governments did not act in a thorough, deliberate and bold manner.

He outlined a number of recommendations which he thought the Anguilla Government should follow in order to deal in some measure with the economic challenge. These include:

• A cut in government expenditure to pre-September levels, amounting to saving of between 23 and million dollars;
• An immediate review of the 2009 budget with a view to making it fall within manageable lines that reflect the challenge of the times;
• Roll back all new taxes on the private sector;
• Reduce the number of buildings being rented and re-house the offices within government-owned properties;
• Reduce by 60% the number of government vehicles in service;
• Improve revenue collection to earn some US$50 million which could be diverted to capital expenditure for the Valley Road Project, the new Government Administrative Building and the Blowing Point Port Development project.
• Instead of requesting budgetary aid from the British Government guarantees should be sought for loans of between $25 and 50 million to improve the liquidity of the two local banks and to be used for additional investment in infrastructure and tourism marketing;
• Provide a new package of incentives to stimulate and encourage investment in the private sector and save jobs;
• Approve up to 50 Alien Landholding licences over the next twelve months to persons willing to invest between US$500,000 and US$1,000,000 in private development to jump start the construction sector; and development to jump start the construction sector; and

• Freeze all government hiring and filling of vacancies except for essential services.
Mr. Gumbs added that it was “time to take bold, brave and even unpopular measures, but we must not panic.”

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