Just the other day it was stated that Anguilla had come of age with other territories and countries world-wide as a result of the introduction of new Customs Forms whereby all persons entering the island would be required to declare imported items in their possession.

Taken against the fact that this is a simple and customary requirement everywhere, it fades into insignificance when compared with other more innovative, modern and enlightening measures or legislation such as a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. Unfortunately, unlike other Caribbean States, particularly the bigger islands, such a law is non-existent in Anguilla. There is absolutely no reason for its absence because, though small in size and population, our island has made great strides in a variety of areas, leading the way and example for other places, and there is an alarming thirst for knowledge in all of its forms.

That thirst has even more urgency as more aggressive media houses, competing for information and public acclaim, and an ever-inquiring and, suspicious population, are seeking enlightenment on a myriad of issues and, in the process, want to have their own say. Local reporters, unable to extract public information from various sources, experience much difficulty and frustration at times and often have no answers to the questions of their listeners or readers. Of late the political platforms have begun to take up the chorus for a Freedom of Information Act and it is likely that the calls from media houses and other interest groups will in time resonate across the island. Lawyers and crime investigators will also find a law of that nature of tremendous assistance to them in the conduct of their work, and it is believed that Anguilla would get high marks for including that legislation in the pages of its law books.

In Anguilla, the stage has already been set for such legislation. Ever so frequently one hears three words which are now household expressions and may now have become part of the vocabulary of young children. Accountability, transparency and openness have never been on almost everybody’s lips like now. So here is a chance for Government and the Drafting Department of the Attorney General’s Chambers to seize the opportunity to have a Freedom of Information Act not just on their list of legislative priorities but actually to bring it into being.

Having an FOI Act would be a step towards social development in terms of its benefit and impact in terms of a better informed and enlightened public and a society where there is really accountability, transparency and openness. This is notwithstanding any need for the inclusion of certain checks and balances or safeguards, in one way or another, which may be necessary to have enshrined in the legislation. Anguilla does not have “to re-invent the wheel”. There are a number of regional countries from which some provisions of the law may be adopted and blended in with Anguilla’s own ideas, bearing in mind that there will be some constitutional considerations to take on board in carefully crafting the legislation. The challenge to have a Freedom of Information Act, though bold, is not too great or tedious to pursue.

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