In his much-delayed press conference, occasioned by the recent long election campaign, Governor Alistair told reporters on Tuesday this week that good governance was an important area of his responsibilities in Anguilla, but was far less defined than any of his other responsibilities. He made the point, however, that good governance required the commitment of all branches of government and the wider society.

Governor Alistair Harrison

In a prepared statement, the Governor continued: “Good Governance was defined by the Chief Minister [the Hon. Hubert Hughes] at my reception, to mark the inauguration of the new House of Assembly, as stopping bad government. I think this definition is an excellent starting point. It is certainly part of the role of the Governor to try to stop anything that he thinks is wrong in government, as it is the duty of any citizen to point out and take appropriate action against wrong-doing.

“But Good Governance can and should also have a positive side, and involves the promotion of measures that will contribute to the standards of government and of public life more generally. For example:

“The AUM manifesto proposes that all Senior Civil Servants, political appointees, candidates and Ministers declare business assets and interests. I fully support that and believe it would be the revival of a practice that was introduced some time ago and fell into disuse. I would be happy for it to include the Governor.

“I also welcome the commitment to greater transparency in government in the AUM manifesto. Daylight is often the best way to ensure good governance. The new Government is committed to introducing a Freedom of Information Act, and I am sure this is correct. EXCO is also looking at ways in which its decisions can be made public more efficiently and quickly. As a modest start, the new Government and I have agreed that I will notify the press when the Chief Minister is absent, and tell you who has been appointed to act in his absence (usually the Deputy Chief Minister unless both of them are away at the same time).

“Good Governance should also include a role for parliament, in our case the House of Assembly. There is wide agreement on the need for a Public Accounts Committee and an Ombudsman reporting to the House. These reforms will require an enlarged House of Assembly which will in turn need constitutional change. The new Government wants to press ahead with this.

“Of course, Good Governance critically centres on the issue of corruption. I welcome the commitment of the new Government to combat corruption, and confirm the commitment of the UK Government to continue to work with them in that regard.

“Finally, Good Governance is more than good government. Good Governance is a key factor in promoting a positive image of Anguilla and increases confidence amongst potential investors. In short, Good Governance is good for business. A well-regulated financial sector an independent and honest judiciary, a legal profession committed to upholding their first duty to the law, and a popular culture where the highest standards are supported and lauded, are all essential to the good governance of Anguilla in the broadest sense. Adherence to international human rights standards is also important. I will try to ensure that I fulfill my commitment, but it also requires all of us to do the same. Indeed, a free and fearless press has been the most important bulwark against bad government in many countries. So you too have a key role to play.”

During question time, Government Harrison was asked about his views about the recent election process in Anguilla to which he replied: “I will answer that question quite carefully but I think, firstly in general, the Supervisor has said to me that he believes that the elections were free and fair and that the result reflected the will of the people of Anguilla and I very much endorse that. There are one or two specific issues that are being followed up in the normal way. Investigations are continuing so I won’t say anything more about that, so I don’t think that should take away from the overall judgment on the elections. I think one of the most important things about the elections was that the turn out was the highest it has ever been – 82-plus percent, which is a remarkably good turn out and a huge tribute goes to the people of Anguilla who came out to vote and also to the Supervisor of Elections and his team who organised the elections in a very efficient manner…”

Mr. Harrison confirmed that Alan Roe, an independent tax consultant, was now in Anguilla conducting a study on revenue issues financed by the British Government. He said the study arose out of discussions between the British Government and the previous Anguilla Government. “The present Government quickly agreed that it was sensible to go ahead with that visit….He is going to study the potential effects of possible revenue-raising measures, how they will work, what their impact would be on the economy, but it is a policy neutral study and policy decisions on those issues need to be taken by EXCO and particularly by the elected Ministers. So it is an information gathering piece of work.”

The Governor commented on the visit next week of an Anguillian delegation to Brussels headed by the Chief Minister, Mr. Hubert Hughes, and his Deputy, Mr. Edison Baird. “It is to look at the relationship between the European Union and all of the Overseas Communities and Territories of the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands and Demark [and Greenland] as an OCT,” he explained. "I think it is good to have such a forum but of course it evitable means that the different OCTs, with quite different statuses are coming together and everybody is therefore coming from a slightly angle.” He said that the meeting was to see what the European Union could do to help the OCTs, and noted that Anguilla had benefitted from European Development Fund money over the past two years and would continue to do so. He pointed out that there were also other sources of funding which might be available although some might not be suitable for Anguilla.

The Government told the reporters that he wanted to appoint the Second Nominated Member of the House of Assembly as soon as possible. “The constitution is very clear on the First Nominated Member – I act on the advice ofthe Chief Minister,” he went on. “That was very straightforward and was done straightaway. But on the Second Nominated Member I have to act in consultation with both the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition; and I think that I interpret as meaning that there should be a reasonable, careful and detailed consultation before I make a decision and that is what I am doing. I do not want to hold it up any longer than I have to, and I hope to make that nomination very soon.”

One of the final issues the Governor was asked to comment on was the situation where the Attorney General Wilhem Bourne was to have ended his contract, but decided to remain in his post for the time being. “He was planning to leave. He had told me a while ago that he needed to resign on personal grounds and, as you may know, I advertised the post of Attorney General,” he replied. “We were quite far advanced in the process in looking for a new Attorney General but, immediately after the election, the new EXCO appealed to the Attorney General to see if he could change his decision. After some careful thought he decided that the personal reasons which had originally motivated his decision, that those issues could be sorted out if he took an extended leave which he has now done. He left the island on leave a week or so ago and will be back early to mid-April. So he is going to sort out those issues and then return for the remainder of his term which expires at the end of the year. So that was the sequence of events. He reconsidered his decision and withdrew his resignation.”

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