Editorial

There is no gainsaying that Anguilla is caught in the grip of a financial and economic crisis that defies the wits of our leaders and people to set ourselves free.

The appointment of two Magistrates in Anguilla is a positive development in the maintenance of law and order on the island and it obviously takes into account the fact that nowadays the Court is crowded with defendants. Unfortunately, the majority of them are youngsters who, with a bit of parental and community upbringing and guidance, would not be on the wrong side of the law. Taking into consideration the growth of crime on the island, the nature of the offences and all the other negative and perhaps complex issues involved, all and sundry should salute former Magistrate Birnie Stevenson-Brooks and part-time Magistrates John Benjamin and Courtney Abel for the strenuous tasks they have had to endure in dispensing justice and punishment.

One of the hallmarks of a good leader is humility and despite the strength of his character and unflinching resolve which Mr. Ronald Webster has demonstrated during Anguilla’s revolutionary period, he has remained a very humble man. Even his reported wealth has not stood in the way of his simplicity of life and association with the downtrodden. In fact, it was the destitute and forgotten people of Anguilla, an island once regarded as “a backwater of the Caribbean”, that he was prepared to give his life for in their liberation from the feared Bradshaw regime in St. Kitts.

Any of the political parties or other groupings which were able to form the new Government of Anguilla, would have found it compelling to celebrate with their supporters, and this is understandable. In the case of the Anguilla United Movement, which has experienced a notable resurgence of support from the electorate after ten years in the political wilderness, so to speak, and has now become the island’s new Administration, the burst of excitement and even revelry must be greater.

There is no doubt about it. This was the most antagonistic and brutally tarnished election campaign ever experienced in Anguilla and it has not only left the candidates battered and bruised, but a number of other persons as well. As human beings, the hurt tends to linger on for some time, but with the right kind of attitude, maturity and forbearance, it can disappear within a reasonably quick time.

As seen, the front page of this week’s edition of The Anguillian is littered with the faces of all twenty candidates contesting the General Election on Monday, February 15. It is really nothing new on paper, since they all appear across the island in one form or the other. The only exception is that, when they are grouped together, they form an archival cluster for a chapter on politics in Anguilla.

The Anguillian community is rife with complaints about the abysmal level to which the political campaigning has sunken in the run-up to the General Election on February 15. With just over one more week to go, there is the fear of a more intensified and fever-pitched tumult as the campaign may be called. It is hoped, however, that the various competing parties and candidates will show some measure of maturity and restraint by stepping back from the personal abuse and mudslinging even at this closing period of the electioneering.

In a matter of three weeks, the people of Anguilla will vote in a General Election to choose from among the various political parties and independent candidates whom they want to continue to lead the island into the 21st Century. This is a sacred right, privilege and responsibility of the people themselves.

In a matter of three weeks, the people of Anguilla will vote in a General Election to choose from among the various political parties and independent candidates whom they want to continue to lead the island into the 21st Century. This is a sacred right, privilege and responsibility of the people themselves.

As the electioneering campaign in Anguilla gains momentum, there have been pronouncements from political platform to church pulpit about the qualities of a good leader and the person or persons needed to fill that critical role. Such utterings have not only been confined to the individual who assumes the mantle of Chief Minister, but to everyone else who will be elected or appointed to serve in whatever capacity there is. Certainly, in this day and age of human and country dilemma of one form or another, the quality of leadership has become even more demanding and discriminating.

If ever there is a time and feeling of national pandemonium, so to speak, in the social life of a country, or island state, it is during what is sometimes a most heated and protracted election period. Conversely, it is unfortunate that this is the case because free and fair elections for a government of one’s choosing are by far the most democratic expression of a people as far as governance is concerned. It is also one of the most sacred rights and privileges of a people not only since universal adult suffrage, but since the creation of mankind with a free mind, spirit and choice.

The Anguilla House of Assembly was dissolved on Wednesday this week by a Proclamation by the Governor, and the general election for a new government is just within a few weeks. The so-to-speak period of contract between the electorate and those who were given a mandate to represent and govern the people for five years is ended. Each man and woman, now vying for political office, stands on his or her own merit and ability to lead our emerging nation into this most challenging period to which we have come.

Going into a New Year is like embarking on a trackless journey to an unfamiliar destination with fears and pitfalls all along the way, requiring the traveller to step lightly with caution and even tip toe.

The current period, though tainted by politics in an election year, is all about the festive season in Anguilla and the true meaning of Christmas. This is rightly so because it is a time for peace, love and hope for all mankind as proclaimed at the birth of the Christ Child nearly two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. It is also a time for humility as evidenced by that sacred and significant Nativity in a lonely manger.

It is certainly encouraging to hear that a workable arrangement is in place for the operation and maintenance of the Temenos Golf Course, with Cap Juluca undertaking that most welcome responsibility. This has come after a much protracted and agonising delay following the closure of the Flag Luxury project and the fear that the Greg Norman Championship Golf Course would simply deteriorate and Anguilla’s reputation and pride for having one of the Caribbean’s best golf facilities badly impacted. The ownership of Cap Juluca must be highly commended for rescuing this facility.

The above is a question which has not been adequately answered even after meaningful talks this week involving the Salamander Group, the Government, Opposition and a press conference at the ultra-lovely Anguillian-owned Shriva Boutique Hotel overlooking Cove Bay and Maundays Bay.

It was interesting to see this week, commencing on the same day, several hours apart, two regional meetings hosted by Anguilla at the beautiful CuisinArt Resort and Spa, each competing in its own way for the island’s attention and support.

For the second time in a fortnight, young people, representing various church and community groups, and holding membership in the National Youth Council, met among themselves, and with Ministers of Government and other influential officials, particularly in the Ministries of Social Development and Youth, Culture Education and Sports, to express some of their burning concerns.

As reported on the front page, Friday, November 6, is the final day for the registration of all persons qualified and desirous to vote in the general election in Anguilla constitutionally due in the first quarter of next year. This concluding date is coming after a long series of appeals from the Supervisor of Elections and the Registration Office in the James Ronald Webster Building. There will be no excuse by any qualified person wishing to vote that his or her name has been omitted from the final List of Voters which will be in circulation in December.

In a high day incident in the middle of last week, in Anguilla, masked and armed intruders, forced their way into a home and mercilessly beat up a young woman. They inflicted serious wounds to her head. Apparently knocked out, she was left in her bathroom probably for dead. Needless to say this hair-raising occurrence spread fear and anger among the citizenry.