Editorial

No one needs to be convinced that our youth are an endangered group in our population. It is with this view that we hail the efforts of the Anguilla Football Association to continue to develop football on the island. Sport is just one discipline where the character of our youth can be moulded, and their energies harnessed in a positive, productive manner.

There seems to be a crescendo of voices among the populace in Anguilla which is worth listening to by those in positions of governance and in other leadership roles on the island. The people are saying that they want to hear from their political leaders on a number of matters which are worrying them and affecting their every day lives. They point to the recent increase of fees for telecommunications services; the high price of food items as businesses pass on some of their operational costs to the consumers; taxes; unemployment particularly for the large number of school leavers who will shortly be looking for jobs in the public and private sectors; further job opportunities for bread winners in general and the list of complaints go on and on.

The coming establishment of a Health Authority within the next six months to manage the delivery of health services is a major step for a small island like Anguilla. It is perhaps a desperate move, but at the same time a well thought out plan, to place the services under a different and more professional and workable system to guarantee better returns in health care and administration. As an up-market tourism destination and at a time when there are greater demands on our social services, we cannot afford to have our medical and health sector in disarray and in some areas perhaps dysfunctional.

Imagine Anguillian men and women who are 40 years old today, know nothing about the 1967 Revolution, the 36th Anniversary of which we are now celebrating. They were far too young to understand or retain anything about the political event.

The point has been made to the United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonisation that the will of the Anguillian people must not be misunderstood when it comes to self-determination. Indeed our turbulent history reveals that we are a fiercely-independent-minded people, never liked subjugation from any outside power, as the courageous battles against the French and Wild Irish invasions of the 18th century demonstrated. The upheaval and rebellion against union with, and dominance by St. Kitts over a century and a half, culminating in the 1967 revolution and quest for self-determination, was another demonstration of our resolve to handle our own affairs without foreign force or interference.

The success of young Omari Banks on the West Indies Cricket Team playing in competition against well-seasoned international teams, is both a personal and a national triumph. Omari is seen as a hero and an ambassador for Anguilla. The fact that he was followed to Antigua for last weekend’s match against the Australians by cheering fans and compatriots, speaks to the pride and high esteem in which he is being regarded at home and abroad. The praise showered on him by commentators and other persons outside of Anguilla and on the island is a source of encouragement not only to him but to all of us. It encourages us to aspire to other positions of achievement, honour and influence.

Mother’s Day, like Father’s Day, may be a good time for reflection for it has something to do with family life and the bringing up of children everywhere. Small societies like Anguilla can easily become tarnished by wanton behavioural patterns among young people. For this reason the challenge to maintain high standards of discipline and to keep youngsters out of trouble appears to be even greater. Experience these days has shown that unless there is strict parental guidance and control in the home environment, we stand a great risk of having a generation of unruly people among our population, if not now, certainly later on.

It is a matter of interest that towards the end of this month a team from the United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonisation will be visiting Anguilla. Thirty-six years ago in 1967, the island would have gladly welcomed such a visit when, following the Anguilla Revolution, our people, fighting for self-determination, were groping in darkness and uncertainty. The only thing that fortified our leaders who were simple men, inexperienced in the art of politics and administration, was their unwavering will to press on and the mass support of the citizenry they enjoyed.

The upcoming Public/Private Sector Civil Society Policy Forum by the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) may provide some good result and a cross-fertilisation of ideas from which Anguilla in particular can benefit.

It has been demonstrated repeatedly that when people anywhere are consulted on any matter affecting their lives and wellbeing that it turns out to be a blessing and contributes to an informed and peaceful society. When there is no consultation with the people on sensitive issues, misunderstanding and chaos can be the order of the day. No one wants this to happen in an otherwise democratic and law-abiding place like Anguilla. That’s why we welcome the current series of town meetings in which the people of the island are being given an opportunity to have their views and wishes reflected in the Labour Code now being developed for the island.

There has been little or no further information about the proposed expansion of Wallblake Airport since the flurry of press briefings and other meetings held over the past few months.

If the protest march against violence in the school and community in Anguilla on March 25 was an indication that a serious stand will be taken to stamp out this menace in our society, then there is some reason for hope. It was a welcome sight to see representatives from community groups and the churches marching along with the large number of school children and teachers.

No one can turn a blind eye to the fact that Anguilla is changing and that if we are not careful we can lose the good name we have built up on the regional and international scene. And it is hard for us to see the character of our island falling into jeopardy when it is only a handful of lawless and misguided persons at work in the schools and communities.

The possibility that the American Eagle might withdraw its ATR-42 aircraft from Anguilla at the end of the year, at the start of the new tourism season is not a comforting thought. It is a serious matter which must be addressed from now. We cannot allow the life blood of our economy, hotels, workers and their dependants to suffer from any loss in our tourist numbers and income levels without taking some decisive action to address the situation.

The impassionate plea by the newly-appointed Commissioner of Police for the upholding of law and order in Anguilla was still ringing in the ears of his listeners when certain acts of violence were reported on the island. The incidents seem to demonstrate that if we are not careful, Anguilla can find itself in a lot of social difficulties later on.

We join in saying a hearty thanks and goodbye to Mitchell Harrigan for his distinguished service and leadership role in the Royal Anguilla Police Force. We are grateful to him for leaving the island with a workable and useful community/policing contract to further the aims of law and order and the promotion of peace in our fair land. At the same time, we welcome Keithly Benjamin the new Commissioner and wish him every success during his tenure of office.

February 27, 2003 passed without Anguillians attaching any significance to the date and forgetting that 36 years ago the island together with St. Kitts-Nevis became an Associated State with Britain with the Central Government in St. Kitts fully responsible for internal affairs. Anguillians not trusting that constitutional relationship tore down the Statehood Flag at dawn. Earlier in the month they broke up a Statehood Queen Pageant, at the then Valley Secondary School, staged largely by a visiting drama group from St.Kitts. This was followed by a series of violent incidents which eventually blossomed into the eviction of the St. Kitts Constabulary and the taking over of the island’s affairs on May 30, 1967 in what is commonly referred to as the Anguilla Revolution. Thirteen years later the island was granted the present separate status of a Dependent (Overseas) Territory.

While there is so much in Anguilla to make us mind our own business, we do not live in isolation and must therefore sometimes look at events around us. It appears from information published elsewhere in this paper that St. Kitts-Nevis may now at last be jointly and cooperatively deciding to end their constitutional ties and going it alone. They are about to do so while preserving the cordial relationship between the peoples and governments of the two islands, under a possible Treaty of Friendship.

The private sector in Anguilla may need to take steps to put security measures in place or to improve any system it may already have to protect itself from robberies. Times are changing and we must be prepared to deal effectively with this type of crime as it rears its ugly head. We must not wait until it occurs to act but should anticipate it and have in place structures that may help to prevent it and to catch the perpetrators. Some sections of the private sector are equipped with burglar alarm systems but there are circumstances where there is a need for security officers to be employed.

The meeting late last week among hoteliers, other stakeholders in the tourism industry and two top level officials of American Airlines at Paradise Cove resulted in more questions than answers. They met to discuss the planned withdrawal of the American Eagle from Anguilla on December 31 this year and the interim period during which work will be carried out on the expansion of Wallblake Airport. Originally, we heard that the project should be completed by September of that year and then that date was brought forward to March.