Letters

Dear Sir,

Allow me space to publish this letter of concern about our promotional beaches which are rapidly being destroyed. “Our beaches are and will continue to be the life blood of the Anguillian Economy for the foreseeable future. All our economic engines lie on the cost. Our beach assets stand foremost in our tourism promotions, yet we sit back and allow them to be destroyed.”

A Nat Hodge, MBE
Editor-in-Chief
The Anguillian
PO BOX 98
Stoney Ground
Anguilla

Thursday December 4th 2008

Dear Mr Hodge and Team,

Congratulations on 10 years of The Anguillian

On behalf of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association I would like to offer our sincere congratulations on The Anguillian Newspapers Tenth Anniversary. The AHTA has been extremely grateful for the fair and accurate news on our activities that you have published. We sincerely appreciate the way in which you have worked with us to promote the work of our sector and helped us to recognize and reward the people who work so hard in tourism.

Kirkley Carty
Blowing Point
Anguilla

December 8th, 2008

Honourable Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming
Honourable Evans Mcniel Rogers
Honourable Victor F. Banks
Honourable Kenneth Harrigan
The Secretariat
The Valley
Anguilla

RE: Expression of Gratitude

Dear Chief Minister, Minister of Health, and colleagues. I am writing this correspondence to express my appreciation for the financial support given in the recent medical care and surgery I had in Puerto Rico this year. For several years I have suffered and was unable to confirm a date for such surgery but your assistance has made it possible and I am grateful.

Dear Readers

On 7 October 2008, whilst standing in line waiting to enter the school after the lunch hour, my son was involved in an altercation with another male student. As the Head of Year approached she said she heard my son use indecent language whilst being confrontational.

Had it been possible, the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would have leapt from his grave to see the day when an African-American in the person of Senator Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday this week, November 4, 2008. Indeed, he might even acknowledge that we had “reached the mountain top” – a summit he strove for throughout his entire life.

Wednesday, November 4th 2008, was supposed to be another ordinary day. But for the millions of eligible voters in America, it was a day that would change America forever. The place had what I called a ‘quiet tension’. Everyone was on pins and needles as the polling stations opened, ready to admit the voters that had waited in line from as early as 4 am.

Dear Editor,

I wish to call attention to an state of affairs that has been ongoing for some length of time. I am referring to the dismally slow reimbursement of medical claims by the insurance company with whom Public Servants of Anguilla are insured.

Dear Sir:
CONGRATS TO ENVIRONMENTAL DEPARMENT.

I wish, through this medium, to congratulate the Department of Environment in the Chief Minister’s Office for its conservation work which I have been following for sometime now through various outlets including your very informative newspaper, The Anguillian.

The Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Sir,

BACK TO WELL WATER

I am writing to The Anguillan in hopes that there was an error made in the news item of 13 June concerning the distribution of water. The article quotes Mr. Larry Franklin as stating that,“…Unaccounted For Water (UFW) was about 70% of water purchased…” and that “…theft of water [is] estimated at 50% of the total water purchased.”

The Editor,
The Anguillian Newspaper

Dear Sir:

A few months ago, a small aircraft crashed on take-off near the eastern end of the airport runway. Witnesses say the aircraft lost power in both engines and narrowly missed neighbouring homes in the area. The airport was closed for most of the day and a team of investigators was flown here from Antigua to investigate the incident. As far as can be determined, no one has ever heard the results of that investigation. What happened? was there no fuel in either engine? was there pilot error or did carelessness play a role in this crash?

A couple weeks ago I read with some interest and unease the negative comments made concerning the appointment of Mrs. Chanelle Petty-Barrett to the post of Permanent Secretary of Education, Library Services, Sports, Youth and Culture. The thrust of criticism appears to be based on the flawed notion that experience in a particular field should be determinative in the selection process.

Shakim Richardson’s Grandpa, Thomas Richardson, celebrated his 80th Birthday on Sunday 25th May. At a service at the Apostolic Faith Church in The Valley, that day, Shakim read a letter to his Grandpa which said:

The Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Sir

Knee Jerk Thinking: No Longer an Option in Government

Much has been said about the appointment of Mrs Chanelle Petty-Barrett to the post of Permanent Secretary of Education, Youth and Culture. Certainly, the appointment is surprising as one would naturally expect that an educator should fill such an important position. Perhaps, experience (in Anguilla that often reads as ‘age’) is important. Training in the field of education should have been considered a priority. The arguments are logical, but are they relevant? Not really.

To the Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Sir,

There is much talk these days in the media about the increasing cost of fuel and food. Inflation is already starting to inch up in those countries which are dependent upon imported goods and Anguilla is no exception.

Dear Mr. Editor,

PLIGHT OF MIGRANT WORKERS

Underlying the flourish of development that enables the pockets of some Anguillians and investors alike to be gilt is a rising groan from the cogs that make this development possible. While it is appreciated that the Labour Department and Immigration Department work at enforcing laws that seek to control the influx of migrants who participate in the development of this nation, it is felt that there is a hostility towards these migrant workers, especially those from other Caribbean territories.

The Editor
The Anguillian
The Valley
Anguilla

Dear Editor,

THE PEOPLE NEED TO BE TOLD THE FACTS ON THE ADAM ARON CAP JULUCA DEAL

Thank you for the opportunity to make a few comments regarding the alleged sale of Cap Juluca to a new group led by Mr. Adam Aron.

The Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Sir,

BLOODS & CRIPS

10 years ago, in 1998, I wrote my very first article in the LIGHT, and then it was published in the Anguillan entitled, “when will it stop!” I had noticed that certain young men in the Valley, South Hill and Blowing Point were starting to fight wherever they met. These fights had escalated to the use to knives and my article highlighted this and asked, if it will stop when persons died.

NICA SHOULD NOT BE LIQUIDATED

Dear Sir,

We promised in our last letter to address the option of liquidating NICA and to present reasons why this option is not favourable for NICA and its shareholders.

The Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Sir,

KEEP ANGUILLA BEAUTIFUL

I have just spent a wonderful week on your beautiful island of Anguilla. I met old friends, made new friends, swam from the stunning beaches and ate some delicious meals. So why am I writing a letter to The Anguillian about that? Well, I was concerned by the amount of rubbish I saw – beer bottles thrown into bushes, black plastic bags caught in trees, plastic floating in the sea.

Dear Sir,

The possibility of geothermal power for Anguilla gives us all a reason to hope for “brighter” times ahead. The CEO of the West Indies Power Company of Nevis also mentions the possibility of a reduction cost of 50 percent for electricity. While no one would be so naïve as to believe in these purported reduction costs, even the sceptics may be beginning to see some light.