The Anguilla Christian Council has again sought to raise the level of the election campaigning by calling a meeting of the contesting parties and independent candidates to issue and discuss a number of guidelines to that end.

The meeting was held in the High Court on Tuesday February 8, one hour following the closing of Nomination Day, when the candidates, accompanied by their nominators and witnesses, registered at the House of Assembly.

The Christian Council meeting was chaired by Bishop Errol Brooks. Others with him were Catholic Priest, Reverend Ed Herberger and Methodist Superintendent Reverend Lindsay Richardson and his colleague Reverend Joseph Lloyd. Mrs. Ursil Brooks, Secretary, accompanied them.

There were no candidates present from the Anguilla United Front. Three attended from the Anguilla Peoples Party; one each from the Anguilla Strategic Alliance and the Anguilla United Movement; and there were two of the seven Independents in attendance.

Following the opening prayer by Reverend Richardson, Bishop Brooks stressed the need for all the election contestants to keep the campaigning at a high level and distributed copies of the guidelines to the candidates.

The seven guidelines are as follows: “We will not engage in character assassination of any kind; we will not use race, country of origin or class to vilify any individual, family or section of the society; we will not make grandiose promises, which we know cannot be kept; we will not use half-truths, lies or innuendoes to gain political mileage; we will address ourselves to the issues and principles dealing with national growth, economic development and the wholesome advancement of the citizens of the nation; we will maintain the highest moral principles in keeping with Christian ethics during the campaign and if elected to form the Government; we will not bribe any elector to vote for us and we will charge our agents not to offer any bribes on our behalf.”

The last pledge was the subject of much debate, condemning any such practice on the island. The bringing in of Anguillians from overseas to vote was also raised with comments for and against. One candidate questioned what means the Christian Council had at its disposal to take up and deal with any matter coming to its attention.

Bishop Brooks replied that while the Christian Council was not a legal body, it had a moral duty to look into complaints and to provide counsel where necessary. He said the Council would endeavour to follow some of the political campaigns and emphasized that the church had a role to play in matters of state and social life. Others at the meeting noted that there was recourse to the court in matters of libel, a situation which should be avoided at all costs.

Two other documents were distributed by the Christian Council. One was for the electorate stating that it was their sacred responsibility and right to vote for the person deemed to be the best candidate. In making such a decision, voters have been provided with a list of questions they should ask themselves regarding the suitability of each candidate and the merits of each political party.

The questions are as follows:

• Does the candidate help me understand clearly the issues, problems and opportunities which face the country at this time? Has the candidate convinced me that he/she and his/her party are best able to tackle these issues, confront these problems and embrace these opportunities?

• Which of these candidates has persuaded me by manifesto or by speech that he/she and his/her party are making promises that they know they cannot keep?

• Which of the candidates has shown by a life of service to the community that he/she is genuinely interested in the welfare of Anguilla?

• Which of the parties has convinced me that he/she believes everything he/she is saying and is not indulging in lies, half-truths and innuendos?

• Which of the candidates has insulted me by trying to buy my conscience with a bribe such as money, gifts, jobs with a view of procuring my vote?

• Which of the candidates has disgusted me in his/her speeches in which he/she has indulged in character assassination, filthy talk, the use of class or race or country of origin to vilify an opponent of his/her family or social class?

• Which of the political parties or candidates has encouraged verbal or political violence in order to brow-beat or intimidate voters to vote in a certain way?

The Christian Council stated that if voters were to bear the questions seriously in mind on Election Day, they would vote wisely and responsibly. The Council appealed to voters to continue to respect all persons following the results of the election.

In the other document, the Anguilla Christian Council appealed to the print and electronic media to be objective and truthful in reporting on political meetings and to avoid sensationalism. The Council urged the media to provide equal public coverage to candidates and parties without fear or favour and to practice objective journalism.

Members of the Clergy and some of the election candidates

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