This is an article with a difference. I was at the Webster Park on 16th November 2004 when the Anguilla United Front launched its 2005 elections campaign. One of the speakers was the Honourable Kenneth Harrigan, Minister of Infrastructure, who contested the Island Harbour seat against Joshua Hodge, a Baptist preacher, and others.

Colville Petty

An aspect of his address which touched me was the narrative of his early life. I found it most inspirational. It showed that no matter how lowly one’s beginning one could reach the top by having a vision and staying the course, despite the hardships, towards its realisation. For that reason it occurred to me that the address deserved publication. Another reason is that it provides some useful insight into Anguilla’s political culture and its politics. The address follows almost in full:

“Good evening, people of Anguilla . . . Five more years for this government. Believe it or not, it is the only government that is steering the right course for Anguilla. And if you want to change it, you will change it to your detriment.

“Again I am offering myself up one more time, in District Number 1, to fulfil and to accomplish my work. Five more years . . . Don’t listen to the critics. They know nothing about politics. People of District Number 1, I honour you tonight for your love and for your concern. And those of you who have supported me in the past, and will support me one more time, [I say thank you].

“Tonight I will change the menu a little . . . I will give you a little rundown about myself. My friends, I grew up in Island Harbour . . . When I was 18 years old, I realise that I have to go out in the world to work for my smaller brothers and sisters. And I did so. My first job was on the Rose Millicent. I was the bottle washer. I was the person that cleaned the dishes on the Rose Millicent . . . After a few years sailing on the Rose Millicent, I was promoted from the person who wash the dishes to the engineer . . . by Zilphus Fleming . . . and sooner or later I become the mate.

“My friends, from there I went on to St Thomas in 1963. I went to Contant Hotel to work as a person cleaning the gardens, cutting the trees. And sooner or later [when] the management of that hotel see in me the willingness to do things, I was made the Manager of Contant Hotel in the slow season. When they go on vacation, I was the manager. A lot of Anguillians could protest [to] this if they want. But I am saying to you there is Anguillians who know my capability in St Thomas.

“I went on to Mafolie Hotel and become the Manager of Mafolie Hotel. I was not capable of managing no banks in St Thomas, so I had to manage hotels . . .

“My friends, I leave St Thomas in 1966. We bought a little boat called the Oceanic. You know every Anguillian want to own his little thing. I sailed with Edward Webster as captain . . . I was the mate. Sooner or later I become captain of the Oceanic.

“And you [will] remember well, in 1967, I was the captain of the Oceanic when I brought those things [guns] to this island. I was arrested. I was in prison for Anguilla. I didn’t go to no college but it’s there [on the sea as a sailor] where I get my education that prepare me to be a minister of government and, more important, the Minister of Infrastructure of this island . . .

“[When I became tired of sailing] I say to myself, I would like to change course and [so] I become one of the greatest fishermen . . . in Anguilla. The only person that was greater than me in fishing is Ed Carty. I was the person who find all the new [fishing] grounds . . . I was the only person in Island Harbour at that time . . . who could read a proper chart because I was a captain. I used to sail the Caribbean. I sailed as far as Trinidad, Venezuela, Central America, Aruba, Curacao and I was the captain of the ship . . .

“My friends, what I am saying to you tonight [is], stay on board. Do not change a cock in the middle of a fight. Stay on board. You have a captain by the Honourable Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming. You have the mate, Victor Banks, who is very versed in economics . . . There was a question in Island Harbour, ‘Oh Kenneth don’t know nothing bout economics, no trigonomics and all kinds of enomics.’ But I am saying tonight, if God appoint you to be a Moses, to be a preacher, go ahead and preach! What is more important to Anguilla at this time [than] to be a preacher to win souls for God? If you coming in politics then you [must] become a politician. That is what I am.

“My friends, if you are a teacher – if you went college to be a teacher and you [are] educated – what better you could do for your country [than] to teach the young people of this country? It’s an honour. Why [do] you want to be a minister [of government] to be out there in the bush, in the roads? Every week it’s a different pair of shoes. Go ahead and teach the children. You went to college. I didn’t go college . . .

“[I remember being stranded on the New London.] The ship . . . went adrift for seven days down to Venezuela. Seven days . . . I remember an evening, about six o’clock, myself and Hamlet put the small boat overboard, hoist a tarpaulin and sail that small boat all night because I want to be in the course when the Tramboon is coming from Jamaica to Barbados that she could see me in the course. I knew her course. I am very good at course. From six o’clock the evening, till five in the morning, and we didn’t see the Tramboon till nine in the morning coming with a due east course. Ah say ‘Hamlet, here is the Tramboon’ . . . That time you could see the New London nearly 50 miles just drifting. And the Tramboom come to me. She put us on board. She give us fuel. And he [the captain] said to me, ‘Kenneth, you have to stay in your own course now . . .’ I choose my course and I went on to Trinidad.

“My friends, the writing is on the wall . . . Do not give up what you have for a bird in the bush . . . We have some new candidates. In all respect to the new candidates . . . they need some training. You could come on board with us. You could be training for the next five years and you could become the candidates then. [But right now] you are not ready now. We cannot turn back Anguilla. You are not ready to take over the Minister of Infrastructure . . . I don’t care how much education you got. You are not ready . . . I is the Minister of Infrastructure and I don’t stay in the office eight hours a day. I get out there in the roads. I get out there in the trees to . . . see that you have proper roads for the future.

“My friends, . . . the problem in Anguilla is everybody want to get on board. But you have to train . . . I want to say to you tonight that, if God spare my life I am sure, this is my last term that I am running. And . . . the person . . . to replace me has to come in my office. He has to work alongside me for five years and then take over . . .

“The question is today that we are spending money in this new airport and we could of gone to Brimigen . . . If we had gone to Brimigen we would have to move seventeen homes . . . The Speaker of the House home had to move. Mitchell Harrigan house had to go. So don’t leave nobody fool you. Wherever you go there was something. And we choose the right, and the cheapest and the best area for now. And we have a nice beautiful airport opening in December where we will have our jets coming straight here and parking in Anguilla . . .

“The question in Island Harbour is that I haven’t done anything for Island Harbour. [For] fifteen years in government I was praying to make sure that there was a project in Island Harbour and East End before I go home. This evening I am glad to report that there is a project for Scrub Island [and] a project for Junks Hole . . . [Surely] . . . the projects . . . will come to reality very soon . . .

“. . . In my lifetime I had some rough times at sea. I remember sailing from Barbados to Antigua. I encountered some rough weather between Guadeloupe and Antigua, as captain. The sails broke down. Everything. We had to keep the pump on 24 hours . . . There was more water going in the boat than the pumps coulda send out and I was minding the pumps. I was making sure staying in the pump room because I don’t want the boat to sink. Every now and then I run on the deck and tell the person in charge of the wheel stay on course. And then I said to myself, ‘You know what happen, every twelve seas nine is going in the boat.’ The pumps couldn’t carry the water. Ah say, ‘Listen, you mind the pumps for me and I will take the wheel.’ And you should [see me] your captain manoeuvring the ship . . .

“My friends this is because I know what I am doing – what I can do. I say stay on course. Soon after, he say, to me, there was a squall [with] about 25, 30 miles wind. There is no land ahead. Ah say, ‘Take de wheel now, but stay on course. Stay de right course.’ And this is what we all [are] about tonight. We will stay the right course . . .

“Sooner or later he say to me, ‘I have seen a light.’ And this is the light that the Chief Minister spoke about for Anguilla. There is a light. It was lit so much of times now that if you look at the Jerry Gumbs Highway, you would see what the Chief Minister was talking: one of the best highways in the Caribbean . . .

“But let me say this to you, I have a plan for Anguilla . . . Before my time is up I will have all the main roads paved properly. I will. And the only one person who could do that is the Honourable Kenneth Harrigan. They cannot replace me. You can’t bring a man from West End who need training to replace me. You can’t bring none from Island Harbour. You can’t bring none from East End. If you want to slow down the country, then send me home. I will go fishing. I will go sailing. But I am offering my services to you for one more term. And I would like the same sailors on board with me, except for two new sailors in the persons who goin take over the heath system, the educational system . . .

“I need not only to finish the main roads. I need to do the village roads and build roads to your property so you could develop your property. And only one person could do that is me. You can’t replace me.

“My friends, the question about the water project in Anguilla that this Government is getting blame for, is nuttin go so. The Minister from West End is the person who moved your standpipes. They [are the] ones who put this water problem on us in Anguilla and we are now trying to strengthen it . . .

“My friends, we don’t stop. We work. And I don’t care how much college you went to, you need to be trained. Like I say, if you were train to be a preacher, go ahead and win souls for the Lord. [If] yer coming in politics, yer coming in trouble. If you want to be pure as you think you are, stay where you are but someday I will enter the kingdom of heaven. I am smarter than that. I will not go down in sin. I will enter the kingdom of heaven. I will be there with you, but stay where you are. You goin get licks. You goin embarrass yourself.

“Burris (Dedric) now is on my trail working with me. He see the light. He selling more bicycles. . .

“Yer know something . . . There was some [talk] in Island Harbour some night about trigonomics and privatisation and liberalisation. I was the Minister who liberalised telecommunications and I hoping [that] Weblinks, AT&T and Cable & Wireless will bring the price down by 50% by the end of this year . . . That’s why I liberalise: for better prices.

“My friends, I was blamed, I was tortured, for privatising ANGLEC. One of the main things for you tonight is when you can turn on a light and ANGLEC is steady on course: 24 hours a day you get lights. And what happen? Today, most Anguillians have shares in ANGLEC.

“We want a good power station. The management of ANGLEC is doing a good job. When you go home and could turn on your light, that is a privilege even if yer don’t get $10.00 on the shares that you buy. Lights is on . . .

“[To] those Anguillians who want to be politicians . . . I am saying, this is not the right time to turn back Anguilla. Come on and get some training and take over [in] the next five years . . . You will be trained if you come around us now. [But] you are not ready. We cannot turn back Anguilla. It’s too much doing . . .

“And, like I say, [those who are trained] to teach the children in the school [should] go ahead and teach . . . Why [do] you want to be a politician? I am a politician because I was a sailor. I is a down to earth person. You are not that person. You are too educated to be on the road messing up your shoes down [by the Corito dump site.] . . You ain’t goin do that. You goin stay in your office 24 hours a day and you don’t know what the sh-t happening in Anguilla. [Do] you think you goin get a preacher to go on the road five o’clock in the morning looking at the roads and what is next? . . . You ain’t goin get . . . an educated person to come out in the field [because] he would say, ‘I don’t want my clothes dirty’ . . .

“Listen to me. You don’t have no choice but to put this government back in there. And those of you who running for election . . . your time will come. But . . . you in the wrong crowd. First of all, you got to get your training . . . [Secondly, those] who running in Island Harbour got to let go those pissy tail sh-ts . . . You got to forgive me because when I get crazy, I don’t follow my notes.

“. . . I love you.”

A comment: Kenneth’s involvement in politics reminds me of the words of the late Dr Martin Luther King, Jr: “You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” There is much wisdom in those words. And when it comes to a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love there is no one in Anguilla’s politics who has a greater claim to those qualities than Kenneth who sometimes act as Chief Minister. However, it is to his credit that he now recognises that a political leader, this century, needs more than grace and love – needs certain analytical and other tools – if he or she is to deal adequately with the complexities of decision-making in a global environment. It is that recognition which led to his decision not to contest another election.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News