Over the next several days, Anguilla will be hosting the 33rd Regional Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference at the CuisinArt Resort & Spa, on the island’s beautiful south-west coast. It will be taking place as from Sunday, June 29, with between 50 and 60 delegates from all over the Caribbean and some international countries in attendance.

It is a delightful honour and perhaps a moment in history for Anguilla, the Speaker and membership of the House of Assembly. Certainly Anguilla is no stranger to the CPA, the island’s name having echoed in several regional conference halls where a number of Anguillian delegates from the House of Assembly have attended CPA meetings in recent times. Anguilla’s Chief Minister, the Honourable Osbourne Fleming, may have been a little too fast and bold when he suggested in the Cayman Islands last year that Anguilla should host the next CPA Conference.

Howbeit, Anguilla has always aimed high and perhaps sometimes beyond its reach, but that is how we have achieved the level of political, constitutional and economic status we now have. By the way, why shouldn’t we opt to play host to the prestigious and dynamic CPA? We may not have the elaborate conference facilities and space as other countries, but certainly we are an up-market tourism destination with much to boast about in terms of world-class hotels and restaurants with excellent cuisine, a high standard of living, full employment, excellent roads, a good electricity supply, fabulous beaches and a hospitable, friendly and bright people. Plenty to show off.

We think that against our background as a once-impoverished backwater in the Caribbean and the island’s present position as a gem and success story in the region, we need to show as many people as possible how far we have come from those difficult and dark days of 1967 and even prior to then. The Chief Minister has had every right to invite the CPA to Anguilla and we are delighted to have all who will be here for the event. The planning for the conference, all the protocol it requires and the hosting are all now thankfully in place. Let the meeting go on!

There will be a lot for Anguillian parliamentarians to learn from the conference as the delegates meet in session and discuss some pertinent matters affecting the various parliaments and other issues of mutual interest. The theme of the CPA Conference, “The Role of the Legislature in Controlling and/or Contributing to Over-Development” should be of much interest to Anguillian parliamentarians, leaders and population alike. It is in fact one of the issues coming up for debate occasionally and here, at last, is an opportunity to hear what the CPA branch divisions and others have to say about the matter not just affecting Anguilla, but other small island nations as well striving for economic development and a better way of life for their people.

There are other matters of interest to the membership of the Anguilla House of Assembly. The Speaker, the Honourable David Carty, has done a great deal of work in steering and developing the House over the past few years and has further plans to implement. Let us all hope that this CPA meeting will be a catalyst for other achievements. It is now only left for us at The Anguillian to warmly welcome the delegates and hope that they will enjoy our island and what we have to offer.

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