Senior Opposition Member in the Anguilla House of Assembly, Hubert Hughes, proudly accepted the keys to a top-of-the-line US$46,000 V8 Sequoia Jeep, from Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, on Monday afternoon, June 23. Just minutes earlier at a press briefing at Mr. Fleming’s office, Mr. Hughes, responding to public criticism, issued a statement denouncing suggestions that the vehicle was a deal in which he was “bought and silenced by the Government.”

Mr. Hughes accepts keys from CM Fleming

The outspoken Mr. Hughes, known over the years for his vehement criticisms of almost every action of the Government, stated in part that “not even the Constitutional exercise has received as much of our people’s attention as the gossip and debate over Hubert Hughes being bought for a jeep.”

He went on: “It has taken the provision of a public vehicle for Hubert Hughes to spark off a vicious debate by our people over Government vehicles driven by public officers. The Honourable Osbourne Fleming over the years consistently reminded us that the top civil servants do not have the same obligations as the elected officials in the minds of the people. He has therefore decided to respond to my call for fair play; and whatever our opinion on the issue, at least he has had the courage to fight off all conspiracies to live up to his pledge made in the [House of] Assembly.

“Since I publicly demanded fair treatment for the Opposition, it would be politically childish for me to succumb to the charge of people who say that the vehicle for Hubert Hughes is a corrupt deal. I ask my accusers to check my record of integrity, achievement and independence.”

Mr. Fleming told the media representatives that Mr. Hughes had given over 30 years of service to Anguilla, was well known for providing transport across the island for persons and that “the man deserved” the vehicle.
“There has been a lot of talk about the vehicle for Mr. Hughes and I would like the people of Anguilla to know how the system works,” Chief Minister Fleming said. “Every Elected Member in the House of Assembly gets traveling allowance. In the case of Ministers, everybody knows that each of them has a vehicle. There is no secret as to what are the responsibilities of an Elected Member in Anguilla. Their life is not their life. In my case, people call me 5.30 a.m. and in Hubert’s case, they also call him at 5.30 whether you are a Minister or not.

“Everybody knows who Mr. Hughes is. He is very well known for assisting people with transport. I would hope that he would not put coals, and what not, in the vehicle but he would do it if he has to help somebody. This is what every Elected Member has to do. At the end of 2007 I suggested to Mr. Hughes and to Mr. Baird (the other Opposition Member) that either they accept travel allowance every month or a vehicle. Mr. Baird said that he would stay with his vehicle because his wife cannot drive and it makes no sense for him to have [two vehicles]. Mr. Hughes said that he would go ahead with the vehicle. To that end we [the Government] decided to supply Mr. Hughes, a man who had been in the trenches for many years, far more than many of us, with the vehicle.

“We went ahead and bought a vehicle for him and I have great pleasure in saying that I am a happy man to know we were able to provide him with it because I know that it will be used for the functions of his service to persons on the island.”
Mr. Fleming described the oversized light brown jeep as being “an expensive and modern vehicle.” He felt convinced “that nothing is too nice, too expensive for a man who has traveled the trenches of this country irrespective of [his political views]. “There is no politics in this and it is just something we wanted to do,” the Chief Minister concluded.

Aside from his written statement, Mr. Hughes commented: “I commend the Chief Minister for his high degree of statesmanship because, as everyone knows, there has been, and continues to be, disagreement politically between ourselves but that has not deterred him from giving me the dignity and respect. I commend him for his gesture. I wish that the people of Anguilla can stop saying that this is a deal because it was an open discussion in the Anguilla House of Assembly.”
As the Chief Minister rose from his chair to present the keys to the vehicle to Mr. Hughes in the Secretariat Yard, he quipped: “National Government is next” a reference to Mr. Hughes’ oft-repeated call for that system of administration away from the confines of a political party structure.
One of the known criticisms by members of the public has been what they perceived as “reckless driving” in the past by Mr. Hughes. With so many vehicles and traffic jams now on the island’s roads and with the safety campaigns in place, it is hoped that not only Mr. Hughes, who has driven incident-free for many years, but all motorists will drive with due care and attention at all times.

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