At this week’s Tuesday press conference, Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, told reporters he regretted to bring up a matter in which the four Ministers of Government had sued former High Court Judge, Don Mitchell, who stated on his blog that they were corrupt. He thought, however, that he should refer to the matter to clear the Ministers’ names by saying that the issue had now been settled out of court with their acceptance of a financial offer from Mr. Mitchell, QC.

L-R: Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming, Hon. Kenneth Harrigan, Hon. Victor Banks and Hon. Evans Rogers

“Today is a nice beautiful day for us, but it is unfortunate that we have to raise an issue with you that we are not too happy about but we have to do it,” he told the reporters. “Over the last year or there about, the four Ministers of the Government of Anguilla had been accused of being corrupt. It is unfortunate that a QC would express that in writing. We did not take this matter lightly and my colleagues and I have said that if there is one thing we are going to do, was definitely to seek to preserve our integrity and character. This information [that we were corrupt] went throughout all over the Caribbean and, by extension, all over the world. We knew that our record was clean and had nothing to worry about [but] we decided to protect our character by taking this matter… to the Court.

“The four of us are reporting this morning that QC Don Mitchell has settled compensation for the charge he leveled against us. We all have been paid…The matter is now closed and we have all been compensated.”

The Chief Minister stressed for the benefit of all concerned that nobody should loosely “go around calling people’s names and destroying people’s character without evidence.” He went on: “This sends a message to the people of Anguilla on a whole, whether you are in politics, on the street, in a church or wherever, that nobody can arbitrarily pick up peoples’ character and dash it around. You must be very careful about what you say about people.”

Mr. Fleming intimated that the above accusation against the four Ministers had resulted in the Foreign Affairs Committee in London calling on the British Government for an inquiry into an allegation of corruption in the Anguilla Government. The Chief Minister said that the result of the court settlement, which had cleared the names of the Ministers, would now be sent to London.

Commenting on the matter, Minister of Finance, Victor Banks, said the suit against Mr. Mitchell was not for the financial aspects but the principle involved. “We could have pushed it further but we decided to settle it to demonstrate that what we are doing is to make sure that our good names are cleared and that is the most important aspect of it,” he added.

Efforts to contact Mr. Mitchell for comment could not be established within the limits of our printing deadline.

The Flag Project

On the Flag Project, Mr. Fleming said that there was no sound information to report other than what was given last week that “there is a window of hope and negotiations are slowly continuing.” He stressed that the golf course project was critical to Anguilla’s development and that the Government had received a letter from Credit Suisse, the project’s bankers following a recent meeting. “We are satisfied that they realise that Government has to keep the pressure on to ensure that things are moving ahead,” he stated, saying further that Government’s main concern was to make certain that the golf course did not deteriorate beyond repair.

Land Acquisition at Sandy Ground

Mr. Fleming reported that Government was proceeding to acquire 2.9 acres of land at Sandy Ground and that the matter was in the hands of the Attorney General. He commended the Government of 1994 – 2000 for putting a provision in an alien landholding licence that if the land was not utilised within a certain time, Government could acquire it. He said it was probably the last piece of land at Sandy Ground that Government could secure for the people of Anguilla. “We are hoping that by the August season we can have more space for our people in Sandy Ground and also to provide another area where our people can picnic and enjoy themselves,” he added.

The Viceroy Project

The Chief Minister was pleased to report that the Viceroy Project was “moving slowly but effectively.” He said that later in the day Government was meeting with developers and owners of the project as well as the financiers, Citigroup. “We want to ensure that this project continues to move as it is going. We feel that the best way forward is for all of us to sit down and discuss the project with all the players,” he stated.

Stimulus Plan For Anguilla

Mr. Banks reported that the Ministry of Finance was meeting every Monday morning in a long session to put together a fiscal stimulus plan to respond to the situation in Anguilla. He said the document, to be ready by March 26, would set out the financial measures that Government would need to take. It will be used for discussions in April with the British Government as to what assistance could be given to Anguilla. He said it would also be helpful with discussions with lending institutions and for the Treasury Bills and Development Bills on which Government had recently embarked.

Community College

Minister of Social Development, Evans Rogers, was pleased with last week’s passage of the Community College Bill in the House of Assembly. “It is something that we, the Government, the public at large, and all business stakeholders, should make sure that the college would be in place and have the applicable courses so that we can train our people at home,” he said.

Health Authority

In speaking about the work of the Health Authority of Anguilla, Mr. Rogers responded to criticisms by Opposition Member, Edison Baird, that the x-ray machine at the hospital was not working for sometime. The Minister said the machine was less than two years old but there was a need from time to time to replace parts. “No one in the Health Authority or the Ministry has been sitting laurels and allowing the unit to deteriorate and not looking for servicing,” he stressed. He reported that attempts had been made to repair the machine by persons from abroad, that the needed parts had now arrived on the island and another effort would be made to get it in operation.

He said it was fortunate that Hughes Medical Centre had an x-ray machine to share services with the Health Authority.

Vandalism in Schools
The Minister expressed disappointment over the vandalism of schools, stating that there were two recent attempts to enter the Alwyn Allison Primary School at West End and in one case the intruder ransacked the principal’s office and classrooms. “It seems that our appeals are falling on deaf ears,” he said, recalling incidents in which there were attacks on schools.

Blowing Point Port & Water Corporation

Minister of Infrastructure, Kenneth Harrigan, said the prequalification arrangements for the construction work were about 60% in place. Discussions were taking place with the consultants, the tenders were out for bids and some work may commence by the middle of the year. He reported that plans were continuing for the new port of entry at Corito which might begin in 2010.

Mr. Harrigan said there was a smooth transition from the Water Department to the statutory Water Corporation. He stated that the reverse osmosis plant at Crocus Bay was recently not supplying enough water to meet the island’s needs resulting in a rationing of the 750,000 gallons produced daily. He reported that the situation had now been improved by about 50%, thus meeting the needs of the island. He said a major reason for the insufficient supply of water was caused by several leaks in the distribution system. He was grateful to Chief Executive Officer, Rommell Hughes, who found the leakages “where water was just pouring into the ground.”

The Minister said the personnel to run the Water Corporation were still being put into place. He was happy there was much improvement in this area of his ministry, and that the Executive Council would soon give approval to certain additional matters to be dealt with.

Mr. Harrigan added that plans for the road programme were continuing, though delayed by the financial situation. Much consideration was being given to The Valley Road Project and he hoped that work would commence later in the year.

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

World News