Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, told reporters at his weekly press conference on Tuesday this week that he was now converted to the objectives of regionalism as promulgated through CARICOM and hoped that one day soon Anguilla would become a fully-fledged member of the organisation. He made the statement following his attendance at the 20th meeting of the Caribbean Community held in Belize late last week.

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

“I say this because I have been converted in thinking this way because I did not realise that we are one community and that it behooves us to be close to each other,” Mr. Fleming said. He described the meeting as having been very fruitful and he was pleased that although Anguilla was not a full member of CARICOM, it was recognised as such and was being given an opportunity to participate in all of the affairs of the organisation.

Minister of Finance, Victor Banks, who in the past represented Anguilla at many regional meetings, was pleased with the position taken by the Chief Minister. “We have suffered from certain aspects of our inter-action over the years…and I think the time has come for us, especially in a global situation, [to recognise] that there is a need for us in the region to do things together,” he stated.

Mr. Fleming said that of great benefit to Anguilla was an examination of the financial situation of the world and its impact on the region. “We have all come to realise that during this crisis we have to rub shoulder to shoulder,” he said. “We decided that while we are individually looking at our stimulus packages, we should begin a new process together of approaching international financial organisations to help carry the region.”

Mr. Fleming made the point that Anguilla and its neighbours could not borrow all the time and that there was a need to find sources that would provide some funding. He stated that apart from the CARCOM initiative, Anguilla had undertaken to look at a second financial plan to offset some of the island’s fiscal difficulties. He said it would take into account the interests and suggestions of the people of Anguilla, particularly civil servants, as to the measures being taken, but he was not in a position to give further details.

Another matter decided on at the meeting was a CARICOM Summit on crime, put forward by Dr. Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis. “The suggestion is that we should begin quickly to look into setting up a data base on one of the islands so that we can store information on all criminal activities in Caribbean countries,” he reported. “It was suggested that when this data base is set up, persons for example coming to Anguilla will have to get clearance to do so…Just as the Americans are now saying that if you have a British Passport and want to enter their territory, you have to send in your information to their date base first for clearance. This is the same thing we are trying to establish in the Caribbean countries. I think it is a positive step for Anguilla to be party to that.”

In other matters, the Chief Minister discounted rumours that there were no Anguillian workers employed at the Viceroy project. He said there were 25 Americans working there and he had requested that four of them should be repatriated in order that four skilled Anguillians could be employed in keeping with the policy of employing Anguillians first. He quoted figures from the Labour Department showing that, contrary to rumours, there were now 20 local contractors and over 200 Anguillian workers at Viceroy.

Mr. Banks reported that his Ministry had eight teams working on an important document in relation to the fiscal and economic situation in Anguilla and good progress was being made. He said that a number of useful suggestions had been put forward and that a number of them involved sacrifices, and it was an attempt to set an example to the wider community as to how to approach the difficult financial situation.
The Minister further said that it was arranged by his Ministry to put forward a resolution in the House of Assembly this Thursday to formalise the borrowing of funds from the Caribbean Development Bank for the construction and development of the new ferry terminal at Blowing Point. The resolution also contains an element for a research and development consultancy on the Anguilla Community College.

Minister of Social Development, Evans Rogers, was delighted that plans for the Community College were moving ahead smoothly. He said that in the meantime, a café and a small restaurant, called Zenaida, are to be opened to the public at the Rogers’ Building housing the Community College Development Unit on March 27. The catering facilities are all part of the hospitality section of the college unit.

Mr. Rogers spoke about a just-completed report prepared following a tour of Campuses A and B of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School and interviews with the two faculties, the management team, teachers, students from forms three to six, security personnel and parents as well as a review of various documents.

He said the report, which deals with behavioural and other problems at the school, would be made available to the public in due course.

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