Anguillians turned out in large numbers at the James Ronald Webster Park on Tuesday, June 2nd, to celebrate the 42nd Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution and Anguilla Day with an Official Parade and the honouring of a number of nationals and others for their outstanding contribution to the island.

The Royal Anguilla Police Force in salute

At the start of the ceremony, Chief Minister, the Hon. Osbourne Fleming, accompanied by Police Commissioner, Keithly Benjamin, inspected the various uniformed units comprising the Royal Anguilla Police Force, Prison Officers, Scouts, Cub Scouts, Pathfinders, Girl Guides and Brownies, under the command of Inspector Allan Carty.

The Police Community Band

The invited guests and others were welcomed by Permanent Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, Foster Rogers. He said that the annual celebration was designed not only to remind everyone about the sacrifices made by their forebears, but also signified the high regard the people of Anguilla held for the principles of self-determination and good governance. He stated that the theme for the celebration spoke about moving forward as a people while at the same time recognising the great strides they made since the 1967 Revolution.

Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming

Governor Alistair Harrison said it was a great privilege and pleasure for him and his wife, Mrs. Sarah Harrison, to be celebrating Anguilla Day for the first time. “It is right that we should reflect on the last 42 years and what the people of Anguilla have achieved in the revolution and since,” the Governor observed. “There have been ups and downs but far more ups than downs. Anguilla has enjoyed a prosperity that would have seemed unimaginable in 1967 and would have been unrealisable if Anguilla had not broken free as it did. On the silver stream, that has run through Anguillian history since then, has been the determination of its people and their determination to achieve self-determination.

HE Governor Alistair Harrison

“So, it is natural that I should first pay tribute to those who fought for Anguilla’s self- determination in 1967 and in particular to the memory of those who are no longer with us. They had a dual task: to break free from an artificial federation led by a politician who avowed he wanted to turn Anguilla into a desert and also to convince the British Government which was often disturbingly slow on the uptake, about their desire for self-determination. Convincing the world, or at least the Committee of 24 at the United Nations, was not always easy either. But the people of Anguilla eventually won all the battles they were faced with and today we celebrate their heroic victories - your victories.”

Section of invited guests

Governor Harrison devoted the rest of his address to the children and young people of Anguilla, who would be celebrating Anguilla Day 42 years from now and would carry the torch of freedom into the next generation. He said they were growing up in an ever more complex and challenging environment and like everywhere else the youngsters were tempted by the gang culture and crime. He stressed that the young people were the responsibility of society as a whole to lead the way, and that they needed excellent parents to love and support them; excellent teachers to challenge and inspire them and excellent public services to intervene when necessary in a caring way.
The Governor added: “Equally important is the attitude of all of us, our determination to serve the next generation as well as the heroes of 1967 served this generation. If we are all inspired by their example, I am confident that Anguilla has a very bright future in the next 42 years and beyond.”

CM Fleming inspecting Pathfinders

Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, was grateful to Mr. Harrison for his address, saying it was important in Anguilla’s move forward for the Governor and the Government to work as a team. He said that he and his colleagues believed that in the three months since his arrival, the Governor had shown that he had come to help the Government.

Speaking in a strong and confident voice, Mr. Fleming, who will be retiring from active politics next year, at the call of the general election, said that Anguillians had endured bright times and would have to endure dull times as well. “In this period, when the entire world is enduring the same, we in Anguilla are having our touch of the dark cloud cast over the world, but we must not give up hope,” he admonished. “We must press on because we believe that brighter days are coming and all of us can make Anguilla a brighter place. Let us not be discouraged over what is happening in the world today, but let us keep pressing on because I believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Chief Minister predicted that the next two years would not be easy in Anguilla and called for all persons to band themselves together in the spirit of the revolution to meet the challenging times and to rally to the cause of their island. He spoke about the high unemployment rate in Anguilla and of his belief that it would be short-lived. “We have a hope that Anguilla will rise again,” he went on. “Before us we have a problem to solve - the Temenos/Flag project, - but there is a window of hope and I feel happy this morning. I will not dwell on this because Mr. Banks, the Honourable Member for Valley South and Minister of Finance, will address the nation … to let us know what is happening with that project. But for your information, the Flag project must start and it will start.”

Inspection of Brownies

Mr. Fleming reflected that 28 years ago he returned to Anguilla from St. Croix and entered the political arena in 1981in a party in association with Mr. Banks and Mr. Ronald Webster. “I quickly thought of visiting District 2 and so today I come to say thanks to the people there and by extension the people throughout Anguilla. I come to say thanks to the Honourable Victor Banks. I come to say thanks to the Honourable James Ronald Webster. I come to say thanks to my family and friends who led me on and gave me the assurance to move forward. I come to say thanks to Sir Emile Gumbs who gave me my first stint of service as a Minister in Anguilla, and I want to say that during those nine years the record will show I did my best for the people of Anguilla. I come to say thanks to all my colleagues whom I worked with over the years. I come to say thanks to the workers in the Public Service: Permanent Secretaries, the Deputy Governor and the Attorney General…And I come to say thanks to all the people of Anguilla who stood around me while I was in Government for all these 27 years.”

Prison Officers

The Chief Minister said he had already told the people in his constituency that he was relinguishing his political career next year after having fulfilled his leadership commitment to them and the entire Anguillian public. “I have achieved the wonderful feeling of seeing young people having their own homes, their own cars and families," he said. “This was my vision not for East End alone, but throughout Anguilla. I also come to say thanks to all in Anguilla who supported me during my sickness and I will never forget the heroic welcome I got when I came back from the hospital in the United States. I come to say thanks to a lady who agreed to give up one of her kidneys so that I could live...I hope I can give the message that there is nothing wrong about any of us giving one of our kidneys to help someone else.”

Mr. Fleming emphasised that it was now time for the young people of Anguilla to begin to bear the burden of leadership of Anguilla. “Young people must begin to take over the reins of Government and the management of all companies in Anguilla,” he stated. “My vision is to see Anguillians controlling the destiny of this country and today I am satisfied that nearly every department in Anguilla is now manned by Anguillians.” He called on older politicians to begin to realise that the time had come for them to bow out and to give young people a chance to run the island.

Pathfinders Eager Beavers

The Chief Minister related that he would not be contesting the general election “to be held soon.” He said that like Moses, a Joshua must now take over from him. “I come to tell you that the job of building Anguilla must continue and to that end I stand fully supportive of passing the mantle to the Honourable Victor Banks,” he told his listeners. “And so the United Front Government will now be led by someone who is very much respected in the Caribbean. We in this Government have brought dignity to Anguilla, in the region, UK and throughout the world. Let us not make a change to that.

“I want to pay homage to the Honourable Kenneth Harrigan and the Honourable Abelto Hughes who have…recognised that they too must step aside and let the young people run the country. I salute you for a job well done and for your support during our time and let us now, who have stepped aside, stand by to help the young recruits as they come aboard.” He added however that both Mr. Banks and Mr. Evans Rogers would continue their political careers “to guide the ship.”

He was happy and satisfied that he had touched the lives of so many people and in so many ways. “My road leads to Heaven. I have done what the Lord has asked me to do and that’s where I hope to go,” he told the cheering crowd. Mr. Fleming, who stressed that he was not going home until next year’s election, left his listeners with the following words:

“I want to implore the people of Anguilla to follow these guidelines: Keep Anguilla crime-free; continue to keep Anguilla a kind and friendly country; continue to instill in all of us the commitment to good service; continue to be honest; pay attention to our children; make sure to give them time for God and seek Him in prayer; keep our nation clean always; be kind to foreigners in our land; and follow the God Book and continue to love one another. Lastly, I want to assure you that the Anguilla United Front Government will continue to do its best for Anguilla and ensure that our island continues to be a gem of the Caribbean.”

The Chief Minister then called Pastor Ambrose Richardson of the Christian Assembly Church at Blowing Point to the podium. The pastor said he had met Mr. Fleming many years ago who told him he was returning home to work for Anguilla. “Today he has accomplished that,” the religious leader stated. “I have known our Chief Minister as a man of courage, a man of strength, a man of great compassion and a man who cares for people. I know that many of us shall miss you, but I believe you have done your task. I think it is a wonderful statement you have made and it shows the integrity of your leadership where you have come to understand your limitations and now you must move on and out for somebody else to carry on. You may not be in office, but I am sure that the leaders of Anguilla will lean on you for your wise counsel and your enduring strength. May God bless you as we pray….”

Following that, the Chief Minister proceeded to present Medals of Honour and Queen Certificates to a number of persons for their involvement in the Anguilla Revolution, and their varied contributions to the social development of the island.

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