Opposition member of the House of Assembly, Hubert Hughes said, “The Government should not prolong the agony of the population any longer.” He was referring to the need for early elections and says that he will keep advocating this. He said that it was common knowledge that the government is a “lame duck government” and nothing that they can do now will make a difference.

Hon. Hubert Hughes

“The present administration has made a colossal blunder when they lost the psychological distance between themselves and the foreign investors,” he noted. “They got too close to the foreign investors.” Hughes went on to say that this was brought out quite clearly in a letter that the Chief Minister’s advisers wrote to Mr Sillerman when they pointed out that there are several other investors rapping at government’s door to take over the golf course project. Sillerman has lost all interest in real estate, Hughes pointed out, and he has failed with projects in the USA and the Anguilla project has been a “colossal failure.”

As well as being too close to the foreign investors, Hughes accused Government of not being able to talk to the British and said that the island was one of the most corrupt in the world, according to an Englishman who worked here.
“I am sure that I can bring Anguilla back on its feet,” he suggeted. “I will turn straw into gold”. Asked if he would introduce income tax he stressed that he will not do so as he believes it to be a communist principle of redistribution of wealth. He said that he will ensure that Temenos and Viceroy function in conjunction with existing policies and he will not feel obliged to keep to the agreement made secretly with Cap Juluca if he is in power.
Hughes talked about the unemployment situation and the number of well-educated students who are now looking for jobs. He suggested that the Minister of Labour (Fleming) should sit down with the workers and the school leavers, and then sit down with the employers, and ensure that the conditions of employment meet the people’s needs and that the people are properly paid. He accused Fleming of not understanding or caring about the criteria for jobs. He also said that American agencies have set up private employment agencies for jobs at Viceroy and people are working there without work permits.
He spoke of the 500 foot extension needed for safety reasons at Wallblake Airport, noted that Wallblake was never a suitable site and that the Government should not have spent resources on extending it. He suggested that Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos are all rich because they have international airports.
Hughes concluded his press conference by saying that he will continue to campaign for early elections and described the Government as the worst in the Caribbean and the only solution is “OUT”.

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