Going into a New Year is like embarking on a trackless journey to an unfamiliar destination with fears and pitfalls all along the way, requiring the traveller to step lightly with caution and even tip toe.

In Anguilla, today, there is much to worry about but at the same time to hope for. A once prosperous island, ranking at the top in the region with a double digit growth rate, we in this precious gem now find ourselves unfortunately trailing other territories as the brunt of the recession and some of our acknowledged mistakes take their toll. In our brighter days it may not have occurred to us that the full employment once enjoyed by our people, and those residing among us from other lands, would have ended one day; that the many apartment rentals that existed, and the demand for more accommodation for external workers, would now be unoccupied and no longer needed; and that the volume of money in circulation, as well as our purchasing power, would dry up. Alas, the days of lean are upon us! And yet we must have hope as a people that we will rise from this perplexing period and flourish again.

There are myriads of challenges all around and ahead of us. We are limping into the New Year with not even a public budget hammered out to fund our public services for the next twelve months. There are still a number of stalled public and private sector projects to sort out; just ahead of us, in a couple of weeks, is a general election; further down the road is the need to complete the process of constitutional and electoral reform; and constantly confronting us is the threat of continuing economic and financial difficulty in the face of rising costs, unemployment and reduced earnings.

There are predictions that 2010, like 2009, will not be an easy year and that any improvement in the bigger economies of the world will not immediately trickle down to us. We will have to live by our wits creating for ourselves ways to overcome some of the dilemmas we face and quickly make use of any good opportunities that may present themselves as a result of our efforts.

As if the problems of finance and a sagging economy are not enough, and very burdensome, we find ourselves having to deal with rising crime, youth violence and drug abuse. We still have to be thankful that the situation here is not as explosive and manifest as in some of the neighbouring islands, but we must not let our guard down. There is a lot of work for government, other political leaders, the church, various organisations and individuals to do to encourage our young people to be productive and responsible citizens on whose shoulders we can build the future of our island.

If there is ever a good time for reflections, it is now in the brief closing period between 2009 and the threshold of 2010. We need to embark on a new set of meaningful resolutions which would enable us to work our way through the New Year and to achieve the successes we are so desirous of attaining. As we enter the unknown year, with all of its foreboding and uncertainty, we must be gallant and bold. Admittedly, even the boldest of men must fight off timidity sometimes. A way to do so is to take hold of the Hand of the Almighty to lead us aright and safely into 2010. It is in that spirit that The Anguillian wishes all our people and friends everywhere the very best for the New Year.

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