Columns

“Openness, transparency, and accountability”, three words that have been seared into the collective memory of our body politic here in Anguilla. Everyone in Anguilla who has been following our politics for at least the past three years, coinciding with the 2010 general elections cycle, should be familiar with these three loaded words. And I believe that many of us have used them in regular conversation, in debate and argument among our friends and colleagues about the state of politics in Anguilla.

The ancient landmarks by which our nation was once defined have been virtually destroyed. Say… Is there any hope of salvaging them? Are there enough virtues left that we can grab hold of, preserve, and rebuild on? Universally, it is pitiful to realize that due to certain eroding elements like greed, selfishness, poor ethics, dysfunctional home environments and discourteous conduct, many of the virtuous qualities that we would have once treasured seem to be no longer relevant to 21st century societies in general. And to our local way of life, in particular, they are quickly becoming archaic.

The cause most central to triggering the Anguilla Revolution was the many years of neglect Anguillians endured at the hands of the Central Government situated some seventy miles away in Basseterre, St Kitts. That neglect manifested itself in the lack of proper roads; potable water; telephones; and electricity.

In the last of these reminders this year, we take one more look at ANGUILLA PRIDE as a guide to achieve prosperity with every transaction in the new season and beyond. Whether we work for someone else or think we are self-employed, demonstrating service excellence will determine our success in the judgment of the only “boss” that counts: As Sam Walton of Walmartobserved, “There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”

Life is a journey of experiences and memories. The better the experience the more treasured the memory. This journey is not always smooth but rather like an obstacle course. In fact, for most people, the journey is a very challenging one, because many persons never reach the goal posts. A long healthy life is one such goal and those who achieve it have every reason to celebrate.

Many folks view it as no surprise that the 42-year tyrant of Lybia should die by a lethal gunshot wound to the head. On October 20th, at about 8:45 a.m., Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was found hiding in a large storm drain in his hometown of Sirte, after the vehicle in which he was escaping was targeted by NATO planes. Following his retrieval from what he would have thought to be a secret hide-away, the defamed ruler was badly beaten, by organized militant National Transitional Council rebels, sustaining serious injuries which caused him to bleed profusely.

I listened with interest to the House of Assembly intermittently Monday (October 17, 2011) whenever the opportunity provided itself among myseveral other preoccupations. I wanted in particular to hear the Chief Minister’s response to the issue of the Governor’s Statement to Executive Council on September 8, 2011 regarding the “ill-considered conduct of the Chief Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary” to conclude an MOU with the Starwood Capital Group on their stationery, and “without authorization from EXCO, without the benefit of the advice of the Tourism Investment Committee and without having been seen or negotiated by the AG’s Chambers.”

“Watch that tongue!” Have you ever been told those words at any point in your life? Can you recall the reason why? Have you ever told those words to anyone? Can you recall why you did? Well, many of us were either told to watch our tongue, or have said those words before, at some point in our lives, either to our children, grandchildren, colleagues, friends, neighbours or simply passers-by.

Anguilla is a holiday destination and as such is vulnerable to communicable diseases ‘imported’ to the island. As a member of the teaching staff of Saint James School of Medicine, I encourage you to please take the time to get your flu vaccination this season.

The economic condition of our Anguillian and Caribbean forebears was shaped and dictated by two main factors. The first was the colonial plantation economic system founded on the enslavement of our African ancestors. The enslavement of Africans was followed by the exploitation of Indians and to, a lesser extent, Chinese through the system of indentured labour to satisfy the demand for labour by export agriculture, mainly sugar. The second main factor was the climate and weather conditions which dictated wet and dry seasons - planting and harvesting.

As the global economic crisis continues, without an end in sight, it is taking quite a toll on us here in Anguilla. Our survival during this very difficult economic time calls for nationalism and patriotism. A group of us concerned Anguillians (including businessmen, clergy and politicians) have requested meetings with the political directorate and government officials and have offered to help develop concrete initiatives to grapple with the country’s challenges.

The themes on which our party has focused, in our critique of the kind of leadership which has beset Anguilla over the last nineteen months of the AUM administration, have been the blatant lack of good governance, accountable leadership, a visible plan, a positive approach, style and attitude, and truthfulness. These themes will be the subject of other forms of media, besides my column, over the next several months. Our well-attended and applauded public meeting on Saturday October 8, 2011 at the Landsome Bowl is just the beginning of that campaign of “truth and facts”. We will be having a Town Hall Meeting at the Basket Ball Court in East End this Sunday, October 16th at 5.00 pm,to bring a more conversational approach to that same message. We will welcome your questions, comments and discussion on our presentations.

It seems like the powers that be are always in a position to take advantage of oppressing the masses by inflicting fines and fares that are considered all but unjust. Historically, government revenues in the form of astronomical taxes and penalties for crimes have always been a burden to the poor, and those who were simply not wealthy enough to meet the demands, unless they would obtain some form of assistance.

I was exposed to a number of inspirational and visionary ideas by my Economics lecturers drawn from the Caribbean, as a student at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, many years ago. A few of the ideas have stayed with me and have positively impacted my thinking and work. They will continue to do so in the future. The ideas remain extremely relevant today, in this time of economic turmoil that is hurting Anguilla’s economy and most economies globally.

Mr. Stanley Mussington, who served for many years in the Anguilla Civil Service as a professionally-trained Chief Public Health Inspector and Administrator, was the Guest speaker at the Launch and Open Day of the 2011 Vector Awareness Programme Activities on Monday this week.

It was very amusing - but perhaps sad to hear Members of the House of Assembly on the Government side boast that they will have a budgetary surplus, at the end of the year, to the tune of 20 million EC dollars. While this is conceivable on the recurrent budget, given the revenues from the sale of the Viceroy Resort, such a boast begs a plethora of questions as follows:

October has rolled around again, and we are probably all glad to have gotten past September – “Time to Remember” in terms of the hurricane season. Following that train of thought, in October it should be “All Over”. Of course, Hurricane Lenny towards the end of November 1999 should have taught us all that that is absolutely not true, and that we should always be prepared! In fact it is timely that October of each year is designated “Financial Information Month” so that we can focus our attentions on the need to be prepared for the financial hurricanes that may befall us.

Do you know that the law and principle of sowing and reaping not only apply to farmers but to us as well? Are you aware that we like the farmers sow seeds and that one day we too will reap the harvest we sow?

As we once again reflect on ways to build prosperity through the highest standards of professionalism characterised by ANGUILLA PRIDE service qualities, this discussion expands on the “E” for Excellent Endings. Specifically, inviting customers back again provides the continuity from today’s transactions to tomorrow’s growth. It isn’t just something to say as an arbitrary job standard. We need customers to come again after serving them so well that they also bring their friends when they do.

Dear Readers, today I would like to present you with a brief summary of a study which has gone virtually unnoticed beyond the academic community but, in my opinion, should be brought to the attention of anyone who cares about the health and wellbeing Anguillians.