As Anguilla reaches the end of a year most on the island will want to forget, the distraction of disputes between Chief Minister Hubert Hughes and Governor Alistair Harrison continue to be atop government business. It has been well publicised that Chief Minister Hughes and the AUM government are opposed to soon to be effected reassignment of Permanent Secretaries, as determined by the offices of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Stanley Reid and Governor of Anguilla, Mr. Alistair Harrison. It is an issue than has galvanised the core supporters of the governing party, but that many Anguillians to-date, appear removed from.
In the face of reduced family incomes in 2011 coupled with increased taxes and less than bright immediate prospects, Anguillians in general were muted in their celebration of Christmas with more attention being paid to the size of electricity bills than the twinkling of colorful lights.
Hughes in his letter, dated December 21st, requests that the Governor change his decision in reference to the January 1st, shuffle of Permanent Secretaries. He describes the proposed re-assignments as being a direct threat to the lives and livelihoods of every Anguillian and the future prosperity of the island. (NB: The letter is attached to the article in pdf format)
The letter by the island’s Chief Minister paints a bleak picture of the state of the economy saying, “Today families have lost homes as the banks foreclose on them, some families do not have access to electricity, our people – a proud people – suffer financially. There are even reports of houses being broken into and people stealing nothing else but food.”
Despite the economic hardships, the island, with its composite of pristine beaches, high-end accommodation and terrific dining options continues to attract a jet setting clientele, obvious by the holiday traffic at the Clayton Lloyd international airport.
If those responsible were to get their acts together and work with the tremendous potential of the island, prospects will undoubtedly brighten. On the other hand as the posturing on all sides continues and political scales used as the guiding light, hardworking Anguillians pay the immediate price. In a place where the coin has more than two sides and its not always clear who represents what, it will take deliberate, bold and intelligent leadership from within the island, to forge a path forward.
On December 13th, a group of about 80 persons, in support of the Chief Minister led a march to the Governor’s Office. In the fractured political minefield that is Anguilla, it remains very difficult to draw definite conclusions from the small number of protestors other than ‘publicly, at this time, a majority of the electorate are not prepared to sacrifice for one side or the other’. On small islands, like Anguilla, where political victimization is not an obscure concept, opinions of the majority are often voiced loudest in the secret meeting places.
(Source http://www.anguillanews.com/enews/index.php/permalink/4147.html)
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