Recent Interesting Issues

Recent Interesting Issues on Which Correspondence Has Been Received:

(a) “Moratorium on Foreign Tourism Projects”. We all read with interest the newspaper article in “The Anguillian Newspaper” concerning the moratorium announced in November 2005. As we understood it, no major foreign-owned tourism-related project was to be considered for licensing until a period of 30 months had passed. Around the same time we were assured that no more projects were going to be approved for West End until East End had a shot. This week, in the House of Assembly, the Chief Minister told us he was thinking of extending the halt on new foreign owned construction. However, a correspondent assures us that Altamar has been approved for buying the land and ponds in the West End they had their eyes on. Is this true? If it is, whatever happened to the moratorium? Does anyone know?

(b) “Youth Violence”. Gangs in the ghettos of the US are known to us only from television. They are said to provide deprived young men living in depressed inner cities with a facsimile of love and family and a measure of security, until the inevitable jail time or even death cuts them down early. There is no such justification for the increasing levels of violence and crime among the young men, school children many of them, among us. They have in the main grown up with every material need and want provided for by hard working parents. All young men dream of joining a gang. In my day, gangs were groups of boys that stoned the neighbour’s mango trees and ran for cover when he appeared. I was a gang member in this sense. Today, gang members in Anguilla are school boys armed with guns and working for adults who have major crime on their mind: drugs, prostitution, and gambling. Let us hear your horror stories about this rising phenomenon. Only by bringing it out into the open can we hope to confront this demon among us.

(c) “Ease”. This I am told is the local name for the practice of solicitation and payment of paybacks to managers or supervisors for granting the favour of working at their establishment. I suppose that with the economy in Anguilla growing so rapidly, we should have expected that the criminal activity of Chicago or Manchester would spring up here. But, to think that there is such an evil flourishing right under our noses? I would particularly like to know what is the typical amount of “ease” that supervisors demand in Anguilla? Which are the businesses involved? I do not know about you, but if I had to pay my supervisor 10% of my weekly paycheck, I might well be pushed to rob a gas station on the weekend to make ends meet. Post your favourite examples here. Or, you may email them to me with such conditions as you wish.

(d) “Victimisation”. One correspondent reminds us that not many Anguillians will contribute to this discussion so long as there is the slightest chance that they will be identified. She claims that “all Anguillians live in a state of fear”. I gather that it is not so much that there are stark instances of victimization on the island. It is more that Anguillians go about their business with their heads firmly stuck to an angle that does not permit them to hear, see or speak any “evil”. I agree. No one should contribute to this conversation unless they are independently positioned. Preferably, retired and nearing the departure lounge. Of course, you can make an anonymous contribution to any of the points under discussion by simply clicking on the links to Articles 1-4 provided above in the section dealing with previous issues, and typing in your comment.

(e) “Loyal Opposition”. In the Anguilla House of Assembly there are seven elected members. Five of them form the present government. Two of them are the opposition. They are Hubert Hughes and Eddison Baird. They have not been doing any opposing in recent years. They have been silent on every issue raised on this Blog. Is it a form of corruption for members of the opposition to be silent, to fail to oppose? Or, does it go further? Is it, as one correspondent claims, that, if you are going to buy the government, it does not cost much more to buy the opposition as well? Your views please. How much does the opposition in Anguilla cost? Bids welcome.

Ø Next week, photos. Most will come from Nat Hodge’s The Anguillian. Some that you have sent me cannot be published. Some will be my own.