Services

What is an acceptable tourism industry for Anguilla?  Those of us who read the blogs involving visitors’ experiences read some strange things from time to time.  Sometimes, you have to wonder where we are going.  I do not hold any brief for any visitors.  Nor have I been hired by any department of government or tourist service.  That gives me free reign to attack toute munde bagaille.  I propose to do just that in relation to the following recent post on Trip Adviser.  The writer is exuberant about Anguilla.  She enjoyed the experience.  Other than the taxi driver ripping her off, she seems to have enjoyed going through Immigration at Blowing Point on 20 December 2009.  She records the reason for her pleasure in these words:

“Very nice young lady stamped us in, and this always makes us laugh – “Is this your first visit?”  “No, we have been coming since 1981”. - “That was before I was born!” Nice little touch when she also slipped us a little slip of paper with a couple of restaurant recommendations, and a big smile when I told her had several bookings at Picante already”.

You might think the slip of paper with a couple of restaurant recommendations offered to a visitor was a nice little friendly touch on behalf of an Immigration Officer.  However, to me it stinks to high heaven.  To what extent should we permit our Immigration Officers to engage in the marketing of restaurants?  They do not do it for nothing.  They are paid to do so.  This is private enterprise.  The rules that govern the private enterprise of public servants are clear.  They are found at General Orders.  In particular, Rule 3.15 and .16:

“PRIVATE WORK
3.15 Prior permission to engage in private work must be sought from the Governor.  Full details of private work or any other work  which may create a conflict of interest for which permission is sought, together with particulars of the remuneration offered and of when the work is to be performed, must accompany the application.  Failure to obtain prior approval will render officers liable to disciplinary proceedings.
3.16 For the purpose of this General Order, where public officers possess a direct or indirect interest in a commercial undertaking or are directly or indirectly involved in private work, there shall be deemed to be a conflict of interest if such interest or work clashes with or is incompatible with the official duties.  Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, a conflict of interest includes interest or work which:

(i) impairs or is likely to impair officers’ efficiency;
(ii) brings or likely to bring the government, the public service or the officer into disrepute;
(iii) impinges or is likely to impinge on their official work or responsibility;
(iv) makes them unavailable for reasonable official duties outside normal working hours; and
(v) puts them or gives the appearance of putting them in a position where they are or would be able to use the official position for private gain.”

When I read this “trip report” all that ran through my mind was the question, “Did this Immigration Officer obtain permission before she promoted these two restaurants?”  How much money was she paid?  Or, was it a family member’s restaurant she was promoting, so she did not need payment in cash?  Is this fair to all the other tourism outlets on Anguilla?  What about the much better restaurants that she was not related to?  Should the restaurants of Anguillla that do not pay Immigration Officers to promote them get shafted?

And, finally, what will Stanley do when he reads about this abortion of an Immigration Officer’s performance of her duties?  Cute and desirable as she appears to be, will she be permitted to continue in her polluting of the tourism package of Anguilla? 

Or, will she, as usual, be spoken to privately, and the whole matter swept under the already very dusty carpet of Anguillian public service corruption?

Blockade

Larry Franklin is highly to be commended.  Yesterday, the island was agog with excitement.  The press were at Blowing Point from early in the morning.  Live broadcasts revealed that the early-morning ferries taking passengers to Marigot had been turned back at the port and refused to land.  No one knew what the cause was, or how long it would last.  Mention was made of Anguilla having arrested a French fisherman for illegal fishing.  Was this an official retaliation by the French authorities?  When would it come to an end?  Was war between Anguilla and French St Martin imminent?  Did we have to wait for Britain to declare it on our behalf, or could we do it for ourselves?  We waited all day for news with baited breaths.

Then, at 10:21 pm the same day, Larry Franklin, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, which has responsibility for the ports, posted a press release on the Anguilla News website.  This revealed that there had been an unofficial blockade arranged by the French fishermen of Marigot.  These had been under the mistaken impression that they were free to fish in Anguilla’s waters without the necessary licence.  One had been arrested and charged, prompting the retaliation.  Anguilla’s government ministers and their staff had immediately ventured to St Martin to meet with their French counterparts.  The misunderstanding had been resolved before midday, and the ports re-opened.  Persons have begun posting copies of the press release on other websites and forums, no doubt to ensure it had the widest possible readership.

What is remarkable, is the prompt, clear, factual, and non-political wording of the press release from Mr Franklin.  It is a model for all civil servants and politicians to follow in the future.  You may read it by clicking on the link above.