Ties between Britain and its Caribbean dependency of Anguilla took a turn for the worse on Saturday following a fiery speech by its Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes during which he mentioned Guyana thrice and invoked the spirit of the island’s 1967 revolt against its colonial rulers.
Hughes and the UK have been locked in a battle over Anguilla’s budget and this has been exacerbated by the economic woes facing the tiny island.
According to the BBC, Hughes says he is more adamant than ever to take his small British dependency into independence.
Hughes who has always been pro-independence has had long-standing disagreements with the British government over the island.
This time, it’s mainly about the island’s budget deficit of around EC$80 million (US$30 million).
Hughes, according to the BBC, says the British government has given him three years to balance the budget and that his government should lay off some three hundred workers – a plan which he vehemently opposes.
Hughes told BBC Caribbean that the budget was a smokescreen and that the British government wanted to overthrow the Anguillan government.
In a speech to a rally on the island on Saturday, Hughes said “We want everyone to know that Anguilla is in a serious battle and while you have elected a government to responsibly take on these battles on your behalf, we have done the best that we can on your behalf. We now need your additional voices to let Britain know that the message we speak comes not just from your leaders, but from you.”
He said the slogan adopted for this series of rallies he will be holding is “We freed Anguilla in ‘67, we will do it again in 2011”, a reference to the short-lived attempt led by Ronald Webster to secede from St Kitts-Nevis and set up a republic.
“There is a reason why I wanted the memory of 1967 to be focused in our minds. The reason is because we need to remember that the Revolution of 1967 was a fight for our economic freedom, it was a fight for fair treatment, it was a fight for self-determination, it was a fight for a better life for the People of Anguilla,” Hughes told the rally.
He then made his first reference to Guyana. “Everyone knows that Britain never supported the revolution. Left to Britain, we would have all been shipped off to Guyana a long time ago. They invaded us in 1969 and they installed their Commissioner, but the Anguilla Government headed by Mr Ronald Webster ran the affairs of Anguilla independently of the British Government.”
He added, “We have to send the message that to be an Anguillian is to be proud, black and free. That is the heritage of the band of men and women that stood behind Mr Webster. The mere fact that Britain has never recognised or honoured Mr Webster should give you a clue.”
Hughes then focused on Britain’s refusal to approve the budget and the demand that civil service positions be cut.
“Putting civil servants on the street without caring for how they will feed themselves or their families is morally reprehensible. For us not to be concerned with how their loans will be paid, or how their ordinary bills would be paid or how they will be able to care for their household is not how this government operates,” Hughes declared.
He then charged that the policies that Britain was seeking to impose would cause economic devastation in Anguilla. The policies he said are the same type that have caused other countries like Jamaica and Guyana to have to borrow from the IMF with disastrous consequences. “Close to 30 years later, the Jamaica dollar is 84 Jamaica dollars to 1 US. Flour and sugar cost $60/lb, Rice is $85/lb, condensed milk $140/can, sliced wheat bread $195/lb, eggs $210/doz, detergent $310 /gal, Baby formula $1,400/can. In Guyana the exchange rate is 200 Guyanese dollars to 1 US,” he railed.
“This economic crisis tells us that we cannot be afraid any longer to talk about independence.
I pledge to you that we will not let this matter rest anymore.
“But the immediate issue is that you have to raise your voices with your government and make sure that Anguilla is the winner in this crisis. We are going to do so peacefully.
“I ask for your support. I ask you to ensure that the heritage of ’67 is not allowed to fail. We have to make sure that the message that Britain gets is clear and unmistakeable,” Hughes asserted.