Facing the Future in Anguilla: Trends and Challenges
By Stachel ‘Fritz’ Warner
In order to understand the present we must examine the past, however in
order to predict the future we must examine the past and the present.
Anguilla ushered in the new millennium with the same pomp and excitement as
the rest of the world. Yes, some of the fundamentalist among us did say the
world was going to end but we were excited non-the less.
The two greatest colonial powers in history were the French and the British,
however none of these two great powers were able to support their colonial
systems solely on enforcement from the mother country. In other words
colonialism cannot exist without indigenous collaboration. Despite what the
British might want us to believe colonialism has not changed. It has not
changed because it is not a theory. Since Colonialism has never been a
theory it is always better to deal with the mentalities that are associated
with the colonial situation.
Colonial ideology is based on three factors; firstly it anthropologically
constructs the inferiority of others. It is believed that non-Europeans
differ utterly and essentially from Europeans. This is the corner stone of
colonialist thought. Secondly it believed in a mission of guardianship. They
believe we are dependent and immature by nature; therefore we are in need of
guidance. Finally the colonial project was defined as a civilizing mission.
A major problem for the colonialist is that they have always imagined a
single moment of weakness that would encourage troublemakers to provoke a
rebellion.
Today Anguilla is more dependent on and integrated into the world economy
than it was even twenty years ago. The challenges facing us today are far
more daunting and frightening than they were in 1967. Anguilla today
provides its people with a dichotomy of promise and peril, achievement and
affliction.
Anguilla is a service-based economy and our first challenge comes from the
thus far devastating effects of globalization. The market is supreme,
however Anguilla does not have the regulatory means or capacity to harness
it effectively. The rapid changes that are taking place in the global
economy thanks to information technology make this task even more daunting.
Today, financial capitalism pilots’ global economics, banks dominate
corporate decisions. Brainpower and services are commanding far greater
value than manufacturing production; we have entered the age of
knowledge-based economies. This undoubtedly is the key to all future
development. In the future intellectual property will surpass physical
property in importance. All of this will mean a global trend towards the
erosion of the nation-State in the face of the market and globalization. In
converse this will mean the rise of smaller entities. New forces such as the
Internet, which today knows no borders or boundaries in a globalized world,
challenge the State’s sovereignty. The government of each country will have
less freedom and sovereignty over the issuing of laws, public policy and
national administration. Many states would have regretted jumping head first
into international alliances and agreements without realizing the cost of
such naïve willingness. Private firms, fund managers and institutional
investors will be able to influence investment choices and policies far
better than Governments. The cultural backlash against globalization and the
resurgence of ethnic and national identities are further rolling back
national boundaries and sovereignties to such an extent that the world of
tomorrow could be one of a network of inter-connected cities and ethnic
communities in a global economy. In this age governments will be forced to
choose between their desire for modernity and efficiency and their desire
for control.
Anguilla in the future will exist in a world moving towards cultural
uniformity. This feature could in turn lead to great cultural conflicts.
Looking at the news today it is easy to recognize the phenomenon of
increased conflict between people having different cultural backgrounds.
Some people argue that cultural differences may not be the only factor that
causes violence. But if we take a truly global perspective, we realize that
some of the bloodiest conflicts in our time have been caused by cultural
differences. Other conflicts could arise from growing anti-globalization
sentiments. Some people consider globalization as the newest form of
colonization that Western nations are using in order to dominate the world
again.
Anguilla faces special challenges in view of its relatively small size,
limited natural resources, high degree of exposure to outside forces (such
as globalization and climate change), Our small import dependent economy,
fragile ecosystem, vulnerability to natural disasters, absence of long term
planning and a parochial thought process. All of the special challenges
listed above can be seen from time to time in the developmental projects
selected by government. For example, various governments have proposed
developments to our existing airport facility. In the most recent study the
consultants have estimated that an airport the size of ours needs at least
250000 passengers per annum to break even. Currently only 30000 passengers
use Wallblake Airport each year. The paradox of our development policy is
that our tourism facilities can only accommodate on average a maximum 63000
visitors per annum. This figure calculates into three flights per day.
This is not enough to support any expansion to the airport.
To complicate our developmental goals Anguilla, according to a study on
small economies by the United Nations is under populated and therefore
unable to optimize its resources efficiently. The United Nations has
estimated the optimum population for a small state is 20,000 - 25,000
persons. Anguilla’s limited population is stifling its ability to grow. It
affects establishment and operation of many of the critical infrastructure
that are fundamental to a country’s development. It also robs the economy of
an adequate tax base.
Anguilla can increase its population quite easily, through forward planning;
we can embark on a positive strategy of creating the right economic and
investment climate. This would create excessive jobs to encourage and
attract Anguillians and their families who are living abroad to return home.
Also we may consider giving permanent residence to special skilled workers
with a view to granting them citizenship. Skills and capital in the fields
of information technology and financial services that are limited in supply
and identified as requisite and vital to the island's development should be
considered and encouraged. This would enable us to diversify our economy
through the establishment of financial and information technology parks,
which could provide the economy with a sustainable base and provide
additional justification for projects like the airport.
Speaking like this alarms many persons but that is the reality of the
situation. Anguilla has to change its attitude in terms of the way it
perceives itself. We have to decide by rational reflection what is in our
best interest. We cannot afford to allow anyone to make that choice for us.
It is for us to decide what counts among us as just or unjust. If global
economics is demanding we open our doors and participate then it is for us
to decide whom we allow to enter. If we allow those pirates to break down
our doors with orders in council, constitutional amendments, citizenship,
reciprocity and many other forms of coercion, we will lose everything we
have.
Its time we accept that Anguilla will never be the way it was before, what
we are creating everyday is a new reality, one in which we can continue to
enjoy a way of life that we believe is worthwhile and beneficial.
In light of this we have to ensure that our political system gives us the
autonomy, rights and responsibilities to make decisions that affect our
future. Any constitutional reform that is not giving us greater autonomy
should be rejected. We did not elected our leaders for the prom and glory of
the office we elected them to put us on a path towards sustainable
development. We need to ensure that our education system has social,
cultural, environmental and economic sustainability and equality of
opportunity. We must adopt a management strategy to take into account the
interactions of all the components such as our ecosystem, development plan
and available resources. This is the only way to achieve sustainability.
Government must promote the wide spread use of information technology, as
well as other traditional forms of communication to facilitate access to
information to support sustainable development.
A matter of urgency is the adoption of a land use and Coastal Zone
Management Strategy for the sustainable use of our natural resources. These
resources include our remaining coral reefs, which must be protected not
only for the benefit of tourists but also for their inherent biological
worth which includes their value as habitat for a variety of marine life.
Anguilla needs to diversify its economy to reduce our high dependence on the
one dominant industry (tourism). In doing all of this we must not lose sight
of the importance to promote gender equality, this is the only way we can
ensure the full utilization of our human resources.
The people have to ensure that they choose a constitution and a legislature
to enact and enforce laws that support sustainable development. We need to
promote with the help of other small islands the development of smaller
scale technologies required to give us the ability to recycle waste
materials e.g. Glass, paper, plastic. The United Nations under the law of
the sea convention have given us the right to an Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ), we now have to cooperate with the appropriate international bodies to
assist with the monitoring and protection of this zone. Government also
needs to explore the possibilities of producing and distributing renewable
energy thereby reducing our reliance on traditional sources of energy. We
will also need to incorporate the use of information technology to improve
health care and education.
It’s always easy to believe we have little control over our lives because
everything is preordained, however what we sometimes call fate is the result
of our own stupidity. Anguilla can be justified in speaking of the legacy of
colonialism simply because in the case of Anguilla it has not ended. I do
not believe Anguilla is ready for independence, I also realize that the
present situation where we live at the whims and fancies of the British is
unacceptable an akin to death. Personally I have full confidence in the
strength and resilience of the Anguillian spirit. Although I would like us
to have time to prepare for any change of our political status, I don’t
believe we will cease to exist if independence is forced on us tomorrow. I
don’t believe this because I believe if we survived the abuse and economic
dislocation of hurricane Luis and the others then we can again survive
neglect and abandonment by England. We as a people must realize that
irrespective of the choice we make, life will not be easy; there are tough
times ahead, but that why they call us Anguillian.
The new Millennium is fraught with new challenges and fears, however, if we
as a people could find a way to overcome the challenges posed, we could turn
Anguilla into an exciting and enriching place in which to live.
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