Discussions

Thievery and Constitutions. I had wanted to talk to you today about how important it is for the police to lead by good example. When a police officer arranges with a friendly cashier to let him pass without paying for supermarket goods, that is theft. The police officer thieves. The cashier aids and abets. It is the officer who is the main culprit. It is not right that it is the cashier who gets fired, but we do not hear of anything happening to the officer. It is said to have happened since last Saturday. It is now Saturday, a week later. What a thing! What sort of an example is this? What will the officer’s colleagues do about it? Why have we not heard anything official?

Instead, I want to tell you that I went to the Chief Minister’s Constitutional Reform Team’s meeting at Paradise Cove yesterday, Friday. It was a good meeting, I thought. Nothing of substance was discussed or decided. It was more of a strategy meeting. We discussed, for example, whether it was better to go for individual amendments to the Constitution that would have the cumulative effect of Anguillians claiming the right to full internal self-government. That was the way the Commission thought Anguillians want it done. Or, would it be better to come out and demand the right. Some thought one way and others thought another. In the end, it was the consensus that it would be better to establish the principle and let the individual amendments hang from the central column. The Commission was concerned that that would be mere flag-waving, and decided against it. We will see!

What the Chief and Hubert want us to do now is to look at a number of self-governing Constitutions and pick and choose what we think is best. Eddie is strong that regardless of what we think is best, it must be for the people to decide whether they want self-government or colonialism or independence. He wants a referendum on the choice first, and then the picking and choosing can come later.

We are to meet again in two weeks time to continue the discussion.