Entrepreneurship

Why are all those Asian boutiques and shops being allowed to open up in Anguilla? I well remember Ronald Webster announcing in about 1980 that he would never permit Asian merchants to set up shop in Anguilla. His concern was that, with their world-wide networks and connections, they would kill business for local merchants. How things have changed!

Who says that Anguillians cannot be entrepreneurs too? Someone sent me a link to a page on eBay. It was obviously put there by an enterprising Anguillian. It reads:

“SOLID 14k Yellow Gold

Retail $1,195 (The starting price as well as the buy it now price can not be touched out there. I encourage you to look around and see the price out there for yourself) . . .

I also wanted to give you some information on where this beautiful treasure came from!

The Shipwreck of El Buen Consejo
In 1772, El Buen Consejo-[Our Lady of] The Good Counsel-sailed from Spain, bringing 52 Franciscan missionaries and thousands of bronze religious medallions to the New World. The ship, however, wrecked in the Caribbean, off the coast of Anguilla, leaving the precious cargo on the sea floor, undisturbed for 225 years. In 1986, the treasure was discovered. These medallions are first generation replicas of the originals, offered for sale to help preserve and develop the site, in cooperation with Anguilla Maritime Research Ltd., and the government of Anguilla.

This is an absolutly breathtaking piece. When you hold it in your hands as you feel the weight the strength and energy of what it represents is captivating. This will be past down from generation to generation.”

How do I know an Anguillian is responsible? Well, at the end of the second to last paragraph it says that these gold replica medallions are offered for sale “in cooperation with . . . the government of Anguilla.” The dead giveaway is the last sentence of the last paragraph: “This will be past down from generation to generation.” The whole of the last paragraph, with its typing errors, its absence of commas to indicate where the parentheses are, and the confusion between the past participle and the adjective, are breathtaking for me.

What I really want to know is, Which part of the government of Anguilla is involved in this enterprise?

And, how much of the proceeds of sale will “help preserve and develop the site”?

You can read it for yourself by clicking here.