Secrecy

ExCo Decisions. We have over the years repeatedly asked the Chief Minister to open up the decisions of the Executive Council to fresh air and sunlight. We suggested that it was not appropriate for decisions of cabinet to be concealed from the public. Practically every other Overseas Territory has a post-cabinet meeting. Some authorised official, usually the Chief Minister or Premier, briefs the press and public on the most important issues discussed by ExCo. The public is informed generally of the major decisions taken on their behalf by their leaders. In this way, transparency and public confidence are built up and demonstrated.

Instead, the Hon Osbourne Fleming, our Chief Minister, has chosen to imitate the strategy of previous Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes. Each week for the last couple of months, he has been holding a Chief Minister’s Press Conference on Tuesdays to which members of the Anguilla press are invited. There, our “press” fawn and pay obeisance at the feet of the officiating ministers. They learned well under the previous regime. They would never to dare ask a critical question, or risk getting crunched up by Hubert's very effective mouth.

At these press conferences, not one of the ministers says a word about any decision taken by ExCo at its previous meeting. The Chief Minister uses the occasion to enlist the press in making him and his ministers look good. He, and a few invited ministers, speak about their great concern and love for Anguilla. They boast about their achievements. They exhort Anguillians to do more for the love of their country. The press lap it up and publish it with not a critical word. Not a word of dissent is published, even in an opinion column. Hubert did the same thing successfully for years while he was previously Chief Minister.

That is not what we asked for.

No transparency.

No accountability.

No good governance.