In 1997 I went to Anguilla to do a project on the Wallblake Airport. It was the first major construction project that a St. Lucian construction company, then B& D Construction Ltd, had tendered and won, and I was tasked to be the Project Manager. I lived there for about one year with a group of St. Lucians many of whom stayed back and became residents. It was my first experience with the little mouse that roared. In the 1960’s Anguilla was tied to St.Kitts and Nevis; however Anguillans were of the view that they were being neglected by then Premier Bradshaw. Ronald Webster led a group of Anguillans and staged our first coup in the English speaking Caribbean.
The story ends with the British sending in paratroopers and the completely confused state of these soldiers when there was intense jubilation that they were landing in Anguilla. The “coup’ ended and Anguilla has remained a British Colony. The little mouse roared indeed.
My stay in Anguilla was the most fascinating experience in my life, as I was in total bewilderment that a country smaller than the size of Vieux Fort, with a smaller population, was able to develop so rapidly. Anguilla is 12 mile long and 2 miles wide, with a population of 12,000 people. In 1997, Anguilla had more concrete trucks than St Lucia; the construction industry in Anguilla was into pumping concrete while we in St. Lucia were still using barrows at that time. The tourism industry was well organized, with some world class resorts.
I enjoyed the local politics, with the many permutations to form governments. Anguilla will always be a country that has a special place in my heart. The experience did confirm that sardines can swim with big fish and hold their own, that a mouse can roar and cause other animals to take note. Interesting, recently in a zoo in Georgia, a female rhinoceros had become aggressive due to the death of her mate. The zoo keepers tried zebras and that did not work, then goats that failed and then they tried donkeys. The donkeys had a wonderful calming effect on Manuela – The Rhino. The lesson from the animal kingdom is that who you consider to be a jackass may just turn out to be the solution to your problem. Maybe some Caribbean politicians should visit Manuela and her donkey friends to learn a few things.
Staying in the metaphors of the animal kingdom, the OECS Secretariat needs to begin to see itself as the primary vehicle for transforming the economies of the East Caribbean States. We have been able to build solid structures of governance through the OECS Supreme Court, the Central Bank, ECTEL, the Pharmaceutical Procurement and the Civil Aviation Authority. We have to do more.
The challenge for Dr. Didacus Jules is to move the OECS into the 21st Century. It starts with getting a Building which is reflective of the importance of the Institution. You cannot have your OECS Secretariat housed in a collection of derelict buildings on the Morne. I would suggest that the new Financial Centre at Point Seraphine be given up to become the new Headquarters of the OECS, with the OECS Court, the Central Bank all being housed in that location.
With this move in physical space must also come a move into more involvement on economic growth matters. We have significant duplication of effort within the OECS. A simple example is the architectural design of schools. Why are we spending on architectural fees for a primary school of the same shape and size in St Vincent when the same design for a school in St. Lucia can be used. We can thus have model designs for public buildings that are used throughout the region. One design for Fire Stations/Police Stations/ Pre Schools and the list goes on. We should develop a regional team of experts that can enter any OECS country after a natural disaster and assist in getting the infrastructure repaired.
There can be more integration of our agriculture, why should St. Lucia be importing pumpkin and tomatoes when St Vincent can supply. Why should a hotel in Anguilla be importing produce that Dominica can supply? Anguilla imports oranges and mangoes from the USA. Agriculture and construction are major component of our economic recovery and as far as I am aware there is little involvement of the OECS Secretariat in these sectors.
So I say to Dr. Didacus Jules, start the revolution of new ideas. Let the OECS mouse roar !!