Dear Editor,
It is early evening in Sandy Ground in the mid-50s; inside the little house, before she retires for the night, Miss Francis is smoking her clay pipe. A sweet pungent scent is coming through the cracks around the closed door behind us; it is oozing out, into the air, onto the steps where my friend and I are seated. It is early evening in Sandy Ground, long ago, in the innocence and ignorance of youth.
I can’t speak for my old friend Michel Augusty who I last ran into a while back; we were shuffling along in Kooyman, strangers, and then our eyes met; he is grey – like I am, but that smile of his is just as warm as it was way back then. There at Kooyman, it was neither the place nor the time for revisiting, for reminiscing. And besides, my old friend would, most likely, be surprised to learn that the scent of tobacco from his Granny’s clay pipe is stowed away in my brain.
The aroma cannot be experienced at will on recall, with the scenery; it is not there when I go back in thoughts to us sitting on the steps. The sharp sweet scent oozes back, seemingly, only to usher in relief, some reassurance, consolation or comfort in rare times of intense anguish or great stress, like the one I’ve been wrestling lately: my concerns over liberty, democracy in the USA. Last night, while I was back on the steps with Michel, the aroma from the old clay pipe oozed forth, sweet and pungent, uplifting like a great sunrise when it clears the hill and spreads its rays on Sandy Ground.
Somewhat invigorated, I decided to go online in search of some more sunlight. I discovered four mighty dragon slayers: one of them, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Mr. William McSwain, cannot speak of any ongoing investigation his office is involved in, but he is the person who is now leading the identification and prosecution of Democratic vote frauds in the Philadelphia area before the votes are certified.
He has some experience and success in investigating politicians: on July 23, 2020, he accused a Democrat, Michael (“Ozzie”) Myers of “… conspiring to violate voting rights by fraudulently stuffing the ballot boxes for specific Democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Pennsylvania primary elections (Justice News, Thursday, July 23, 2020). But this was election fraud among fellow Democrats, a common occurrence that got minimum press coverage.
The three other mighty dragon slayers are very outspoken and convinced that they have the proof which they are marshalling (preparing for presentation to the courts and the public); they declare that there was massive fraud in the presidential election, that President Trump is the real winner of the election. These are three individuals, each one of them with a great professional reputation.
There is Rudy Giuliani, a former US Attorney who busted New York City mafia bosses and, later, cleaned up New York when he was mayor of that city.
There is Attorney Lucian Lincoln (“Lin”) Wood Jr., a very famous, highly respected and successful lawyer; he is well known for having successfully represented Richard Jewell, the security guard who was accused in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. Over the years since that exploit, Attorney Lin Wood has successfully defended a great number of clients who have won hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
And there is Attorney Sidney K. Powell, maybe the mightiest of these four dragon slayers; she appears to be very familiar with the game that is being played, as well as with all of the players involved. And everyone, everywhere (including in the media) is careful, very careful not to tangle with her – that is strange, very strange, indeed. Attorney Powell served 10 years as an Assistant US Attorney; she is quite familiar with the US Department of Justice for having also researched it for her two important and influential books – Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice (2014), and Conviction Machine: Standing Up to Federal Prosecutorial Abuse (2020).
All of this makes Attorney Powell very well prepared to deal with the crocs in the deep swamp that is Washington and the US Department of Justice particularly. A few days ago, she stated that she will soon “release the kraken,” the giant squid: a deep sea monster that dwells in the cold depths of the sea off the coast of Norway. Reportedly, the kraken surfaces sometimes and attacks vessels in that area: it wraps its giant tentacles around the vessel, and pulls it down under, deep down onto the bottom of the ocean.
Gérard M. Hunt
Dear Editor,
When I was 12 years old a pharmacist who worked in the Lago hospital gave me an English dictionary with a little more than 370 pages. The story goes like this. Every Sunday after church we had to pass by our grandmother before returning home. At that time I was 9 years old.
One Sunday my grandmother sent me on an errand by the neighbor and I saw this big book and was amazed. The neighbor (a pharmacist) saw my reaction and asked me if I liked it . I told him I had never seen such a big book before, so he told me it was a dictionary.
Immediately I thought of my father because my father never answered us when we asked him the meaning of a word. He would say to us “Look it up in the dictionary.” He could see the reaction on our faces and would explain to us, “When you ask me the meaning of a word and I tell you, you would only know the meaning of that one word, but while looking up the word in the dictionary you will come across other words of which you probably did not know the meaning and your curiosity would make you look up the meaning of that word also. In doing so one word of which you did not know the meaning would be the reason that you learn the meaning of more words.”
At that time the forming of the Netherland Antilles was in full swing and the word “preambule” was used frequently. When I saw this dictionary and that gentleman asked me if I liked it I immediately asked him if could open it . So I went straight to find the meaning of the word “preambule” which I found out later was actually “preamble” in English.
But in paging through that dictionary looking for the word “preambule” I came across the word “peremptory”. I read the meaning of the word and when I asked the pharmacist to explain to me what was written he told me, “As you grow older you will understand the meaning clearer, but for now just do it. Don’t dilly dally.”
For many years that word stuck with me and I never ever used it in all my writings. Lo and behold, in reading the letter to you “The hypocrisy of the Dutch exposed”, “peremptory” pops up in front of me.
To continue my story, three years after, when that pharmacist was getting ready to go to the United States to live, he left that dictionary for me with my grandmother. When I told my father the story about the dictionary he told me to write the word “peremptory” in the front and I will always remember the occasion.
I write about “peremptory” but I hope that after reading this piece your readers will revisit that article, because it is an important piece of history.
“The hypocrisy of the Dutch exposed”. In discussing this with a lady, she said to me, “But all Dutch people ain’t bad.” My answer to her was, “Exactly, but those who are bad do not take the people of the Dutch Islands into consideration when they are taking it out on their fellow politicians.”
I will repeat: Why should 250,000 to 300,000 people have to bear the consequences for the activities of about 200 to 300 politicians?
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
To the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, the Hon. Mr. Rodolphe Samuel, representatives of the Catholic School Board, and the management of St. Dominic Primary School, I sincerely ask: What is the way forward?
My child may be just the one per cent that can be affected by the deadly virus called COVID-19. However, it is 100 per cent my responsibility to ensure his safety and wellbeing.
We know that COVID-19 has brought challenges and struggles to our daily lives. From the beginning we have adopted new habits to adapt to this new normal and this new way of life certainly includes our environment and our children. However, with proper planning and open communication with stakeholders, these challenges can be mitigated to ensure the safety of one’s child(ren).
The new normal includes concerns that many parents have about going back to school, especially for those whose children have chronic illnesses and underlying conditions, like mine.
Although we look forward to that day where our children can resume some sort of normalcy in their lives, we also must analyze its risks.
Among concerned parents, there has been talk about three options for returning to school: in-person, online or a hybrid of the two. The latter includes separating groups to avoid having many children in the classroom, alternating the days of in-person and online education.
In my opinion having 20-30 kids per classroom is a bit concerning. How can social distancing be adhered to? Why hasn’t a general meeting been held with the parents to assure the wellbeing and safety of their children? Why hasn’t the Catholic School Board considered all other options for returning to school?
There’s a lot of WHYs and NO answers being provided to inquiring parents.
On November 2, 2020, my child resumed in-person classes because he is in exam class. The thought of him returning to school honestly scared me, but I sent him to school for the first week.
After a few cases of COVID-19 cases in the primary schools, I consulted with his physician and it was decided that my child be immediately taken out of school and resume online schooling. I reached out to the school’s manager and both teachers who directly deal with my son.
The response I received from the school was a bit disheartening. I was told that the current situation with the school’s Internet would not allow for my child to do classes online. There was no plan or any sort of solution.
I later reached out to his homeroom teacher and she was sympathetic. She said that she would try her best to accommodate my child, given the circumstances. She surpassed her duty as an instructor and for that I am appreciative.
However, on November 13, 2020, I received a letter that said one of my child’s teachers was in contact with a person who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and will be in quarantine for 14 days. It said she will revert to Zoom lessons while in quarantine.
I thought to myself that it could have happened to anyone. But I also thought: Why is the school now able to revert to Zoom for the teacher but could not facilitate my child on Zoom?
I immediately contacted the school to share my concerns because my son was called in during the week to do some tests and to hand in projects, which was requested by the now-quarantined teacher.
The school manager was not available to take the call. Therefore, my concerns were shared with the office staff who answered the phone.
She assured me that my child was not in contact with said teacher but was instead placed in the office to do his test. She indicated that the school manager would return my call.
On Sunday, November 15, 2020, while scrolling through Facebook I came upon a letter sent out on Saturday, November 14, 2020, regarding an office staff member at the school who tested positive for COVID-19. It said the entire school management would quarantine at home for 14 days.
To date, no one has contacted me about the information that was published via a news source on social media.
A press release was published by the Ministry of Education indicating that schools were not adhering to the government’s social distancing and hygiene guidelines and that routine inspections would be made unannounced. That is not enough Hon. Minister!
We need a plan A, B, C, and D. We must adapt to the new norm. It is not enough to just state that routine inspections will be made. School management and teachers should be penalized if the rules are not adhered to. These persons are not just responsible for their lives but also responsible for the lives of others. It’s just not enough!
My child may be the one per cent of children that can be affected drastically with this scary virus – a virus that does not discriminate – but my child is 100 per cent of my life and it is my full duty to ensure his safety. How can parents feel some sort of assurance that everything is being done to ensure the safety and well-being of their kids?
Although some of what I shared is my personal situation, this is not personal. Many parents share concerns about the well-being and safety of their kids. I will stand and represent what many think but cannot put into words.
I believe that, at this crucial moment, there is nothing more important than the health of our children, and if we weigh the health of our children against their education, their health seems more important.
We should remember that nothing is forever, and these moments of crisis will, sooner or later, pass and we will have time to recover in all aspects. How can we all be met halfway?
A concerned parent.
Dear Editor,
One of the agenda points in the Central Committee meeting last week was a covenant signed between the government commissioner on behalf of Statia and State Secretary Knops for the realization of a new government administration building. This is a project that all island council members agreed is way overdue. Still there were, in my opinion, valid questions and concerns about the contents of the covenant by most council members.
First of all, the document was signed just a week before the inauguration of the new island council, which raises the question why one could not have awaited the new council to take office and include them in the decision-making process.
The covenant comes in the place of a covenant signed in 2014. Since none of the members have a clear picture of the contents of that earlier covenant it remains thus far unclear what has changed and what were the reasons for the changes. I have requested a copy of this earlier covenant to get a picture as to what has happened.
According to the new covenant the local government, for two thirds, together with the RCN will rent the building from “Rijksvastgoedbedrijf”. This entity will be responsible for the construction and for this purpose will borrow the financing from the Ministry of Finance. The local government has the opportunity to purchase the building at any point in time for the then-to-be-established market value. Although we have not yet read the previous covenant, it is the belief that this largely deviates from the old one.
It is still unclear what the financial consequences of this construction are for the local government.
A bone of contention for the island council in the covenant is also the inclusion in the sale by the national government of Fort Oranje, Voges House and Government Guesthouse. These properties came in possession of the national government after the split-up of the former Netherlands Antilles, which was the owner at the time. My belief and that of the other council members is that selling these properties to a third party may not sit well with most Statians. Many of us believe these monuments belong, at least emotionally, to Statia. One may also wonder why this intended sale is included in this covenant.
I hope that after receiving a copy of the old covenant we will get a clearer picture about this matter.
Koos Sneek
Island Council member
Dear Editor,
The planned Sandy Ground Marina would completely change the face of the village, the pond, the beach and the entire harbour, as well as the lives of countless people who live in or visit the village daily. It does not appear to have any measurable benefit to Anguilla, environmentally is a complete disaster, and does not even seem to be legally sound.
Impact on residents
The impact on Sandy Ground residents is enormous. I have been trying to visualise what it will be like to have large equipment dredging the pond, probably day and night. The noise and smell alone will be enough to send all the residents somewhere else, but where? The beach is likely to change after the dredging of the entrance channel, and may even disappear. With all the dredging in the pond what will happen to the narrow strip that is Sandy Ground village? Could it possibly survive? So maybe we will have no village and no beach.
Legal implications
There are many legal questions that need to be answered and I call upon the new government to conduct an investigation into the legitimacy of the process and the agreements entered into. The general and financial terms of agreement are extremely questionable as is the formal tendering process.
How is it possible for the government to sell public land and encumber private land without any formal community concurrence? The agreement calls for the government to assist with the purchase of private land, is this to be a forced sale? All Customs duties for the construction and outfitting of the project have been waived – millions of dollars. Further, it was signed after the House of Assembly was dissolved and the rules of office, as per the Governor, were that only documents for day-to-day essentials were to be signed until a new government was installed.
Is it legal for a developer to take over the entire harbour and limit mooring for our pleasure and fishing boats and perhaps control the traditional events that take place there? The sale of land on this scale and the 200-year lease are completely unprecedented in Anguilla.
Environmental impact
There are so many environmental questions but one of the first is where the mud from the pond will be deposited after dredging the pond to some 20 feet or more. And additionally, where will the mud and sand from digging the 30-foot-deep entrance channel to the pond be put? It was suggested that this may go halfway to Sandy Island and of course affect the water on the beach, if any beach is left after the dredging.
And how about the birds? The pond is the home for more than 20 species of birds and at the last count there were nearly 1,000 birds seen, many of which are regionally endemic.
Surplus of villas and hotel rooms
Anguilla has a large number of villas, many stay empty and many are currently for sale. Why then would we need 150 more villas and residences in the pond? Even in good seasons our hotels are never overflowing with guests and for part of the year they are half empty. Why then do we need another hotel that along with the villas would completely change the character of Sandy Ground? It seems too that these villas and hotel are going to be built on reclaimed land in the pond – how long will that take to settle enough for building, if at all.
Benefit to Anguilla and Anguillians
How will Anguilla benefit from this development? The modest annual benefit seems very low. There is very little economic viability in the project. It seems to me that the developer will make money from the sale of the villas and condominiums but is there any money to be made for Anguillians from the actual marina that will likely be empty for 6 months of the year when all the mega-yachts go to the Mediterranean? Even when the mega yachts are here they are pretty self-sufficient, so Anguillians are not likely to benefit a great deal. And with their own chef on board not many are going to venture out to our restaurants. Plus, if you were on your yacht would you rather be anchored at Rendezvous or Cove Bay for the night or in Sandy Ground pond with no real view of the sea?
In his address on World Town Planning Day the Minister of Home Affairs Kenneth Hodge gave the following quote which is most appropriate for this development.
In the words of Edward T. McMahon, the renowned advocate on sustainable development: “Growth is inevitable and desirable, but destruction of community character is not. The question is not whether your part of the world is going to change. The question is how.”
Summary
Anguilla needs a marina, but not one for mega-yachts and not in Sandy Ground. Let us find a suitable location for a marina that can service the smaller yachts that frequent the island and Anguillians could benefit by offering repair facilities, painting, food service, groceries, mechanical services and more. Please save Sandy Ground from this development and leave it for us all to enjoy.
Brenda Carty
