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$Unique_ID{COW00189}
$Pretitle{233B}
$Title{Anguilla
Chapter 2B. Government and Politics}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Deborah Cichon}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{british
anguilla
islands
chief
council
minister
police
caribbean
virgin
governor}
$Date{1987}
$Log{}
Country: Anguilla
Book: Caribbean Commonwealth, An Area Study: Anguilla
Author: Deborah Cichon
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date: 1987
Chapter 2B. Government and Politics
The Governmental System
In the late 1980s, all three territories remained British dependencies.
British officials were responsible for defense and foreign relations, and
local elected officials were responsible for most internal affairs except
security. As mentioned, the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat were crown
colonies, and Anguilla was an associated state. Because of their links to
Britain, all three territories were part of the Commonwealth of Nations (see
Appendix B).
A new constitution was introduced in the British Virgin Islands in April
1967. An amended Constitution took effect on June 1, 1977, giving local
citizens more extensive self-government. Under its terms, the
British-appointed governor is responsible for defense and internal security,
external affairs, terms and conditions of service of public officers, and
administration of the courts. The governor also possesses reserved legislative
powers over matters affecting his or her special responsibilities. There is an
Executive Council, with the governor as chairman, one ex officio member (the
attorney general), a chief minister (the leader of the elected members of the
Legislative Council) who has responsibility for finance, and three other
ministers (appointed by the governor on the advice of the chief minister). The
Executive Council makes administrative decisions and oversees public agencies.
Finally, there is a Legislative Council, consisting of a speaker (chosen from
outside the council), one ex officio member (the attorney general), and nine
members elected from single-member districts. The Legislative Council makes
laws and ordinances. The voting age is eighteen. Elections are held at least
once every five years.
Anguilla is administered under the Anguilla Constitution Order of 1982
and the Constitution, which took effect on April 1, 1982. Government
arrangements are similar to those in the British Virgin Islands. The British
monarch is represented locally by a governor, who presides over the Executive
Council and the House of Assembly. The governor is responsible for defense,
external affairs, internal security (including the police), the public
service, the judiciary, and the audit. On matters of internal security
(including the police), the public service, and the appointment of an acting
governor, however, the governor is required to consult the chief minister
before making major decisions. The Executive Council consists of the chief
minister and not more than three other ministers (appointed by the governor
from the elected members of the House of Assembly) and two ex officio members
(the attorney general and the permanent secretary for finance). The House of
Assembly is elected for five years by universal adult suffrage and consists of
seven elected members, two ex officio members (the attorney general and the
permanent secretary for finance), and two other members who are nominated by
the governor after consultation with the chief minister. There is provision
for a speaker.
Montserrat's Constitution took effect on January 1, 1960. The territory
is governed by a British-appointed governor and has its own Executive Council
and Legislative Council. As in the other two territories, the governor is
responsible for defense, external affairs, and internal security. The
Executive Council consists of the governor as president, the chief minister
and three other ministers, the attorney general, and the secretary for
finance. The Legislative Council consists of a speaker chosen outside the
council, seven elected members, two official members, and two appointed
members.
The Eastern Caribbean States Supreme Court is the principal judicial body
for all three territories. Appeals can be made to the Judicial Committee of
the Privy Council in London.
Political Dynamics
The British Virgin Islands had a highly stable two-party system in the
late 1980s. One observer has called the territory a haven of political
tranquillity with little apparent interest in political activity, virtually
immune to the political, social, and economic pressures that beset the region.
H. Lavity Stoutt, leader of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), became the
islands' first chief minister in April 1967. In a 1975 election, Stoutt's
party and the rival United Party (UP) each won three of the seven elective
seats on the Legislative Council. Willard Wheatley, then an independent, won
the last seat and held the balance of power. He served as chief minister, with
Stoutt as deputy chief minister.
In the first election held under the new Constitution (of June 1, 1977),
in November 1979, independent candidates won five of the nine (increased from
seven) elective seats, and the VIP won the other four. Stoutt became chief
minister. In the November 1983 election, the VIP and the UP, the latter then
headed by Wheatley, each gained four seats. The one successful independent
candidate, Cyril Romney, became chief minister and formed a coalition
government with the UP. In September 1986, Stoutt again became chief minister
as the VIP captured a majority in the Legislative Council elections.
These transfers of power did not result in great changes in policy. There
was real reluctance among the populace to discuss independence or
constitutional change. Most citizens apparently preferred continued
affiliation with Britain.
Since Anguilla's 1969 secession from St. Kitts and Nevis, politics on the
island has been a contest between Ronald Webster, who led the secession, and
his political rivals. In the mid-1980s, the territory's two major parties--the
Anguilla Democratic Party and the rival Anguilla National Alliance--had no
real policy differences. Both supported continued affiliation with Britain.
In the March 1976 House of Assembly elections, Webster, then head of the
PPP, won and was appointed chief minister. In February 1977, Webster lost a
motion of confidence, and Emile Gumbs replaced him as chief minister and as
leader of the PPP (renamed the Anguilla National Alliance in 1980). Webster
returned to power at the head of the recently formed Anguilla United Party in
a May 1980 general election. In 1981, after political friction within the
House of Assembly, Webster formed yet another party, the Anguilla People's
Party (APP), and won that June's election. An early general election was held
in March 1984, which resulted in the ANA's capturing of four of the seven
House of Assembly seats. Evidently, Webster's plan to cut dependency on
Britain by reducing British aid and increasing internal taxes had proved
highly unpopular.
Gumbs became chief minister after the 1984 election and, under great
popular pressure, abandoned Webster's tax plan. He then emphasized a policy of
revitalizing the island's economy through tourism and foreign investment.
Webster resigned from the leadership of the APP, since renamed the Anguilla
Democratic Party (ADP). New party leader Victor Black vowed to resist any
attempt by Webster to regain control of the ADP.
Although the majority of the population expressed no desire for
independence, in 1985 the new government did request and was granted wider
powers for the Executive Council. It also asked Britain for more aid and
investment.
Anguillians have traditionally had high economic expectations and until
the mid-1980s strongly favored economic development. At that point, doubts
arose over three issues. One was the uncontrolled growth of foreign-owned
villas, which caused soaring beachside