Governor Alistair Harrison. *Photo credit: www.fsc.org.ai
THE VALLEY, Anguilla, CMC – Governor Alistair Harrison Tuesday said he was shocked at reports that election paraphernalia had been burnt and vandalised over the weekend and said he hoped that the upcoming general election will be a peaceful affair.
In a brief statement, the governor of this British Overseas Territory said he had been assured by Commissioner of Police Keithley Benjamin that investigations were continuing in the incident involving a candidate of the ruling Anguilla United Front (AUF).
Harrison said that as a neutral observer of Anguilla’s forthcoming elections his constitutional duty is to work in partnership with whoever the people of the island choose to represent them in the House of Assembly..
“Destroying election posters interferes with that free choice. I hope that important electoral choice will be made peacefully, as a result of robust argument on the issues in a political campaign rather than the trading of acts of vandalism,” Harrison said.
Harrison said that he was urging all prospective candidates to discourage their supporters from engaging in acts of violence, adding that he hopes there will be no repetition of the incident.
He said that “arson and vandalism are serious crimes, and will be dealt with accordingly, whatever the motivation.”
No date has yet been announced for the general election constitutionally due next year, but political parties have been campaigning for the polls which most observers here believe will be held in February 2010.
Apart from the AUF, the other political parties hoping to contest the polls are the Anguilla United Movement (AUM) headed by former chief minister Hubert Hughes and the Anguilla Progressive Party (APP) led by businessman Brent Davis.
Several independent candidates have also indicated their intention to contest the elections.
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