Ascension : Letter From Mr Lawson Henry
Submitted by The Islander (Islander Internet Editor) 10.07.2008 (Article Archived on 24.07.2008)

The long awaited report from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the Overseas Territories has been released.

Dear Editor,

House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee Report on Overseas Territories

The long awaited report from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the Overseas Territories has been released.

I write in respect of Ascension Island to acknowledge the work done by this committee and to those who saw fit to give evidence about the apparent U Turn by the British Government to deny right of abode and land tenure to those living and working on Ascension. 

The importance of this report is that it has acknowledged that the FCO did raise expectations that rights of property and abode would be granted to those who live and work on Ascension (something the officials have to this day denied).

Governor Gurr in the recent public meeting on Ascension asked members of the public to show him a document whereby the FCO had raised such expectations.  Well sir, you now have it from an independent report, even though all the documents referred to in the report has been in the public domain for some years.  The problem is officials have gone out of there way to deny rather than accept they perhaps made a mistake or changed their minds.

I hope now that the people of Ascension will feel they have been vindicated of the condemnation by officials including Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for International Development who told the House of Commons in a debate on Ascension that “the people of Ascension were confused in thinking that his Government had promised rights of abode and land tenure to the people living and working on Ascension”.

I hope that officials in both FCO and within the territory will take the time to read this report and finally accept they got it wrong, apologise and set about putting the wrong right.

Finally, what the people of Ascension would now like to see from the FCO and officials in the territory in taking forward the restoration of democracy is Honesty, Openness and Transparency.

Yours sincerely

Lawson A Henry