by PTV (People’s Television)
The end of the long August holiday weekend, the last long weekend until Christmas, saw people in Montserrat back at work on Tuesday.
Sunday, August 1, was Emancipation day. Worshipers in Montserrat’s churches again gave thanks, as they have been inclined to do for the past one hundred and seventy-six years, that they are no longer enslaved, and regarded as sub human creatures by the people whom they served and enriched.
In terms of celebration, emancipation from slavery served once again, however peripherally, as the inspiration for Cudjoe Head Day in the village where, according to oral history, the head of a runaway slave was displayed as a warning and reminder to any others who may have considered following his example.
Additionally, in terms of constitutional advancement, emancipation day found the people of Montserrat thinking more than ever before about the deeper meaning of freedom from slavery.
Being the time of a soul searching constitutional debate, progress since the reading of the emancipation act on August 1, 1834 has become for many, a haunting preoccupation.
And faced with the irrefutable truth that Montserrat style colonialism is a direct derivative and close cousin of its administrative precursor, Government finds itself bending over backwards to interpret the draft revised constitution as an act of further liberation.
The controversy this has sparked is unfortunate. But at this time of heightened reflection, there is no indication that it is about to end, because there are many who remain fully persuaded that, in a way of speaking, the draft revised constitution is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to modernize colonialism- the much despised administrative system whose emergence in Montserrat and elsewhere can be directly traced to slavery.
But Chief Minister Meade, having indicated his support for the draft revised constitution in its current form, has set about convincing the people of Montserrat that ratification of an essentially unchanged colonial power structure, represents a positive step towards self determination for Montserrat.
It has been revealed however, that the need for economic aid and Montserrat’s cash strapped condition are the real reasons why Montserrat’s official line has been to support a document which, in all likelihood, would not be countenanced by any government in normal times.
Government’s support for the draft constitution order of May 2010 is evidently based on the perception that to do otherwise would adversely affect the flow from Britain of badly needed financial assistance. Constitutional Experts are, however, indicating a major problem with this perception; neither has Britain been comfortable with the assertion that this is the indeed the case.
It is Britain’s position that it is willing and ready to grant independence to Montserrat as soon as a majority of the island’s people express a desire to move in that direction.
Admittedly, independence is a direction that Montserrat is fearful of in its present state of need, and Chief minister Meade pointed this out in a recent discussion with journalists.
In effect then, as many people see it, simply stated, Montserrat has no real alternative but to accept its colonial status. This unfortunate situation, to the extent that it is true, is considered by some experts to be the same as having no choice at all. And to the extent that independence is equated to freedom, they contend that an individual or community that is not free, cannot choose not to be free.
Squarely facing this dilemma, a group of journalists have indicated to Chief minister Meade that he has no choice at this time but to take Britain at its word and promptly enquire into how much and what forms of assistance may be available to establish Montserrat as an independent country, similar in administrative style and stature to its OECS partners.
The problem with this, to the extent that one exists, is that full independence, having being unsold by successive administrations as being unrealistic, has left the impression that the colonial status quo, slightly modified, is indeed Montserrat’s only constitutional option.
But this is not playing well in CARICOM where leaders have repeatedly and consistently called on Britain to decolonize its Caribbean Colonies. And, Montserrat as the only member of CARICOM and OECS that is governed under a colonial constitution, finds itself constantly struggling to juggle its two allegiances.
It is for this reason that on Emancipation day 2010 – it was the meaning of freedom itself that came under scrutiny among a wide cross-section of Montserratians. In addition, it is the length and nature of the remaining journey to this illusive state of being that is now, at this pivotal moment, mostly on the minds of many thinking people, as they strive to interpret the pros and cons of the questionable draft revised constitution.
THE RICHEST SQUARE MILE
The government must install geothermal power for local consumption right now
The idea is to make electricity very CHEAP, rather than people forming a company to sell shares in geothermal power for local consumption.
The 12 million dollars that are spent per year on fuel should be put back into the economy.
12 million is enough money to install the two megawatt of power that we consume.
What is so hard for the electricity department to install geothermal power in Montserrat for local use?
We only need two megawatt to start with and a two megawatt binary system is only two million US dollars to purchase and we could install it.
The United States and the United Nations are offering us help so we should take the offers and borrow the rest of the money and get the system installed
It could never be cheaper for people to have shares in Montserrat geothermal power, than if the government borrow the money and install it.
The amount of energy that Montserrat has to offer requires a country like the United State to make maximum uses of it: we are talking about a thousand megawatt and more because Montserratians will not be able to finance it, and because without the United State we will not be able to get the billion Dollar industry to work.
Apart from the electricity for the other Islands, it is the optic fibers that are taken along with the under water electric cable for a MEGA communication system is the big money.
Rather than holding a meeting asking people to invest in expensive drilling we should be holding a demonstration and insist that the government install the geothermal power for the government and people of Montserrat because it is simple to pay for it with the fuel money.
Drilling is part of the technical support that is offered.
The people should take a hard stand against the government to get cheaper electricity right now, rather than tying their dog under the meter so that the meter reader cannot get to read the meter is not going to help, the bill is still there waiting to be paid, so go and protest against your government to get (Cheap) geothermal power because we know it can be done and if they can not do it they should get out of the way
There is a pipe in the earth that is already down in the hot water that the hotel got hot water from for the hot water spa and if that pipe is not big enough it is easy to drill around that pipe and replace it with a larger pipe
Let these people go to hell that are looking 4 million US dollars for drilling.
(1) There are no thousands of feet to drill in Foxes bay to find hot water
(2) There is a large area behind the cliff of Montserrat springs hotel facing the sea that are more protected than Foxes bay and the depth of the hot water is only around 20 feet and local people can drill that depth include myself.
Before modern machines, men were drilling deeper than 20 feet with hand operating machines.
(3) We could pipe the hot water from the pipe in the ground to the power station because it will be nearby and we can put the return pipe straight down under the power station or find one of the other pipes that are already in the earth that are further away for the return
We have Montserratians with the skill and the will to install the geothermal system.
The brain drain in Montserrat is becoming extremely intolerable.
Why these people in government can not get out of the way?
It is sad that the wrong people are projecting authority in Montserrat because every thing that we need to get geothermal power is wasting in Montserrat, for example every internal combustion engine can be converted to work in the binary geothermal system but no one on the Island has the knowledge how to do it and they do not want people like me to do it so why don’t they get the British to do it for them.
Montserrat do not need the British, we have what it takes to become a mega empire
I am going to draw a diagram to show the people of Montserrat how the billion dollar industry will work because the United States, Canada and England can get together and put this power plant into action, that will take the Caribbean Islands out of poverty.
Montserrat is a (VERY RICH PLACE) but the system of government is keeping us down
We have the RICHEST SQUARE MILE that is many times more profitable than oil, located in Plymouth on the Northwest side
Where there is a will there is a way
A Mega Nation? 4500 people? Sorry, more of a Banana Republic with a wealthy elite class feeding like leaches off the poor.
Every one what’s independence and for whatever reason then can think of. Quebec wants independence from Canada, Its political leaders are claiming that the French speaking were the white slaves of the English and its now time to move on and separate, Anyone from the outside would say ” There Crazy, Canada is among the top 3 countries in the world’’ But then again there is a group fuelling hate and living in the pass instead of looking forward. Most of these new nations have ended up with politician who promises the moon and stars to its people, they walk into office poor and with a modest salary and walk out multi millionaires with money siphoned from its people stashed away in Switzerland or Caymans, A perfect example of this is Haiti versus the other non independent French Islands. No these small countries politician don’t what a Big Brother looking over their shoulder when doing what is wrong. You never see one promoting the Kingdom of God. Don’t worry, if Montserrat would ask England for independence they would grant it in a heart beat. All that England has siphoned out of Montserrat over the centuries has been paid back many times since the Volcano crisis and it’s not over yet. What more would Mrat have if it would be independent? Pride? Sorry can’t feed a family on that. A more stable and honest government? Hahahahaha. Jesus was right when he said ” Let your Kingdom Come, (Gods ruler ship) Let your will be done on EARTH as in heaven. That is the only hope for man kind.
Hello Paul
The people of Quebec have their linguistic rights and it is the people who go to Quebec are the ones that should learn French, why should the people of Quebec speak English to get a Job in their own place?
Although the British are the greatest enemy black people ever had, all of us in Montserrat felt very sad when the FLQ kidnap and killed the British diplomat James Cross in Quebec; and around the same time prime Minister Trudeau of Canada was telling the British that if they do not stop shipping weapons to South Africa to kill Black people that he would pull out of the commonwealth.
Haitians were the people that voted to stay with Canada is what cause Quebec to lose the last referendum, not that I wanted Quebec to be separated.
The people of Quebec prefer to die French than to eat English because people that goes to Quebec don’t respect the French, like the Mighty Sparrow went on a big stag in Quebec and said to the French people” what the hell French”
Today, the French people got back their linguistic rights and the only sign that they can not change on the business places is Mc Donald’s because they cannot find a French word for Mc Donald’s
The farmer French Prime minister Trudeau before he died told the French people that there will be a big problem in North America with the Saint Laurence sea way because of the agreement between the Unites States and Canada; and the French took his advice.
It is the sanctions that the world wrongfully put on Haiti is what slowed them down like they are.
It is because of the lesson the French learnt from Haiti is what help the other French colonies.
All Bermuda has is sea water and sand and Bermuda is smaller than Montserrat and they are supporting them self because of there strategic location.
Bermuda tried to get independents some years ago and did not succeed but they will try again now that they have more young people.
At this time of the World’s economic crisis Montserrat has more to offer than Bermuda.
Who the hell is England to have colony, they are not spending enough money in Montserrat because they are destructive and are spending the money with intent.
All of you British people are telling the Montserratians to leave but yet all of you are buying up lands.
If the British did not want Montserrat why all of you are coming to Montserrat to work for the British rather than leaving
We are not foolish, the British does not want to give Montserrat independence as you are saying because they are trying to regain their domain and I think that the British is worse than the corrupt politicians, if the British had corrected Reuben he would have been on the scrap heap of political history in less than one year.
Do you see that Mickey Mouse constitution as a document to build a Nation?
When the wrong go unchallenged that wrong becomes right, but when the wrong has been challenged and the British does nothing about it; it makes the British system incomprehensible and unworkable and what the British is doing in this constitution is using Reuben to setup an impenetrable barrier to keep us down
Reuben was found with a stolen car that he bought from his friend and why he was not arrested in Montserrat, please explain? Reuben was summoned to appear in court in England and tickets came for him and the police Lewis to go to England for the court case, but Reuben was telling his friends like Clarence Graves that we were lying and he did not have to go to any court but when Reuben was about to go to England, someone told him that it was grand theft to be in possession of a stolen car and he would be arrested whether he knew the car was stolen or not and he got a doctor to say that he was sick and could not travel to England; the British knows why they did not pursue him.
The law should show us what document did Reuben used as the legal owner, title and registration to transfer the car to his name
The law enforcement of Montserrat still never filed a charge against him, they allowed him to challenge the law that the car is his so he can put the case to rest and not get arrested and continue to be our chief minister.
If Reuben had gone to England, as soon as the police Lewis identify Reuben to the British authorities, he would have been arrested, what kind of system is that?
It is the British hypocrisy causing black people to be fighting each other and they are fanning the flames of corruption: not what they do but what they did not do.
Reuben is a tainted man but is the perfect candidate for the British governor and attorney general, to allow him to be a candidate in the 2009 election although he was not qualified as a candidate.
If we get independence Reuben can not speak like that to anyone because the governor would not be there to protect him; he would have to humble or crumble.
Look at that British white man that has been in Montserrat for all these years and pretend that he is just working, and he love Black people and illegally took a document out of a government office and wrote to some white people in Boston telling them not to raise a million dollars for Montserrat, wild we were on the streets selling T shirts to help Montserrat, if that is not corruption that is?
This is Montserrat’s “Time” we have THE RICHEST SQUARE MILE
Montserrat should stay British.
People quarell about Britain’s oppresive history with its colonies but the past is the past and Britain had shown many times that they have learned from their mistakes. It was Britain itself who decided to end slavery in 1834 while other European countries and the USA continued with it. Britain has contributed tremendously to the development of Montserrat and still is. Montserrat is no longer considered to be a colony but a British Overseas Territory, which shows Montserrat is an extended part of the UK.
Other Caribbean countries have gained independence and that is good for them because they have the land mass and population. A population of 5000 is just a town in Jamaica. Montserrat shouldn’t follow its Caribbean neighbours because it will be almost impossible for such a small territory to survive.
Montserrat should stay Bristish for security and prosperity which is present on the island. With independence Montserrat will not get any financial support, they might get a corrupt leader and Montserrat will not recover from the volcanic crisis effectivly. British Overseas Territory is they way forward for Montserrat now and always.