by Man from Baker Hill
Governor Carriere and Premier Romeo
Until St. Patrick’s Day, the year 2016 for many Montserratians had been like a ‘Garden Party’, politically. The first part of the year was welcoming with greetings of all sorts and laughter. Yes, for the first months of 2016 Montserrat was like a rhythm, a mere political cadence. But since then dear ole Montserrat, my old fashioned isle, has erupted into a carnival of sorts. It is now a politician’s carnival, a bacchanal, a jump -up, a dance and ‘prance-up’ with pitch forks and brooms. It is now becoming a frenzied politician’s carnival.
And you really can’t stop their carnival Your Excellency. No! So do not try to stop it; because we Montserratians love it so. Although it is carnival come out of season, we dearly love a jump-up festival or political. Your Excellency, just observe the show from your windows on the street side; be aware though that you can’t dance our dance, you can’t prance our prance, and you can’t jump-up ‘as yet’. So see the show for what it is; and it is just a politician’s festival whose time has come. But note this, so far neither the masquerade drum nor the woo-woo drum has been sounded; however, they might be on full display before this festival of political positioning is over.
Your Excellency, you are working here because Montserrat is one of the many stations in your life’s journey. But Montserrat is just a mere blip on the journey of a reincarnated soul. Do not be distracted; stay focused on your mission. If you are here to reform the civil service and to improve governance, please carry out your mission to the best of your ability. Be consistent, the Montserrat Reporter will support you.
The Montserrat Reporter has been the recorder and reporter of events like this one over the years. The entire prance-up and dance-up events have petered out into nothingness, just a minister dismissed or resigned. And so too, this episode will pass; they all do. Every one of your predecessors has tried to improve the Montserrat situation; and no doubt you too will try to assist and alleviate the situation. If you review the writings in The Montserrat Reporter since the onset of the volcano you will see that Montserrat was offered all the help, advice and encouragement necessary to be on the high road to recovery. Yea, take a little time out and read some of the past newspapers.
You will see that as early as November 3rd 1995 the Montserrat Reporter in an article ‘Self- preservation with an active volcano’ offered solutions and begged the politicians not to cause Montserratians to be scattered around the world. Again in 1996, The Montserrat Reporter offered further solutions to the volcano situation in two articles. One published on June 14th, titled ‘Lands in the North, What now?’ and the other on July 19th titled ‘Now is the Time’. Similarly, the expatriate community offered help and advice. And of course Her Majesty’s government support cannot be measured or discounted. But we love being in a disaster; although we cannot manage disasters.
And now in the year 2016, still struggling with same problems of 1997, we have become frenzied in a politicians bacchanal over ‘financial, air and sea secretary, accesses. Oh Montserrat, my ole fashioned isle, now is the time for intelligent Montserrations to come together as one to find workable solutions.
Your Excellency, stay focused. Our politicians are in heat; they are in frenzy and …even I love it. I truly love them when they are like this. And I trust that The Montserrat Reporter will record this moment in our history. A bacchanal … a bacchanal, a politician’s carnival, you really can’t stop it Lizzie Girl.
And Beth, The Montserrat Reporter looks to you for good leadership all the time. And with great expectations we say thank you.
Bettie, Your Excellency, in the mean time and between jump-up time I beg of you, please ask somebody to allow me to get at least one ripe banana to purchase and to eat a day …on this island paradise called Montserrat. I really cannot understand how I can purchase at Ashok a kiwi fruit grown in New Zealand but I cannot purchase a ripe banana grown down the Isle in St. Vincent.
And again, about the air and sea financial access secretary thing… Liz’beth, don’t stop their damn carnival; ley dem jump-up; let dem prance-up. This bacchanal will only stop when de prm- mea fire wan e min is ta dem. This is how it happens on Montserrat. It is our political thing and Don too must do his thing. He must fire one! This culture started in the seventies. Austin fired John. John fired Johnny. Reuben fired David, or so he said. Bertrand fired Reuben. David fired Austin…and now Donald must fire Wan; or else Bull frog smoke his pipe. He must fire one!
