By Joseph Kirnon
In continuing the discussion of the development of our little island, we must understand the herculean task that is ahead of us. We must understand that this can only be accomplished in stages over a long period of time. This is a task that requires men and women of thinking, patience and greatest of all, having the ability to persevere in difficult times.
This is not a call for the person who wants to be seen, and whose chief objective is ego aggrandizement, or the accumulation of wealth and position. We need selfless people whose desire is for the future of our island and its people. BEGIN WHERE WE ARE.
At this moment we have several parties and individuals contending to lead us into the future. We must take a good look at them and say to ourselves “Is this party or person, right for the coming responsibility?”. And Yes we must be judgmental. From my perspective, as I have listened to many of these individuals and parties, the one conclusion that I have come to is that many of them had been colleagues and co-conspirators in the past. As a Montserratian working overseas, you the voting public would know more about the individuals, and parties than I would. It is therefore, not for me to speak good or ill of any of them. YOU KNOW THEM. What I can contribute to is to try and bring some sense of direction to the process based upon where we want to go. The decision is yours.
What I can say is that there are those who consider themselves as having already won and have asked your current Premier to collect his last check, when you yourselves have not made that decision yet by the casting of your vote. No one should be so presumptuous (and rude). It is you the voting public who has the mandate to vote for or remove the leadership. Wise and intelligent people do not give power to people who crave it, because they are oft to abuse it.
I stress this issue of leadership because that leader will be the face of the nation to the rest of the world. We cannot have anyone in that position that is corruptible, prone to scandals and or destructive behavior and lacks values. Judge them all and judge them well.
The other necessity is that of continuity. If we are to “BEGIN WHERE WE ARE”, THEN WE MUST HAVE CONTINUITY. The current leadership has put some issues and ideas for development before the world body. Representatives from that world body are expected to visit the island to see and discuss these issues and ideas. They should not be confronted with a whole new set of individuals that they do not necessarily know and who may have different ideas towards the process that led to them visiting the island. That would not be a good presentation for moving forward. A change in government would say that the people are not for the platform or process established with the said world body if they are now having to engage with a new set of people. They should see people fully backing their leadership.
When they leave, they should carry away the feeling, the idea, that the island has good governance and the full support of its people. It is that observation that will strengthen their ability to support our needs vis-a vie our colonial ruler. The United Nations is not the Holy Grail to our development. We are the Holy Grail to our development. The UN is support and our actions and behavior should not be a hindrance in their viewpoint. Let us think wisely and act wisely. Our intentions and actions are to shape the world view of our small island. Let us demonstrate that through stability and continuity.
Above we noted that the UN is not the holy grail to our goals. It is support. It is important that we should be mindful of some of the ideas that the UN itself promotes. As a society, we may not agree or have as an ideal all those that the UN upholds. Some may conflict with our own social, moral and religious ideas. One such idea is that of Humanism and all of its manifestations. An idea that takes the importance away from the Creator and focuses on the Creation. More to say on this concept later. For now, we must think and act wisely.
Okay, so we are placing importance on stability in the society, continuity in the political environment and growth in the development of the nation. We know that there are a large number of infrastructural projects that are in the works. We must focus an all of them, yet prioritize a few wherein we may see a movement forward in the short term and which will impact on others over the long term.
Montserrat is at a stage where its infrastructural development, is based upon “grant-based funding”. The funds needed to finance the projects come to us from external sources. This should let us know that whatever the politicians are promising to do, they have to source the funds outside. They do not have the money. See the need for continuity???
The project that would be most fruitful at this moment, that would bring employment, and has the potential to bring in revenue from outside sources, reduce costs for the local population and provide the island with a marketable export is the Geothermal Project.
We can look at the volcano as the problem that devastated the island and decimated its population. Yet at the same time, we can see it as a path towards our (economic) salvation. Montserratians see themselves as religious, God-loving people. It is therefore not difficult for them to understand that God does not place a burden on a people, or person greater than they can bear. With this understanding we then see the volcano as an eye-opener to greater understanding. To function or animate anything, the primary need is ENERGY. When properly harnessed, beneath our feet lies that energy. We have something that we ourselves and others in the world can benefit from – A source of ENERGY.
As an educator, who has taught the Earth and Space Sciences (Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, and Astronomy), they should be taught from the central idea of Energy. That is Geothermal Energy, Wind Energy, Hydro Energy, and Solar Energy. Montserrat is located on the Earth where it can benefit from all of these sources, with the right thinking, leadership, and investment. Our little island is surrounded by all of these sources. Think, my people. Think.
