In an opening statement, the CM Brandt addressed what he thought to be the most burning issues on Montserrat: He said, “The citizens of Montserrat have determined that they are going to live here. Maybe what (the British) are suggesting for us at this time is not right for us at this time. In my association with the British sometimes, it seems that they have grown accustomed to telling Montserrat politicians, ‘This is what we have decided and you have to agree to it.’
“The time has come, and as far as my administration is concerned, we know what is best for us. They have their points and we are going to have to meet half way. We will not tolerate, because they are called the mother Country, that they must come and impose something on us from a distance.”
In an OTCC address in October, 2000 Brandt on behalf of the OTs offered the following suggestions to the Council for consideration:
- Our parliaments should convene more frequently. The current practice in most territories is for parliament to meet every three months. More meetings will enable parliament to better supervise the executive and should promote greater accountability.
- The development of watchdog organisations such as unions and NGOs should be encouraged and allowed to play the important role expected of them in a democracy
- Governments, in general, should be required to be more responsive to the findings, suggestions and requests of all such organisations.
- A free press must not be viewed as a nuisance but an indispensable necessity
- Care should be taken to ensure that on all state owned radio stations the opposition receives adequate time to air their views
- Government should disclose to the public in a timely manner all of its relevant decisions
- Measures should be introduced to make Public Accounts Committees more effective. Presently, the Public Accounts Committee has to wait on a report from the Auditor General before it can meet on or investigate a particular matter. Some mechanism needs to be in place making it easy to convene whenever it is appropriate to do so.
In July 1997 before he became Chief Minister and just after the June 25, 1997 deaths from volcanic activity, he paid for and published the following:
I am calling on the British to immediately provide the following with no strings attached:
- Storage for people who have valuables in threatened areas, including Plymouth, Parsons and other marginal areas.
- Money to build permanent housing in the North.
- Compensation for lost crops, animals and other personal effects.
- Land for agriculture, social and recreational use.
We need to provide our people with hope and evidence that the North is indeed safe. The way to do this is to invest in the North. My friends, we cannot allow our society to be scattered to the four corners of the earth. We must tackle the task of rebuilding our country with urgency and vigor.
