Donaldson Romeo, Opposition Leader, Montserrat
There were little or no expressions of surprise at the announcement by the Honourable Leader of the Opposition Donaldson Romeo of the Legislative Assembly, on Thursday, june 14, 2012 that he would file a motion of No Confidence in the administration of the Honourable Premier Reuben Meade. While filing the motion, later updated on June 19, the opposition leader who prior had been speaking out against the Premier accusing him of “one mannism” in his decision making on government matters, called for public support in light of the several decisions he said that “may have negative implications for both the political and economic future of Montserrat.”
In a statement to the press, Mr. Romeo said “recent controversial import tariff increases, the MoU signed with the FCO and the Premier’s May 30 declaration in Ecuador that Montserrat is no longer a colonised country all reflect a pattern of government decisions made behind closed doors, without adequate consultation with the people who have to live with the results of such decisions.”
The opposition leader said Premier Meade’s actions are counter to his party’s 2009 election manifesto which “promised to move beyond “one-manism,” and said that it would facilitate “community level consultations as the preferred means of involving the citizens in decision-making and governance on all matters affecting their lives.”
Mr. Romeo also challenged the June 1 introduction of a new Customs Tariff which he says is “riddled with problems that need to be fixed, such as the rises in tax on medicines like Insulin for diabetics and antibiotics for people with bacterial infections.”
The revised tariff abolished the service tax, leaving only duty and a consumption tax on over 6000 items. The most commonly used items by the lower income groups were to attract a lower banding while luxury items such as some electronic goods attracted a higher banding, according to a release from the Ministry of Finance. However, the Honourable Opposition Leader said “chicken, school exercise books and cement are necessities, not luxuries.”
Premier Meade said last week on The People’s Show on ZJB radio prior to the announcement, that the new tariff was a work in progress and people with their concerns should forward them to the government. Since the motion was filed no one has heard any further utterances from Premier Meade.
Romeo pointed out that “this attempt to fix the problem after the fact simply tells us that Mr. Meade failed to adequately consult with stakeholders before releasing the 90-page tariff. And while we are already feeling the pinch of the new tariffs, taking Montserrat off the list of overseas territories that the UK has to report to the UN year by year on progress may make it even harder for us to get the long promised aid support we need to recover from the volcano disaster. This is because HMG itself acknowledges that it is due to its UN Charter obligations to report year by year that British Overseas Territories have “a first call” on Britain’s aid money.
The Opposition Leader, who is an elected member of the local legislature, pointed out that in Premier Meade’s May 30th Ecuador statement to the UN Committee on Decolonisation, he said that “he is “certain that the UK supports our stance.” But, at no time has he consulted with the elected representatives of the Montserrat people, nor has he done so with the Montserrat public; just as already happened with the import tariffs. That is why the Ecuador statement and the new tariffs have provoked such a strong feeling that the MCAP habit of government behind closed doors has now gone too far.
Mr. Romeo is also asking “the public to support the Opposition when it raises these and related concerns through a motion of no confidence” in the next sitting of the Legislative Assembly scheduled for June 26, 2012.
Romeo’s Motion asks for it to be Resolved: “That this honourable House finds that the Hon Premier has acted in disregard of principles of democratic accountability and of the principle that the executive must answer to the legislature in a parliamentary democracy. That, this honourable House further finds that such violations of principles of good government are willful, are repeated, and are harmful to the people of Montserrat and our hopes for recovery and sustainable redevelopment after the devastating impact of the Volcano crisis. Also, since the behavior is repeated, the Cabinet as a whole is knowledgeable of it. As a result, this honourable House hereby CENSURES the Premier for said action, and thereby expresses a LOSS OF CONFIDENCE in his Premiership. Thus, it has NO CONFIDENCE in the Hon Premier.
