May 20, 2016
Doctor, Professor George Irish, Montserratian: “They don’t have many places on God’s earth where the total population has been virtually wiped out and new people have had to populate the land because of a volcano. It’s a fascinating place to be and the impact of the volcano on the environment and on the society and on the people…it’s something that we need to document and we can’t do it in one week so this group is only going to do the pioneer work and then set the framework for others to come lay.”
Alan Duncan, DFID’s Minister of State: “Montserrat has had unique difficulties; there is nowhere else in our responsibility which has had its main capital town swamped in by a volcano…so there are special challenges.”
Later he said: “I mean, where else in the world would some face a disaster like that and still come out smiling and determined to get things going again. The admiration we have for that gives us that extra bit of drive.”
What is the similarity with these two quotes? Both seeking and aiming at the development and progress of Montserrat! But what has happened since with respect to these quotes?”
Conceding that this government is seriously lacking, the problem is NOT what those seeking to promote their self-interests with their sometimes vile agendas. When they speak or write, hint, suggest and otherwise, they should do so, truthfully going back to 2008 and backward as the case warrants.
They point to the needs and wants and one very serious observer, by no means a bystander, notes as TMR has before, Montserrat was at a place where HMG was ready to take control. Their and now others concern rather than fear is that Montserrat is not far from that place.
Here is one sentence from Allan Duncan’s visit in December 2011, four and a half months before the ‘infamous’ May 1, 2012 Memorandum of Understanding. His visit then, was to among other things but generally, powerfully: “…Set the parameters for future self-sufficiency: more efficient management of the public finances, combined with strategic investments aimed at stimulating growth, improving access and facilitating economic activity.”
But two things have gone wrong. Instead of jumping forth from the promise of 2008 February to fix the airport mistake and related ferry/port issues, by 2013 we suddenly learned that any improvement in air access, the statistically proven door to improving our low to nonexistent GDP was ignorantly and corruptly off the table. Since then Montserrat was forced back into a backward thinking that the ferry holds some non-discussed, imagined, ignorant worthiness to the future of Montserrat.
Please note that any reference to ‘access’, by HMG anyway refer specifically back to the 2008 promise and undertaking.
There are not so many contributing factors to the derisive nature of being in Montserrat.
There is nothing to fear from ‘Brexit’ that HMG through FCO, DFID will change its mandates to Montserrat, indeed the BOTs (British Overseas Territories). They will seek to improve on what is good and work on what is bad.
In respect of Montserrat, this also was said in 2011, and note no doubt with the 2012 upgraded White Paper just around the corner. “…with hard times in Britain, DFID did not suffer budget cuts like most other departments, but “…we’re not just a check book; we have always made that clear where we are prepared to sign a check we want to prove value for money…spending the money for the greatest long-term economic opportunity…” But let us remind there are rules, governing how that is done, and now the accountability has become stringent because of what? Poor economic management, brought on by the worst feared risk, corruption. So if there is to be any fear it is by and of Montserrat itself. See all business case documents.
Now read this please, and then if you are so inclined, go back to all the hullabaloo. “Access, communications in general in the island are crucial. You can’t have a sustainable economy without good communications, transport or information.” Another of DFID’s statement.
Marches, protests, complaints, overthrow, new elections, to go where, to what end? Even talk of independence! Have we exhausted our good thoughts? Or, are there any? Then start again.
When will we stop elevating the wrong people, praise people for merely doing their work, practicing the analogy, putting square pegs in round holes. Yes, mediocrity reigns in the place. Note it didn’t take Governor Carriere a year, as it was her early observation, that the Public Service was a problem, “lacking understanding and awareness…”
Let’s agree with the call for, “those who ‘love’ Montserrat to stand up.” Someone directed to an article asking: 21 Years on..What’s Going On? A good article in our view, even though the informant while agreeing to some extent, suspected an agenda. So it might be in order to ‘Jus wonder if the article was just rhetorical or directed to any specific group! Certainly if all the goings-on about Montserrat’s state of affairs had been anywhere on mark, the question would not be forthcoming, except of course it is purely rhetorical or indeed should be viewed and treated with skepticism.
All miss the real issues and the problems. There are those who will argue there is better employment than in recent past. But that is relative. The ferry fiasco solution is misguided and Montserrat can no longer afford trying to build a future around that. Surely a port is necessary, needed, but any access issue must be built around it also. The only immediate solution to that access issue is two twin otter arrivals into and out of Montserrat every day. Is there a place for the rumoured blocker airlines? Of course there is. We are talking about Montserrat’s future, immediate, medium and longterm. But let’s see where some of the real problems are.
We say little about the noise, at least for now about that article as we are left to wonder if it is because of the fear of the very global and wide readership that ‘TMRonline’ enjoys, in spite of the effort to make it irrelevant, why these ‘insights’ are not shared with TMR. Is it that they do not want the Chinese, Russians, Ukraine, USA, Korea, Slovenia, France, all among the top 25 who make up close to the two million hits per month on www.themontserratreporter.com, to read their ‘opinions’?
