Premier’s Leadership is overrated
Claude Gerald
Representation has been my theme in this election campaign. Quality representation that is and without that level of representation we are doomed to continue to retrogress socially and economically. Our institutions will continue to fail without a doubt.
It is in this context that I condemn in the strongest possible terms those who represent the notion that only one man can represent Montserrat at the highest levels of government. They are in fact misrepresenting the truth.
To hear that in a national election that only one man, Mr. Reuben T Meade can run the affairs of a people is shameful in the extreme. It makes you cringe in despair. It is myopic. It is dangerous to accept such thinking. It is not progressive. It should never be countenanced by anyone at anytime.
Mr. Meade himself in his ‘mountain of intelligence’ does not believe that. But of course he takes it as said. It suits his longevity in office and his selfish purposes.
When the question is posed as to the reasons for such a claim one is told that the man can talk. This is indeed true: he can hold an audience with his oratory gained through practice.
But then ask: what has he produced to better the lives of Montserratians after over 20 years in Parliament and the responses are mute. There is no obvious defining positive feature of his stewardship that foundationally distinguishes him and threatens the right of aspirants to leadership standing in office.
The famous philosopher Confucius once said: ‘A man of worth can always talk but great talkers are not always men of worth’.
Adolph Hitler had compelling power as an orator and we know his history of mass suffering to innocent people.
Arrogance and lack of feeling or compassion are the outstanding characteristics of Mr. Reuben T. Meade. These are why he has been so comfortable in piling on the pressure on the population. Because individuals may use a little pleasure in an effort to relieve their minds from the burdens and hardships of life ushered in by Meade’s administration, Reuben has decided that they should be punished with higher charges for services provided by government.
If we forget the pains and pressures of the past five years we will be making a big mistake which will continue to worsen our senses of regret in the future.
No one can dispute the fact that the population has experienced unprecedented pressures from this government during the past five years.
The root cause rests with the ineptness and lack of real concern for a people whose trust the MCAP administration has squandered.
Mr. Meade and his team are hoping that you will forget the pressures he has imposed. That would be a historic mistake for you to forget the astounding extent of tax rate increases imposed by his bunch.
It is true that Mr. Meade runs a one man Government. He is the Government. His ministers are insignificant followers. Mr. Meade seems to run a cabinet outside the real Cabinet. That fictitious cabinet seems to run our show. And because his ministers whom you elected do not step up to the plate and assert themselves, the impression is easily carried that Mr. Meade is supreme and superior to others in this election. He alone can lead his close sympathizers would say!
But I have news for Mr. RTM, my former classmate and erstwhile friend. And even more news for that small band of people who reap the bulk of benefits by association with a Premier, who has no respect for you the electorate and the people of Montserrat. Listen to his arrogance and the way he talks down to you when he speaks. He cares nothing about you really. You are his floor cloth. You are his wash pot. You gave him opportunities to be the man he is, to wield the power he does. You asked him to represent you but instead he scorns and derides you at every juncture. Listen to his utterances even when he is in a sober mood. Just watch his body language and you know that the Premier thinks less of you the people of Montserrat.
Any assertion of Mr. Meade’s continued leadership must be supported by facts. As I make my rounds in this campaign I realize how tough it is for the average man. His leadership has brought immense burden on the people of Montserrat in the last 5 years. Generally his government is directly responsible for the cost of living rises and he cannot escape that responsibility.
The cost of living has risen at least 30 % across the board (Dfid figures) since the Premier took office second time. Some prices have gone up by hundreds of percent. Stamp duties on some services have moved from $25 to $175 and associated costs are up by 600 percent. At the same time wages and salaries have been fixed by Mr. Meade’s dictates. And his henchmen enjoy freedom to pillage and ravage bursting their pockets with glee.
Premier Meade has constantly deceived you. That is a natural for him. You remember when he hired a prominent upstanding Salemite to collect over 22 million dollars in back taxes? Dfid had much interest in that exercise you know. But the collection went horribly wrong. The attempt was not serious. It was a sham and Mr. Meade retained overall control on that matter.
As usual the big men who were close to Mr. Meade were forgiven and the small man was threatened with prosecution in the court. It was a disgrace. Very little was collected and you the small man was then punished with a hell fire of higher tariffs and taxes to meet the shortfall in government revenues.
The taxes were forgiven and therefore lost to the treasury. You must suffer for Mr. Meade’s callous attitudes to serious matters.
You remember the sudden increase in government services which was heaped on us in 2012? You remember the Premier denied any involvement and blamed it all on the public servants whom he said were not up to marks and should be sent home? He said that the public servants were not working. And he was ashamed of them. You remember? Notice he stopped the increments of Public servants.
His government argues that if the average man can afford to spend his money on a little pleasure then he can afford to pay more for the many government services on offer. You remember the big hike in hopping over to Antigua?
To make ends meet is a real challenge unless you are in the camp of MCAP and a follower. MCAP only sees its own people.
Let me give you something typical of Mr. Meade and his government in office and this is a drop in the bucket:
Increases in hospital fees; Increase in bus fees; Introduction of registration fees for primary schools; Increase in school lunch fees; Increase charges in Government Day Care Services; Increase in Nursery School fees; Increase Tariffs for Exercise Books; Increase tariffs on all food items and decrease in tariff on certain items of alcohol and you know why; they have reinstated duty on chicken; Increase vehicle license fees and learner permits; increase postal fees at post office; no salary increase for civil servants; they even stopped those who clean the drains around Montserrat and now finding work for them to do 3 months before an election; the water tanks at the Department of Agriculture that cost little were sold at $1500 and yet the Premier’s government claims to be supportive of Agriculture.
Mr. Meade maybe a great talker. He may impress some in that way. But he cannot continue to do so as many are now clear to their loss of welfare under the one man show of Mr. Reuben T. Meade.
