by Man from Baker Hill :
There is no doubt in my mind that there is Silver in the Hill; or else they would not have called it Silver Hills. And where there is silver, there could be gold. Since we have hills of silver on Montserrat, our future not only looks good and golden; it is good and golden!
Unfortunately, that potential glitter and gold was not reflected in the budget. The budget clearly showed that Montserrat is not self-reliant. We generate less than thirty percent of the money we require to sustain our needs and wants for 2013; and therefore we rely on aid. This is unacceptable, it cannot continue.
We must find the solution for Montserrat to become more self-reliant. We must find the way to make Silver Hills shine and become the vehicle for self-reliance. This is the task therefore for the Premier and the rest of us.
We must not wait another year. We must tackle that task now. We must use what we have to get what we need! We may have to give up the Silver Hills and some of Blake’s Estate.
Turn Silver Hills into a FREE PORT area! The British Government must acquire the Silver Hills now; and then enter into a fifty year lease arrangement with an experienced group of investors who will make it shine. Silver Hills can earn for Montserrat $150 million a year in revenue for the next 100 years.
Each week editor Bennette Roach and I tirelessly and vociferously brainstorm to arrive at sustainable pathways for Montserrat. And after the Budget speech, we were at it again. We recognize that Montserrat has been a ‘let down’ after seventeen years of British Government support. Our island neighbours envied us and expected that we should have reached further with British support; but Montserrat failed. And that is so embarrassingly true, with almost $2 billion dollars of British Aid, Montserrat should been closer to self-reliance and sustainability.
Just a minute! This article is not about the Budget; neither is it a blame game on politicians past or present. It is about an idea whose time has come; and it is the responsibility of the Montserrat Reporter and company to inform and to stimulate.
Bennette and I agreed that the pathway to a sustainable future for Montserrat is the creation of a Freeport on Montserrat. We both considered and agreed that Silver Hills and all its environs must be acquired and turned into a Freeport. We believe that it is not only to acquire the Silver Hills, but it must be turned over to the investors who have the wherewithal to transform those hills into an enviable revenue making venture for Montserrat.
Our future is indeed golden! We simply have to look at the successes and failures of our past and then make choices. First, let us consider the Beachettes Estate Development. That development provided an enviable economic support for Montserrat. Out of the Beachettes Development we got the Montserrat Hotel Industry, the modern construction industry, the real estate industry, the car rental business, tourism, the golf course, the lawn and pool maintenance businesses and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Yes, check the facts. The records are there for all to see.
Before I write another line, I must ask this question. How did we get from the skilful arrangement of Beachettes Development to the shabbiness of Barzeys, Dick Hill, Manjack and Cudjoe Head below Norman’s? And so I beg, please teacher, please place a copy of the Beachettes plan on the walls of every classroom. Let our children review our past and learn how it came about.
Secondly, let us consider our famous national resource, the volcanic sand. We have failed to capitalize on the potential gold mine of the volcanic sand. We infuse our selves with the desire to create massive individual wealth without adequate taxation, rather than sustainable national wealth out of that national resource. It is very clear that certain levels of creative development are beyond Montserratians.
Still, Montserrat must act now! Let us revisit the land Acquisition Laws. We must acquire the silver hills and much more of Blake’s Estate. We must get the owners out of the way. Then we must turn the entire area over to international investors who can visualize, conceptualize and who have the capacity to materialize a vision that will bring to the people of Montserrat revenue unforeseen before.
Look! The real Silver Hills, transformed into a Freeport with its own air and sea ports. Look at the cruise liners docked on the other side of Little Bay. Come and watch the ferries from Guadeloupe, Antigua, Anguila and St. Martin, bringing shoppers and visitors to Montserrat. Watch the villas, the golf course and feel the thrills of real sporting activities.
Feel the revenue pouring into and piling up in our treasury. More than 1,000 new jobs created within the first phase of construction. The population grow to 20,000 by the year 2030. Never again will Great Britain have to provide budgetary support.
If you still doubt that this idea can manifest itself into reality, then take a look at Stanford Development in Antigua. What a transformation that was! If one man Stanford with clear vision could do so much around the airport in Antigua, imagine what could happen if an enterprise like Disney is given the opportunity to manifest their vision for our silver hills.
Yes, DFID, acquire the hills and cliff side lands that merely sustain wild goats. These lands have been idle since the glory days of cotton. Find an investor! Lease the lands to them. And leave the rest to them and the British Government. Clearly, it is beyond Montserratians to create and maintain the type of revenue machine out of Montserrat Silver Hills that will make Montserrat self-reliant.
And by the way, we Montserrations will continue to fuss over Little Bay town and the inherited squaters. Our collective vision will create a town in perfect accordance with our limitations, as we seek to bring back the antiquated house roof buildings of old dead and gone Plymouth. Let ‘ye older’ Montserratians continue to live out our lives buying and selling Little Bay lands as if to relive the meagre economic activities of ten decades ago.
Until the ‘yeoldefolks’ are gone, spare the youths, protect them from the arrogance of ignorance! Give them a new Montserrat. Take up the Silver Hills, Blake’s Estate and the Centre Hills, there is much silver and gold under the grass and the rocks waiting to shine. Give the youths a chance to really live on Montserrat. Please begin their future today, by transforming the Silver Hills into a Free Port Area.
Just another idea, whose time has come; make ‘the Silver Hills’, Montserrat Free Port Area.
