…need to be honest about serving
October 26, 2018
For some months we have been trying to get our leaders and people to understand the buy-in to what it really needs to take Montserrat forward, back to the place it once was and beyond; to the place where it was once able to balance its recurrent budget. What it needs to stop the UK DFID officials from simply being coy in their response to our sometimes-erroneous continuous demands.
Expected capital development and development generally had been planned –with a three-year development plan in place. There was a spanking new hospital, parliament building, port and more; additional school buildings, and very importantly an Indian donation of an agro-processing plant.
With all that and more in place at the beginning of 1995 there was already approval for the big upgrade to Blackburne airport, but the timing and the ignorance of the Wadge (volcanic) report of the 80s, the onset of volcanic activity brought pause and attention to nature. Montserrat now had to relook its understanding of what it would need to move into the next 300-400 years. Briefly that’s where Montserrat was, with a government that started out with a promising future in 1991, but with all the above was floundering into failure, brought to extinction in the 1996 elections and the UK’s promise to begin rebuilding Montserrat in the north.
Since then we have always said from here, since 1998, that unless the rebuild was as good and in fact better than anything that existed pre-1995, there was no seriousness in the effort, especially that all this was built on a plan called ‘Sustainable development”. We still believe that is a bad word phrase, yet we continue to hear it. So much so that when we hear the words today, we realise that the user should not be allowed anywhere near the leadership of planning for this island going forward.
Where is Montserrat since then? Listening to these people, and their behaviour for some time within the last two years at least, recent as last week, to the criticisms, utterances and performances of most, we maintain that if you can pick two from the lot and the names we hear ‘unofficially’ being published along with their pronouncements or lack thereof, there is much work to be desired and work to be done.
Well, our prayer is that people pay attention, spiritually and otherwise as there is much darkness around and there is really no light peeping through. If we look carefully, intelligently, we will see that the degrees, and more are not at all what it takes, but merely being sufficiently educated, which then is when intellect will show. Imagine we are well aware that these statements may stun some people thus exposing their ignorance and their lack of understanding and appreciation of the kind of leadership needed. Indeed, it is the kind so many call crazy, because these thoughts are usually out of reach of the ordinary, especially when corrupted with selfishness and greed.
We regret to note that the motion of no confidence and all relative to it has shown a kind of ignorance that are far not suited for this. Would these people after all of that week of time wasting when much work far more important business can be transacted, benefit from a few ‘educated’ if only critics, sit and break down the ignorance? The nothings that are being said, people posturising themselves with questions and statements that are damning only to themselves. There is sooo much to go around. Oh yes! There are problems, but they all hide in ignorance.
Since 2008 HMG (DFID) announced that they were ready or had begun to see Montserrat in a new light and that while mistakes had been made they admitted to the ‘one step forward and two backwards’ approach, the sustainable development farce, they were ready to tackle seriously Montserrat’s future development.
Dr. Lowell Lewis was chief minister in 2008 and to this day all he does is try to bring unity to a government that he believes and what others call for, some or most of them only within their closed quarters. The kind of unity the doctor speaks about, who himself only recently received a doctorate for his genius work in the medical field, getting mention for his political work, is one that bring the minds like his, to work for the beloved land and people of Montserrat. Bring to us testimonials against pomp, abuse, jealousy, selfishness and greed.
There are not many people here in Montserrat, who will understand the sad history of our politics, over let’s say the last 40 years. We cannot count those far away as the efforts so far to involve them have only been misguided if not misunderstood.
Then, there are those of course who we must just forego as not being fit anyway.
Maybe these few words might awake the sensibilities of our people to include all, about their ignorance, that an honest look at serving rather than being master will begin a move in the right direction as we begin to look towards a general election by the end of next year.
