April 8, 2016
There aren’t too many people who will be familiar with the term ‘business case’. Every business should know it, even if they do not have one. We should be talking about the ferry, sea port and airport, but see it through this.
In explaining or learning what it is; the need; the reasons for it; its development; the key elements; the development; its review and approval. In discussing and/or putting one together, one will find some terms such as risks, transparency, justification, accountability, value, benefits, understanding, evidence commitment, and the list goes on.
In all of these, such values as integrity, honesty, corruption stand out glaringly and all come into play.
A thought crops up. Chances are that whether one is associated with, belongs to, believes in God, religion, goes to church, prays, calls themselves Christian or not, just existing alone, even if you believe you can exist by yourself, conscious of it or otherwise there is this need to somehow, find relevance in those things that make up a business case.
Here is the further thought. What would be the findings if there could be an island-wide survey taken of everyone, where the question is asked: “what does the word Christian means to you, or perhaps simply, the word ‘honest’ or perhaps again, selfish. Chances are the answers will not be too varied. And to the questionnaire could just be one of ticked boxes. The outcome and the lesson that can be learnt may just be what is needed to jolt the island back into the decency of the belief or lack thereof about the Creator, whatever, whoever, however or whichever that means to us. This thought is not claimed to be complete.
We have intimated before that for Montserrat to ever move towards anything looking like progress, since there is a chance of growth however minute, because HMG is vested if not of their own accord, because of United Nations to which they have sincere membership, and must provide however basic the ‘needs’ of the people of Montserrat. Unfortunately maybe the agency through which they fund us is DFID (Department for International Development) who holds dear the mandate of alleviating poverty around the world. Their mandate betrays their interest in an island of 5,000 people like Montserrat. Hence a difficulty when they have to lump Montserrat with all its other Overseas Territories and dependencies.
With all of that however, a people who are proud, now diluted with the mixture of varying cultures and ideologies, continue to fail in its aspirations…
Since 2008, thirteen years on from the onset of volcanic activity and destruction, Montserrat was supposed to have seen the worst, and be ready to face reality. Seven years later and Montserrat went into reverse and now lacks just the basic integrity it needs to sustain anything good or grow.
The plans and ideas have all turn out to have been so self-centered, it is now the norm and the expected; corrupt in mind and action for the most part. How about turning that around? How about understanding, that it is not about begging, but being responsible. That it is simply about loving, respecting your fellow-man; that no one exists in himself and so cannot exist for himself.
Do not continue that selfish agenda, it is failing. That which you seek has no eternal value and what you say love, like it is your children who you do it for! That is a lie. Look around. There is still much fear around, and there should be. Let’s take the action needed to face up to it. Learn to be responsible. Put a smile on the faces around you, beginning with your own.
