Outgoing Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory Dr. Simon Young left island Tuesday, but not before writing to the Co-Chairmen of the MVO, His Excellency the Governor and The Honourable Chief Minister, about his concerns for the operations of the MVO.

Although Dr. Young was not fired, it is well understood that he was basically forced to refuse a new contract. When given a chance on radio during his last Friday night interview, he stated that DFID refused to agree for him to bring his wife and infant child to live with him in Montserrat.

The DFID restriction came to light when a travel advisory in February helped bring to light the fact that DFID employees are not allowed to bring children under the age of 12 to the island.

That created quite a stir, and several questions from Chief Medical Officer Dr. Avery, who questioned in a letter his employers' policy of disallowing expatriate children from coming to the island while not advising the Government of Montserrat to evacuate all children under 12 from the island.

Chief Minister David Brandt, speaking on the issue of Dr. Young's departure, said the lives of all Montserratians are important to the Government; and all efforts must be made to staff and equip the MVO to enable a feeling of security for those living here.In his letter, Dr. Young states that the staffing situation at the MVO is inadequate in terms of continuity and teamwork, which he claims has been undermined in this changeover period. He says that the interests of the MVO are not being served by having four people in post, all of whom are contracted for less than three months.

According to Dr. Young, there continue to be issues concerning equipment. He states that DFID has still not reported on the Output to Purpose Review carried out in early April. He says a number of equipment requests have still not been addressed.

He told ZJB news that scientists have been unable to measure the size of the lava dome because equipment that was destroyed in the last big eruption on 20th March has still not been replaced.

In his letter, which was also copied to incoming MVO interim director Dr. Gil Norton, Dr. Young says that he also sensed some erosion of the role of the MVO Director recently. He says he hopes that future MVO Directors will be accorded the same level of trust in London as he enjoyed here.

In commenting on Dr. Young's letter, the Chief Minister said that persons have died, suffered injuries and lost property as a result of the volcano, He said that from what Dr. Young says, if the MVO is not properly staffed or equipped, we will not feel secure living here.

When asked for his comment on the situation, MVO Communications Manager Chelston Lee said his main concern as the Observatory's information specialist surrounds the date of September 1, 2000, when Dr. Norton is to leave the island. The MVO spokesman says it would be a difficult task at that time to again re-build the trust and confidence of Montserratians at home and abroad in a completely new Chief Scientist.

Dr Young and Dr Norton have been the Chief Scientists at the MVO for the past two and a half years.

A press release from the Governor's Office on Tuesday stated that DFID remains committed to providing the equipment necessary to ensure effective monitoring of the volcano. It also stated that DFID recently agreed to strengthen the core staff of the MVO by appointing a fourth full time scientist.

During a BBC Radio 5 and ZJB live programme linkup on Monday 26 June 2000, the Honourable Chief Minister David Brandt asked for the British Government to quicken aid to Montserrat, since we are not existing under normal circumstances. According to the Chief Minister, Montserratians are living "hand to mouth" because of the difficulties faced in light of the volcanic crisis. He asserted that the British were approving projects as if it were business as usual here on island.

George Foulkes, David Brandt, Adelina Tuitt

British Parliamentary Undersecretary George Foulkes of DFID, who was a panelist on the programme in the BBC Studio, responded to the Chief Minister and commented that he has received a different view of life on Montserrat. According to the UK official, the British Government has provided £120 million of British taxpayers’ money for the redevelopment of Montserrat and it was unfortunate to have criticisms and sour comments thrown back into their faces. He also mentioned that he saw things differently to the Chief Minister during his two visits to Montserrat, the first in 1997.

What may have crowned Mr. Foulkes’ comments was his reference to conversations with other Montserratians and the Honourable Minister of Education, Health and Community Services, Adelina Tuitt, all of whom he said painted a different picture of Montserrat in comparison to that of the Honourable Chief Minister.

When contacted by the Montserrat Reporter, Mrs. Tuitt said, "I don’t have any comments to make whatsoever. If I need to comment I would do so in my own forum."

During the programme, which was a battle among the panelists, telephone calls, moderators and newscasts for air time, the Chief Minister rebutted Mr. Foulkes’ comment by saying that he did not know what Mrs. Tuitt may have said, but from what he sees and hears on the ground in Montserrat, people are suffering, with some barely surviving. It was indeed unfortunate for Mr. Foulkes to have made that comment without having the experience of living here on a daily basis.

Interestingly enough, during a ZJB call-in panel discussion later that same day, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gordon Avery reported that a few Montserratian children are suffering from malnutrition. This he attributed to low incomes among some families on island. According to Dr. Avery a number of children are not eating properly and are therefore malnourished.

One can only ask if this is not direct evidence that life in Montserrat is no longer the norm. It has been several years since malnutrition was reported in schools. In fact since the school -feeding programme was started in the 1970s, our children have been healthy and well fed.

It must be noted that Dr. Avery’s comment is evidence of the difficult times we are facing as a people. But what is more important is whether or not the Honourable Mrs. Tuitt did present to Mr. Foulkes a differing view to that of Mr. Brandt regarding the suffering on island.

During ZJB’s programme on Monday night, some callers wondered whether or not Mr. Foulkes was not deliberately spreading an element of divisiveness within the Government of Montserrat. There were also queries as to what action will be taken by the Chief Minister if Mrs. Tuitt did represent a differing view to Mr. Foulkes.

In fact, the Chief Minister was unwilling to comment in detail on Mr. Foulkes’ statement and the actions he should take regarding the alleged view by Mrs. Tuitt. According to the CM, he does not know whether Mrs. Tuitt made such comments to Mr. Foulkes. Although the CM has being criticised for being forthright at times, he certainly stuck to his guns and refused to comment disparagingly against Mrs. Tuitt.

However, the bottom line is clear: as Montserrat struggles to recover from its crisis, the Government needs to be united in tackling the challenges of rebuilding. A fragmented leadership will reap no benefits for an island that is desperate for economic activity and redevelopment especially at this time. All the pundits know and agree that no one can truthfully state that life is normal and things are fine here. With all the money being alluded to by Mr. Foulkes, there is heavy unemployment and projects are still not being approved as quickly as we would like.

In fact, Montserrat does not represent an island with a massive influx of aid being given and monies spent for development. It might be worthwhile to have a breakdown of the monies already spent and just how much was spent in Montserrat and what went back to British contracts and employees.

Observers here agree that Mr. Foulkes and his workers and representatives here, including the Governor, are of the view that Montserratians must take whatever is meted out, even if they consider it is inappropriate. There is the repeated argument that since it is British taxpayers bolstering the economy of Montserrat, we must shut up and dance to the tune of who is paying the piper.

As Nicky Campbell, the BBC Radio 5 host, interjected on Monday’s programme, Montserratians are the responsibility of Britain. We do not need to share a history lesson as to how we came here and what anguish and exploitation we suffered at the hands of the United Kingdom. Our leaders need to be united as they negotiate with the UK in these very challenging times. If this Government cannot take on that simple mandate, we are all doomed.

The Bank of Montserrat Ltd. (BML) stopped short of calling British Parliamentary Under Secretary George Foulkes a liar in a press release issued by the Bank on Monday 26 June 2000. On Monday’s BBC Radio 5 and ZJB live link up broadcast, Mr. Foulkes blamed the Bank of Montserrat for the almost three year delay in the actualisation of the Soft Mortgage Scheme. Foulkes said that the BML was to blame because of its unaudited reports.

In a direct response to Mr. Foulkes, BML stated that he misrepresented the facts and stated that it made every effort to respond to the onerous requests made upon the local bank by DFID, which were biased since such requests were not made of other banks who also tendered for the scheme. The Bank also revealed that it presented its audited reports some time ago and it took many hours and over 30 pieces of correspondence with DFID to reach at this stage.

Foulkes revealed on Monday that the Soft Mortgage Scheme was finally ready to be put into operation.

However the Honourable Chief Minister Brandt on Monday stated that he will no longer pronounce on the Soft Mortgage Scheme until he saw the final document with British signatures on the dotted line

See the Bank of Montserrat’s press release below

Listening to the comments and receiving the feedback following Monday morning's near debacle for us locals on ZJB and others internationally on BBC 5 Live, there are definitely mixed opinions about how and what took place. All of it eventually depends on one's overall objectivity. Most of the comments lacked true objectivity and the biases were very strong.

Usually when one canvasses others' opinion, he has to be so careful that all the biases are known so they can be weeded out.

Regarding the radio program, it was born out of the initiative of ZJB's manager Miss Rose Willock and BBC 5 Live staff in commemoration of June 25, 2000. Who can forget the link-up then with all of Montserrat hearing "the golden elephant" gaffe (calling it that is being kind) from Ms. Clare Short.

To get out of this program its meaning to Montserrat one should not only listen again to the proceedings, but, if possible, read the proceedings. Everything will have meaning and many lessons are there to be learnt.

This is DFID's Undersecretary Mr. George Foulkes in one of his many opportunity at the microphone: "…it is a legacy of our imperial past we have these territories scattered around the world, we have different relations with each of them. The Cayman Islands is very prosperous as is Bermuda. I think Montserrat could have been and was moving towards that before this volcano erupted but I think what some people forget is that the villain of all this is the volcano and 2/3 of the island is destroyed and 2/3 of the people left, 90 percent of the economy was destroyed and that is a very difficult situation."

In that context Montserrat's Chief Minister David Brandt said: "I have to contest what George Foulkes is saying because I am under pressure from the people of Montserrat, …and what I say is what I’m expressing is their views…Let me say again that the Government and people of Montserrat are very grateful to the United Kingdom for what they have done for us, without them we don’t know where we would have been, but I’m saying that still, they are applying normal rules in a situation of great urgency and let me say that what I express is the views of the Montserrat people. I do not know what Adelina has told you but I’m saying that is the majority of people believe that it takes too long for aid to reach us; even though it has been allocated to us sometimes it takes months, years for a project to be approved."

Many questions may arise from these statements. On the one side, the simpler question to Montserrat about the Chief Minister's statement would be is this true? On Mr. Foulkes' side, if all the things about the economy and the admission that "it is a very difficult situation" are true, is it unreasonable for Montserrat to ask that 'normal rules not be applied to delivering aid to Montserrat'?

Never mind that the Minister of Education, Health and Welfare doesn't understand that until she says otherwise, everyone is entitled to their interpretation of Mr. Foulkes' statement, though he left little to interpret as he disagreed with the Chief Minister that Montserratians are going through hard times. He said: "I think they are really great, they are resilient, they have gone through a terrible time and they are optimistic… I find an entirely different point of view when I talk to Adelina Tuitt, when I talk to other people, I get a very different point of views than the one David put forward."

Madam Minister, there is nothing to take out of context here and we believe this is a most atrocious thing for Mr. Foulkes to have done. From that point of view it doesn't matter whether this was true or not, he was definitely creating dissension between our government leaders, while at the same time suggesting that the Chief Minister was openly misrepresenting his people's feelings. The only question you would have to answer to the people of Montserrat now is whether you share the sentiments that things are very hard, from whichever angle you look at it.

Now, with regards to the other very serious matter, one that is so obviously dear to the future of Montserrat, one that for years now, we have agreed is our No. 1 priority --housing. It comes down to whether the people of Montserrat believe that their Chief Minister and the Bank of Montserrat chairman and its board are all lying. In this matter, someone is, and all the evidence points only in one direction.

It is one of the reasons many, many people while claiming righteousness, care not to be associated with politicians. It is here, when compared to a boxing bout, many without reflection, not acknowledging the degradation of the British attitude towards their black subjects, he would have scored heavily against the Chief Minister and Montserrat. Let's pick up on Mr. Foulkes again: "I have been frustrated by the delay of the soft mortgage scheme and maybe David Brandt can tell us why the Bank of Montserrat created so many difficulties."

Please be referred to the Bank of Montserrat Ltd.'s press release on page xxx. The bank has been patient and according to the chairman, if he had to single out a single good thing that the Chief Minister has worked very hard at it would be this project.

Mr. Foulkes says: "we keep saying to David for goodness sake, work with us in partnership; the more we can get investment from European Union, from the other donors as well as from the United Kingdom…" Isn't it true that Montserratians complain that the government has sold out to Britain, that the heavy roller is not rolling at all and that they have been paid off by the British?

But of course, many of us believe we have little recourse. Rose tried to get a peek at our problems, Janice Panton said our Montserratians are having it hard in Britain: "…yes people here have suffered hardships, the bureaucracies, which people are not used to making claims, having the claim forms been lost, been destroyed, etc. over and over; people have suffered hardships, things have improved a lot but yes they have suffered and continue to suffer hardships."

The moderator at BBC 5 Live, Niki and Polly Patullo: "… relationship - it isn’t actually a partnership; its very much the sense of the big brother with all the mother country to look at it…who has the power and the money really, Montserrat has not had any of the cards."

There is the story that Montserratians in Britain are being told that Montserrat is sinking. The people think that it is the volcano that will cause the island to literally sink. If the British are spreading that story about the volcano being the villain, it is the failure to assist the true development of the island that will sink it (the economy thus forcing us all off); the volcano has already played its part in giving us a new beginning, blame it no more. Let us not fall prey to any more trickery and subtlety. Let us not buy into the excuses for not breaking the British "legacy."

Let us take up the challenge and take it back to Britain, let us teach them what we understand by partnership for our future development. It has to start today, not by subtly sinking us; if all we can succumb to is the care, the control and the handouts of our big brother, we will remain there forever. But it is only when we can share each other's pains and desires, whatever our status, that we can even begin to look at a way forward. There must be that agreement, that mix to make the song 'sweet' and melodious even though we don't sing the same tune.

CHILDLIKE TRUST

When our three- year- old daughter fell and cut her forehead, my wife calmed our sobbing child while I tried to stop the bleeding. I saw that the cut would require stitches and prepared our daughter for a visit to the hospital emergency room. I explained what she could expect and told her that we would stay with her. Carrying her to the car, I praised her bravery, saying that it was all right to cry if she wanted to. With a tremulous sigh, she rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. My wife murmured, "See how she trusts you!"

Childlike trust may elude us as we grow older. When we experience adversity, we sometimes forget that God is carrying us to a place of healing and safety. Instead, we may remain focused on our pain and ignore the comforting assurance of God’s unfailing wisdom, love, and power. It is natural to want relief from pain but misfortunes are easier to bear when, with confidence in the love of God, we remember that we are being carried in the arms of One who loves us.

PRAYER: Thank you, God, for being near us when we need you most. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

God cares for us.

William T. Haes (New Jersey)

PRAYER FOCUS: For Childlike Trust In God

.Amen

Editor:

The writer claims this to be a reduced version of that sent to the Commissioner of Police

I welcome you to Montserrat and wish you a most pleasant stay on our shores. You will find, no doubt that we are very hospitable with plenty of interest in others whose birthplace is not Montserrat. That is a unique qualification, which should bring you some joy.

You are here at a pivotal time in our history. You are not here by accident. You are not here on a joy ride but rather to extend and uphold the highest esteem of the British Constabulary. You are a hard core professional and one of the things in your favour is that you are non-local and you are only here for a while and hence not programmed to show fovouritism or to be parochial. I gather that you have a good track record as an officer dedicated to the fearless pursuit of your work and one expects you to demonstrate this without compromise during your stint on Montserrat.

The passport scandal, Sir, disturbs. It stinks to the high heavens. I suspect that it runs deeper and wider than presently seen and the putrefaction that emanates from this could have cancer-causing effects on the social fabric and our place in the international community for an unpleasantly long time to come. I understand an investigation has begun by your men. They cannot handle this one. Much too big for them, I submit. And although I think they would try their best, I support the suggestion that external help is needed. And NO token external play either, to give the impression that something was tried and then it revealed nothing. The external assistance must be backed by the best there is, since this is a BIG ONE, which must not be hanky-pankily handled.

Seemingly a lot of damage is already done. The security of the state is at serious risk. Essential and core property of the state, its very identity, has been relegated and trampled upon by operatives in Government charged with the protection of such vital assets. Friends and associates of top ranking employees of the Montserrat Government, who did not qualify for the symbol of national identity, are impoverishing the already stretched coffers of the British Government by virtue of their ‘walk in the park’ route to a passport. And they ‘big up’ the UK and its dominions. They now relish all the benefits of those who are bonafide and the stories that abound relating to the issuance of passports are shocking. The very lifeblood of the state has been transfused into suspect recipients and tarnished by those who choose to corrupt it arbitrarily.

I have no stake in this except to have an open investigation commissioned by you and administered from abroad. I also would urge you to resist all attempts to ‘look the other way’ when it comes to investigating that branch of Government responsible for the issuance of passports. Well-placed sources suggest that a move is afoot to offer pardon and to protect individuals, who by virtue of their responsibilities cannot escape focused scrutiny.

The recent arrest of a worker is just the tip of the iceberg and reasonable minds could not expect her to be alone, if she is at all involved. No way. And although this may not be your role I raise the question nonetheless: how come that with an investigation reportedly on the way that key individuals in Administration are still in place? Could this not be counterproductive? The seat of this sour affair ought to be in the heart of the Department of Administration. How can powerful individuals close to the system and who are most likely under suspicion continue with business as usual? It seems odd and unusual and one continues to watch the play with interest, as I am sure Montserratians everywhere. Predecessors in your position moved to suspend police officers suspected of wrongdoing recently and had the blessings of the governance of this land. Has consistency become inconsistent?

You have a responsibility to assist in the regularizing of this society and you should not be fearful to do what a professional in your capacity should do. All of us must do what we have to do. It is your duty and you must. Powerful people are not above the law and you know that better than I do. Justice is not selective.

A boss is responsible for his/her subordinates and immediate ones too. If a boss does not know what is being done then there are two possible deductions each of which speaks sickeningly of the management of this important arm of our government: One, it says that you are inept. Or two, there is gross negligence, taking into consideration the frequent declaration of the "Secretary of the Year". If there is any substance by virtue of your investigation then you must act accordingly.

This must not be allowed to go under. The public demands to know. FCO in London and on Montserrat need to know. And those who got passports by beating the system need to know, that we know. And those who facilitated the process here against the established rules need to know that there is a big difference between state and public property. And they must account for their actions fully and transparently.

Over to you therefore and those who you influence.

Watchful Citizen

I was supposed to be traveling by early morning train to the south of France Monday morning but changed my arrangements for a flight leaving in the afternoon, specifically in order to be able to listen to what I think may be actually the first hour of national radio to be given over to Montserrat, its problems and possible solutions.
I was bitterly disappointed [and not only because although I was told I was accepted as a phone-in contributor my phone went dead after ten minutes - when I phoned again on the mobile I was told I would be phoned back directly but it never happened - not that I believe in conspiracies of course].
This programme was wholly misconceived, seeking to give airtime to three or four individuals in each studio on either side of the Atlantic, as well as having a phone-in element. Then there was all the farrago of people issuing polite greetings and scratching one another's backs. This kind of rambling-on scenario could have worked with an all-morning or all afternoon format, perhaps with some Montserrat musical interludes, but within an hour it hadn't much chance.
For example, at one point, I understood the minister George Foulkes to deliver himself of the opinion that Polly Patullo's book said that it was all chaos till he arrived on the island and then all went well. For all I know the pompous ass might even believe this version of history, but why did no-one (Polly for example) point out that not all would agree?
And then the Chief Minister put a rather vague and generalised point to Mr. Foulkes about the procedures for aid being more appropriate to normal times rather than urgent needs. This point may be valid but it needed to be illustrated with reference to specific needs as yet unmet.
Rather there was a lot of "how grateful we are for all your munificence." Let me say something now which apparently needs to be said. Whilst I do not say that Montserrat / Montserratians should neglect to say a simple "Thank you"{ for aid received from the British taxpayer, there is absolutely no need to make a song and dance about it. Quite simply, when disaster strikes a part of the country - and mutatis mutandis an overseas colony, as was, territory as is - that part of the community affected has an absolute call on the contributions of the generality. That is what a "nation," a "community" is!
If a close relative or friend suffers a sudden misfortune which money one can well afford can alleviate, one puts one's hand into one's pocket. One does not pay for half of the operation, or whatever, and then tell the relative "I'm sorry if it isn't enough, but I have a Millenium Dome -- filled with embarrassing rubbish as it is -- I'd rather pay for."
To my mind, the issue extraordinarily not referred to in this radio programme - as if it is a lost cause already - is the one about housing needs.
As I understand it, Montserrat's principal -- and urgent -- need remains for sufficient new housing land and housing starts to be made available in the safe north, not only for those currently housed in poor conditions on-island, but also for - say - 3,000 or 4,000 Montserratians living in the diaspora,. who would wish to return if they had somewhere more sheltered than under a coconut tree to live once they got back.
Unless these people are encouraged back as soon as possible, they and/or their children will have put down roots in England, the US or wherever, and it will be impossible to get them back.
Montserrat's recovery is hobbled by this stark fact -- that a population of 4,000 odd is much less viable than one of 8,000 odd, particularly as it is likely that the exiles would come back with useful skills -if they could be enticed back.
Interestingly, George Foulkes did actually refer to Montserrat as being "An island of some 4,000 people," which, of course, is literally true at this moment. But it is misleading in that Montserrat would more truthfully be described as "an island of some 10,000 people, more than half of whom are currently constrained to live off-island" - but did anyone pick Mr.
Foulkes up on this?
Montserrat's infrastructure has a fixed basic cost, which is unaltered whatever the total population. Thus the famous £75 million is often referred to as £25,000 per person, whereas if the population were doubled it would be only half that amount per capita. The ferry, helicopter, Government HQ and all the other paraphernalia of modern existence will
inevitably cost the same whether the population be 4,000, 8,000 or 12,000. Thus a doubled population is much more viable.
If my analysis is correct, why is this simple fact not being shouted loud and clear in the direction of the British Government and media [which latter, by the way, I believe would be predisposed to favourable coverage of Montserrat and the tragedy of the mishandling of the crisis - if only the media received a clear and consistent message from Montserrat
politicians and people] ?
But perhaps my analysis is not correct??

Having trekked into the north of the island during what -- very regrettably and I hope it is reasonable to say through no fault of my own proved to be my last weeks as Senior Magistrate of Montserrat -- I was struck by how much completely unused land is available in the far north. I do not believe it would be beyond the wit of man or the ingenuity and skill of British Army sappers, supported, perhaps, by able-bodied Montseratians currently
unemployed, to drive a road right through the northern unused area as far as the coastal tip. The land either side of this road [having been taken into public ownership with appropriate -- i.e. not exploitative -- levels of compensation being paid to anyone establishing an ownership claim] could be parcelled out for Montserratians both on-island and currently off-island who have lost their homes/farmland in the south. I believe that once reallocated a suitably sized plot, with water and drainage services to hand, persons so re-located would probably not need much more by way of subsidy -- they would build their own homes to their own satisfaction and design.
Land might also be made available for a golf course and other sporting/cultural facilities that would be useful in attracting upscale tourism, which in my respectful view would be a useful part of the economic mix of activities that would benefit Montserrat's recovery, and would also be available to permanent residents. Part of the mix would also be light industry -- computer chips? -- which could be attracted with subsidised land, etc. [this is perfectly normal in depressed parts of the UK so why not in Montserrat?].
Kind regards and much affection to all my Montserratian friends and ex-colleagues.

Rhys Burriss

My main comment on the (BBC 5/ZJB) show is to voice my disgust at the attitude of that arrogant 'little man' George Foulkes. David Brandt asked him some serious questions about changing the method in which the aid was being disbursed, while thanking him and the British government profusely for what was done on our behalf.

The fact is that Foulkes answered in the typical well-schooled politician's manner of rattling off debatable figures at high speed; fine, no problem with that, it's what you get paid for.

Then out of the blue Foulkes got unecessarily personal and essentially accused Mr. Brandt of being un-Montserratian (my spin); the way he leant into Mr Brandt, and basically told us that he was the only one who wasn't satisfied with the British response, was uncalled for and entirely outside the spirit of the program; everyone seemed taken aback by his lack of tact and decorum. (it's never what you say but how you say it). It was quite obvious that Foulkes has a personal problem with Brandt and he couldn't resist a public jab.

I wasn't entirely surprised to hear Foulkes say that Adelina Tuitt spoke differently to them; if ever there was a 'snake in the grass' (ah well, nuff said); all political parties would be advised to stay well clear of her.
The upshot of all this is the ever-present ploy of divide and conquer.
I think it was a deliberate and calculated effort on Foulkes' part to set the ministers against each other. Yet another attempt to get rid of Brandt. The Brits have this strange incurable disease of incessantly meddling in people's domestic affairs.
They have always been uncomfortable with his directness and although he no longer rolls heavy, just ask the next UK employee you get close to in Montserrat what their briefing is about Brandt. You may or may not be surprised at the level of bias which these British employees come to Montserrat with. Unfortunately, it affects all of us and not just the individual.
Brandt has not delivered what he promised and that's a fact (whatever the reasons); many of us are personally and collectively disappointed and may well be looking to replace him. But nothing Foulkes says holds sway, with me at least.
Foulkes claimed that they have already spent £120 million on Montserrat, and while I'm not in a position to dispute his figure, I suspect it has some "Johnny Mack-Brown" qualities to it. His repeated reference to "the British taxpayers' money" elicited a reminder from Nicky Campbell that "these are our people." I would have liked to ask him more pointedly, however; "Do you sir think the English taxpayer would be particularly bothered about that when your government has just spent £780 million (and counting) on a temporary (one-year-only) tent in London?"
Unfortunately the show did not run as smoothly as it could have and the styles of the two moderators didn't quite gel.

Nicky Campbell did not display the control and incisive questioning that we know him for and Rose (Willock) was a bit too anxious.
The question of Independence was raised but no one did any justice to the topic; the waffling was particularly embarrassing. The inevitable notion that economic independence is an absolute prerequisite once again raised its ugly head. It was a stark reflection on the lack of in-depth reflection we as a people have had on the subject.
Any future party or individual manifesto which doesn't take a serious look at the Independence issue, whether pro or con, ought to be summarily thrown in the bin.
Kudos to Rose, Peter, Arrow and a caller from the UK who managed to get in some very useful tourism marketing. The Tourist Board's annual budget could not have accomplished what they did in a few minutes; talk about opportunism. Cheers guys. I am willing to bet that a few travel plans may have been influenced because of your input.
Polly Patullo made useful contributions, and the MVO scientist did what he was asked.
Janice Panton was a complete waste of time; nice lady but I also have serious reservations about her overall effectiveness in the job.
Claude Hogan called in and sadly showed how his standards have dropped dismally since moving to the UK.
There was a caller from Montserrat who introduced himself as David. He started by making some good points and sounded very sensible, until he made the silliest suggestion possible; something to the effect of suspending the local government and bringing Brits in to run the country.
Unfortunately, there are too many shallow thinkers of this sort still around.
When will people get it into their heads that the Brits are not good role models for management and progress? When will our people rid themselves of "the English know best" mentality? When will they realise that we have to put our trust in our own; even if we have to ride to the bottom with them, "ban awe belly an barl"? After that the only way will be up, way up.
Come on people, let's rid ourselves of George Foulkes and his ilk; we owe it to our children to do better than that.
My overall feeling was that for all its shortcomings, the program itself was useful and perhaps something similar can be repeated sometime in the future.

Gerard Silcott

Mr. Editor,

It was with great wonder that I read a recent letter to the MNI Group (e-mail). Perhaps I have been completely naive about the MVO, but it had been my understanding that they were not political appointees. If that be the case, how does anyone from DFID have a say in the appointment of the Director? Worse yet, what do any of these people know of the necessary qualifications? Still worse yet, why will Montserrat be without a director for an undetermined time? Right now we are into a period of major growth and at a point of possibly major collapse without a leader. WHY?

From this message it appears that Dr. Gill Norton is returning for the interim. I have great respect for Gill and personally would like to see her as the new Director, but I feel she is being thrown to the wolves as an "Interim Director" without the security of an appointment. It is critically important that Montserrat have a full time, no nonsense Director now and someone who is NOT BEHOLDEN TO DFID!!

Please Mr. Editor, tell us all that the letter is incorrect in his announcement. It was the only piece of information on this subject that I have seen.

Deeply Troubled

Being in the U.S. at the moment, it is with great amusement and also great sadness that I have read the postings to the Evergreen group about the radio show originating in London and Montserrat. I have read reports by people on differing sides of the political rainbow who essentially said the same things. From what I have read, the main thrust of the program was for George Foulkes to pat himself and the British Government on the back for their heroic work in saving Montserrat from the Montserratians who couldn't take care of their own people. Unfortunately, from what I have read, CM Brandt did not use his considerable rhetoric to burst Mr. Foulkes' bubble.

The Bank of Montserrat quickly issued a statement this week following radio forum accusations by Undersecretary of State for International Development George Foulkes that it was to blame for delays in implementation of the soft mortgage scheme.

The bank statement said:

"It is indeed regrettable that, presumably due to an unfortunate and scarce representation of the facts, we, the Bank of Montserrat Ltd., have been accused by Mr. George Foulkes, UK Government Official, as being the root cause of the delay in implementing the Mortgage Assistance Programme (better known as the Soft Mortgage Programme). Mr. Foulkes’ comments came on a BBC Radio 5 programme linked and co-produced, with ZJB on the 26th June.

"In the past we hesitated to comment publicly on any aspects of the programme due to the ongoing and at times arduous nature of our negotiations with DFID. Let’s, therefore, state the facts of the matter.

On the 27th September 97, Bank of Montserrat was invited by DFID and Development Unit (representing Government of Montserrat) to a meeting chaired by Mr. Frank Black Head DFID to discuss, among other things, how the financial sector could assist in the redevelopment of Montserrat. More specifically, in assisting Montserratians of middle and upper incomes to build their homes in the safe area of the island.

"The Bank promptly conceptualised and presented a creative mortgage programme, which was approved by Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). An amount of $7.5 million is to be lent by Bank of Montserrat to Government of Montserrat guaranteed by DFID. This amount will be on-lent to deserving borrowers for a period of 20 to 25 years. By July 1998, eleven (11) months and thirty-three (33) exchanges of correspondence later, plus many hours spent with officials from DFID, our concept was taken verbatim to PriceWaterHouseCoopers by DFID. This firm was given a contract to invite tenders from all banks in the region, including Bank of Montserrat, to fund a mortgage programme. Based on our presentation, PriceWaterHouseCoopers preferred our proposal, as we were recommended as the first choice of three.

"Unfortunately since then, many onerous preconditions were introduced by DFID before finally agreeing to grant their Guarantee to Bank of Montserrat, including that the Bank shared in the risk or potential loss associated with these loans to individuals, a condition which was waived for the other international and regional banks. We were also asked for audited financial information, in addition to certain assurances and guarantees from our Auditors and ECCB. These were submitted to DFID since July 99, almost one year ago.

"Finally, we want to assure the general public that the Bank of Montserrat Ltd. can stand tall and proud regarding the role it played in all negotiations with DFID. Let the records show that with each Head of DFID, beginning with Mr. Frank Black, as they ended their tenure, we were led to believe that we had an agreement.

"Unfortunately, as each new head was appointed we were faced with new socio-economic arguments pertinent to the programme. Such issues had to be dealt with by the Development Unit and The Department of Housing. Our last position was very clear to DFID, 'sought out your negotiations with Government of Montserrat, let us see your final agreements, thereafter we will be able to determine our involvement.' As far as we are aware, only recently DFID and Government of Montserrat agreed on the way forward. "Therefore, we are very concerned about the misleading nature of Mr. Foulkes’ statement and we categorically deny and challenge any British Official to justify this statement. On the contrary we have been professional, helpful, honest and quick to respond to all queries in order to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion. The fact that the mortgage programme has not been implemented is not the fault of Bank of Montserrat. Indeed, the Board of Directors of the Bank compliments the Management of the Bank for the patience, tenacity and perseverance displayed during some extremely difficult negotiations with DFID.

"We remain steadfast as to the basis of our involvement. We are prepared to provide Government of Montserrat with $7.5 million by way of a loan guaranteed by DFID. This amount will be for on-lending to Montserratians over a period of 20 to 25 years."

It is hoped that there will be no further delay in signing this agreement.

D R V Edwards

Chairman

The Honourable Chief Minister David S. Brandt says that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) wants Montserrat and some other CARICOM territories to be informers. He was responding to the OECD'S unilateral blacklisting of what it calls harmful taxation countries, including Montserrat.

According to the Chief Minister, Montserrat has a duty to eradicate money laundering and drug trafficking, but it is an affront by the OECD, which has no authority to be dictating to Montserrat. The Chief Minister explains that the OECD wants information on request about European citizens who may have accounts in offshore institutions, for example in Montserrat.

The OECD classifies tax havens as those countries with nominal or no taxes and which either openly or implicitly sell themselves as a place where foreigners can avoid any awkward questions or risk of information on their investments being disclosed.

The announcements Monday came on the heels of the "blacklisting" of 15 countries, among them the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as non-cooperative in the fight against money laundering.
The Chief Minister says that unless there is a prima facie case laid out to show illegal actions, no information will be supplied to the OECD. He says that while Montserrat wants to be one of the cleanest offshore centres, the territory will not be relegated to the position of informer.

Meanwhile Barbados' Minister of International Business, Reginald Farley, has described as "institutional blackmail" the report published Monday by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) listing the country as a "tax haven". He said the branding of Barbados as a tax haven was "inaccurate and not deserved," and his government would not bow to pressure from the grouping.
Meanwhile, Antigua and Barbuda lamented the OECD action despite repeated calls by several of them to first hammer out concerns on the issue. Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda's High Commissioner to London, had called on the OECD, a 29-nation grouping of rich nations that produce two-thirds of the world's goods and services, to participate in a multilateral forum for "constructive dialogue" aimed at thrashing out differences.
Mr. Sanders said his country was not "greatly alarmed" by being labelled a tax haven, adding that there were some "positive elements" as the listing was not intended to be condemnatory or black listing.
And President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Sir Neville Nicholls, said the OECD "does not have the legal authority to impose sanctions on any state".
"I would, therefore, urge that the governments of the Caribbean collectively pursue the matter at the level of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and consider all legal and other options open to them to exposing this form of economic blackmail against small states by the OECD."

Those in the Caribbean listed as tax havens are: Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Virgin Islands.
The OECD has given these countries a year to clean up their tax system or face unspecified economic sanctions.

Among those forming part of the island's contingent are the Rude Boys String Band, Masquerades, and the theatre group, Plenty Plenty Yak Ya Ya.
According to the Department of Culture, Montserrat's famous goat water will be on sale, accompanied by demonstration sessions on how it is made.
The National Development Foundation (NDF), a non-governmental entrepreneurial organisation, is said to be involved in the preparation and selection of art and craft items to be displayed in the Montserrat booth.
Director of Culture Rachel Collis has said the preservation of Montserrat's culture is expected to include documentation, recordings and research; a project that is being spearheaded by the non-governmental Montserrat National Trust (MNT).

Montserratians writers are being given an opportunity to develop under the guidance of distinguished Caribbean writers, and have their work published in an anthology slated for distribution throughout the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is conducting a CARICOM Children’s Writers Competition aimed at developing new writers of fiction specific to the culture of the region for Caribbean children. Writers are invited to submit a short story of no more than 2,000 words in length, which must be original fiction, and suited for children ages 8 – 12 years. To also be eligible for the competition, writers should not have had any of their stories previously published.

Winners will participate in a 10-day Residential Workshop, slated for the second half of September 2000, in Jamaica, where they will be introduce to all facets of producing stories for children.

The Secretariat is stressing that although children are not excluded from the competition, there will be no residential allowances made for them at the Workshop.

Closing date for entries is July 31.

Further details of the competition are available from the Department of Culture, or the Public Library.

An Awards Ceremony on Tuesday afternoon at the Brades Pentecostal Church saw the distribution of certificates to those attending from among 54 participants the Computer Literacy Programme for Teachers.

Mr. Alric Taylor, chairman for the occasion, said in his welcome the teachers who participated have mined the vein of opportunity that exists in the island in the field of information technology, especially since the volcanic crisis has substantially reduced the main income earners in tourism and construction.

Reverend Florence Daley opened the ceremony with a prayer, followed by opening remarks by Mrs. Oeslyn Jemmotte, the director of education.

The director, herself a recipient of a certificate, said that the program was the result of one of the recommendations of a task force, which included Mr. Paul Payne, OECS TVET Coordinator, that mandated the provision of "computer literacy courses for all teachers to ensure that they had the computer skills to compliment the teaching/learning process."

Like others, including the Honourable Minister of Education Mrs. Adelina Tuitt, who spoke briefly, Mrs. Jemmotte pointed out very beneficial use of the computer in the classroom. She said, "Teachers, I trust you would use the computer to make classes more effective, your research more meaningful and your administration duties more efficient," adding that use of the skills is essential in order not to lose them.

Mrs. Jemmotte had begun her brief address by saying that this was part of a decision, recognising the fact that, "we are living in a technological age, and that our students if they are to survive in the 21^st centruly need to acquire skills which would equipme them to deal with the rapid escalation in technology."

In the midst of the brevity of speeches, it was English teacher Yasmin White who brought down the roof with a well earned applause after reading her poem "Computerised". It was revealed that the poem was written within the past two weeks of its performance. (See poem on page

One of the tutors was Mrs. Daphne Cassell, the civil service chief training officer. She made a brief overview of the Computer Awareness Programmes organised by the Ministry of Education for Teachers and other Ministry staff, some of whom were among the 54 participants of the course.

The first computer awareness workshop took place between March and June, 1998, Mrs. Cassell said, which gave an overview and basic appreciation of the two application tools Microsoft Word and Excel. There were three other workshops between November 1998 and March 2000, in which word processing, spreadsheet and database concepts and the applications tools taught were Microsoft Word, Excel and Access respectively. There was also Internet basics and an overview of the graphics program Sierra, which all formed part of the training.

Mrs. Cassell said that the tools from the workshops can be utilised in the preparation of instructional materials or training aides; for example, test papers, assignments and handouts, and they "built on the foundation concepts of the first training programme and sought to give participants a good working understanding of the software."

She encouraged the participants to explore further the basics learnt to transfer the skills among their colleagues and students.

Teachers receiving certificates

The participants consisted of 47 teachers, who numbered 19 from the Montserrat Secondary School, 12 from the primary schools, eight from the nursery schools, and eight from private primary schools such as the St. Augustine schools, and the rest from the Ministry staff.

TELECOMS-industry under reform, OECS official says:
St. Lucia, CANA - Attorneys General from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Ministers of Public Utilities are meeting here to discuss model legislation in the OECS to establish a regional regulatory body for the telecommunications industry.
The meeting is a follow up to a similar session in Dominica last year, when the OECS Ministers reviewed both the agreement and legislation and issued instructions as to what ought to be included in the draft.
Manager of the OECS Telecommunication Reform Project Donnie Defraitas told CANA, "The two key issues down for discussion are the model telecommunications legislation in the OECS and the steps required to establish a regional regulatory body, for which a treaty was signed to facilitate its establishment when the CARICOM Heads met in Grenada "

The OECS Manager said local provider Cable and Wireless has already made an input into the draft, along with other providers who have an interest in providing a service to consumers.

Officials in Amsterdam reportedly are concerned that if St. Maarten breaks from the federation, other Dutch Caribbean islands -- Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius -- might follow suit.
The Netherlands Secretary of State with responsibility for the Antilles, Gijs de Vreis, has said previously that the option chosen by voters on Friday was "out of the question," indicating islanders had to choose between independence and remaining in the federation.
Leaders of St. Maarten -- where in a rare move the three biggest parties united to support the winning option -- insist that the former colonizer has no option but to accept the vote of the islanders.

PARIS (Reuters) -- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday published a list of 35 tax havens from Europe to the Caribbean and the South Pacific, warning of sanctions a year from now if they failed to change their ways.

The OECD fingered a string of exotic Pacific and Caribbean offshore centers as potential paradises for tax dodgers, along with the tiny European principalities of Monaco and Liechtenstein.

After four years of work which focused more on legislation and reported practices than on-the-spot checks, the OECD took the diplomatically sensitive step of issuing a warning list and giving those identified a year to change their ways.

The OECD classifies tax havens as those with nominal or no taxes and which either openly or implicitly sell themselves as a place where foreigners can avoid any awkward questions or risk of information on their investments being disclosed.

Several places recently got off the hook and were dropped from the OECD's initial short list of 47 locations being reviewed on tax practices.

Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Malta, Mauritius and San Marino were let off after

The full OECD tax haven list includes: Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Cook Islands, Dominica, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Liberia, Liechtenstein, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Monaco, Montserrat, Nauru, the Netherlands Antilles, Nieui, Panama, Samoa, Seychelles, St. Lucia, St. Christopher and Nevis, St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga, Turks and Caicos, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Vanuatu.

The heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will be considering the future role of the 30-year-old Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) when they meet next week for their 21st summit in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Among the more significant factors for consideration will be the implications of widening the membership of the Barbados-based institution.
The CDB was originally created to serve the Commonwealth Caribbean countries with "special and urgent regard" to the needs of the Less Developed Countries (LDCs).
Although no definitive decision is expected, the Bank's future operations will be discussed as an agenda item in the context of the recent announcement by France to withdraw its membership from the regional institution, CANA was told Tuesday.
President of the CDB, Sir Neville Nicholls, confirmed that the Bank has forwarded a document to the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown on "the implications" of France's six-month notification to cease being a member of the CDB.
The CDB, made operational in January 1970, has emerged as a major pillar of the region's economic integration movement with accumulated disbursements of some US$1.7 billion over the period.
Some 65 percent of this sum went to the Less Developed Countries. France, which joined the CDB in 1984 and held about 6 percent in share capital, has claimed that the multilateral institution had "not fulfilled our expectations," citing the need for greater emphasis on poverty reduction and widening the membership base to include the wider Caribbean.
But Mr. Nicholls said that France's representatives had participated fully in the completion of the CDB's new strategic plan and "not once" was any question raised about the Bank's development priorities.
He said that while he did not wish to question France's motive at this time, it was not without significance that its withdrawal move coincides with the CDB's plans to raise new financial resources on the international money market in accordance with the approved strategic plan.
France, and to a lesser extent Germany and Britain, have recently been suggesting greater emphasis on poverty reduction by the CDB and widening membership that could cater to the needs of countries like the Dominican Republic, Haiti and even Cuba.
Haiti, yet to accede to full membership of CARICOM, has only recently demonstrated its interest in joining the CDB. Neither Cuba nor the Dominican Republic has shown any interest.

The Montserrat Cricket Association has announced the names of those players who will travel to Anguilla to represent Montserrat in the 2000 Under 19 Leewards Cricket Tournament from 1^st to 17^th July. They are:

Nesta Piper (Captain) , Tequan Roach, Reuneile Sweeney Wendell Thomas, Lionel Baker, Garnett Thompson, Kenville Fenton, Dolstan Tuitt, Wendell Fenton, Thomas Tuitt, Caville Greenaway, Damion White, Jarron Harris, Ian Osborne, Jeff Lane (Manager), and Tyrone Greenaway (Coach).

Montserrat’s matches are as follows :

• 5^th-6^th July Anguilla
• 8^th-9^th July Antigua
• 11^th-12^th July St Kitts
• 14^th-15^th July Nevis

A squad of 22 will be selected for a trial match to be played from 17^th-19^th July. A 13-man squad will represent Leewards in Guyana from 25^th July.

The battleground is Lord’s; the armies are reinforced; the battle rages; and the soldiers are brave. The Mecca of cricketing warfare – the most famous cricket ground in the world and regarded as the headquarters of the game.

The arena is set in the London district of St John’s Wood, and the gladiators are watched, encouraged and even chastised by the "blood-thirsty" (or fun-loving) multinational, multi-ethnic and broad-based crowd seating in the Mound, the Warner, the Compton and the Edrich, the pavilion, the Tavern, and Grandstand. Alan Rustad in Guinness Cricket Encyclopaedia concluded: "There is nothing quite like the atmosphere generated by a Test match at Lord’s".

The WIndies are determined to remain on the winning streak and to change the fortune at Lord’s, but England is bent on turning the tide of events and getting a repeat victory at Lord’s.

The West Indians would be well aware of the developments that contributed to the last series draw in England in 1995 under the leadership of Antiguan Richie Richardson. In fact, for the second successive series England and the West Indies drew 2-2. The WIndies won the first Test at Headingley by nine wickets with Ian Bishop (a commentator covering the current series), taking his 100th Test wicket.

But it was the changing fortune at Lord’s, which took the advantage form the tourists. England won by 72 runs, having scored 283 all out in the first innings and 336 all out in the second. West Indies scored 324 all out in the first innings with Angus Fraser taking five wickets for 66 runs and were bowled out for 223, with Cork bagging seven wickets for 43 runs.

Dominic Cork bowled England to victory at Lord's to level the series after two Tests. And if the WIndies do not apply themselves, the hero of Lord’s this time around could be Darren Gough, the ace England bowler so far. Even when West Indies accumulated a massive total of 397, the English quickie bowled 36.5 overs of fiery pace and swing and collected five wickets for 109 runs. Except for when he was over-balled by Hussain, every time he took the ball he looked like getting a wicket.

And England has re-called Dominic Cork to do the trick for them again. With him partnering Darren Gough and assisted by Andy Caddick, the England pace attack is as good as they can get from county cricket. The tourists would do well to play straight. But can the Cork pop again after being in the wilderness since the 1998 series?

England slipped to 89 all out, their lowest ever score at Edgartown, as they were beaten by an innings in the third Test. Despite a century from Brian Lara England hit back immediately to win the fourth Test at Old Trafford with Dominic Cork taking the 22nd hat-trick in Test cricket. The last two Tests ended in stalemate with hundreds for Graeme Hick, Mike Atherton and Lara at Trent Bridge. The West Indies compiled a huge 696 in response to England's 454 at The Foster's Oval with centuries from Brian Lara and Carl Hooper, and the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

The batsmen are in form. The new opening pair put on a century partnership against the New Zealand ‘A’ Team. The century opening partnership between Griffith and Gayle is the first century partnership for a West Indian opening pair since December 16 last year, when Sherwin Campbell and the same Adrian Griffith made a century partnership, 282, to be exact, against New Zealand in the first Test in Hamilton.

Wavell Hinds is in good nick. He seemed determined to beat the leather off the ball. When Hinds came to the crease with Griffith on 46, but at lunch, he had already managed 31 while Griffith had struggled to 55 - the West Indies 174 for one wicket at the interval. In one over from Bruce Martin, Hinds hit three fours and a six.

Hinds and Griffith put on a partnership of 110, and he contributed 74. Griffith is determined to get back his place in the team. His 50 came up in 196 minutes of resolute batting, from 169 balls, and included six fours, while his century, his first since that tour of New Zealand, came in 309 minutes, from 265 balls with 12 fours. He made 130 with 16 fours in 377 minutes of batting, from 300 balls. It was a very patient innings and a great confidence builder.

Sarwan showcased some very entertaining strokes. His 53 runs were made in 110 minutes at the crease from 100 balls and including eight fours. He is in form but sadly cannot get to play.

It is a disappointment for the young men but good news for the touring team. The reserves are ready to go. The opportunity will present itself for them to showcase their talents in the Test arena.

Well, the West Indian players are on a high. There is a mix that gives hope and that nourishes that attitude. There are three four-star players, three world-class players, a skipper who is inspiring his men to fight and a group of young men who have confidence, play with flair and courage.
In the comprehensive win at Edgbaston, Courtney Walsh was the Player of the Match but was certainly not the only star. The captain Jimmy Adams played a cornerstone role, "not in the sense of carving his way to a glossy century and then bowling out the opposition, but with his common sense approach which never let up right till the moment he bowled Ed Giddins." His dismissal of Giddins reminded English cricket fans of a former Australian captain's (Richie Benaud) first wicket in Test cricket when he claimed the wicket of Alfred Valentine in 1952.
There is no doubt that Jimmy Adams is a fighter, a trait that he has possessed right through his career. And he and his team are challenged to exhibit that fight, that gladiatorial spirit that they have showcased since coming up against the Zimbabweans.
There is no doubt that winning the toss at Edgbaston was a touch of good fortune. But the English batsmen were unable to come to terms with either the skillful and fiery bowling or the pitch of the their own English conditions.

As they did at Edgbaston, the fast men gave away nothing. The line must be either at off-stump or fractionally outside it. Ambrose and Walsh within their 80 mph must set the example, and the youthful horsemen, King and Rose, must light up the fire.
The two great bowlers still seemed too good for England on their own pitches and under their favourite conditions.

Come on let go to Lord’s. You can hear Jimmy Adams shouting: "C'mon, concentrate you guys."

PHOTO CAPTION: Jimmy Adams, inspiring leader (Photo Peter Adrien)

As expected Monday’s radio link between BBC 5 and ZJB Montserrat was a bombshell.

(Undersecretary of State George) Foulkes let us know the sort of things that the powers that be in the UK say and think about the Montserrat situation.

Again and again we heard about the British Taxpayer’s money, the £25 million per year aid, and in the end we heard the blame for delays in two critical areas of our development (A landing strip and mortgage financing and materials grant for new housing) clearly attributed to the Montserrat Government and local institutions. There may be some truth in the accusations, but UK officials are just as much to blame.

It is unfortunate that the exchange deteriorated to the level of a private conversation, with Honorable Ministers of Her Majesty’s Government being referred to by first name and being accused of misrepresentations. I would find it difficult as Chief Minister to accept a public rebuttal from London based on alternative and possibly inaccurate information given by a member of my cabinet. It is obvious that once again, we have a government whose members seem to be in open conflict, but who will take no principled move because they cherish the perks and rewards of the job.

I had hoped that this radio exchange would have shown some concern about the forced disenfranchisement of thousands of Montserratians whose permanent address is still Fort Barrington, Foxes Bay or Cork Hill, who are scrounging around somewhere else, because they have nowhere to live and no employment to survive on.

I had hoped for some concern about our Welfare System that does not include unemployment benefits or pensions for the elderly, as exist in the United Kingdom.

I had hoped for some acknowledgement that the term "Crown" as applied to "crown land " refers to the "People of Montserrat," who should have been offered a free share of available crown land, in compensation for properties lost to the volcano.

I had hoped that there would be agreement for a modification of the materials grant so that a proportion of it could be used for labour, so that not only the building supply businesses benefit.

I had hoped for a civilized exchange where the Ministers, on either side of the Atlantic, openly agreed that while accepting that the Buffer area of Salem to Woodlands may have to be evacuated temporarily at some time in the future, that all reservations about funding for infrastructure and other developments in the Northern safe area would be lifted.

I had hoped that our Chief Minister could get Mr. Foulkes to agree that although we had originally asked for a landing strip at Geralds Park, that the expensive developments at Lookout and around the Hospital, plus the difficulties of compulsorily acquiring the land needed at Geralds, make this option no longer desirable. And that since it has been clearly shown that a landing facility at Thatch Valley can in fact be delivered for one third of the estimate given by the engineers, that the British would at least consider a compromise and assist us in getting a strip there in three years' time.

It is a pity that the Chief Minister chose the issue of the water rates to be his main grouse and weakened his argument by insisting that normal procedures were being applied.

My feeling is that so much dubious distribution and use of funds has taken place that the normal accounting and checking measures are indispensable.

It was good to hear Janice (Panton) on the panel. We all know that Mac 89 and MOPPA carried the burden of supervising the relocation of some 2,000 fleeing Montserratians before the British were convinced to assist properly. That group should have been given the management of the Montserrat Community Trust. I am sure that they would not have been left with the over £400,000 of unspent grant, which could have helped so many wandering folk to secure their future.

Look out for the August issue of Montserrat Alive Magazine(MAM) at web site montserratreporter.org/mam. And if you have not seen them, check the March and June issues.

Dr. Lowell Lewis

The celebration of the 1768 St. Patrick’s Day revolt is now accepted as an important cultural event on this island’s natural calendar. But the process of that historical event's attaining that status was a rather long one. It in fact took 12 years. St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated on a large scale by the Montserrat Secondary School in 1972. There were outside resource persons such as Dr. James Irish, D. Somerville, and this writer, but it was Mary Griffin and Joy Nanton, two MSS teachers, who spearheaded an exhibition to mark the day on 17 March 1972. In 1984 the day was declared a national holiday.

The 1972 exhibition focused on the culture and history of Montserrat under the caption "Know Your Past." Folk remedies, flora and fauna, art, rum distillation and cooking patterns featured in the display. The whole idea caught the national imagination, interested our people in the past and started to re-orientate our thinking on the importance of the indigenous culture and its implication for self-realization and the growth of a patriotic sentiment.

The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day by the MSS in 1972 was a benchmark event. Griffin, Nanton and those teachers who worked closely with them can claim an important paragraph in our island’s social history.

25.06.2000

Howard A.Fergus.

I sat in the office chair,

Inhaled her arrogance in the air.

I sat resentfully in the office chair,

And waited on her there.

I watched her fingers dance nimbly

Over keys that limbo swiftly;

I saw her eyes scrutinizing well,

The screen where Microsoft words excel.

Her face shone with a gleam of pride,

Her lips pouted the message far and wide:

I am learne'd,

I am wise;

I have knowledge

'Cause I'm computerised;

Strictly modernised.

Yes, your guess is right;

I surely didn't feel too bright.

For one who taught for many years,

Computer-wise, I was in arrears.

But how could I rectify this deficiency?

How could I attain technological proficiency?

With my limited 20th century brain,

How could I endure such modem day strain?

In stepped the Ministry of Education,

Ably supported by the undaunted Teachers Association.

Armed with skilled and scintillating facilitators,

They began the training of this country's educators.

My eminent colleagues, Zelma and Cheverlyn,

The resourceful Misses Cassell and Weekes joined in.

Computer literacy was their navigable theme;

Together, they were the ideal dream team.

Well, I really don't need to tell you,

And I confess that this is true;

The thrill that gripped our heart,

When we made the anticipated start.

Our instructors first taught us to boot:

But it was the computer, not our foot.

And when introduced to that frisky mouse,

We wondered how we could trap that louse.

No sooner we started than the screen went blank;

So we peered through Window 95, looking for the prank.

The menu bar was the most intriguing area -

Instead of salads, we found file, edit, view, etcetera,

Our egos floated like cotton ball clouds

As we typed, saved and deleted unwanted crowds.

And when they took us back to kindergarten stage,

We just cut, copy and paste around the page.

I must tell you that the computer has attitude,

And it's sensitive to our changing mood.

To admire our input we simply click preview

And stare indignantly at the office helper's taunting clue.

So, what can I tell you about those classes,

Except away with profiles; we now use databases.

Oh yes, the camaraderie was indeed exceptional -

The way we copied from one another was phenomenal.

Our language is no longer obsolete:

It's a real potpourri, an international treat.

For terms like download and on line,

Are spoken across continents all the time.

Now, we are accomplished computer users

'Cause we can surf the net, and email our neighbours.

Our examination papers are verifiable documents;

For greeting cards we will not pay another cent.

She sat in the office chair,

Inhaled my arrogance in the air.

She sat resentfully in the office chair,

And waited on me there.

She watched my fingers dance nimbly

Over keys that limbo swiftly.

She saw my eyes scrutinizing well

The screen where Microsofi words excel.

My face shone with a gleam of pride;

My lips pouted the message far and wide,

I am learne'd,

I am wise;

I have knowledge

'Cause I'm computerized;

Strictly modernised.

PREPARATION DONE ON THE DAY OF SURGERY

By Staff Nurse Mary Ann Gerald-Ryan

Last week we looked at preparation of the patient prior to the day of surgery. This week, the focus will be on preparation done on the day of surgery.

The morning of surgery, immediately prior to leaving the ward for the Operating Theatre:

• skin shaving will be done if necessary; and

• dentures or any other prosthesis, otherwise called artificial parts, eg, false hand, foot, eye must be removed.

Please be advise that relatives and friends are not allowed within the Operating Theatre, as this lessons the risk of infection. If you must accompany some one please note that you would not be allowed beyond the door of entry.

After surgery, some degree of discomfort could be experienced. This includes:

• Pain which is relieved by injection or tablets
• Dry mouth and drowsiness
• Vomiting, retching and bad feeling from medication and anaesthesia which is also relieved with medication and time

Nurses are often termed as being "cruel", when we insist on early ambulation, but I assure you, we only have your best interest at heart. We must encourage the surgical patient to get up and out of bed as quickly as possible to prevent major complications, like chest infection eg, pneumonia, and blood clots, especially in the legs as these can cause death.

Finally, another important point to stress is visiting times. The patient just having surgery needs adequate rest and therefore visiting should be restricted to the times designated. Visiting times are as follows:

• 6:00 am – 7:00 am
• 11:30 am – 12:30 am
• 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm

No visiting is allowed on a Tuesday, (which is surgery day) until 4:00 pm.

Goodbye to the MVO swami,

Along with the baby and mommy;

Simon says BGS

Did not merit a 'yes';

Too bad, now he'll miss the tsunami.

Unfair, says DFID's 'soothe-sayer,'

Don't scorn the British taxpayer;

That deserves one retort --

The 'taxpayer' named Short

Presides as the funding delayer.

Jus wonderin if local firms charge less for jobs in Antigua.

Jus wonderin after all the goings on which one of the Ministers is still so openly supporting the British against Montserrat

Jus wonderin why the dread locks D.J reads his Bible scriptures and have his knife sticks between it. Does he think the Bible is a toy.
Jus wonderin if it is true the C.M was nervous when he had to speak to the British man if he did not know that a time would have come to hear the break down.
Jus wonderin if the British are afraid of the press why they did not invite the editor to ask questions.
Jus wonderin what it means when the British stated that if we want independence that's our business..
Jus wonderin if the chief scientist would have to say like doctor Ambeh.
Jus wonderin why Foulk sound so fed up when he hears about spending more money on Montserratians.
Jus wonderin if mouth open and stuary really jumpin out.
Jus wonderin if the package would soon be open again for we have not enough good scientists to monitor the volcano.

Jus wonderin how far de passport scandal goin’ really tek us.

Jus wonderin why h e say the P.S. can’t resign.

Jus wonderin if Hercules flex his "muscle" with the P.S.

Jus wonderin if the superior know that Long Grass say the very officer in-charge of the travel document investigation in love wid wan u de suspects.

Jus wonderin why when you lie dung wid darg you stan up wid flees

Jus wonderin if the officer disgraced from Barbados does still climb up pan blacks dey a woman bedroom and bathroom and peep pan dem.

Jus wonderin if the ladies at Look-Out safe from the same peepin Tarm now he live dung deh.

Jus wonderin if the Governor as the direct head of Admin still feel "most competent."

Jus wonderin if them never hear - what goes around must come around and anything that go up must come down.

Jus wonderin if any persons in de top civil service jobs in Montserrat have any the passports dat no "LEGAL"

Jus wonderin why some people get extra two years pan dem jab when other people better qualified have to be frustrated like all the others down the line.

Jus wonderin if election really a next year or 2002.

Jus wonderin if the Heavy Roller know he no heavy no more.

Jus wonderin if the Roller know that one chain as strong as e weakest link.

Jus wonderin if the lady minister tink e a wan Briton cause she could nack glass wid dem in private.

Jus wonderin when the country a go stap wanderin

Jus wonderin if the director of agriculture a plant money seeds in a finance.

Jus wonderin why Jus Wonderin can’t mek front page.