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HMG Supports Geralds As ‘Perfectly Safe’

By Merrick Andrews

Possible airstrip alignment of 600 meter runway -- ghauts at both ends

Head of the Overseas Territories Department (OTD) Clive Warren (pictured left) said the British Government will continue to support the construction of an airport at Geralds unless the local government scrap the decision – as safety is still questioned by the Montserrat public.
 “Geralds, on all the advice that we have, is a perfectly safe and satisfactory option for the future of Montserrat and that is why we are entirely content to back the government of Montserrat’s judgment in going for that option,” Mr. Warren told The Montserrat Reporter on Tuesday evening at the Vue Pointe Hotel, after an informal meeting with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) about the construction phase of the airport at Geralds.
The process of inviting participants to the meeting was criticized as being the reason for the relatively low turnout of NGOs.

 “No Going Back to the Drawing Boards”

The OTD boss said: “The position is that the Montserrat government has taken a firm decision on what it believes to be in the best interest of Montserrat on a whole. That’s what government is all about sometimes – taking hard decisions, with which some people may not feel entirely comfortable.”
Mr. Warren said there is no question of going back to the drawing boards at this time because Montserrat’s economic development depends primarily on the construction of an airport as Britain cut its subsidies gradually from £24 million in 2001-2002, to £7.5 million by 2005-2006. (See Editorial on page 4 for full details of Mr. Warren’s comments)

CRM Determined

The Committee for the Redevelopment of Montserrat (CRM) said, however, it is still determined to push for a safe airport for Montserrat.
“We are going to pursue this matter because we are not satisfied that Geralds is safe,” the CRM spokesman said. “We are doing a number of things which we don’t want to talk about at this time but this is not the end, because it is unsafe…. We will continue to inform the people of Montserrat.”
A draft independent assessment of potential airport sites on Montserrat done by the United Kingdom-based Leading Edge Aviation Professionals and commissioned by the CRM reveals that Geralds is unsuitable for ‘future’ airport development.
Based on the study findings, the CRM argues that the length of the runway at Geralds, which is now 600 metres, is still too short to accommodate an emergency stop of a 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft.
Arising from consultations by the Governor, British and local government reps with the Directorate of Civil Aviation in Antigua, a revised proposal of a total paved platform length of 600 meters was agreed to be designed for construction. This represents an increase in runway length of 40 meters over the original proposal. This will cost an additional EC$1 million to the initial airport budget of EC$41.6 million.

However, the CRM also argues that it’s dangerous to build an airport runway, which has precipices at both ends. “It is that chance, and it does happen, that an airplane loses a wheel or an engine, and there is no stopping distance because the runway is too short,” noted Ray Tyson, a member of the CRM and a licensed helicopter and airplane pilot.
Mr. Tyson said: “The longer (the airport runway) is, the safer it is, so why should we have a short field? There are other sites available on this island.”
Mr. Warren called the views and presentations of the CRM helpful but said the decision has already been supported – a decision he strongly believes is safe and foremost important for the economic development of Montserrat. (See Editorial)
The British Government however doesn’t think the CRM are wasting their time, according to Mr. Warren, who added: "In London we’ve taken seriously the issues they have put on the table and we have consulted our advisors very closely indeed on the points and the arguments they put forward... They are a group of people who clearly have strong views and they articulate them very carefully indeed and very well.”

Chief Minister pleased

The OTD boss’s comments came two days after Chief Minister John Osborne announced more progress towards his government’s goal of early restoration of fixed-wing air links for the island.
The Chief Minister spoke at the conclusion of the latest discussions with representatives of UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Halcrow consultants in Brades, a press release from the Chief Minister’s office said.
The press release stated that Chief Minister Osborne said the result of the meetings is a slightly longer runway specification by at least 40 meters, which will further enhance existing operational and safety aspects of “this important and new facility at Geralds Park”. 
Mr. Osborne, the press release said, hopes to find much of the additional cost from cost-savings elsewhere and also hopes “that as much as possible of the work and equipment needed can be sourced here in Montserrat, but fair competition will be at the heart of their contract”.

Halcrow Moving Forward With Project

Stephen O’Driscoll, Geralds Airport Project Manager for Halcrow, said the design for a 600-meter runway is moving forward. “We are now pushing forward with a design that has been tabled and accepted by the Montserrat Government. So our next step is to commit that to do detail design and then go on to tender the basis of that design,” he said.
“Five hundred meters was an acceptable solution but as many people have expressed right throughout the project, if we can have a further 200 meters, we would prefer 700 meters as opposed to 500 meters,” he added.
The move by the DFID officials to meet here is believed to have stemmed in part from  questions posed to HMG by Lord Morris of Manchester, on July 4 in the House of Lords.
Lord Morris, who is the uncle of the current UK Minister of Education Estelle Morris, had asked questions relating to the Montserrat economy, including whether HMG will support the modifications of Montserrat’s airstrip so that it meets the regional Civil Aviation Authority’s regulations – requiring a minimum of 600 meters for safe normal operations of a Twin Otter aircraft.

Judge Says, No Graveyard at Blakes Estate

By Merrick Andrews

View of Blakes Estate, with Lookout Village in the foreground

Blakes Estate Limited, the owners of Blakes Estate obtained an injunction in the High Court on Wednesday against the Government of Montserrat’s move to locate a public cemetery on Blakes Estate.

However, Chief Minister John Osborne was quoted as saying on the state-owned radio station that they may appeal the case because it’s not the end of the matter.
“The judge has had her say, but the Government will have its way,” Chief Minister Osborne was quoted as saying.

President of Blakes Estate Ltd. Dr. Roy Lee said later: “It is utterly confusing to practically all Montserratians as to why the Government of Montserrat would insist on putting a cemetery right in the middle of Blakes yard just to show that they have the power to do so. They then kill the best chance Montserrat has for a rosy future. What could possibly have motivated our leaders? We are in a state of confusion.”

Judge Ola Mae Edwards handed down the injunction. Mr. Elliot Mottley Q.C. represented Blakes Estate Limited and Kenneth Allen, Q.C, represented the Government.

The court declared that the “Planning Development Authority acted ultra vires (beyond one’s power) and in excess of its powers under the Physical Planning Act 1996 by not giving effect to the approved Physical Development Plan for North Montserrat 2000-2009”.

The court also declared that the Planning Development Authority acted in excess of its powers under the same Act “in not giving or permitting or affording the Applicant, being a person affected by the proposed development, any or sufficient or reasonable opportunity to make any presentation before granting development permission”.

The court ordered that planning development permission granted by the Planning Development Authority to the Ministry of Health for a public cemetery at Blakes Estate and signed by the chief physical planner, be set aside.

The government and its servants/agents were ordered by the court to not use the Blakes Estate as a burial ground.

The court found that a part of the evidence presented to the planning development authority by the chief physical planner concerning the location of the cemetery site was tampered with.

Paragraph 43 of the Judgment read: “It was observed also that the comments of the Director of Agriculture; Chief Surveyor; and the Manager of the Montserrat Water Authority were all unsigned. Of a far more disturbing feature was the comment of the Manager for Montserrat Water Authority. It appears from the original document that what was written as the comment.”

“The location of the new cemetery has a negative impact on anything pertaining to the Montserrat Water Authority. Adequate water supply is in the area”.

The Judgment section continued: “However, the word “Negative” was then “whited out” and “a” before it was crossed out, and the word “No” inserted in the “whited out space” in an obviously different handwriting and with a different pen. The Court was not impressed with Mr. (Franklyn) Greenaway’s explanations or lack of explanations for these irregularities and they reflect negatively on their decision making process.”

EDITORIAL

"Thanks to Our Critic in Government, We Can Inform First, Comment Later"

The Montserrat Reporter from time to time is told that we have to look for the news. Our reply is usually that we do not have any psychic means by which we know some incident or event is about to take place; someone, some agency, some department must advise us of events that are about to take place or of incidents that the public should know about. It is then our duty to get the information and present it to those who have the ‘right to know.’

Last weekend a minister of government went on the airwaves at ZJB and was publicly critical of the Montserrat Reporter, saying that it should get information before making comments. That same minister should stop the way he operates, because even that statement is as counter-productive to many of his very motivational and well-intentioned initiatives.

He appears to be the spokesman and acting surgeon for his government in that he finds himself always having to perform surgery to keep them alive and in power. The problem is that the disease from which they suffer is like a terminal cancer, which is fatal sooner or later.

Getting information critical to the news could be extremely difficult, when it has to come from sources who do not believe that the people have the "right to know" or that the people should be kept in ignorance, or that they do not need to know. To this very minister’s credit, it was another cancellation of an interview appointment with him that informed us of a very critical gathering at the Vue Pointe Hotel on Tuesday evening concerning the provision of an airport at Geralds, most critical to the future of Montserrat. He then asked whether The Montserrat Reporter was invited. We were not, but we showed up – at the risk of finding out that we might be unwelcome.

Following are excerpts of a transcribed interview with Mr. Clive Warren, head of the Overseas Territories Department (OTD), which we present without comment for the time being. We say, however, that we believe this speaks volumes and our readers can draw their own conclusions.

- - - -

Clive Warren: My impressions of the meeting were that it was a pretty drastic exchange of views and as far as I am concerned it was extremely interesting. It was useful to gain further perspectives, views from people who clearly have strong opinions on the issue of this airports.
What I have heard here tonight certainly does help to underline in our mind that on the island on Montserrat there clearly are some people who do have some concerns about it and naturally we will go away and take those concerns into consideration, as far as possible we can, with the further work that has to be done . . . . There are limited options in this situation and I am afraid it is not always possible to do absolutely everything that everyone would like.
The option, which has been decided and recommended by the Government of Montserrat, is the development of an airstrip at Gerald’s Park. Unless that situation were to change, or if DFID were for some reason to take the view that that was not a wise decision -- and I have no basis at the moment on which to put forward any view about that -- then we will continue to support the Government of Montserrat and in particular your Chief Minister in the very difficult decisions he has had to take over this idea of the airport. . . .
I think (the Committee for the Redevelopment of Montserrat) are a bunch of very committed and very highly motivated people. The way they argue their case is  extremely articulate and extremely sensible, and let me assure you that in London we’ve taken seriously the issues they have put on the table. We have consulted our advisors very closely indeed on the points and the arguments they put forward. And we should continue to do so. They are a group of people who clearly have strong views and they articulate them very carefully indeed and very well.
I don’t see it as taking a stand with the Montserrat Government. I mean the position the Montserrat Government has taken is a firm decision on what it believes to be in the best interest of Montserrat as a whole. That’s what government is all about, sometimes taking hard decisions, with which some people may not feel entirely comfortable. . . .  If we felt that the Montserrat government was seriously wrong in the decision that they have taken, we would say so; but on the contrary we believe the position they have taken is a proven and pragmatic one in the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves.
What I can’t say to you is that there is any question of going back to the drawing boards. . . .  The reality as we sit here at the moment is that there are not a whole string of options out there which we can consider as an alternative to Geralds.
Geralds, on all the advice that we have, is a perfectly safe and satisfactory option for the future of Montserrat … and that is why we are entirely content to back the Government of Montserrat’s judgment in going for that option.
We had a discussion here this evening about the issue of safety, and yes we believe it is safe. If we did not believe it was safe there would be no question of funding it and supporting it. Our Secretary of State Clare Short is on record as saying there could be no question of the British Government supporting the development of an airport which was unsafe in any way at all.
So we do not regard this as an unsafe airport. If you ask me whether there are risks,  there are risks anywhere, in anything one does in life, but we do not believe that there is any serious risk, or any risk, which will cause us or anybody else to classify it as an unsafe airport.
In our view some of the concerns that are being expressed by CRM are misplaced and we have attempted to explain to CRM why we believe that those concerns are misplaced and we have put that very, very clearly to them.
I think the day that any government doesn’t listen to its people its in dead trouble. I don’t think this Government of Montserrat is in dead trouble, and I don’t think it has not listening to its people. . . . 
I am advised that this airport design will be safe and that we would have a safe landing- and-takeoff facility for the kind of aircraft that would land upon it. The most important thing is that before any aircraft went anywhere near it, it would be certified as safe as such by the licensing authorities in the region.
We have an ongoing dialogue with that authority in the process of designing this – the Directorate of Civil Aviation based in Antigua. I would like to pay tribute to the director who has actually been extremely helpful in maintaining that dialogue. We are going to continue to maintain that dialogue as the design work and hopefully construction of the airport progresses.
I can’t give any quotations from the DCA – only that they thought very long and hard about this…. This is an informed choice, an informed decision, which has been made by the Government of Montserrat, and it’s one which actually reflects a desperate need.
We’ve been talking about reintroducing fixed-wing access to Montserrat ever since 1997 when you lost Bramble Airport. We are now in 2002 and you still haven’t got it, and that’s why we are fully supportive of the Montserrat Government’s view that this is a project that needs to be put into the system as quickly as possible. We need to get planes flying into Montserrat again as quickly as possible. . . .
We are working on the assumption that this volcano could continue to effectively rule Bramble out of operation for many, many years to come. We could be talking about 10, 20, 30 years even. At the moment it is been classified as a persistently active volcano; that’s what we have to concentrate on  -- regenerate the Montserrat economy; lots of great efforts have been done here, but you need a fixed-wing access and need it quickly.

Except for the editorial, opinion articles expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of the Montserrat Reporter editors, employees or advisers.  Readers are encouraged to submit commentary articles.  All viewpoints, unless libelous, in poor taste, or anonymous, are welcome.  Send your contributions to The Editor, P.O. Box 306, Olveston, Montserrat, W. I., e-mail: editor@montserratreporter.org or monrep@candw.ag.  Manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a return stamped envelope.  The Montserrat Reporter is a privately owned independent newspaper.

Jus Wonderin items may be called in at telephone 491-4715 or Fax 491-2430

SCRIPTURE VERSE THIS WEEK

FREE TO COME BACK

I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before Your eyes."

Psalms 31: 22 

When I first acquired an adorable puppy named Dolly, she filled my days with frequent trips to my backyard.  Then she began using these occasions to explore places I didn't want her to go.  By offering her a reward, I was able to teach her to respond to my command, "Come!"  But eventually, the rewards weren't even enough to get her to come back to me.  So I bought a leash on a reel that gives Dolly a safe amount of freedom, but gives me the option of "reeling her in" when she ventures too far. 

               This reminds me of God's dealings with a drug-addicted man named Derek.  Longing to break his addiction, he stayed in our home, where he became God's child.  He overcame his habit but he still battled with temptation.  One day he gave in, ran away, and used some drugs.  Guilt overwhelmed him as he sat despondently on a park bench.  He felt like the psalmist David (Psalm 31:22) and said to himself, "I'm cut off from the Lord.  I'm finished."  But the long leash of God's love tugged on his heart.  Immediately, Derek asked for God's forgiveness and made his way back to us (32:3-5).  If you're going the wrong way and feel cut off from God, remember, you can return.  Respond to the tug of His forgiving love on your heart and come back to Him today.  - JEY

O Lord, return to me Your power

That once by grace I knew;

Forgive the sin that grieved Your heart,

And help me to be true.  - Anon.   

TRUE REPENTANCE TURNS FROM THE WRONG AND RETURNS TO THE RIGHT

LETTERS TO THR EDITOR

Accolades for Beverley Bramble-Fenton’s “Through Other Eyes”

Dear Editor,

Kindly allow me a space in The Montserrat Reporter to bestow accolade to Beverley Bramble-Fenton’s new book.
Beverley Bramble-Fenton, former Montserrat Secondary School English teacher, joins the ranks of Montserratian published authors. The publishing of her first collection of short stories under the title, "Through Other Eyes," launches Mrs. Fenton as a writer of Christian fiction. In this collection, Mrs. Fenton has taken familiar Bible stories and retold them from the perspective of another character other than the Biblical narrator.
Pastors and literary scholars from Montserrat and further afield hail the work as one of substance and worthy of being read by both the clergy and laity alike. Montserratian Bishop Glen Prospere said, “Fenton’s writing brings a fresh perspective to the crowded field of Christian authors.”
I was very impressed with the deep inspiration and thoughtfulness that went into this work.  This riveting book is a ‘must-read’ for serious readers.”  Having read the collection which has mainly female narrators, Dr. George Irish said, “Taking the path of an imaginative probe into the psyche of womanhood from the underside of infertility, prostitution, incest and endangered maternity, the author daringly bares the souls of women in anguish, avoiding the safe and conventional narrative line of fundamentalism, but without falling into crass heresy or sacrilege.”
Visit the web site of TIAK Publishing (www.TIAKPublishing.com) see what else has been said about "Through Other Eyes."

Mrs. Brenda McCartney (nee Daley)

LOCAL and REGIONAL NEWS

ECCB Hosts Seminar To Fight Counterfeiting

In an effort to combat the spread of counterfeit notes and to deter prospective counterfeiters, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) hosted a “Know Your Money" seminar at the ECCB Headquarters in St. Kitts on Tuesday, July 30.

Ms. Susan Lafond, director of the Currency Management Department, told participants that the ECCB had reaped substantial benefits from having three counterfeit experts at the Bank’s Headquarters.  Since public and private sector entities, particularly commercial banks, first come in contact with cash, and are most likely to suffer financial losses from undetected counterfeit notes, the Bank thought it prudent to train them to distinguish genuine EC notes.

According to Miss Lafond, at the end of the seminar participants were expected to be able to recognise the features on a genuine note and thus protect their employers, and ultimately the stability of the currency, by intercepting suspect or counterfeit notes.

The seminar was made possible with assistance from De La Rue International Ltd. of England, the company responsible for printing the Eastern Caribbean notes. It was attended by representatives of commercial banks in Antigua and Barbuda and Montserrat, along with local commercial banks and public and private sector companies.

Bank of Montserrat Ltd. has confirmed that Miss Dothlyn Kirnon (pictrured right) was the bank’s participant at the St. Kitts seminar.

ECCB intends to conduct similar training seminars in other ECCB member countries. 

Volcano Eyed as Source Of Geothermal Power

The Northwestern side of the volcano as seen from the new MVO site

Since Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano started to erupt in 1995, many people have wondered if the volcano's energy can be tapped. Now, a Caribbean-based company has started to answer the question. Investigations are at an early stage, but according to the Managing Director of Caribbean Power Ltd, Kerry McDonald, the prospects are good.

"I have spent 25 years in the geothermal power industry, and the volcanic islands of the Caribbean have always been known as great potential sources of geothermal power," Mr. McDonald said during a brief visit to Montserrat last week. He met the Minister of Communications and Works Dr. Lowell Lewis, and Montserrat Electricity Company (MONLEC) boss Mr. Hilton Howsen to discuss prospects for geothermal development in Montserrat.

"The costs of tapping into a geothermal resource are initially high, but once you get going, you have no fuel costs" said Mr. McDonald, adding that he had initiated negotiations with the Government of Montserrat and MONLEC for supplying electricity at less than half the current cost.

With MONLEC's prices soaring, Montserratians are welcoming the prospect of cheaper power and are keen to see the volcano's power harnessed at last. "Caribbean Power have the financial backing and technical experience to really make this work," said Ken Cassell, a leading member of the Montserrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "As Montserrat's rebuilding gathers pace, geothermal power will help to stabilise power costs, attract new industry and fits very well with the island's eco-tourist image" Mr. Cassell said.

Demonstrating their commitment to the island, Caribbean Power recently sponsored two UWI (Mona) graduates in geology to attend a field camp on Montserrat. The field camp attracted 35 students from Leeds University in the UK and from Penn State, Duke and Arkansas universities in the U.S., and was run in close collaboration with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

"It was a great experience to see the volcano and to learn lots of new things during the field camp" said Keisha Sylvester, one of the UWI students from Trinidad. Her colleague Brianne Alleyne, also from Trinidad, added, "We learnt so much about the volcanoes of the Caribbean, so I jumped at the chance of learning more about the eruptions on Montserrat."

view from the sea of the towering and mighty Soufriere HillsVolcano over Southern Montserrat

Tourism Director Points to Gibraltar As Model of How to Develop Industry

By Merrick Andrews

Director of Tourism Ernestine Cassell (pictured left) has suggested that Montserrat needs more swift “cooperative efforts” from the Government and the private sector to push the tourism industry forward.
Miss Cassell was part of a five-person Montserrat delegation, which visited Gibraltar early last month under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding, signed between both governments last March.
Speaking at the July 26 press conference held to report on the trip, she said Gibraltar has come up with “very quick basic ways” to fund their tourism products stemming from a commitment from their Government.
She noted: “A lot of Gibraltar hotels were in need of refurbishment … and the government gave grants to the hoteliers to refurbish the hotels and this helped the hotel to pay some part of the costs for refurbishing the hotels. So that partnership between the government and the private sector helped them to move that much further along to getting the hotels refurbished so that they can offer a better accommodation stock to the potential visitors to Gibraltar.
“These are some of the kinds of cooperative efforts that will be needed in Montserrat to help to push our industry forward.”
Miss Cassell told The Montserrat Reporter in a separate interview that the Gibraltar government has pledged their support to all of the areas in which Montserrat needs help.
She said Gibraltar, in terms of product development, is willing to make their documents available to Montserrat to show how they developed their tourism product.
Gibraltar has also pledged their support in terms of helping to finance Montserrat’s participation at trade shows and other promotional activities.
“All we have to provide is a body and the material to promote,” she notes, “so, that also cuts down on the cost of attending a lot of those trade shows, which is very expensive for the Montserrat Tourist Board … so that is a great help.”
The tourism director said they have also decided to make some of their materials – training, tour guiding and customer relation programmes – available to Montserrat to use as templates for training programmes.
“That again is a significant help rather than us inventing,” she said. “They have actually posted some information to us already.
“Although Montserrat and Gibraltar are two different types of islands, we are still islands nonetheless,” she said. “And if we can look at benchmarks, if we can look at things that have worked, we can then avoid or mitigate the problems that are associated with development.” 

Government Gives More Time For Delinquent Tenants To Pay

The government has given tenants who remain delinquent in paying rent for government houses more time to pay up.
Land Development Authority (LDA) Manager Charlesworth Phillip (pictured left) said Tuesday his department was directed by the government to make more timely procedures for the tenants to pay back.
The LDA said the problem is that some tenants began paying and stopped, while there are some who have never paid.
“The new decision is to give them a chance to come again in making payments,” he said.

These houses were built across the safe-north of the island for hundreds of people displaced by the volcanic eruptions.
Mr. Phillip said he has so far instructed his officers to meet with the tenants to iron out the problem – execute additional warnings and find out from tenants when or how soon they can pay back.
About 1,000 people occupy 265 government housing units; rental arrears amount to over EC$100,000 per year.
Mr. Phillip warned that eviction notices will be executed if tenants continue to disobey warnings.
In an earlier interview, he said when people refuse to pay it is to the detriment of others who are still waiting for housing solutions to be provided for them. 

Government Announces Salary Increases For Civil Servants, Bills Passed

Chief Minister John Osborne announced in the Legislative Council on Tuesday an increase in civil servant salaries, effective this month and retroactive from January 2002.

The Chief Minister said that civil servants at the top of the salary scale will obtain an increase of 7 percent, while those at the bottom will receive a 16 percent increase.
He also announced that the Ministers have agreed not to have a salary increase.

The Chief Minister also challenged the opposition members of the National Progressive Party (NPP) to do likewise.

However, leader of the NPP, Mr. Reuben Meade said in an interview later that a meeting should have been held prior the announcement with parliamentarians to discuss the situation to come to a general agreement.
The opposition leader did not say if he will agree or not, but later said that the increases with regards to opposition members would total no more than $4,800.00 for the whole year as against almost $48,000 for the ministers. “They should not only take no increase they should also take a reduction,” he said.

In another development from the Legislative Council meeting, two Bills were passed: Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean Agreement Act, 2002 and the Company Management (Amendment) Act 2002.
The passing of the two Bills created a heated debate in the House between the two Parties.

(The Montserrat Reporter will next week publish stories on the details and follow-up issues from the Legislative Council meeting.)

Police Sergeant Receive Stab Wounds

A police sergeant on Thursday received stabbed wounds allegedly inflicted by a mentally challenged patient.
Sergeant Glanford Cabey underwent emergency surgery at the St. John’s hospital and was later reported to be in “stable condition and is expected to do well,” according to Minister of Communication and Works Dr. Lowell Lewis, who performed the surgery.
Police reported that the incident took place at about 9:30 a.m. at Geralds.
Sergeant Cabey was allegedly stabbed with a knife by Mr. Sylvester Harper, who attempted to defy him and several other policemen when serving a lunacy warrant with a view of taking him (Mr. Harper) to get his treatment at the hospital where he would receive routine medication, police said.
“Harper reacted violently and in doing so he wounded the officer,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Morson.
The police are continuing investigations.

New DARE Committee To Carry on Drug Fight

The Royal Montserrat Police Force has announced the formation of a committee to support its ongoing Drug Awareness and Resistance Education (DARE) programme for the island’s primary schools.
The executive body was elected at its second meeting on Thursday, July 25.
Miss Elizabeth Piper of Woodlands was elected chairperson, and Miss Icilma Fenton of Banks was chosen secretary/treasurer.
Mr. Richard Aspin will fill the role of liaison officer to the National Drug Council, while Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Morson will be the committee’s contact with the police force.
Other members of the committee are: Mrs. Catherine Browne of Woodlands, Mrs. Cynthia Dyett of Old Towne, Miss Mary Blake of Barzeys, Mr. Bruce Fararra of Olveston and Mr. John Jeffers and Miss Judith Fergus of St. Peters.
The primary role of the committee is to coordinate all activities associated with supporting the programme. Deputy Commissioner of Police Morson said he is pleased with the formation of the committee and thanked the committee on behalf of the entire police force for embarking on such an important role.

Formed in the mid-1980s, DARE is a police programme taught in primary schools by police officers in collaboration with the teachers, and is designed to teach children how to say NO to drugs and violence. Over 50 DARE children were graduated from the Brades and Roman Catholic primary schools this year.
Deputy Commissioner Morson said the programme has been a success. “There have not been any reports that children who have been exposed to the programme got into trouble for drug crimes. From that standpoint I will say the programme has been very successful.”
The committee comprises nine members drawn from the schools’ Parent Teachers Association as well as from the business community.
Meanwhile, DARE officer Constable Stanford Kelly will travel early next month to Philadelphia, USA, where he will attend a DARE trainer of trainer’s course. 

Crane Damage Will Cost Government Plenty

Minister of Communications and Works Dr. Lowell Lewis said it would cost over EC$1 million to purchase a new crane if the one damaged in an accident at the port on July 26, is later deemed irreparable.
“It’s a very expensive item,” he said.
Dr. Lewis said it will also cost the government an undetermined sum of money to pay for the equipment that they have hired to continue work while they are waiting for the insurers to send in their experts to assess the crane and that inquiries are also been made to replace the damaged crane as soon as possible.
“It does mean it is an increased cost for the port because the port is going to have to pay for the equipment that is hired,” he said.
The Minister hopes however that this does not translate in increased charges to customers.
In addition to hiring equipment to carry out lifting functions many of the shipping boats that come in to the dock carry their own cranes so they are able to offload and unload without much difficulty, the Minister said.
The cause of the accident, which left a police sergeant injured, is still not ascertained. Reports state that the crane was being driven by the engineer and that the last fully trained port driver has retired having reached the retirement age.
 “The situation at present is that until the crane itself is examined by the experts we are not going to know really what happened,” he said, adding that there has to be an assessment. until we know it’s an operator error.”
Meanwhile, the police are still without an operational boat for the Marine Unit, as the last usable boat was damaged in the accident involving the crane.  

Nevis Observes Anniversary Of 1970 Loss of 238 on Ferry

Deputy Premier, Mr Malcolm Guishard, lays a wreath at the Christena Memorial

Nevis -- Deputy Premier Malcolm Guishard laid a wreath on Thursday afternoon at the Christena Memorial site outside the Alexander Hamilton Museum in Charlestown in memory of the 238 known victims of the inter-island ferry, MV Christena, which sank on August 1, 1970.

Mr. Guishard told Nevisians, “Today marks 32 years since that fateful day, and we know that those persons who would have lost loved ones, still to this day remember them. Those who lost friends, who lost their mothers, fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, are still mourning their loss.”

To commemorate the anniversary, he laid the wreath on the memorial which was erected by the Nevis Island Administration to honour. He observed a minute’s silence and urged all Nevisians to do the same during a telecast Thursday evening.

Nevis Applauds Launch Of High-Speed Internet

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis -- Malcolm Guishard, Minister of Telecommunications, said Monday that the Nevis Island Administration was willing to cooperate with the sole telephone provider in the Federation, Cable & Wireless, St Kitts Nevis Ltd., to make Internet service affordable to all of the residents on the island.

He noted that Internet service was one of the fastest growing services throughout the world, and while, “we can boast of our achievements in the telecommunications industry and of members of our business community, and those with means to access the new service, we now need to reach out to those persons who cannot afford to access the price which we are asking.”

Mr. Guishard said that ADSL service was most welcome on Nevis and that it would be more welcomed by persons in the financial community. ADSL is a high-speed Internet service, one of the latest to be offered to the citizens of the Federation.

Observing that the island of Nevis depended on communications as a means and as a way of living, Guishard congratulated the telephone company for bringing the ADSL service to Nevis and for the part they had played over the years in the development of St Kitts and Nevis.  He also observed that it was always good to have partners like Cable and Wireless “as we move forward towards making our country a better place for each and every one of us.”

General Manager of Cable and Wireless Carl Roberts officially launched the ADSL service in Nevis. 

Medical Benefits Scheme Report Delivered in Antigua

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua  -- Prime Minister Lester Bird has confirmed receipt of the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Medical Benefits Scheme.

Mr. Bird said that he intends to make the report public after the Government Printery produces copies, which will go on sale to the public.

The Prime Minister said that a copy of the report was delivered by his Excellency the Governor General, Sir James Carlisle to the Cabinet while it was in session this week. Three copies of the report were sent to the Governor General by the Commission Chairman Sir Alistair Macintyre.

“Neither I nor the Cabinet have had a chance to study the report or its recommendations and, therefore, we are not in a position to comment on them,” Mr. Bird said.

“Sir Alistair has indicated to the Governor General that the Commission has to make corrections to the report and a corrigendum will be issued shortly," Mr. Bird said. "In the circumstances, the government will await receipt of the corrigendum before commenting on, or releasing, the report, since the corrections may have a material affect on statements in the report and its recommendations.”

The Prime Minister expressed the hope that the corrections from the Commission will be received speedily, so that the full report can be released to the public and all interested parties.

Opposition Leader's Office Picketed

The Antigua Government Information Services (GIS) reported a rare situation on Thursday that a large number of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) supporters from the Rural East Constituency today picketed the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Baldwyn Spencer of United Progressive Party (UPP), in a show of support for their Constituency Representative, Prime Minister Lester Bird.

 A spokesman for the picketers reportedly told the GIS OnLine News that the constituents decided to come out publicly to show their strong support for Prime Minister Lester Bird who has been the target of a "vicious spate of attacks" on his character and leadership.

 "Enough is enough. And we decided among ourselves to hold this peaceful picket to show our support for Mr. Bird and his government, and to let the opposition forces know that it is high time for them to stop their sustained attacks on the Prime Minister," the spokesman said.

 Employees at the Office of the Opposition Leader could be seen peeking from an upstairs window at the spirited Rural Easters who were picketing below, but there was no word from UPP Opposition Leader Baldwyn Spencer.

Guyana Panel Puts Onus On Citizens for Democracy

GEORGETOWN , Guyana -- Panelists at last week's launching of the Human Development Report 2002  agreed that citizens have a responsibility to promote a democratic form of governance.
Fr. Malcolm Rodrigues, Jesuit priest and social commentator, said in discussing the role of elections in the democratization process that citizens have a responsibility to hold decision-makers responsible for the decisions they make.
Noting that while international observers have found great improvements in the electoral system, Fr. Rodrigues argued that post elections problems persist, which clearly demonstrates that the problem is not within the electoral system itself.
He proposed that in the period between elections, Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations must look for ways to involve citizens in decision-making, and increase their participation in discussions of national importance.
Touching on local voting patterns, Fr. Rodrigues noted that people do not vote on issues. He argued that politicians need to educate people and make them understand that issues are what matter.
Ms. Vanda Danzik, another member of the panel, also spoke on the responsibility of citizens in promoting democracy. She argued that it is the responsibility of citizens to ensure that the programmes outlined in the National Development Strategy are implemented.
The panel, which also included the former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Major General (Retired) Joe Singh, People’s Progressive Party/Civic Parliamentarian and Attorney-at-Law, Kemraj Ramjattan, and Mr. Sherwood Lowe, examined issues and concepts of democracy. 

Three-day Struggle Rescues All 9 Trapped Coal Miners

Compiled from dispatches

SOMERSET, Pa. - Nine coal miners were rescued last Sunday in surprisingly good condition after being trapped for 77 hours in a cramped, flooded shaft 240 feet underground in which they had tied themselves together so all their bodies would be found if they drowned.

``I didn't think I was going to see my wife and kids again,'' a teary-eyed Blaine Mayhugh told reporters, several hours after being pulled out of the Quecreek Mine in western Pennsylvania.

He, his father-in-law and the seven others were stuck for more than three days, often in total darkness, when they drilled into abandoned, water-filled mine that flooded the shaft where they were working

More than 150 workers, tons of heavy equipment and 18 medical helicopters worked desperately to reach them, which finally came Sunday morning when they were pulled up a narrow shaft, one at a time, in a yellow cylindrical capsule.

Though they were covered in coal dust and their heavy-duty clothes were soaked through, the miners emerged in surprisingly good physical condition.

One of the miners was placed in a decompression chamber after experiencing early symptoms of the bends, an excruciating condition caused by sudden changes in pressure, Dumire said. Two others were being kept for observation.

The miners had two working lights but saved them for only occasional forays into the shaft. Mayhugh, 31, said the men were ``snuggling each other, laying up against each other, sitting back-to-back to each other, anything to produce body heat.''

The miners also huddled around a pipe funneling down warm air. ``Getting the pipe down with the warm air was probably lifesaving,'' said said Dr. Russell Dumire, a trauma surgeon at Conemaugh Hospital.
He said the miners ``decided early on they were either going to live or die as a group.''

Finally, at 10:16 p.m. Saturday, rescuers bored through the ceiling where the miners were trapped. The breakthrough let workers drop a telephone line to the miners and confirm they were alive.

The first miner was pulled through the 26-inch wide hole at about 1 a.m. Sunday - to the wild applause of rescuers - and placed on a stretcher. His comrades emerged in roughly 15-minute intervals, with the last one appearing at about 2:45 a.m.

Pope Condemns Abuse, But Lauds Truly Faithful

Compiled from dispatches

TORONTO, - Pope John Paul last Sunday voiced his first public condemnation of sexual abuse of children by priests. During an outdoor Mass to about 800,000 young Roman Catholics, he said, "The harm done by some priests and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame."

But he told those at the end of the weeklong festival of faith known as World Youth Day, that priests who abuse children were a tiny minority and the church's bad apples should not be allowed to spoil the image of an institution of a billion members that does a lot of good worldwide.

The pope had previously dealt with the scandal that broke in January only in documents and in meetings with church leaders.

He spoke as news emerged that two New Jersey priests were arrested in Montreal earlier this month on charges they solicited homosexual sex from minors. Canadian newspapers reported the two were found during a police operation to break up a child prostitution ring.

The pope urged his young audience, "Think of the vast majority of dedicated and generous priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do good."

"There are many priests, seminarians and consecrated persons here today; be close to them and support them," he urged the crowd.

Reactions to the pope's message varied. A leading victims group, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said his statement minimized the problem and was not enough of a response.

But Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that in previous speeches the pope has called abuse a sin and has expressed solidarity with victims.
“He couldn’t get any stronger than, ‘There’s no place in religious life for anyone who abused a young person,”’ she said, referring to comments the pope made in April at a Vatican emergency meeting to which he had summoned American cardinals.
A day earlier, facing hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful holding candles in the dusk, John Paul urged young pilgrims to become builders of a new civilization of freedom, peace and love.
The crowd cheered him wildly, waving flags from every corner of the world and chanting his name in open affection.

Sunday's mass in the park concluded nearly a week of activities marking World Youth Day, an event inaugurated by John Paul in 1985. More than 200,000 young Catholics from 170 nations registered this year, a decline from previous years.
On Monday, the pope proceeded to Guatemala, then to Mexico to complete his 11-day trip, the 97th of his nearly quarter-century papacy. While aides had expressed concern that the trip would be too much for his declining health, the pope has surprised all by looking stronger and speaking more clearly than in recent months.

SPORTS

The Loneliness of The High Jumper

Gavin Lee, Montserrat's sole competitor at the Commonwealth Games, talks to David Ward in the Tuesday July 30 issue of The Guardian.

'Golden rain submerges Manchester" said a sports page headline yesterday. Not Gavin Lee it didn't. The headline was about the triumphs of England's Paula Radcliffe and Jonathan Edwards at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday night. But by the time they were doing their victory laps under the spotlights, Lee knew that his games were over.

And that is a bit of shame because it is his 22nd birthday today.

We had cheered like mad when he marched in a smart blazer into the City of Manchester stadium during the swaggering opening ceremony last week. In front of him was a bearer with a banner displaying the name of his country: Montserrat, the dot in the Leeward Islands that suffered a series of volcanic eruptions which devastated the island from 1995 onwards. Behind Lee walked two Commonwealth Games volunteers in their distinctive, not to say gaudy, purple tracksuits. They probably came from Bolton or Wythenshawe and were put there to cover what otherwise would have been a gap because no other Montserratian was following Lee.

He was carrying his nation's flag because there was no one else to carry it. He was the Montserrat team in its entirety. "I wasn't supposed to be the only athlete," he confided yesterday, as an unlikely tropical sun shone down on the games village in Manchester. "There were supposed to be three other guys. I guess they couldn't make it."

Lee is a high jumper but only measures about 5ft 10in. The average high jumper is about as tall as a pole vault pole so Lee was up against it as he prepared for the qualifying rounds on Sunday. But he knew he had plenty of natural spring in him. "I started high-jumping about seven years ago. I'm very small but I found that when I was playing basketball I could almost dunk the ball because I could jump."

He trained hard but probably knew he was not going to break the world record (2.45m - about one-and-a-third times his own height). But he thought he could beat his personal best of 2.08m.

The British love the little man and the Manchester crowd did its best to will him over the bar. But it was not to be. He managed only 1.95m (which is still six inches higher than the top of his head; put a line on a wall and see if you could do it).

"It was not as good as I was hoping. I didn't qualify. I should have done a lot better. I don't know why I didn't do so well. I was getting over the bar but my leg was hitting it on the way down. The crowd was all right. I had a lot of support. But it was disappointing. I wasn't nervous - I just wasn't lifting up my legs quick enough.

"This was a big thing for me to come to the games and I had trained for two hours every day. Now I've got the experience and I know what I have to do to make it to the next level. So I'll treat it as a learning experience."

Lee won't be going home to take a close look at lava flows. He flies back to the US this week to start training for the 2004 Olympics. And to make sure that those three relay runners who missed the boat this time turn up to run with him in Athens. 

St. Kitts-Nevis Kim Collins -C’Games 100m Medallist

(BBC) - St. Kitts-Nevis sprinter Kim Collins sped to victory in the men's 100m title at the Commonwealth Games earlier this week to become the first OECS man under 10 seconds in that event.
Collins won in a smooth-style 9.98 seconds ahead of Nigeria's Uchenna Emedolu and Canada's Pierre Browne
English favorites Dwain Chambers and Mark Lewis-Francis had been expected to compete for gold but both pulled up with injuries during the race.
The English favorites were put under pressure by a powerful start from Collins, who won 200m bronze at the world championships last year. He was left to savor victory as Chambers limped off and Lewis-Francis lay crying on the track.
Despite his rivals' misfortune, Collins said he had been confident from the start and felt the pressure had got to the Englishmen. "I can understand it because you push yourself too hard and then it takes its toll because your body is being pushed beyond its limits," the gold medallist said.
"I was just so relaxed and, as I said yesterday, it is not good to shine too bright too early - your wings can be clipped. I wore my lucky socks today and they more than played their role - I'm tempted never to wash them again!"
However, Kim Collins suffered a minor scare as he later tested positive for the banned substance salbutamol.
But the St Kitts and Nevis sprinter was allowed to keep his title as the substance was contained in medication he was using to treat asthma. The Commonwealth Games Federation confirmed that Collins should have declared the medication before he was tested in Manchester.
"Collins declared the use of the medication at the time the test was taken," the CGF said in a statement. "But, in accordance with CGF rules, use of this medication must be declared prior to competition and verified by a doctor.
"The use of salbutamol is permitted under certain conditions and the levels found in Mr Collins' sample was consistent with normal therapeutic use and was not considered to be performance enhancing.
"Upon considering the report from the acting medical advisor the Federation Court came to the unanimous decision that the athlete should not be penalized."
Collins is the first competitor to test positive at the Games.
He produced medical records to prove he has asthma and had a respiratory function test by an independent doctor on Thursday, which confirmed his condition.
"This has taught me a powerful lesson and one that all athletes should learn from," he said. "This is my future and I will take personal responsibility for making sure all competition requirements are met. I would like to thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for the very fair manner in which this matter has been dealt with."
St Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee president Dennis Knight said he believed the failure to supply the CGF with the declaration was "an oversight" on the part of officials in his country.
"It was more an omission by the authorities at home," he insisted.
But CGF chairman Michael Fennell said: "The incident stressed the need for all athletes to take personal responsibility for ensuring all competition requirements are met."

Montserrat Plan Earlier Preparations For CUT Champs

President of the Montserrat Union of Teachers Herman Francis said Montserrat will begin early preparations to prepare for the next Biennial Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) Junior Track and Field Championships in Jamaica.
Mr. Francis made the comment after Montserrat failed to medal at the two-day championships in Trinidad last weekend.
He said however that the exposure for the students was good and Montserrat should continue to support future teams.
Montserrat copped a bronze medal at their first championships in Martinique in 2000.
The students participated in the under-9, -11 -13 and 15 categories and were commended by the team officials for improved performances, especially in the relays, according to Mr. Francis.
The students were selected from the Montserrat Secondary School’s sports meet in December and the inter-house primary meets in March.

Caribbean Union of Teachers Record Track and Field Past

The CUT Track and Field Championships was a result of the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) recognition of the need to provide young athletes aged 8-15 years with some regional competition. There was also recognition by CUT that sports have a significant role to play in the regional integration process. These particular Championships would bring together the students and teachers of the Caribbean for a few days of friendly competition camaraderie and co-operation. 
The CUT Biennial Track and Field Championships were first organized in Barbados in 1986. The participating countries at the inaugural meet were Anguilla, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and host, Barbados. They competed for the Jean Perisco Trophy. Barbados made capital of the fact that they were at home and won the Championships. 
The success of the inaugural Meet led to a CUT decision to develop the Championships into a biennial affair. It was also agreed that the Championships would be organized by the Teachers’ Union of the host nation. This extends to the host seeking sponsorship to help meet local expenses.  Member Unions desirous of participating are required to meet the respective costs of their teams. This includes airfares. 

In 1988, St. Lucia hosted the Championships at the Mindoo Phillip Park in Castries. These were seriously affected by persistent rain. With only one full day of competition completed, the Championships trophy went, for the second consecutive occasion, to Barbados. 
Guyana hosted the 1990 edition of the Biennial Championships at the popular Bourda Cricket Ground. In the midst of very keen competition resulting from a higher level of preparation, first time participants Trinidad and Tobago carried off the top prize. The excitement was fever pitch as the eventual winners were only evident in the two final events of the competition. 

Trinidad and Tobago hosted the fourth Biennial CUT Track and Field Championships, in 1992. The Barbadians were eager to reclaim what they saw as their right, the Championship trophy. Trinidad was determined not to give it up too easily. The rivalry made for exciting Championships and, in the end, Barbados emerged victorious. 
Two years later, in 1994, St. Kitts/Nevis played host to the Championships. Barbados came in the most prepared and took the trophy home yet again. 

In 1996, the year of the Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the Meet returned to Barbados. Again, the students of this beautiful island were better prepared than the others and swept the Trophy for the fifth occasion. 

In 1998, St. Vincent and the Grenadines hosted the Championships. Trinidad and Tobago for the second time emerged Champions. 
It was Martinique’s turn to host the games in 2000. For the first time, Jamaica, another powerhouse in athletics entered the Championships. However even in the face of keen competition from Barbados and Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago were Champions for the second consecutive time. 
These Championships have been a breeding ground for some of the Caribbean’s most outstanding Track and Field athletes. Many have moved on to the CAC Age Group Championships, the CAC Juniors, the Carifta Games, the CAC Senior Championships, the CAC Games, the Pan American Games and, of course, the Olympic Games. 
The likes of Obadele Thompson of Barbados, Najuma Fletcher of Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ayanna Hutchinson, Darrel Brown and Marc Burns and St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Sancho Lyttle, come readily to mind. 

FEATURES

TOURISM AND THE CSME – Part 1

By Rachel Collis

The September 11 terrorists attack on the World Trade Centre so crippled the Caribbean tourism industry, that the region’s leaders met to agree on a tourism advertising campaign worth some $43.3 million (US $16m), half of which would come from the private sector, with the other half to be shared equally by CARICOM and non-CARICOM governments.  The campaign was geared to promote the region as ‘warm, friendly, possessing natural beauty, …relatively serene and culturally vibrant’, while emphasizing escape, relaxation and safety as the underlying themes.

This sales pitch has always been the focus for promoting tourism in the region. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), which is the umbrella organization for tourism in the region, has a mandate to do this. However, the immediate effect of the attack translated into empty airplanes and hotel beds, thus forcing the region to adopt emergency measures to try to stem the trickle down effect of hotel closures, cancelled flights, loss of jobs, etc.

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), which was proposed by leaders to amend the Treaty of Chaguaramas, were suddenly receiving their fullest attention. The CSME was devised to facilitate economic integration and the movement of goods, capital and services through the CARICOM area, integrate the region into the global economy, and improve its competitiveness. Tourism was to play a major role in this process.

The challenges facing the fulfillment of these tasks, however, are noteworthy. Each member has its own distinct social, cultural and economic personality. Each feels that there is no other product like their product, and no one can promote their product as they can. Each wants to take their product to the rest of the world themselves.

The result is that they all go individually to the same markets, thus creating confusion in the minds of purchasers who, for sound business reasons, prefer to deal with them as a unified entity.

More than before, Caribbean governments must continue to seek the best ways of jointly marketing their tourism products and services in order to compete with aggressive competitors, especially countries with a lower wage structure such as Mexico; or Russia, which is no longer the feared communist bogeyman.

In spite of September 11, tourism is still seen as the most important source of revenue in the region, and promoters of the industry have finally been forced to see the wisdom of joint marketing. The success of this will depend on how well they unite in this common goal. The CSME is supposed to be the solution for all the ills of Caribbean regionalism. It is popular opinion that without the CSME the region would not make it in this 21^st century. The CSME is tooted as a critical step which would allow the region to draw maximum benefits from free trade and other trade arrangements. The fact that some territories are economically stronger than others is not supposed to be a deterrent for the smaller states, in that all would be able to find a fundamental leverage in CARICOM, which is presently extending its arms to embrace the larger and more viable Caribbean countries. It is this larger grouping which would best be able to deal with, among other major issues, tourism and transportation, analyzing and making recommendations on future tourism services, and associated projected transport arrangements.

We here need to know that Montserrat is the only territory still to sign the Treaty. The reasons for our not signing as yet are as varied as they are troubling. Given that our tourism product has been dealt a crippling blow, and our arrival figures have fallen tremendously over the past six years due to the volcanic crisis, it would appear that we would want to welcome the assistance of our Caribbean brothers and sisters in whatever form offered. There is much to benefit from signing the Treaty. Most significantly would be the free movement of persons. Montserrat is presently seeking ways to boost its dwindled population. Although we have a strong representation of other CARICOM nationals among us, their numbers would be further enhanced if there were fewer restrictions on their entry and continued residence on the island. In terms of tourism, a strong feature would be the benefits from intra-regional travel.  This form of tourism presently account for 77 percent of travel by CARICOM nationals. Freedom to move in and out of the island would lead to less isolation of Montserrat, and greater opportunities for the rest of the region to learn more about the current volcanic situation.

TOWARDS A VIABLE POPULATION

For some time now the Montserrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has been advocating that Montserrat should refocus on residential tourism because it has for many years formed the backbone of our economy.  Our considered view was that it would continue to do so and should be the main thrust in our tourism promotional strategy.

We also stated that this did not mean that we should have scant regard for the other areas of tourism that might add to our total product.  Adventure tourism, for example, is a natural by-product of our erupting volcano and we should try to turn this tragedy into something good at least in some small way.  Day trips and cruise ships have roles to play.  However, these only become significant in the level of exposure they provide to tourists, which, hopefully, would translate in the near future into stay-over visits in our hotels or villas.

At the MCCI, we recognise the main deterrents to an aggressive residential tourism drive.  The absence of a fixed-winged facility to provide for scheduled air services as well as charter operations is a serious constraint. Further, the absence of a golf course, following the devastation of the Belham Valley facility, is another serious limiting factor.

We are pleased to note that special attention is being paid to golf in particular in the recent strategy workshop on the repositioning of the tourism sector.  Golf is indeed central to the resuscitation and expansion of residential tourism.  It must be seen as infrastructure: as an investment to encourage the construction of villas and recreation facilities for retirees.

In our quest to achieve a viable population, residential tourism can be a significant factor.  Usually with increased population by natural growth or inward migration, jobs and housing would be areas that need to be expanded concurrently, necessitating a strategy for job creation and housing development.

Organised residential tourism, targeting as it does the wealthy and retirees, brings with it real estate development, house construction and new resident incomes.  It also creates jobs and significantly boosts Government’s revenues because of increased consumption.  It is therefore logical to focus immediately on creating the environment, physical and fiscal, to facilitate and promote residential tourism.

To this end, the MCCI has come up with an idea which we feel can have a meaningful and highly beneficial effect on our quest for residential tourism.  There is a double taxation agreement in force between the United Kingdom Government and the Montserrat Government.  The agreement, inter alia, has a section on pensions.  It states that if a United Kingdom citizen/pensioner is resident in Montserrat for a minimum of six (6) months of the year and his pension is taxed on Montserrat, it would not then attract any tax in the United Kingdom.  At the moment Montserrat has no tax on pensions.  However, if we want to exploit this provision of the double taxation agreement, we would have to have a tax on pensions, and one significantly lower than United Kingdom tax.

We suggest that the Government of Montserrat introduce a small tax on pensions, say 5 percent, in order for the United Kingdom pensioner to qualify for the United Kingdom exemption.  The savings could be substantial.  However, one has to realise that there are Montserrat pensioners who now pay no tax.  To allow them to retain this favourable tax position the Government of Montserrat would have to introduce a suitable threshold in the income tax pension provision in order to exclude local pensioners from any tax burden.  This is the theory.  The details of the United Kingdom pension tax will inform the process that will determine how best we can maximise the economic impact of this proposal.

The above scenario provides an extremely attractive framework in which to achieve population growth; increase the demand for a wide range of goods and services, and in the process increase direct revenue.

This is population growth via residential tourism with significant economic benefits.  We recommend it to the Government and look forward to working with Government of Montserrat to advance residential tourism in particular and population growth in general.

Once again we solicit your ideas and suggestions regarding the development of a strategy and plan to achieve a viable population.  Our economic future depends on it.

Please send your comments or suggestions to us at the MCCI Office. See below.  We will be pleased to incorporate any relevant ideas that we receive in our recommendations.

YOUR HISTORY IN SMALL DOSES

August Monday or First of August?

Howard A. Fergus, UWI

With slavery in their blood and emancipation under their belt, Caribbean peoples are rediscovering and refocusing on 1 August, the anniversary of full freedom from slavery.  The move to freedom came in stages.  The slave trade (not slavery) was abolished in 1807; around that time Montserrat had nearly 7,000 slaves.  Then the Act of Emancipation was passed in 1834 but this did not bring full freedom to all since the British came up with the impossible compromise known as apprenticeship.  The so-called apprentices were compelled to work for their masters for three-quarters of the week roughly.

Compulsory labour was the defining quality of slavery.  So in an effort to appease the greedy and grasping slave-holders who wanted to cling to the dying dispensation of coercion and captive labour, the British produced that clumsy unworkable ‘inbetweenity’.  Our Montserratian foreparents did not relish this trickery of apprenticeship and some threatened strike and violence, so much so that the government declared a state of emergency and called out the militia.

Full freedom came on 1 August, 1838, to the delight of all ‘slaves’.  In fact Montserrat led the way ahead of St. Kitts, Nevis and Barbados in abolishing legal servility in November 1837.  This is because our people were restless and impatient for freedom.  They could not have been ignorant of the contrasting situation in Antigua.

It apparently became convenient to link the August holiday with the weekend, but it was the first of August that the new freedmen celebrated.  And their descendants continued to remind themselves that ‘Fus’ o August come agen’.  The question I pose is: Is the significance of this red letter day in our history being obliterated by the jollities of the August Monday bank holiday?  (This is not a criticism of August Monday activities).

A number of countries have given thought to this and are concentrating on 1 August itself.  In fact some are devoting a longer period to the meaning and importance of this anniversary.  I am not one for multiplying holidays, but perhaps we need to do more to secure this particular window on our history.  We can mount exhibitions, give it prominence in history and social study classes in schools, write and stage plays and pageants, and compose songs of freedom.  It could also be the day on which we honour local achievers.

The department of tourism may wish to take an interest, for the season of freedom can become a third major festival along with St. Patrick's Day in March and the giant size Christmas in December.  Each will be differently focused; each can have its peculiar appeal.  To highlight emancipation is not to indulge in recrimination or even to seek compensation.  It is to re-affirm our faith in freedom, to thank God and our parents who struggled for it, and to aspire to higher levels of freedom.  It is to redouble our efforts to attain emancipation from economic slavery and attendant dimensions of insubordination.  Anyone who thinks that we are fully free is dreaming.  I move for the establishment of an Emancipation Day committee.

Tourism Highlights

HTV to Feature Montserrat On Caribbean Cooks Program

A film crew from HTV-West visited Montserrat July 28 and 29, 2002, during which they filmed roadside eating places and restaurants, as well as exploring the essential ingredients used in preparing local dishes.

They also focused on clothes, culture, the volcano and the scenery of the island and interviewed people for a six-part food and travel series.

The series, which draws together West Indian families living in Bristol, England and the people from Bristol now living in the Caribbean, will be broadcasted shortly to over 20 million viewers on HTV-West, the ITV broadcaster for London, West and Central England and Wales.

VOLCANO LIMERICKS

Old Road Mystery

The barge vanished? Here's a fiver

That says don't seek a conniver;

If search from a plane

Proved nothing but vain,

You might hire a scuba diver.

The 'King' Thing

Dr. Lowell just took to the air

To lower the boom on a pair

No longer in power;

The grapes were quite sour,

But were they historically fair?

JUS WONDERIN

Jus wonderin who dem people be does pretend dem talking on dem mobile phone when e nar wok becarse dem no pay dem phone bills.

Jus wonderin why we hiding the good talents here.

Jus wonderin why our basketballers failed us too

Jus wonderin how come all of a sudden, de public so interested in dis yah promotions that gone so long

Jus wonderin why we say we forgive and yet can't forget.

Jus wonderin if more people can't have something positive to wonder about.   

Jus wonderin why de government passing laws to take bread from local hardworking people.

Jus wonderin which of dem government law makers don’t care whether the airport safe or whether people die or barely survive in this ya country.

Jus wonderin how the man who love media so, know media so, run from media now and then blame media for non-performances.

Jus wonderin why they don’t publicly admit that ‘wata moar dan musha’ ley awe get people who really can stan-up fu awe.

Jus wonderin which one the lady ministers say that they don’t know much bout what happening in de house.

Jus wonderin who is the snake within.

Jus wonderin why they can't pick up the broken glasses as yet.

Jus wonderin if we could of turned back TIME about 30 years and start again.

Jus wonderin if we need ma tornado to get us back on track.

Jus wonderin how the week is going to be.

Jus wonderin if the saying is forgotten, who can't hear will feel.

Jus wonderin if the closing of the day time zone, and the announced renewal of volcanic activity (one puff) is related to the renewal of the MVO's contracts in July.

 Jus wonderin who's disgusting enough to leave dirty baby diapers by the seat on Woodlands beach.

Jus wonderin f the same person discarded the armband wrappers too?

Jus wonderin if next time they would be so kind as to take their rubbish home with them

Jus wonderin which parliamentarian is in the habit of saying that he is a ‘dangerous man to tangle with.’

Jus wonderin if a fight the surgeon looking on radio when he see de oder palitishun dem no even a baddu wid dem becarse dem so far dung.

Jus wonderin if the Englishman going to come and take over.

Jus wonderin who is really the rude one.

Jus wonderin if respect is earned.

Jus wonderin how come the cop and the recent appointed one come so close that they knocking glasses at the mother bar.

Jus wonderin who brains fooling dem that dem can't remember.

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