THE NEXT CHIEF MINISTER

A CHIEF MINISTER AT LAST
It took well over 24 hours before it was eventually agreed who the new Chief Minister of
Montserrat would be following the final count of the 1996 General Elections.
Just about every person in Montserrat breathed a sigh of relief when the final count was
declared by 10 o'clock on Monday night, which revealed that none of the three political
parties had gained even 3 seats much less four which would give them claim to forming
the next government. The weather had been perfect, but, most welcome was the fact that
the volcano, hardly noticeable behaved well.
At the end of the reckoning, the victorious candidates out of the record number of 28
candidates were Bertrand Osborne and Adelina Tuitt for the Movement of National
Reconstruction (MNR); John Osborne and Brunelle Meade for People's Progressive
Alliance (PPA); Reuben Meade for National Progressive Party (NPP); and two
independents, David Brandt and Rupert Weekes. (See full details on page11).
The results meant that failing a return to the polls, Montserrat would for the first time
have a government of national unity or a coalition. But by mid-day Tuesday, the third
option seemed the most likely, with five of the elected along with their main advisors and
supporters deadlocked in deciding who would lead the government.
By this time, all Montserratians, waited frustratingly to hear who that leader would be.
Negotiations Begin
On Monday night, a shocked and obviously disappointed Austin Bramble for MNR, the
only unpredicted upset of the elections, seemed to make the first move and called on the
outgoing Chief Minister Meade. This was followed by representatives of the group who
called on David Brandt who made his position known that he was in but only with the title
of Chief Minister under his name. That received an unpleasant response and the next move
was to Rupert Weekes who advised that he had to return early next morning to consult
with his advisers from Northern.
Northern Supports Brandt as Chief Minister
By the time the meeting with MNR took place, John Osborne and David Brandt, had
separately showed up to have discussions with Weekes, but were asked to leave that
meeting. Following this the meeting with the MNR reps revealed the Weekes' position to
be, that he would join a group with David Brandt as Chief Minister and a particular
Ministry for himself.
Osborne Relents
It was well known that it was Bertrand Osborne whose total refusal to work with David
Brandt in any government, kept Brandt out of the MNR party, but while the MNR reps
could not confirm Weekes position, it was later revealed that Osborne had no problem in
forming a government with David Brandt as Chief Minister. Some people called that a
miracle, but the grouping would include the outgoing Chief Minister, Reuben Meade and
then what seemed to have been cruising along well, turned sour.
Meade’s Refusal of Brandt
By 3 o'clock that day, with no decision forthcoming and a further meeting set for 7 p.m.,
Meade was on radio making his position quite clear in an interview, that while he would
work with and under Brandt, he will not do so with him as Chief Minister. A vote had
been taken among the 5 and Brandt was disfavored against himself and Weekes, as
Adelina decided to stick to the party position to stay with Meade.
When evening came and my telephones rang incessantly, I contacted Governor Savage,
who said that the legislators could take as long as they wished to come to a decision. "I
would rather they take a long time to come to a decision rather than hurry, and break up
hastily," he said.
Meade and Weekes are Key
It would seem that everything hinged on Meade's and Weekes' position. The negotiations
continued long and into the night. One advisor from northern recommended to the
meetings that a telephone poll be taken of at least 100 random calls asking which of 3
persons, Brandt, Meade, Osborne would be accepted as Chief Minister.
Meade Attacks Brandt
As the discussions went on it was felt that Meade would have been cast aside, particularly
after his scathing live radio attack on Brandt's morality, saying that his supporters would
not forgive him in this life or the next if he worked under Brandt as Chief Minister. His
remarks were considered by many including some very high officials to be untimely.
Eventually it was suggested and some acceptance reached that Brandt would share the
leadership with Osborne on 21/2 year stints. Brandt said he would not take a Ministry
during Osborne's turn, providing for the new nominated member to take responsibilities
within one of the Ministries; but then Meade repeated his position, he would not work
under Brandt as Chief Minister.
Meade Calls the Shots
Another break-down which prompted Adelina to make a claim to the hot seat trying to
end the difficulty. Finally after this last breakdown, Brandt departed from the meeting
when it appeared to him that Weekes was shifting. It was about 11 p.m. when I was
unofficially informed that Bertrand Osborne would be the next Chief Minister. This
decision was however not publicly released until well into Wednesday.
In all of this there seemed to have been no consideration given to the inclusion of the other
two elected members although it was believed that Brunel Meade was waiting in the wings
to join the grouping.
John Osborne Warns
Contacted on Wednesday morning, John Osborne said, "No one has consulted either one
of us, and no one has said anything to us about forming a government of national unity."
He said that he had contacted Weekes who had told him he would have no problem
working with him and Brandt, but Weekes had not contacted him again on the matter. He
said concerning the appointment of Bertrand Osborne as Chief Minister: "There is no
question that he does not have the ability to be Chief Minister and it is a double mistake to
make the largest merchant of the island Chief Minister."
Joel Webbe, who lost to Adelina Tuitt in Eastern, was most surprised and disappointed He
was with John Osborne at the time of my contact with him, and he said, "I am not a
runaway, I love my country dearly and will do everything I can to see it the envy of the
Caribbean as it once was."
Osborne Confirms his Surprise
In an interview with Bertrand Osborne on Wednesday, he confirmed his surprise at finding
himself being Chief Minister as two days ago he had expected to form the government, but
with Austin Bramble as the leader. He pledged his willingness to do his best to carry out
the functions of Chief Minister and that he would not at all let his family business get in his
way. "I certainly intend to keep the two quite apart," he said. "I will be able to lead the
government without any bias and without any allegiance to the business which belongs to
my family."
Ministerial Swearing-In
A small press group and government house staff witnessed the swearing in of the new
government of four representatives all taking duties within the presently defined Ministries
of government (See Appointment of New Ministers). The Ministers took the oath relative
to the office each one would serve.
It has been revealed that there will be some changes within Ministries. Sports will be
returned to the Ministry of Education and Welfare and it is still to be confirmed that
responsibility for finance and housing are to be housed in different Ministries.
Each of the four Ministers took the opportunity at the end of the brief ceremony to thank
their respective constituencies for electing them and pledged their support to one another
and for the success of their efforts as they work to bring prosperity to the country.
Meade’s Pledge
Outgoing C M Meade had something slightly different to say: "I can assure all people in
Montserrat that the Honorable Chief Minister, Mr. Bertrand Osborne has my full support;
my other ministerial colleagues can also count on my pledge, obtain my full support in
whatever way they may require my assistance in the conduct of their duties. We've come
together to form a coalition; it will work, it can work because all of us are committed to
working together in the best interest of the people of Montserrat."
Meade had throughout his campaign insisted that he was of the opinion that coalitions do
not work and cannot work, but had said like most of the others, that he will do the
necessary thing in the interest of Montserrat. Both himself and Osborne thanked their
constituencies for having faith in returning them to the Legislature.
The swearing in of the full Legislature is scheduled to take place on Monday next week.
Brandt Responds
In a radio interview Brandt criticized the inclusion of Meade in the government. Brandt
responded to Meade's general charge of immoral responsibility, stating that he Meade,
should not touch the matter of moral authority as he has a cloud over him, making
references to a High Court judge's comment in a court case.
Commendable Voter Turn Out
The voter turn out was remarkable considering the fair number of voters who must have
voluntarily evacuated the island because of the volcanic crisis. Compared with the
previous general election of 1991, the voter turn out was about 3% less this time (62% -
65%).
The statistics are interesting in that it was obvious where the lowest turn out would be
recorded which were the constituencies from Southern - 52% and Plymouth - 59%. Most
of the people who have evacuated overseas, no doubt are from these two constituencies,
in addition to the fact there are some people still living in the areas from Kinsale
southwards, who may not have made it to the polling stations in the 'safe zone'.
Eastern though completely evacuated, showed a high turn out of 65% but the constituency
also has the lowest number of voters, while North-Western showed the highest turn out of
68% followed closely by Northern with 67%. Central remained in the center with a turn
out of 60%.
Chief Minister Points out Priorities
The just returned member for Southern who assumes new duties as Chief Minister of
Montserrat, in his first interview with the Reporter said that he was surprised to find
himself being the new Chief Minister. He had every expectation that the Movement for
National Reconstruction would have won enough seats to take the government and in any
case did not expect the leader Austin Bramble to be defeated at the polls.
He pointed out priorities for his government. "Immediately, we'll be looking at housing
and better conditions for the shelters and job creation; ways and means of finding jobs."
Responding to the charge that he should not be the Chief Minister of Montserrat by virtue
of his involvement in the largest business enterprise on Montserrat, he responded: "I
certainly intend to keep the two quite apart Without any undue allegiance to the business
which belongs to my family. I'll be able to lead government without any bias.
End.

EDITORIAL
“A Disturbing Mood”
There is mixed feeling prevailing over the people of Montserrat and an air which is quite
different from the one of joy, hope and excitement, that heralded in the rule of the
National Progressive Party (NPP) in 1991.
The results of the 1996 General Elections showed that Montserratians had followed the
suggestion of NPP's chief and outspoken critic, David Brandt not to vote for a party but
rather for the person they felt could better serve them and the country. In spite of the
differences in style and behavior by the parties, neither party was able to procure enough
winners to obtain the 4 seats needed to take control of the government. The result of the
election showed two parties getting 2 seats each and the other 1 seat, with 2 independents
winning their seats.
That resulted in one of the biggest fiasco of the elections, deciding who would lead the
new government as the MNR and David Brandt took the lead in putting a coalition
government together. Those negotiations went on for much longer than anyone expected
and ended up with David Brandt departure and Bertrand Osborne becoming the island's
new Chief Minister.
If there are any celebrations going on at the formation of the new government, it is not
known to the Reporter, as most people expressed disappointment at the outcome of the
elections which seemed verged on an anticlimax. But then maybe it is just the mood of the
people settling into the acceptance of the struggle that may lay ahead, one way or the
other, as this government prepares to fight the disastrous situation and problems which
face the country.
It is certainly the first challenge that will face this government which is to bring some
excitement, hope and action to the people. The other usual challenges that face a new
government will be ever present and to use the popular words of one person back in 1991,
"things change, because people change, and you can't please all the people all the time, and
the people you do not please, always turn against you."
The coalition government does not have a manifesto for anyone to look at and scrutinize,
a year, two years or by the year 2,000, but then most of the promises by those forming the
coalition were not different in many ways, so actually the job ahead of them may not be
that difficult except to try and stay together as they have pledged to work in the interest of
Montserrat.

LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

FATAL ROAD ACCIDENT
A tragic accident occurred at Cheap End on Wednesday afternoon. It took place while the
new government was still preparing themselves to visit the Governor to be sworn in as
Ministers of Government.
The accident took place almost on the corner where a motor lorry owned by Leroy Tuitt
of Wall Street, slipped over the embankment killing 21 year old Marton O'Garro, leaving
one other, Nicholas Greer very critically injured while two others escaped with minor
injuries.
The lorry was traveling northwards and it is reported that while crossing an even bigger
lorry, it slipped over the rain soaked embankment, ending perilously close to a villager's
home, but immediately killing O'Garro.
The story has an even sadder element. The deceased's younger brother attending the
Catholic school was playing in the yard about 200 yards away, saw the truck tumble over
the side of the road, reported calmly what he saw to his teacher and requested to go and
see the truck because he knew his brother worked on the truck.
He returned to tell the teacher that his brother was lying over there not moving.

Donoghue Commends New Coalition Government
Dr Eddie Donoghue said that he will fully support the coalition Government of Montserrat
announced on Wednesday.
"I will continue the project which I started with the Meade Administration including a
planned 4.5 Million dollar development program" said Donoghue.
Donoghue added that he has been enthused by the former Chief Minister's plan to place a
computer in every classroom on Montserrat.
"To that effect, I will continue to work with the Government to fulfill the vision of Rueben
Meade. There is already a computer on the endeavor for the Salem Campus and in the
coming months this computer will be augmented by additional Equipment and supplies,
including toner cartridges", said Donoghue.
Dr. Donoghue added that currently he is in the process of arranging to bring entertainers
to Montserrat for the Christmas Holidays.
"Not only the volcanic activity but the election campaign has caused a lot of stress in some
quarters. We need to relax and move on. The groups which I'm bringing to the Emerald
Isle should help to relieve some of the stress most of us have been experiencing recently",
said Dr. Donoghue who wished the new Government all the best.

Montserrat Association Congratulates New Administration
Kenneth Allen, President of the Montserrat Association, St. Thomas/St.John District, said
he would like to congratulate the winning candidates of Monday's Election in the Emerald
Isle.
In addition, Allen said he extends good luck to the newly formed government led by
Bertrand Osborne as Chief Minister, Reuben Meade as Deputy Chief Minister and Mr.
Rupert Weekes and Mrs Adelina Tuitt as members.
"The Montserrat Association will continue its efforts on behalf of the people of the
Emerald Isle. We are resolute in our commitment to do everything possible to improve the
social, economic and health conditions in our beloved homeland and to this effect, the
government of Montserrat should feel free to call us at any time said the president of the
Montserrat Association, Kenneth Allen.

Anguillian wins ECCB Essay Competition
Seventeen year old Keeshra Corretta Webster of Anguilla is the winner of the Eastern
Caribbean Central Bank's 1996 Essay Competition.
Miss Webster, a student of the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehension School, has won a
computer for her school, a book grant of one thousand dollars, and a trip to St. Lucia for
the ECCB's Inaugural Sir Authur Lewis Memorial Lecture on November 14. Her essay,
on the topic An OECS economic union will fail without a political union, will be serialised
in the Bank's quarterly Financial Newsletter.
Placing second in the competition was Ayeola Lolita George, formerly of Convent High
School and now a sixth form student in Dominica. The third place went to Vieoence
(Pronounced Vee-On-Say )Prentice of the Sixth Form College, Charlestown Secondary
School in Nevis.
The Competition formed part of the ECCB'S '1996 Community Outreach Programme'.

ECCB Holds Lecture
The Eastern Caribbean Bank's Inaugural Sir Arthur Lewis Memorial Lecture will take
place on Thursday November 14 at the National Insurance Scheme Conference Center in
Castries, St. Lucia.
The first lecture in what is to be an annual event will be given by Jamaican Professor Rex
Nettleford, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and a leading
authority on development issues, culture and the Caribbean labor movement. He will
speak on the topic Caribbean Education and the third Millennium.
The awards will feature all awards ceremony for winners of ECCB - sponsored
competitions in 1996. They are the OECS under 23 Netball Tournament, which was won
by St. Vincent and Grenadines, the OECS, debating Championship won by Grenada
representing the Windward Islands, and the Eassy Competition, won by Keesha Webster
of Anguilla.
The event will also mark the official opening of the VII Annual Conference with
Commercial Banks, which will take place on November 15 and 16, Some 50 bankers are
expected to attend the conference, whose 1996 theme is "Government Securities Market
Development."

Appointment of New Ministers
Government House has announced that the Governor has appointed Mr Bertrand
Beresford Osborne, Member for Southern, as the Chief Minister of Montserrat in
accordance with Section 11 91) of the Constitution.
On the advice of the Chief Minister, the Governor has appointed Mrs Adelina Elmena
Tuitt, Member for Eastern, Mr Reuben T Meade, Member for Central and Mr Rupert L
Weekes, Member for Northern, as Ministers of Government in accordance with Section
11 (2) of the Constitution.
The Government of Montserrat will now comprise of:
Hon. Chief Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development:
Mr Bertrand Beresford Osborne Hon. Minister of Education, Health and Community
Services: Mrs Adelina Elmena Tuitt, Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Trade and
Environment: Mr Reuben T Meade, Hon. Minister of Communications and Works: Mr
Rupert L Weekes
The Chief Minister and Ministers of Government were sworn in at 3:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, 13th November 1996.

Teacher Training
Director of Education Oslyn Jemmotte travels to Anguilla next weekend for an evaluation
of the teacher training program. The ongoing program includes the training of 13 teachers
in several subject areas such as math, science and social studies. At the end of the program
in 1998 the participants will sit the University of the West Indies Teacher Certificate
program. It is sponsored by Canadian Government, the University of the Nippising, the
University of the West Indies and the Government of Montserrat.

AIDA vs Weather
Heavy rain put a damper on the long anticipated Street Fair in Salem Monday. The
Montserrat Tourist Board had organised the fair to coincide with the visit of the German
Cruise Ship AIDA, but showers of rain prevented many of the passengers from leaving
the ship. Director of Tourism Ms Leona Midgette says most passengers with pre-paid
tours came on shore. Despite the rain, some venders turned up at the street fair but their
businesses were hampered by the poor weather. Ms Midgette is hoping that the ships next
visit will be greeted by typically bright Montserrat sunshine.

Nincum Riley Contest
Six students received prizes in the 'Nincum Riley Runaway Ghaut Beautification Contest.'.
At the ceremony at Runaway Ghaut the students received prizes in two main categories.
In the Creative Writing section Kerry Allen received the 1st prize Merline Osborne 2nd
and Sheldon Allen 3rd. In the Art section the winners were Jacqueline Bradshaw, Lisa
Andrew and Danielle O'Garro who received the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes respectively.
Over 30 children had participated in the Contest held earlier this year. The Montserrat
National Trust donated T-shirts to all the participants.
Meanwhile Coordinator of the project, Valerie Romeo says further improvement of the
area includes the development of a mini trail and a proper water fountain.
Brief presentations were made by the Manager of the Water Authority, the Permanent
Secretary, Agriculture and the Director of Tourism.

Appeal Overruled
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by Charlesworth Piper and Alric Lynch who
have been sentence for attempted murder. The two men were convicted in July this year
for trying to kill magistrate Anna Ryan in 1995. The appeal was heard on Montserrat last
month but the judges withheld judgment until a hearing in Antigua on Monday. Piper was
sentence to fifteen years and Lynch 7 years.

CXC Returns
Education on Montserrat is to receive more special attention from the Caribbean
Examination Council CXC. Four representatives including Chief Examiners met with
Ministry officials this week. This was a follow up to a earlier visit from a CPC registrar
Ms Irene Walters. The team toured the Salem Campus taking special note of the lab
facilities, and met with CXC teachers of both the Montserrat Secondary and the Seven
Day Adventist Schools. The fact-finding team discussed with teachers according to subject
grouping, the problems they were encountering and possible solutions.

Caribbean Conference on the Rights of the Child
This conference was held in Belize City at the Ramanda Reef Hotel , October 8 - 10.
Sixteen CARICOM countries were represented, all of which are States Parties to the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
Montserrat was represented by Principal Crown Counsel, Esco Henry who led the
delegation, and Principal Community Development Officer, Blondina Howes.
The Conference's aims were to facilitate governments and civil society of each CARICOM
Member country in progressing towards compliance with the Convention of the Rights of
the Child in the areas of legislation and policies related to the care and protection of
children and their families.
A strong feature of the Conference was the high visibility of children. Running parallel
with the Wednesday's session was a Children's Forum in which fifty-two children
participated, including one child from Jamaica. Children were allowed into the conference
as observers at each session.
In the case of Montserrat, as other British Dependent Territories the Convention was
ratified by the United Kingdom on our behalf, in 1994. Since then not much action has
been taken in the dissemination of information in the community regarding the
Convention, although one or two actions have been initiated that could perhaps facilitate
its implementation. An important step will be the formation of a National Committee on
the Rights of the Child. This Committee would then proceed to institute a National Plan
of Action for the implementation of the Convention. Composition of this Committee will
be drawn from persons, primarily from the social sectors, the Media, NGOs, Department
of Statistics, the Police and will include a Child Representative.
In the meantime Miss Howes said the Department of Community Services has proposed
the formation of a Child Advocacy Board. This proposal is now with the Attorney
General's Chambers. This can be extended to form the National Committee or serve as a
sub-committee if an umbrella group.
The idea for the Child Advocacy Board came out of the need for a neutral Body to be
responsible for all matters relating to Child Welfare, particularly in the areas of abuse,
neglect, child offenses and the lobbying for legal reform.
Prior to the Conference a meeting was held at the Ministry of Health representing the
Media, Health, Community Services, Family Life Services and a sixth form student of the
Montserrat Secondary School. The interest expressed at this meeting augurs well for the
implementation of the Convention despite the challenges which may be faced in its
application as we begin our attempt to advance this Convention that recognizes that "The
future of any nation is dependent on the nurturing, education, health care, guidance and
proper treatment of its children..."
Following are some excerpts from the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Survival and Development
Every child has the inherent right to life and the State has an obligation to ensure the
child's survival and development...
Name and Nationality
The child has the right to a name at birth. The child also has the right to acquire a
nationality and, as far as possible, to know his or her parents and to be cared for by them...
Parental Responsibility
Parents have joint primary responsibility for raising the child, and the State Shall support
them in this. The State Shall provide appropriate assistance to parents in child-raising...
Protection from Abuse and Negligence
The State shall protect the child from all forms of maltreatment by parents or others
responsible for the care of the child and establish appropriate alternative family care or
institutional placement is available in such cases.
Aims of Education
Education shall aim at developing the child's personality, talents and mental and physical
abilities to the fullest extent.

Give Brandt his Chance
Veteran Montserratian journalist Howell Bramble is among the many voices making a
push for Independent Member for Windward, David Brandt, to be the island's next Chief
Minister, complaining also that too much money was spent during the election. Bramble
said Brandt deserves his chance after playing such a meaningful role during the volcanic
crisis, which supported Brandt's own position that during the crisis, he was the voice of
the people forcing the Meade government to take action in areas where they otherwise
would not.
He said the NPP leader Reuben Meade is in no position to determine who should be the
next leader of the country.
Meanwhile he said it would be interesting to know the source of the large amount of funds
that was spent during the elections came from. He pointed out that the Constitution
forbids the offering of treats immediately before and after the election is held, citing the
opening of full bars where voters are treated to any amount of drinks.
The issue of bribery forced the Governor to appoint a special unit to investigate any
reported incidences of bribery.

New Boxing Chief
In a recent meeting of the Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association meeting in Barbados
Mr. Basil Walters the local Fire Chief was elected as President of the association. Mr.
Walters said he is involved in boxing for over thirty years now. Before he became
president he was second vice president for the pass two years and also technical adviser.
Mr. Walters said he is quite confident that there are a lot of sporting talent on island and
this include boxing and he will be working very hard in the future to have our local sports
men become more involve in boxing. He also said that he is trying to get boxing rings and
other equipment for the local boxers.
Other islands where executive members were elected to serve for the next two years are
First Vice President is from Antigua, second Vice President & Treasurer/Secretary from
Barbados, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer from St. Vincent with Committee Members from
Martinique and Guadeloupe.
The next item on the program of the CABA is championship fights in Antigua from
November 29 to December I 1996 and Mr. Walters, who is the only internationally
qualified boxing referee in the English speaking Caribbean islands will be officiating in that
capacity.

Letters to the Editor

Tribute to Arnold Tuitt
Dear Mr. Editor,
Kindly allow me space in your columns to pay tribute, although a bit belated, to one
whose passing, I feel, should not go un-noted.
Reverend Father Arnold R. L. Tuitt passed away quietly in Nevis on Wednesday October
2nd 1996 and was buried here at St. John's Anglican Church on Sunday 6th October.
Born on March 9th 1924, Fr. Tuitt completed his studies at the Montserrat Secondary
School and later was employed by the Sanitation Department working both here in
Montserrat and Antigua during which time he had taken ill and had to be hospitalized for
quite some time. He also worked at the then G.M.D. (Government Marketing
Department) and finally ended his Civil Service Career at the Audit Department.
He soon became more involved in the work of the church and after studying at Codrington
College, was ordained a Priest on October 18th 1980. He was attached to the Parish of
St. Anthony with St. Patrick where he served for several years before being transferred to
St. George's Parish and later to St. Peter with St. James and St. John. He was the
assistant Priest of St. Anthony when the Guild of St. Luke was founded in 1980 and
remained the Chaplain until about two years ago when he retired because of ill health. He
was also at one time Chairman of the Montserrat Christian Church.
Fr. Tuitt had always been a lover of sports. I can remember him pictured with M.S.S.
Cricket Team. On Sports, Mr.D.R.V. Edwards had this to say;
"Arnold Tuitt was extremely keen on sports in general but particularly in cricket and
football.
He attended cricket and football matches regularly and had a good knowledge of both
games. Cricket was the game he loved most, however, and apart from being a keen
spectator, he was a scorer, writer and commentator.
He mastered the art of scoring. He was accurate and able to provide statistics quickly. In
his writings, he was perceptive and objective. His rare criticism was always constructive
and educational. As a commentator, he gave listeners a true picture of what was
happening on the field of play without becoming unduly over excited by the moment.
Arnold was a student of the game of cricket, and had historical information particularly on
Montserrat, Leeward Islands and West Indies cricket at his finger tips. He encouraged
many youngsters to reach their full potential in cricket and football by his quiet, yet
perceptive observations and guidance. He was a mentor of some outstanding cricketers in
Montserrat."
Left to mourn their loss are his wife - Rose, adopted daughter - Carol, Sisters - Maggi,
Audrey and Enid, Brothers Aubrey, Victor, Stuart, Thomas and Alfred, Aunt - Beryl,
Uncle - Adolphus, many cousins, nieces, nephews, relatives and numerous friends.
May his soul rest in peace.
Ceres Gardiner

Judases on Election Day
Dear Mr Editor
Our just concluded elections was a comical affair - or rather " a comedy of errors' with all
the mudslinging, pleading for forgiveness, misrepresentations and distortions of the truth.
There were some candidates who took the credit for things that others before them had
put into place.
Very few and I mean very few candidates really addressed issues: the rest chose to resort
to name calling and the proclamation of what was not done., Precious few criticized
constructively or alluded to how they could have done better.
How many really addressed how they would have handled the ongoing volcanic crisis or
the economic status of our country? How many really discussed the plight of our
education system in this crisis? If the alert goes up from orange phase where would Cork
Hill people go?
Many of us turned into Judases on Election Day. Like he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of
silver, so too did we sell our votes for 3 bottles of Guinness. Are we trying to say that no
matter how much of the issues we discuss, no matter how capable we are of delivering the
truth, the final say rests with those who resort to buying votes?
At least there were some people who said "No, no matter how much you were offering or
spending, we still know where our loyalty lay." I only wish there were more of such
people throughout Montserrat.
Indeed some of us saw through the stand-up-comedians pretty rhetoric and managed to
get rid of most of them. Unfortunately there seem to be some left that could still fool us
or was it that there was really no better to choose from? Some already appeared to have
sold their souls to the devil, so to speak. To think that they took 48 hours of bickering
before they really made up their minds to get down to the business at hand. But as the
saying goes "What gan bad a marning ciant come good a evening" or does this one better
qualify: "It only takes one mangy sheep to spoil the whole flock"?
One more thing, Mr Editor, we should look more carefully at how people manage their
private business before we entrust them with bigger responsibilities. A chain is only as
strong as the weakest link, that is where it will break first. Now I wonder which link it
will be... only time will tell.
Not Entertained

Congratulations to Government
Mr. Editor:
Please allow some space to address or respond to some concerns coming out as it is from
the just concluded 1996 elections. First let me publicly congratulate the seven successful
candidates and in particular the Hon. CM Bertrand Osborne and his ministerial colleagues.
Now that the electorate have spoken and a government is formed I suggest we give them
a chance to govern before we right them off as some disgruntled opposition
parliamentarians are now doing. The task ahead is very challenging and each one of us in
the community is called upon to lend our assistance and put our shoulders to the wheel.
Whether we suck sweet or salt it is our country not somebody else's . The time for action
is now, rhetoric should be over with the election and let those who can't take it go home
and lick their damn wounds. Again congratulations are in order, and Government can
count on my total support. More next week.

L. E. (John) Watts

Mista Edita
Mr. Edita, Me back.
Please allow me de le spearce. Now de electiun don me hope arwe could start to
cansuntriat pan de valciano once more. Well watch a electiun , marme money me a share
lef right and centre, some say arl dem bills fu de res ou de year fan money de palititiun
dem ge dem. By de way me hear dat wan party spen more den $500.000 and dem no even
part ou de govment, well a wonda wey me me be when arl a money da ma share. Any how
de electiun done and de govment farm so we have to live wid de people choice. Dispite
how some ou are we may feel, and disaprove of de govment.We need to beg de all mihgty
to bless an guide dem. We need to ge dem wan chance to feel demself out an time to heal
an wok tings out between demself.
Mr. Edita de chief I hope, will be able to hole e team togeda an mek Monstrat proud. He
need fu fus, deel wid de valciana crisis an den, win de aproval ou de people dem. Mr Chief
Minista rememba dat plenty people gat um hard hard , no wok, no money. no privocy,no
noten are we want help an a help you a de right man.
De oder ting wey a badou me is dis ting wid de school na Cark Kill. Dem say de level ou
alert gan up to aringe so dat mek no school dey. Will wa me we like to know if de valciana
realy do sudden fu true wa dem expec de chidren dem fu do when dem huome by demself
an de pearunt dem out a wok. You no see somebady nar tink right. Becarse a aringe alert
dem jus say no school an dem no study de oder side.
Mr. Edita what ating Wednisday aftanoon wid de accident, de roard dem so small an de de
two chuck dem coulden pass an jus lec dat wan young man gan. May Lard ha mercy pan e
soul. By fu now till nex time an good luck to de new govment.

FEATURES

The Independent Thinker
“Well... The People Have Spoken"

Ah yes. It's all over. The shouting and the comedy is over. And, yes the Fat Lady has
sung. And what a song she has sung! Her song is still ringing in our ears. And long may it
ring in the ears of those hackneyed, stale, worn-out or those newly minted
Johnny-come-lately political “wanna-bees” who saw their predacious lunge for political
power evaporate as a discerning voting public resoundingly rejected them. We can do
nothing but hope that the rejection of this motley bunch of happy campers will remove the
noisy clutter from the political landscape of Montserrat forever.
Is a Post-mortem necessary in the wake of the just concluded national elections? Is it
really useful? The die has already been cast. So our twenty-twenty hindsight is at best
disingenuous.
Accommodations have been made. OUR Government has been installed. OUR Leader has
been chosen or has emerged, despite our personal celebrations and regrets. OUR
Government's only way forward now, must be to forge national unity. OUR Government
must coalesce, heal, lead, serve and do right by Montserratians. OUR Government must
be brave and honest and, today, openly temper their extravagant promises to
Montserratians. OUR Government must put things in perspective, roll up its UNITED
sleeves and get to work! OUR Government must fuse, blend, converge with one voice,
find common ground and address our many and varied needs.
The need to hold this fragile coalition together must be clear to all those who are part of
it. Montserrat needs stability and it needs it now. Take up the mantle, we beseech you,
Gentlemen and Lady and SERVE us in a manner that would take us into the 21st century
as the proud and resilient people that Montserratians have become known the world over
to be.
We seem to have for the first time, in a very long time, what could turn out to be a
vigorous Opposition. This should ensure good governance. But, Gentlemen, we beseech
you, be vigilant, but please be not reckless in your opposition. Be probative, but
steadfastly avoid acrimony and mean spiritedness in your debate. Be quizzical, but not
obtuse in your desire to find answers. Be cautious, but never rash and obstructive in your
analysis and acceptance of OUR Government's implementation of new and innovative
developmental plans. You too have a part to play in the development of our community.
Never loose sight of that. It is a crucial role. Not an antagonistic or recalcitrant one.
There is a New Breed of watchful politicians out there readying themselves for the reins of
power. They demand that OUR elected officials do right by us or find alternative
vocations.
Responsibility and Accountability must be the watchwords that we must use to take us
into the new millennium. OUR Government must be responsible and be held accountable
for their actions. So too must be our Opposition Members and Civil Service. For too long
it has been said that our unwieldy Civil Service Bureaucracy cannot be checked. We
expect OUR newly installed Government to not only check but remove, transfer or retire
all those Civil Servants who fail to understand their roles are that of implementers of the
Political Directorate's will and not "Champions of the Status Quo". The success of this
Government's ability to adequately serve the people must be the acceptance of change,
flexibility, and the will to continue to try new and innovative methods to bring the
developmental process back on track. There is no tried and true blue print to properly
manage this crisis. Civil Servants who can not fit into or accept this new paradigm must be
allowed to make alternative employment arrangements. We can no longer sanction nor
tolerate wayward technicians or control freaks who appear to have been given a mandate
by some "It-has-always-been-done-that-way God" or who have given themselves their
own mandates. All bureaucracies are pyramidical.
If Senior Civil Servants are clearly obstructive and inflexible, then they too must be held
accountable and be penalised for holding up the development process.
But not only must we demand that our elected officials and Civil Servants be responsible
and accountable, we must demand the same from every member of our community. So
when our news reporters and broadcasters, who inform the world of the goings on in
Montserrat, are clearly guilty of violating the trust we put in them by delivering
misdirected, clearly incorrect and totally irresponsible news items of volcanic activity and
funds mismanagement, we must deny them the opportunity of doing so a second time.
Each of us is responsible for our actions and must accept of the consequences and
penalties where they become necessary.
Even our non-resident expert, 'cum volcanologist', 'cum political pundit' must accept the
consequences of the fear and confusion that is being caused by unfounded and wild
rhetoric. Every action causes a reaction and it is not a reasonable man or woman who
spews notions of impending volcanic doom at the citizenry of his or her country. There is
sufficient stress just living with what we know to be factual about the present situation
without adding to our discomforts.
What we expect from OUR new Government is easy to articulate. We want housing. We
want jobs. We want schools. We want comfort. We cannot expect these things overnight.
But we want OUR new Government to do it in the shortest possible time. We will support
OUR new Government in their efforts but we will expect the same accountability,
transparency and involvement we expected of the last Government. We do not expect
OUR Government to exclude any person or group of persons from participating in the
fruits of their labour. We do not expect OUR Government to service only their
constituencies. OUR Government is there to serve us all. We demand that of OUR
Government. Nothing less is acceptable.
This is a new time! We must all acknowledge that we are all in this together.
So come on Montserratians. Get on board the program!

We need Real Democracy By Peter B. White
Our recent elections have demonstrated once again that we have a system that pretends to
be democratic but is far from being so in reality.
At this writing it is being said (yet to be officially announced) that the new government
will consist of B. Osborne, R. Meade, R. Weekes and A. Tuitt. If this is in fact the case it
means that the candidates with the most popular votes have been left out of the
government.
If all the contestants were ranked in order of the votes received those forming the
government would be ranked 5th, 6th, 7th and 11th. The representatives left out of the
government rank one, two and three respectively.
Is this the result that the people expect from the electoral process?
The government headed by Rueben Meade was decisively rejected at the polls. That party
received a mere 19.2 % of the votes cast on election day. Further that party as a whole
received the most votes in only one polling division in the election island wide. Only one
candidate from the ruling party was elected and that candidate did not even receive a
majority in his constituency. Yet that candidate is now a member of the government. One
candidate who did not gain a seat, received more votes than any of the group that make up
the new government.
I ask again, is this the kind of results that the people expect from the process?
We need a system that reflects the desires of the people who make up the electorate of this
country.
On election day many people who wanted to vote were denied the right to do so because
their name did not appear on the voters list. It was said that every one had the opportunity
to ensure that their names were on the register at the time set for updating the list.
However, the last exercise for updating the register apparently took place in two parts,
one just prior to the last evacuation and the second part just prior to the elections. It was
said that people overseas whose names appeared on the list just prior to the evacuation
could vote, and many journeyed here to do so. But many names which appeared on the list
prior to the evacuation did not appear on the list made ready for the election. Many of the
people whose names were left off the most recent list have not left the island. There
should be no excuse for anyone to have their names removed from the list without a
legitimate reason, and that could only be that they are no longer eligible to vote as set out
in the law. If there was a clerical error mechanisms should be in place to correct that error
on the spot and allow the individual to vote.
Again I need to ask, if this is the kind of result we wish to see from the electoral process?
We need to change the system of government to make it responsive to the wishes of the
people and to make the representatives who are elected by the people accountable to the
people.
We need a system of government that is empowered to make the decisions that affect us
as Montserratians in our best interest as we see it and not as others dictate.
We want a system that is responsive to the people and not the Governor. We need a Chief
Executive that is decided upon by the people and accountable to the people; in other
words, we need real democracy.

SPORTS

W.I. vs India Touring Fixtures
FEBRUARY

24 Arrive in Jamicia

MARCH

Feb. 28- 3 4-day match Jamicia
6-10 1st Test Jamicia
14-18 2nd Test Trinidad
22-24 3-day match Barbados
27-

Apr 1 (28) 3rd TEST Barbados

APRIL

4-8 4th TEST ANTIGUA
11-14 4-day match Guyana
17-21 5th TEST Guyana
24 Practice Match Trinidad
26 1st ODI Trinidad
26 2nd ODI Trinidad
30 3rd ODI St. Vincent
May 3 4th ODI Barbados
ODI - One Day International

JUS’ WONDERIN’
Jus wonderin if it is true that the Indian business community is upset with the outcome of
our local election.
Jus wonderin if one of the said Indian made sure, that everyone in the election station
where he went to cast his x know that he was voting for a particular politician, and had to
be informed that he was in the wrong station. And wonder if they know about something
that the local people do not.
Jus wonderin if as one politician said "Montserrat people memory short and them belly
long" is true.
Jus wonderin if the festival man was really acting like Father Christmas in November the
day of elections in Lees and Gages with thousand of dollars for one party.
Jus wonderin if the Almighty had a big hand in our election this time around, a man ran for
the office of Chief Minister twice and did not even come close, but without trying this time
it was just handed to him. And can't help wonderin if the great and mighty ones where
humbled as the good book said.
Jus wonderin if some civil servants are now shaking in their boots because they were
always rude and abusive to persons who are now in government.
Jus wonderin what the Ministry of education expect the school children in Cork Hill to do
now they are home all alone and their parents are at work if the volcano give us a big one
again.
Jus wonderin if the housing condition could be improved but the owners of the property
are refusing to allow it to be used.
Jus wonderin how come one radio announcer must work until 10: PM. and 5: am the next
morning every day.
Jus wonderin why persons are always turned away from the Post Office despite where
they are coming from if the post man is not in.
Jus wonderin why one of the politicians actually left the country before the result of the
election was announced.

Advertisements:

Job Vacancy
JOB VACANCY
Cable & Wireless wishes to recruit a suitably qualified Montserratian to fill the post of:
ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN
The Position
The job holder will be responsible for the maintenance and installation of all mechanical
equipment and electrical installations. This includes preventative maintenance as well as
the usual day to day maintenance and trouble shooting activities.
QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate must hold a City and Guilds certificate, or similar, in Electrical
Engineering as well as an Electrical Wiring Contractor or Electrical Wireman license.
Candidates should be technically able, with good basic mechanical skills and the ability to
work on their own initiative.
THE INDIVIDUAL
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate systematic trouble shooting skills,
have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to work calmly and efficiently under
pressure.
Please address all Cvs to:-
Human Resources Executive
Cable and Wirless (West Indies) Limited
P O Box 219
Sweeney's St.John's
Montserrat
To reach no later than 29th November, 1996.

Forward all Questions, Comments and Suggestions to: roachb@candw.ag

This sample site was created by West Computer Works. Please read Disclaimer.

Reporter Home Page