Maiden Speech of Premier Donaldson Romeo: Stepping Out On The Road To A Fresh Start

Mr Speaker, Protocol already well established, I am happy to speak today September 8, 2014 in our Legislative Assembly as Premier.

I must, first, Thank God for the honor, and the privilege to have been elected Premier. In fact my colleagues pointed out to me the other day that I have made history by being the first elected Premier on Montserrat.

My colleagues and I have accepted the overwhelming mandate of the people of Montserrat. Already we have begun to make a Fresh Start.

Before going on, we must also thank those in charge for managing the election process so well.

I must certainly thank all of the supporters and voters at home and abroad who rallied around us day and night. Thanks to our caucus and inner circle who shared in our struggles and now in our success and challenges. I dare not mention names today as I intend to do so thoroughly and carefully. That will take much time on its own. Thanks to those who prayed day and night for years for change and the good of Montserrat.

As a new Government, we are humbled by the support that we have received since the general election, from people from all walks of life across Montserrat and beyond.

I must express particular thanks for the welcome and well wishes we have received from Her Majesty's Government, starting with the new DfID Minister, the Right Honourable Desmond Swayne. I look forward to meeting with the FCO Minister for Overseas Territories, the Right Honourable James Duddridge, who visits our island tomorrow.

I also welcome my colleagues on the opposite side of this honourable House. You, too, have received a democratic mandate from the people of Montserrat as representatives of all of our people and I invite you to join with us in a partnership of good government as we continue our national journey together under God, a journey towards

A healthy and wholesome Montserrat,
founded upon a thriving modern economy
with a friendly, vibrant community,
in which all our people
through enterprise and initiative,
can fulfill their hopes
in a truly democratic and God-fearing society.

And so, we must now turn to the focus for the next five years: “Putting People First – a fresh start.”

Our aim is a simple one. We believe in a brighter future for Montserratians at home and abroad. It requires acting wisely to bring this vision to reality. As I recently wrote to the DfID Minister, we intend

to pursue a path of sustainable development, private sector led growth, inclusive prosperity and economic self-sufficiency, in partnership with HMG/DfID. For, as DfID's Overseas Territories Dept operational plan 2011 – 2015 notes, HMG acting through DfID, of necessity, is our principal aid and development partner.

Let me therefore briefly share with this Honourable House and our whole nation, some of the first steps we are taking on the road to “a fresh start.”

First, in just a few weeks several good citizens have approached me with different concerns and ideas, but the same goal---How to participate in making Montserrat both prosperous and self-sufficient. Thank you, and we welcome more ideas.

As our Manifesto said, we will introduce several plans that aim at building our united Team-Montserrat spirit and empowering our economy. These include:

• Joining with DIFD to fix our roads, repair and build safe houses, and solve the sea-port and airport challenges
• Jobs that put people back to work and help to kick-start our economy
• Setting up active Village Councils, to improve life in our communities
• Opportunities for our Youth to be engaged in good recreational and business-creating activities
• Dealing with unreasonable burdens on our private sector, native and Caribbean brothers and sisters living and working among us
• reviewing and reducing excessive charges for duties and government services
• Negotiating a better deal for Civil Servants, the elderly and vulnerable
• New Digital/ICT industries and
• Developing Geothermal Energy and other renewable and alternative energy opportunities

We are in discussions with several regional and international investors and companies who wish to help start new businesses here. We welcome these and other new possibilities for business as long as they help us provide good jobs, growth that includes us all and development that results in benefits for our whole community.

This is the only way forward hand in hand with British Taxpayers in ensuring that we in Montserrat become self-sufficient economically, while establishing British-level standards for education, health services and support for the vulnerable and needy.

The British government and people want us to be a successful, prosperous self-sustaining community, and one that cares adequately for all of our people. They want us to present and implement a plan of action for development that is sound, progressive, innovative and sustainable. Which is exactly what we also wish to do.

For example, if we had properly dealt with our ACCESS challenge ten or twelve years ago— especially through a Proper Sea-Port and a Decent Airport 6 years ago‚Äì we would have long since unleashed our private sector led economy and we would be well on our way to prosperity and self-sufficiency.

So, let’s seize the opportunity now to correct the miss-steps of the past and work together towards a livable present and a prosperous future.

Second, I see as a big task for my job as Premier as calling together our people from ALL quarters of the Diaspora and within Montserrat, to unite around our vision of creating wealth and well-being for all citizens and residents. I therefore will build on the right relationships locally, regionally and internationally, to inspire our people to lobby the British Government to do for Montserrat what it did for St. Helena. Access must come first, and we are not going to solve the access problem unless we all pull together as members of Team Montserrat.

Third, we cannot sit idly by while some of our people sit hurting in needless pain and suffering.

This means that we will conduct the people’s business on the table not under the table, and that we must reach out to and help those who have fallen between the cracks. Because, ALL means ALL. By God’s grace therefore intend to keep our hearts and consciences in the right place so that our action will bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people. For example:

Case I--- Single unemployed Mother, who could not provide her child with food to go to school. She insisted that all she wanted was a job and not handouts.

Case II--- Civil Servant on a monthly salary of $1600 dollars but can’t make ends meet. After paying $500 monthly for child support, $200 plus in rent to government, his utilities and phone bills he is left with as little as $800 or so to eat and live on.

Case III—Retiree living alone who wants to work, receives $400 plus monthly in social security payments, has little or no savings, but is turned down for additional support from government‚Äôs social welfare department because she had grown children who are working.

Case IV—Man and his wife who recently returned from London, living in a one bedroom home without the benefits of the social welfare system he enjoyed in Britain, and now wants to move back.

Case V --- Then I spoke to a lady in the private sector, who for ten years has been working for as little as $1200 per month with no increase in salary.

So bearing in mind that a DfID funded consultant recommended that it would take a minimum of $1400 per month to properly feed an adult and bearing in mind that inflation has gone up by 25% in the past eight years with no increase in salaries, and with the lack of unemployment opportunities, working civil servants, unemployed and underemployed single mothers and fathers, the aged and infirm are all struggling to simply feed themselves.

All these cases suggest that more than ever, the PDM government needs to have a fresh partnership with DfID. As I have repeatedly said to our DfID and FCO partners over the past two weeks, on Montserrat we have no unemployment benefits like they do in England. So what we must do is provide work; constant work for our people. We must build roads as well as the needed hundreds of houses as soon as possible. We must get our sea port built and our airport fixed as soon as possible. We must educate, prepare and keep our youth so that they will own and take over this land.

All of this can be done once we join hands with HMG in partnership, like never before. We must approach this partnership with the view that it must be Success Proof and Failure Impossible.

It is time for Team Montserrat to get to work. And so, Mr Speaker, May God bless each and every one of us, and Montserrat as we roll up our sleeves and get to work.