Joseph Picklesworth
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
In my previous article in this esteemed journal I asked a question. It is I feel, the BIG question on Montserrat in political circles, “Who really runs Montserrat?"
After careful analysis, the conclusion is the Powerful Businessmen. These characters move silently behind the scenes pushing, moulding, nudging influencing the Politicians and the Premier to do their bidding. They are even evident in the PDM and other opposition camps in the run up to elections.
This dark side of politics is reminiscent of many other countries; be it the UK, USA, Canada or almost any developed location. The Caribbean does however have a larger underbelly of corruption than most, and no matter how much we try to hide this fact, in our little island paradise it is still evident.
In fact it is becoming more important to realise this evidence as we redevelop. To acknowledge this overriding influence it is appearing in our everyday lives as we speak. The politicians are influenced by those who can promote their activities and ensure they get re-elected. The opposition are being influenced by those who want a better deal in the hope they can be elected.
I have even influenced persons to do as I please for my own benefit. It is part and parcel of everyday life. But, right now, in Montserrat, there is a much larger influence being alluded to.
This desire for Power and Control through influence is driven in parallel by the most part for the desire for financial benefits by the recipients. I will not venture into the religious aspects of financial gain and the potential root of all evil, that is for the Ministers on a Sunday morning. In this case I’m talking about financial benefits derived from our redevelopment.
Montserrat is at a low point in our history. We are struggling to redevelop. Look out of the window and it is apparent that we are on the whole living temporarily. Some of our houses are incomplete, our amenities are more so non-existent and our services lacklustre. We need the kick-start to move forwards.
The one thing we crave more than anything is investment; either foreign, local or diaspora. This in turn will change our education, healthcare, provide more jobs. The list goes on.
But at what price do we sell this investment for?
This week, we were visited by a group of Dubai Investors. They met with the Premier and Chairman of the MDC. They were seen on site talking to the Project Team. They were shuttled around in the State Car. The Premier and Chairman of the MDC have taken a trip to Antigua today to strike a deal with them for the development of the first Block in the New Town development. This visit is the culmination of a long negotiation process with visits to Dubai, return visits to Montserrat and a building of trust between the parties.
Is it naive to think that the deal has not already been discussed in great detail prior to this visit? Therefore, what does this mean for Montserrat? What is the detail behind the deal?
Congratulations to the Team
Let me start by congratulating both Premier Meade and the MDC for arriving at the stage where a deal is being brokered. We should not fool ourselves that this conclusion would not have been reached without long deliberations. Investors are not going to take one look at Montserrat and decide it is the place to invest. Both parties will have done their homework on the other and decided this is a good deal.
Perfect Timing
The timing of this deal is also very convenient and cannot have been any better for Premier Meade and MCAP. To be signing a multimillion dollar investment only weeks before the election is a coup. He has left the other candidates in his wake and can look back on them with a smirk.
Influential Discussions
Aha! The real crux of the matter, how influential are the investors and how much has Premier Meade had to give up to allow this deal to be signed taking into account the almost perfect timing of the deal.
Or.
How much power and influence has premier Meade over the Investors in controlling their investment to only coincide with his Party remaining in power?
As of yet Premier Meade, although asked repeatedly, will not give out details of his thought process with the Investors. To me this says one of three things:
1 – He is not prepared to divulge everything that he has given away to broker the deal so timely.
2 – He has not actually arrived at a deal and is just posturing before the election to win votes for timing.
3 – The Investors are only willing to continue the investment if stability in Government allows the current MCAP Party to remain in power.
In each of these scenarios influence and power is being placed at the feet of one of the parties.
The larger picture, however, shows a different type of influence, that of the Investor over an entire country. Should we in Montserrat be influenced by talk of an investment? Is this the only investor who is coming to the fore? Are we being subjected to feel that we must accept the first investor to come along and therefore vote MCAP to ensure we achieve it?
We cannot make a decision as we do NOT know what is in the deal for Montserrat.
In my humble opinion, if we have to give up land and income to develop buildings for the sake of development then we are not doing the correct thing.
However:
IF we are brokering a deal with the relevant clauses to ensure the construction is undertaken by Montserratians and
IF this money is pumped back into the Montserrat economy and
IF this construction is being delivered in a similar way to similar projects allowing small contractors to have a piece of the pie and
IF this is the first stage of a larger development plan with the same investor and
IF the project allows Montserratians to return and resettle and
IF we can grow a sustainable future from this one acorn
Only then will this be the right deal for Montserrat!
