BRADES, Montserrat, CMC -Former premier Reuben Meade, insisting that he is not “the magician who alone can fix everything,” Thursday announced his return to active politics. It will lead a new team into the next election, constitutionally due later this year.
Meade, 69, who served as the island’s first Premier between 2010 and 2014, said that his re-entry into active politics “has nothing to do with ego, image or legacy, but everything to do with service to the people.
“Today, I am here because I must not bury my talents out of fear. The fear that some people would say I should stay retired, among other things they might say. I will do what many of you have asked me to do. To return to active politics and use my talents in the best interest of the people of Montserrat,” Meade said in an interview broadcast on the state-owned ZJB radio.
“I have heard your impassioned pleas and meditated and prayed about it. Hence, I am returning to the political arena to lead a new team into the next election. Today, I state unequivocally that I am answering the call of many.”
Meade, who previously served as chief minister of this British Overseas Territory (BOT) on two occasions between 1991 and 2010, did not indicate whether or not he would be forming a new party to contest the polls.
Meade had previously been a member of the Movement for Change and Prosperity (MCAP) and the now-defunct National Progressive Party (NPP), and he told radio listeners, “I will not only be a candidate in the next election, but I will also lead a new team as you have asked me to do.”
He said Montserrat, still grappling with the effects of the Soufriere Hills volcano that erupted explosively between July 12-14, 2003, “has many needs right now.
“We know that the island needs visionary, creative, insightful political leadership backed by a team of competent, committed, caring people who will work as a team while putting Montserrat’s progress first.
“I will lead this new team to bring those relevant skills and attributes to the political table. The team members, like me, are being asked not to bury their talents but instead to put those talents to work in taking Montserrat forward. I know one of the first questions will be, ‘Who are your team members?’ These talented and visionary individuals will be announced in the coming weeks and months,” he added.
An economist, Meade, said Montserrat has been lurching from crisis to crisis in recent years, telling the radio audience, “I have unrivaled experience in crisis leadership compared to any other politician or political hopeful.
“That experience will help us to chart a course out of these polycrises to opportunity, sustainability, and success. Montserrat needs not only a present but a future. Montserrat needs hope and optimism; we do not need despair and pessimism,” he said, adding, “We need fresh ideas based on values that uplift us all. “
He insisted that his decision to return to active politics resulted from “many of you want me to return because you are convinced that unlike many, I have the courage, intestinal fortitude, and intellectual capacity to deal with Montserrat’s challenges competently.
“Those challenges include dealing with misguided British officials who think their job is to rule Montserrat and subjugate Montserratians. Yes, I have the courage. You know that I can look anyone in the eyes – no matter the color of those eyes – and tell them not only what is on your mind but what is on my mind while defending Montserrat’s honor and securing a brighter future for our people.”
He said Montserrat’s relationship with the United Kingdom “must mean partnership, not making us feel that we are a meaningless appendage of a dying colonial power.
“Partnership is built not only on mutual respect but empathy and understanding also. There must be no domination and obeisance dynamic in how we engage with the representatives of His Majesty’s Government.
“Overseas Country and Territory cannot mean Other Contrary standards and Treatment. Rightness and fairness have no color,” he said, quoting from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Meade said his new political team will focus on confidence, not cowardice.
“Our team will focus on comprehension and decisive leadership, not indecision and paralysis. Our team will focus on results and process, not posturing. We will help Montserratians and all Montserrat residents to improve their lives and bring hope for a brighter future. “
He told the radio audience that the people of Montserrat must know “that the volcanic crisis did not only decimate the Montserrat that existed at that time, it also diminished our options, opportunities, and prospects for development.
“Montserrat has not only lost what it had but what it could have gained. That is the reality that confronts us. And yes, it will take courage, creativity, and teamwork. It will also take time, but doing the wrong things will never get us there.
“Being incompetent in leadership, management, and teamwork will never get us there. When we fail to empower our people, we fail our people. Our new political team is committed to success, not failure,” he said, adding that the mission statement of his new team will be “to create and implement a strategy and roadmap for the sustainable development of Montserrat in which all people will have the opportunity to live wholesome, productive lives based on principles of universal love, respect, empathy, equity, self-reliance, and creativity.”
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