BRADES, Montserrat, CMC – Reuben T. Meade was sworn into office as the new premier of Montserrat less than nine months after coming out of retirement and leading his newly formed United Alliance (UA) to victory in the general election on Thursday.
“We no longer have supporters. This is not United Alliance versus the rest. This is Montserrat versus the rest, and we will work together to make this country develop to its full potential for us, our children, and grandchildren,” Meade said soon after he was sworn into office by Governor Sarah Tucker.
Meade, 70, who served as the island’s first premier between 2010 and 2014 and as chief minister of this British overseas territory on two occasions between 1991 and 2010, promised an inclusive administration.
“We promise you to be a government of the people—your government. You will never hear us say my government. It is your government. We pledge to serve you honestly and with compassion,” he said.
He said part of his job will be to continue training the UA members as they grow in their political lives.
“I am extremely proud of their development over the past six months,” he said, adding that he is confident “they are ready to serve you, the people.
“Consequently, we will have a rotating deputy premier, allowing each of them to gather the experience they need to serve you, the people of Montserrat,” he said.
Veronica Dorsette Hector, the Minister of Infrastructure, Labour, Transport, Energy, and Ecclesiastical Affairs, was the first person to be sworn in as Deputy Premier.
The UA won five of the nine seats in the Legislative Assembly, followed by the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), which had three seats, and the outgoing Movement for Change and Prosperity (CMAP), which won one seat. Two other uncontested seats that of the Attorney General and the Financial Secretary, will make up the 11-member Legislative Assembly
Meade told the ceremony that the government is about growth and development and that “we don’t want to be speaking to you; we want you also to be speaking with us.”
He said the government’s first task will be preparing for the annual budget, telling public servants present at the ceremony, “We have a lot of work to do.
“We are at the beginning of a budget cycle, and we must prepare ourselves for that budget cycle. So starting on Monday, my colleagues and I will be visiting every ministry together,” he said, adding this will be followed by a meeting with all senior public servants in a retreat on Tuesday “for us to be able to go over whatever plans and policies that are in place…
“We will be working as a team, not just the Cabinet colleagues, but you, the civil servants,” he added.
Earlier, Governor Ticker told Meade and the other UA members that the people of Montserrat had elected them as their government, “and I look forward to working with you and supporting you for the continued betterment of Montserrat.”
She told Paul Lewis, who was sworn in as Opposition Leader, that he, too, had been elected by the people and that he should take forward his role for the betterment of the volcano-ravaged island.
“Congratulations to all the candidates who put themselves forward and ran tough campaigns. It is a credit to Montserrat that so many people have so much passion for the island and its people that they are willing to step forward and stand for election to lead and support the country,” she added.
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