Montserrat: Former Premier announces return to active politics

Former Montserrat premier, Reuben Meade, insisting that he is not “the magician who alone can fix everything”, Thursday announced his return to active politics and 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 persons would say I should stay retired among so many other things they might say. I am here to confirm that I will do what many of you have persistently 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, I have 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 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 and the now defunct National Progressive Party, 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 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 team while putting Montserrat’s progress first.

“I will be leading this new team to bring those and other 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 the members of your team?’ These talented and visionary individuals will be announced in the coming weeks and months,” he added.

Meade, an economist, said Montserrat has been lurching from crisis to crisis in recent years, telling the radio audience, “I have unrivalled experience in crisis leadership when compared to any other politician or political hopeful.” -(CMC)