the montserrat reporter- 21 december 2012

Friday, December 21, 2012 g

as new Deputy Governor

Price $2.00Vol. XXVII No. 30

Today’s Scripture[Mary] wrapped [the

baby] in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. -Luke 2:7 (NIV)CHRISTMAS EDITION - 2012

Alric Taylor sworn in

More flashbacks...pgs 10 & 11

Flashbacks start on page 2

Obituary - Mary White...pg 14

Festival 50 gets underway...pgs 8 & 9

Kids’ Korner...pg 12

Police Harassment letter...pg 4

Donaldson Romeo Christmas message...pg 5

Financial Workshop to make partners...pg 13

More Headlines...

cont’d. on page 3

Alrick C. E. Taylor, on September 28, 2012 was an-nounced as the new Deputy Governor to replace Mrs. Sarita Francis who demitted offi ce of the end of October. Mr. Jim Tay-lor, as he is more affectionately known was due to take offi ce early in November and was sworn in to the honourable post at the Montserrat Cultural Cen-ter on November 21, 2012.

Both the Governor and the

new Deputy in their respective addresses spoke on what they considered to be the main focus of his responsibilities, following Taylor’s swearing on oath his allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen and her subjects.

In his opening the Governor after congratulating Taylor immediately addressed what was the theme of both their addresses, the subject of public service reform, competence and

effi ciency. Mr. Davis began by expressing the desire, ‘looking forward to working with Mr. Taylor especially on the agenda of public sector reform.’ He referred to the government’s vision to have a situation where 50% of the growth domestic progarth will be provided by the private sector by 2020. This he said is a clear vision which we’re working towards: “…it’s a clear vision and it’s a clear

long term outburst and focus goal which I think should provide within the public service the sense of ambition and the sense of direction…I think that the competences we want to see in the Public Sector are excellent leadership at all levels which imparts a feeling of direction, ambition, and urgency and fo-cuses on what matters most.”

Friday, December 21, 2012

wishes to thank its valued customers for their suppor t in 2012. We look forward to serving you in the upcoming year.

H ave a j oyo u s C h r i s t m a s a n d a healthy and prosperous New Year

The Management and Staff

Emerald Sports and GamesThe Management & Staff of

KARISHMA’Swould like to thank their

customers for their patronage in 2012

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year

TERRITORY OF MONTSERRATHIGH COURT OF JUSTICE

A.D. 2012LEGAL NOTICE

In the Estate RUPERT OLIVER deceasedNOTICE is hereby given that after the expiration of fourteen (14) days from the date hereof application will be made in the Registry of the High Court for a Grant of Probate to the estate of RUPERT OLIVER who died on the 25th.February 2001 be granted to HOWARD FERGUS Executor of the deceased.

ALL persons claiming to be benefi cially interested therein are requested forthwith to send particulars thereof to the undersigned.

FURTHER any person objecting to the issuance of Letters of Administration to the Applicant should notify the Registrar of the High Court ,Brades Montserrat not later than fourteen (14) days from the date of this notice.

Dated this 17th day of December, 2012

Hogarth SergeantSolicitor for the Applicant



In the Estate MILICENT LINDSEY deceasedNOTICE is hereby given that after the expiration of fourteen (14) days from the date hereof Application will be made in the Registry of the High Court for Letters of Administration to the estate of MILLICENT LINDSEY who died on the 22nd. March 1996 be granted to MARY LINDSEY daughter of the deceased.


FURTHER any person objecting to the issuance of Letters of Administration to the Applicant should notify the Registrar of the High Court, Brades Montserrat not later than fourteen (14) days from the date of this notice.



FLASHBACKSIncident of arrest at drummonds leaves two police offi ers off-duty

One Sergeant charged in the ongo-ing police misconduct investigation

Two senior rank-ing police offi cers of the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) are sus-pended, one on suspension and the more senior on compulsory leave pending further investigation into alleged misconduct.

According to a release from Government House the Governor’s actions arose out of the conduct of, “an extensive internal investigation into allega-tions of police misconduct during and following the arrests of George Leon-ard and George Farrell on the morning of 17th December 2011 at Drum-monds.”

Other informed and reliable sources have in-

formed that the alleged misconduct continued in the vicinity of Police Headquarters at Brades, where other senior offi cers had to restrain one of the offi cers.

The release informed that, “The Governor has decided that in addition to the very comprehensive internal investigation un-dertaken to date, he should activate the provisions of a co-operation agreement on reciprocal law enforce-ment assistance between the Caribbean Overseas Territories.”

As a result beginning early next week law en-forcement officers from the Bermuda and Cayman police services to come to

Montserrat to assist in the on-going investigation under the command and direction of Deputy Com-missioner Paul Morris.

Following this they will, “present their fi ndings to the Director of Public Prosecutions through the Governor.”

Other credible and in-formed sources have also revealed that there may be more action and probably criminal charges brought against others who have been implicated in alleged wrong doing in connection with the incident.

The Governor has undertaken to. ”keep the general public informed of relevant developments as they occur.

R e p o r t s a n d sources have ind i -cated that Sgt. Ottley Laborde of the Royal Montserrat Police Ser-vice (RMPS) will face charges of wounding, assault occasioning bodily harm, disorderly conduct and threaten-ing language. These charges arise out of the incident previous-ly reported where H. E. Governor Adrian Davis initiated a full scale investigation in police misconduct.

There were two officers who were im-mediately suspended and put on compul-sory leave following internal police inves-

tigations into alleged a b u s e o f G e o r g e Leonard and George Farrell on the morn-ing of December 17, 2011 at Drummonds, following their arrests by the police.

The Governor or-dered the matter fully investigated and in-voked arrangements between the Overseas Terr i tor ies whereby Montserrat can call on the assistance of oth-er OT police services. Six (6) police officers from the Bermuda and Cayman Islands Royal Pol ice Services ar-rived on Monday last week and the charges were reportedly as

a direct result of the further investigations, which the Governor said were also ordered to ensure ‘transpar-ency.’

One o the r o f f i -cer Super intendent Charles Thompson re-mains on leave as the investigations are said to be continuing. And last week the Gover-nor had indicated that it was possible that there could be other persons implicated in matters arising out of the Drummonds ar-rest incident. Reports ind icated a lso that civilians had in ways conducted themselves inappropriately.


cont’d. from page 1

Mr. Taylor in his brief response after acknowledging the support he had and reveal-ing that indeed he was a late entrant in applying for the post, admitted that it was done on suggestion from others. “…my family, my friends, my neigh-bors, and all the many persons here at home and abroad who behind the scene encourage me into applying for this job,” he revealed, adding that he was referred to as Deputy Governor even before he was selected.

He added: “after hearing of my success they called to extend their kindness, warm congratulations and to offer expressions of confi dence…”

He spoke on his main fo-cus, which would be on improv-ing and protecting the values of the public service. “Todays swearing in ceremony is a deliberately symbolic occasion, the intention which is to give a physical presence to what is essentially the solemn com-mitment which I have taken before you, to seek to improve the public service and to uphold high standards of probity and good governance, as well as my promise to protect the values of the public service,” he said.

The new Deputy Gover-nor is a retired career public servant served as a Permanent Secretary in two ministries, as Montserrat Secondary school principal and later serving in a

consultancy capacity in coor-dinating late discussions and collating responses on the 2010 Constitution, and Advisor to the Constitution and Commissions Secretariat.

The swearing in ceremony was held in the presence of a small and mixed audience with a head table that included his wife Genevieve, H E Governor Davis and his wife Sujue, and Fr. Carlysle Vyphius, who opened the ceremony with prayers.

The audience included some of his children, Mrs. Ca-mille Gerald who sang a national and song accompanied, by Cecil Cepeke Lake, members of the Legislative Assembly, Sir Howard Fergus for many years, former deputy governor and acting governor, while he

was speaker of the Legislature and after. The event concluded following the brief ceremony with cocktail and light refreshments.Upon reading about his appointment as Deputy Governor, one of the comments posted under

the story online at www.themontserratreporter.com stated: “May your contribution to the welfare of Montserrat be progressive!”

new Deputy Governor



A Child Is Born[Mary] wrapped [the baby] in

cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. -Luke 2:7 (NIV)

IN an overcrowded train, dark and dirty beyond imagination, lay a woman in labor. Since I am a medical professional, I could help. I managed to reach the woman. In a moment of silence, I prayed for help and guidance in what seemed an impossible situation. The baby was in breech; the mother was young and frail. The space around me was almost too small for me to move in it. But in a few minutes, a baby was born. What a joy! Everyone in the coach chanted with joy in the African manner of celebrating the birth of a child.

On the night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Mary “wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room in the inn.” When Jesus was born, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angels to praise God. The birth of this child was good news for the whole world.

Christmas invites us to let Jesus be born in our lives. Then every day God will give us life, joy, and peace.

Charlotte Mande Kasongo-Lenge (Cape Town, South Africa)

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the life of your son and our king, Jesus Christ. Thank you, Immanuel, for the joy and peace you give us. Amen.

Our Scripture Verse TodayOur Scripture Verse Today

Letters/OpinionPolice Harassment

Published by: Montserrat Printing & Publishing, Inc. - Editor: Bennette Roach - Offi ce: Davy Hill, Mailing Address: P.O. Box 306, Davy Hill, Montserrat, W.I.Typeset and Printed by Montserrat Printing & Publishing, Inc. - [email protected]. (664) 491-4715 Fax: (664) 491-2430 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] - Web Site: http://www.themontserratreporter.com

The Montserrat Reporter

4th December 2012

Irnran JamesBaker HillEmail: [email protected]

Hon PremierMr. Reuben MeadeOffi ce of the PremierGovernment Headquarters BradesMontserrat.

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to you to report that I am tired of being harassed and abused by the Police Offi cers of the Royal Montserrat Police Service mostly every night.

I am being searched and during that time I am getting bad treatment, including slammed to the ground, hand cuffed and being carried to the station where I am locked up. Every time they search me they have found nothing on me, nor did I commit any crime.

My human rights are being violated too many times. The last time the police searched me, I was beaten and slapped to the face. I do not think that is right. As such I am asking you to please look into this matter as I feel something needs to be done about this corruption.

Sincerely Imran James

Cc: Hon Members of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly Bcc: Montserrat Reporter and Radio Montserrat

Season’s Greetings from Montserrat Printing &

Publishing, Inc. and

The Montserrat Reporter

E D I T O R I A L

Montserrat celebrates at this time its 50th year of Festival, a festival that is sometimes called carnival, which is perhaps different because it is celebrated at Christmas time which we know is the time a ‘Christian’ country like celebrates the birth of Christ.

Over these many years, there are two events that feature along with the masquerades, troupes and cultural events and other culture activities. These two are the calypso and beauty shows in various forms, competi-tion and otherwise.

The calypso shows often draw the biggest crowd and one of the rea-son for this is possibly because of the very origin of calypso. Generally it is accepted as an art form for social commentary or celebration, or both; said to have been sung by slaves, singing often extemporaneously, using satire, poking fun at those in authority and trading insults.

Often the social commentary or even, the satirical or the poking fun or trading of insults have landed some calypsonians having to defend their meanings and intentions. Politicians are usually the perpetrators of the complaints.

This year the state of the nation or the mood and feelings of its people can always be seen through the eyes of these calypsonians, journalists, writers, commentators and preachers who reach the eyes, ears and minds of the people. De Bear, Cupid, Kenzie and others have chosen themes for their calypsos not for the fi rst time, this year addressing some ills or unacceptable situations of the country, some of which are becoming or are already untenable.

King Kenzie is a returning calypsonian, lives in the UK, and he sings: “If you expect this island to rise, we got to change this grudgeness and selfi sh minds; we got to clean up our acts and change our minds, if we expect this land to move on we need to love and accept our own, these are some words of reality…”

Meanwhile DeBear highlights some ills, noting the selfi sh minds. Cu-pid asks some questions in search for answers. The Premier speaks to the issue often and was very direct in October while speaking to some business people and members of the Small Business Association. “We as Montserratians don’t support one another, if you start a business and you are doing well it will be Montserratians who will kill your business; we tend to support others and we don’t support ourselves… until we change that attitude Montserrat is doomed to absolute failure…” he said.

He concluded the familiar words and said: “…so let us all work to-gether as a group of people who love Montserrat, want to see Montserrat prosper and grow, start collaborating with one another to ensure that you can help your neighbors business to fl ourish, because when that happens your business will also fl ourish.”

The Premier is not unaware of the perpetrators. In fact he is very close to many of them, even if he himself or any of his close alliances do not think themselves guilty. Inaction when there is awareness, or cronyism in hard economic times do nothing but worsen the problems. We should note that there are really two terms, grudgingness and selfi shness and both lead to corruption and cronyism is nothing less than corruption.

When calypsonians speak they do so often for the ordinary man and those without the voices that get heard. In Montserrat, they are succeed-ing to make the voices more silent by starving them from the resources and information they need to develop and support active civil societies. So much fear is instilled in even the public service that apathy grows more and more.

But with the calypsonians taking to song, we try to draw attention to the seriousness of their words in song, satire, fun, insults or otherwise. We then wish that the festivities be enjoyable nonetheless as much as they may not be as meaningful as few would expect. That is based on factors which will become evident in time. We hope that lessons will be learnt, because the number of visitors may not be as now, but the fact is it can be.

The very best wishes for Christmas and Festival, lessons can be learnt


Donaldson Romeo, Opposition LeaderLet us reason together, let us set things right, and let us build our common future together

Mer

ry

Chr

istm

as Wishing you peace, love, and joy this Holiday Season and a Prosperous

2013.Management & Staff

Eastern Caribbean Central Bank

Email: [email protected] As we look at the Christmas Season, and as we gather at

home, it is good that we can touch base with family and friends, and to reach out to one another. Especially because there are so many of us at home together at this time we need to refl ect together on steps to build a better tomorrow for our common home, Montserrat. The matter cannot wait.

I therefore ask for a few minutes of your time. Over the past year we have seen a series of very unusual

events that should cause us much concern: gruesome murders, a fatal plane crash and near fatal landing incident, very controversial outcomes of court hearings; plus, the very recent attack on our court buildings. At a time when Montserrat is being promoted as a peaceful and tranquil destination it is bad enough that all of these unusual and shocking incidents are taking place but what is worse is that it appears that little is being done to properly explain or remedy the various ills. We must remember that “justice must be done, and it must be seen to be done,” and the people must be involved in order to play their part in putting things right.

On top of this, after 17 long hard years of volcano crisis, more and more pressure is being placed on an already small, overburdened and heavily taxed and “tariffed” workforce. With no increase in salary to cope with the ever increasing cost of living, recent years have been particularly hard. And, if those who have stable jobs have been struggling from day to day, week to week and month to month, just imagine what the unemployed, the under-employed, the underpaid and those living on small and fi xed pensions are feeling. One can only imagine the plight of the struggling single mother, the elderly and vulnerable.

Can you imagine a single mother earning under $1,000.00 per month and having to feed, clothe one or two never mind three school going children? Can you imagine for instance a person still considered a non-established worker after being employed by the Government of Montserrat for 18 years, and earning less than $2,000.00 per month, a mere $1,600 plus dollars after tax and social security is deducted. That non-established worker has not seen a pay raise since 2002, ten years ago under the late John Osborne’s government. In those ten years the cost of living has skyrocketed: cooking gas is very high, electricity with its huge surcharge is probably the highest in the region, not to mention the ever increasing cost of food and other basic needs.

Going even further, the plight of the private sector on Montserrat is like that of a man bitten by a poisonous snake. He rushes to the doctor to save his life. But, the doctor tells him that what he needs to do is to exercise and eat right, even as he gets sicker and sicker. Exercise and proper diet is good but when a man is bitten by a poisonous snake what he needs is medicine to kill the poison. Right away, not in a year’s time. And not after seventeen years.

Now, I wish the MDC well in its efforts to creating and encouraging an enabling environment in which the private sector can be revived.

It is obvious, however, that until we have a proper sea port in place and our expensive and troubling air access is put right, cutting jobs disguised as “outsourcing” as well as increases in taxes and fees will only make matters worse. Seeking to attract investors to invest in a new town, expensive villas and other areas before having a fi rm commitment on a proper port makes little sense and is much like putting the cart before the horse. Even DfID and GoM are admitting this and both agree that until our air

and sea access is put right all investments may go no where. So, why are we rushing into outsourcing bus, cleaning and

school lunch services and raising taxes in an already half-dead economy? Why is our government forcing non-established bus drivers and cleaners into uncertainty about their future? Neither economic justifi cation or explanation as to whether the outsourcing will cost or save the GoM money has been provided. It is clear that our government has not done their Maths and parents or even the private sector may be the ones to feel the heat later on.

Why also has our government chosen to raise revenue by increased charges on essential imported goods like food, televisions or even pampers for the elderly? I guess these only makes sense if Cupid is right about the Government’s plan is to outsource the whole of Montserrat.

While we are at it, we must ensure that the ongoing exploration and development of Geothermal energy is managed in the interests of the nation and its long-term development. For instance, how is the Geothermal energy Unit going to be set up and what sort of regulatory powers will the Unit have under law? Who, we must ask, is going to own and benefi t most from Geothermal power?

So the promise of millions of dollars to be spent next year on a geothermal plant, hospital and port project may bring excitement. But we must make sure that it is not mainly the few who benefi t, while the vast majority continue to struggle. And, in rebuilding the country, we must take positive steps to bring home many of our exiled people: especially the fresh, energized and well-educated young people who are full of ideas that can make a great difference.

As our national vision says, to have a healthy economy we need to have a stable, safe and democratic society with economic opportunity for all: national, non-national, black, white, civil servant, private sector, old, young, rich and poor. This means that concerns about policing and the justice system need to be addressed for the good of both the police and the people. Concerns about air travel – especially safety -- must be respected and properly addressed. Also, we must not neglect the poor, the underemployed with small salaries or pensions who are vulnerable and hurting.

So, as we move forward in a new year with bright promises about multimillion dollar port, new town, geothermal and air access projects, let us make sure that the things we need to build up our whole society are put in place.


May the Peace and Joy of the Holiday Season be with you throughout the coming year

Season’s Greetings

Ashok’s - the most convenient one-stop shopping centre

ASH IS OK!

The Management and Staff ofAshok’s Supermarket

wish to thank their customers for their

patronage in 2012 and wish them a Merry Christmas and

a Happy New Year


Wishing all our valued customers and

friends a heartfelt Christmas Season and

a Prosperous and Bright 2013.

from the Management and Staff

Angelo’s Supermarket

REGISTERED LAND ACTSECTION 34

LOST LAND CERTIFICATES

It is notifi ed for general information that Land Certifi cates in respect of the following persons have been reported lost:-

NAME REG. SECTION/REFERENCE DATE ISSUEDJames Wilston Allen, St. Peter’s 13/13/058 February 16, 1998Administrator of the Estate of Simon Allen, deceased

Unless any objections are received within fourteen (14) days from the date of publication of this notice, replacement certifi cates will be issued.

Dated this 13th day of December, 2012.

Oscar RamjeetRegistrar of Lands (Ag)



In the Estate CATHERINE MELVINA JOHN, deceasedNOTICE is hereby given that after the expiration of fourteen (14) days from the

date hereof Application will be made in the Registry of the High Court of Justice for Grant of Probate to the estate of CATHERINE MELVINA JOHN who died on the 24th. February 1997 be granted to ALFEE ELFREDA GALLAWAY aka ALPHAGE ELFREDA GALLOWAY the Executrix named in the Will of the said CATHERINE MELVINA JOHN.


FURTHER any person objecting to the issuance of Letters of Administration to the Applicant should notify the Registrar of the High Court, Brades, Montserrat not later than fourteen (14) days from the date of this notice.



No confi dence in Pre-mier Meade

June 22, 2012By Bennette RoachThere were little or

no expressions of surprise at the announcement by the Honourable Leader of the Opposition Donaldson Romeo of the Legislative Assembly, on Thursday, June 14, 2012 that he would fi le a motion of No Confi -dence in the administration of the Honourable Premier Reuben Meade. While fi ling the motion, later updated on June 19, the opposi-tion leader who prior had been speaking out against the Premier accusing him of “one mannism” in his decision making on gov-ernment matters, called

FLASHBACKSNo confi dence in Premier Meade

for public support in light of the several decisions he said that “may have nega-tive implications for both the political and economic future of Montserrat.”

In a statement to the press, Mr. Romeo said “re-cent controversial import tariff increases, the MoU signed with the FCO and the Premier’s May 30 dec-laration in Ecuador that Montserrat is no longer a colonised country all refl ect a pattern of government de-cisions made behind closed doors, without adequate consultation with the people who have to live with the results of such decisions.”

The opposition leader said Premier Meade’s ac-tions are counter to his par-ty’s 2009 election manifesto

which “promised to move beyond “one-manism,” and said that it would facilitate “community level consulta-tions as the preferred means of involving the citizens in decision-making and governance on all matters affecting their lives.”

Mr. Romeo also chal-lenged the June 1 introduc-tion of a new Customs Tariff which he says is “riddled with problems that need to be fi xed, such as the rises in tax on medicines like Insulin for diabetics and antibiotics for people with bacterial infections.”

The revised tariff abol-ished the service tax, leav-ing only duty and a con-sumption tax on over 6000 items. The most commonly used items by the lower

income groups were to at-tract a lower banding while luxury items such as some electronic goods attracted a higher banding, according to a release from the Min-istry of Finance. However, the Honourable Opposi-tion Leader said “chicken, school exercise books and cement are necessities, not luxuries.”

Premier Meade said last week on The People’s Show on ZJB radio prior to the announcement, that the new tariff was a work in progress and people with their con-cerns should forward them to the government. Since the motion was fi led no one has heard any further utterances from Premier Meade.

Romeo pointed out that “this attempt to fi x the prob-lem after the fact simply tells us that Mr. Meade failed to adequately consult with stakeholders before releasing the 90-page tariff.

And while we are already feeling the pinch of the new tariffs, taking Montserrat off the list of overseas ter-ritories that the UK has to report to the UN year by cont’d. on page 10


Festival 50 offi cially on the way

To every member of the St. Pat-rick’s Cooperative Credit Union Ltd.

The Board, Management and Staff extends joyous Christmas Greetings. Our wish for the New Year for every member is the attainment of your dreams. Our commitment for the New Year is being with you every step of the way.

Merry Christmas

Festival 50 for some people began the night of the Calypso Eliminations when some 32 calypsonians vied to reach the semi-fi nals putting them one step closer to the prize of EC$ 15,000 and the crown. But offi-cially, Montserrat Festival 50 opened on Saturday evening with some flair and even fi reworks.

The festival opened by declaration of the Honour-able Deputy Premier Charles Kirnon who led prayers and encouraged everyone to en-joy the two weeks of shows and cultural activities but to be safe and to remember that Jesus remained the reason for the season.

The festivities included music from the Jubilee Choir, the Jubilee Dancers and the Jubilee Steel Orchestra, all three were created for the occasion and to celebrate the festival.

AS the GIU reported, “The highlight of the two-hour opening was the debut of a six-member female mas-querade group. Historically, Montserrat’s masquerade was performed by men and some-times included one female as the queen.”

The audience reacted well to this, followed later by almost 30 male masquer-aders, most under the age of 15. The Emerald Shamiole Masquerades has been work-ing for the past eight years to teach the art form to the island’s children. They have now performed around the region, US and Europe.

Reigning Soca Monarch Rondell and veteran calypso-nian Drago, provided appear-ances while the participants in the Miss Montserrat Queen Pageant, the Sunrise Produc-tions Teen Pageant and the St. John’s Action Group’s Princess Show made appear-ances on the brand new stage purchased for this year’s celebrations.

As an introduction to the improvement of failed jump ups in recents years, the event was followed by a Jump Up, welcomed by the youngsters and even children.

So far hosts for the events, ZJB’s popular radio host Basil Chambers, (Bac-chanal) Joe West and Richard Aspin who hosted Night of Pan, which took place on

Monday night. It was great with the children and the Vol-panics, with the highlight be-ing special guest performance provided by the champion Hells Gate steel orchestra from Antigua-Barbuda, re-turning once again despite the pouring rain experience of last year, which washed out their show.

There have been several day-time activities, while the news that just over 1200 visi-tors had made it to Montserrat up to the opening weekend. One such activity, Market Day, along with the MDC and Premier’s office tour promotions of developments in Montserrat designed to in-terest outside investment es-pecially from the Diaspora.

Meanwhile, seven ca-lypsonians have secured a spot in the calypso finals Tuesday night following the postponement from Friday last week, semi-fi nal round. They are Cupid, AJ, Candy, Warder, Andy, Natty, Kenzie, Rakatan, Barry J, Tabu and Iceman. They are now on one final show to walking away with the winner’s prize of fifteen thousand dollars

($15,000). They will have to compete against the reigning calypso monarch Garnet Silk Thompson on December 30, for the crown.

Wednesday night saw the least attended show

date, but acclaimed to be the best yet. This was the Junior Calypsonians Review show hosted and prepared by popular reigning Antigua calypso Monarch, Montser-ratian Keithroy "De Bear"

Morson. He showed the prog-ress achieved thus far in his effort to get a music school for the children with stress on the Montserrat cultural art forms.

On our way to press will take place the Sunrise produc-tion Teen Pageant at Festival City, followed by the Black-

Ice production at the Cultural Centre featuring in addition to local some overseas artists, hosted and promoted by in-ternational artist Montserrat’s Kulcha Don.

All signalling that the Montserrat Festival 50 show and celebration is well un-derway.


Season’s GreetingsSeason’s GreetingsWishing you all the love, peace and joy Wishing you all the love, peace and joy

the season has to offer.the season has to offer.Merry Christmas Merry Christmas

and a and a Happy New YearHappy New Year

from the Directors & Stafffrom the Directors & StaffThe Montserrat Tourist BoardThe Montserrat Tourist Board


Flashback: No confidence

FLASHBACKSInternational regulations threatening Caribbean fi nancial services sector

Creating the right climate for invest-ment - not the highest frieght rates

year on progress may make it even harder for us to get the long promised aid sup-port we need to recover from the volcano disaster. This is because HMG itself acknowledges that it is due to its UN Charter obliga-tions to report year by year that British Overseas Terri-tories have “a fi rst call” on

Britain’s aid money.The Opposition Leader,

who is an elected mem-ber of the local legislature, pointed out that in Premier Meade’s May 30th Ecuador statement to the UN Com-mittee on Decolonisation, he said that “he is “certain that the UK supports our stance.” But, at no time has he consulted with the elected representatives of

the Montserrat people, nor has he done so with the Montserrat public; just as already happened with the import tariffs. That is why the Ecuador statement and the new tariffs have pro-voked such a strong feeling that the MCAP habit of government behind closed doors has now gone too far.

Mr. Romeo is also

asking “the public to sup-port the Opposition when it raises these and related concerns through a motion of no confidence” in the next sitting of the Legisla-tive Assembly scheduled for June 26, 2012.

Romeo’s Motion asks for it to be Resolved: “That this honourable House fi nds that the Hon Premier has acted in disregard of princi-

ples of democratic account-ability and of the principle that the executive must answer to the legislature in a parliamentary democracy. That, this honourable House further fi nds that such viola-tions of principles of good government are willful, are repeated, and are harmful to the people of Montserrat and our hopes for recovery and sustainable redevelopment

after the devastating impact of the Volcano crisis. Also, since the behavior is repeat-ed, the Cabinet as a whole is knowledgeable of it. As a result, this honourable House hereby CENSURES the Premier for said action, and thereby expresses a LOSS OF CONFIDENCE in his Premiership. Thus, it has NO CONFIDENCE in the Hon Premier.


Dear Mr. Editor,Please allow me some

space to discuss an issue which is of great importance to both the Public and Pri-vate Sector. Our combined efforts are necessary if we are to reactivate our dormant economy.

With the worldwide econ-omy so bad and with Montser-rat caught up in the mix, some of us feel strongly that we should do all we could to as-sist in growing Montserrat’s economy. The projection of a 4% growth this year cannot be achieved except we all pull our weight-Public and Private sector alike.

We need to create the right climate for investment, trade and the expansion of our tourism sector. One very important ingredient in al l this is Access. A big part in this would be the acquisition of a suitable ferry capable of carrying customers in comfort as well as adequately bringing the freight between Antigua and Montserrat.

At the present time very little freight from Antigua to Montserrat is brought by the ferry. The main function of the ferry has been to trans-port passengers to and from Antigua.

So why doesn’t the ferry bring freight or even all the freight between Antigua and Montserrat? Is it because the current ferry was not designed to bring freight? Well, if that is so, that should be corrected now. We understand a new ferry is being built for Montser-rat. It would be smart for the design to take into account our

freight requirements. But that would only be

part of the equation. The ferry must also have competitive rates. The prohibitive rates that existed for some time re-sulted in almost total rejection of using the ferry for freight. Complaints about the inability of the private sector to take advantage of the ferry to get its cargo moved, resulted in a recent review of the rates.

The new rate is EC$0.25 per pound or EC $15.00 per cu.ft whichever is greater. So what does this change mean? The reduction from $ 0.50 to $0.25 means that it’s cheaper than before but still higher than any other carrier. It also means that if the ferry got any revenue at all from freight that this would now be reduced by at least half. Traders would only use the ferry if it were an emergency!

What however is dra-matical ly worse is the in-crease from EC$5 per cu.ft to EC$15.00 per cu. ft. Absolute madness! No one in their right mind would now use the ferry to bring their cargo.

A little research would reveal the following:-

R a t e p e r c u . f t . M i -ami - Montserrat US$3.80 (EC$10.32)

Rate per cu.ft. St Mar-tin - Montserrat US $2.50 (EC$6.79)

R a t e p e r c u . f t . A n -t i g u a – M o n t s e r r a t U S $1.56(EC$4.25)

R a t e p e r c u . f t . F e r -ry – Antigua – Montserrat US$5.52(EC$15.00)

A little more research re-veals that they arrived at their

per-pound figure of EC$0.25 by working it backwards from the cubic ft. rate of EC$15 thus compounding the madness.

The above figures speak for themselves. Montserrat has no interest in earning any revenue from freight on the ferry! We would be satisfied with whatever we can get by carrying passengers even if we have to heavily subsidize the operation!

What a path to economic recovery!

But no, we can’t allow things like this to happen! Whatever we do should always be in our best interest. Any and everything we do should be a net benefit to our society.

We must have a policy that coincides with the vision for Montserrat’s redevelop-ment. Then we must have a strategy for implementation and achieving the goals and objectives. And finally we must evaluate the end results and be satisfied that the end results all redound to our benefit.

So, let’s fix the rates so that we maximize the revenue earning potential of the ferry.

This would be to every-body’s benefit.

Business ManThe freight rate was on

Wednesday, July 4, finally settled as revealed by Minister Charles Kirnon, who said that following meetings with the members of Chamber of Com-merce and the Small Business Association and after discus-sions within his ministry the rates for shipping cargo on the ferry will be reduced from $10.00 per cubic foot to $5.00 per cubic foot.

Caribbean 360ST JOHN'S, Antigua, Thurs-

day, November 8, 2012 – The region has been struggling to keep up with evolving international regulations at the high cost of undermining its inter-national fi nancial services sector.

At the second meeting of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) Conference on the International Financial Services Sector in the Caribbean Region, held October 30 to 31 in Antigua, Baldwin Spencer, the Antiguan prime minister, said that while the Caribbean has been committed to developing fi nancial services in a "responsible manner and investing in their good supervision and regulation", developed countries are the ones that have dropped the "regulatory ball", to devastating ef-fect on the rest of the world.

Professor Avinash Persaud, an international expert on the fi nancial services sector and chairman of the London Business School, told the IPS that the fi nancial sector "is really quite signifi cant" in Caribbean economies.

"They represent a major part of tax revenues. Over the past 10 years they have come under tremendous pressure by the larger economies" such as those of London, Zurich, and New York, which are under fi s-cal pressure themselves with little or no tax revenues and which now want to compete with Caribbean fi nancial centres.

"They are trying to establish a set of global rules which they decide themselves and then impose on us," said Persaud. "Then they judge whether we are fi tting with those rules or not. Judge and jury. It is re-ally ad hoc and it is really designed to close down the international fi nancial centres coming from the Caribbean. It is certainly not a level playing fi eld."

Ivan Ogando Lora, the direc-

tor general of CARIFORUM, which is comprised of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc and the Dominican Republic, said recent recommendations by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regarding international standards for combating money laundering and fi nancing of terrorism, will also now pose new problems for the region.

"Compliance to international standards now seems to be the order of the day and Caribbean jurisdictions have been making strides in this regard," he said, noting however, despite the efforts, that Caribbean countries "continue to attract nega-tive attention".

CARICOM countries have al-ready developed a fi nal draft of a Financial Services Agreement that if approved by mid-2013 would create a single fi nancial space with common legislation, regulations, administra-tive procedures and practices and will also provide for cross border supervision and harmonisation of standards.

The United States, which has complained in the past of its wealthy citizens using the Caribbean to escape paying taxes, has itself introduced a range of changes to its fi nancial regulatory environment

fi nancial institutions such as retail and commercial banks as well as investment banks, securities and brokerage fi rms, private banks and wealth management fi rms that do business in the United States. Any institution doing business with US individuals and entities would have to immediately adopt procedures, processes and systems necessary for FATCA compliance.

Persaud said that this latest strategy underscores the struggle facing the Caribbean in recent years.

"They have essentially moved land and water to try and comply with the new rules and when they do so, the rules then change again and the costs are extremely burdensome. The cost for the Caribbean fi nancial centre complying with international rules is ten times as the per cent of GDP as the cost of the larger rich countries complying with the rules they have set.

"The problem is we can't abandon the sector because it is an important sector," he said, urging the Caribbean "to fi ght a better fi ght". With reporting by the IPS.

Read more: http://www.carib-bean360.com/business/632001.html#ixzz2CJjyr4gj

that regional stake-holders fear could also undermine the fi nancial services sector within CARIFORUM.

The Foreign Ac-count Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), for exam-ple, would require US tax authorities to levy a 30 percent withholding tax on both foreign and non-financial foreign institutions where new reporting requirements have not been met.

The requirements would affect traditional

Professor Avinash Persaud, an international expert on the fi nancial services sector and chairman of the London Business School. (Credit: socialist-sanddemocrats.edu)


FLASHBACKSThe Jubilee Time Capsule:

Share your Montserrat Mem-ory for the Diamond Jubiliee

Frank Ferguson is the new Director General of MCRS

Season’s Greetingsto all our many customers and friends

from the directors, management and staff of the MONTSERRAT BUILDING

SOCIETY LIMITED.Many thanks for your patronage during the year.

We offer Mortgages at affordable ratesContact us - Tel 491-2391

Director General of Montser-rat Customs and Revenue Services, Mr. Frank Ferguson

Mr. Frank Ferguson is the person who fi lls the new and reportedly much needed position, as Director General of the Montserrat Customs and Revenue Service (MCRS).

Mr. Ferguson comes with a long history of service in the field having 25 years in the British Customs Service and rising through the ranks to become the Assistant Chief of Investigation at the national level. From 1999 to 2001 he was the UK representative to the European Union as a ‘national expert’ in combating drugs traffi cking. For the past ten years he has led customs and revenue reform projects in several parts of the world including: Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Russia, Indo-nesia, Ghana and Nigeria.

Frank as he settles in tells The Montserrat Reporter (TMR), how excited and proud he is to be appointed to this position, not as a DFID appointee but on contract to the Public Service of Montser-rat. “I hope that my experience will bring to bear, maximising the effi ciency of the MCRS for the benefi t of all tax payers and the trading commu-nity,” he said.

Montserrat lost the services of a fore-runner in Peter Hen-derson who for over a year had offered ser-vice in the Government Revenue service area

and was responsible for initiating the department now known as MCRS.

Montserratians are be-ing called upon to share their memories of the past 60 years with the Jubilee Time Cap-sule.

Following the announce-ment that Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex will visit Montserrat on March 2, 2012 and the statement by His Excellency, Gover-nor Adrian Davis that “we ought to have a Montserrat beacon”, the Jubilee Time Capsule offers Montserratians the opportunity to play their part in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The Jubilee Time Cap-sule is an innovative digital Diamond Jubilee initiative

from the Royal Common-wealth Society. It is an online time capsule that will chart the 60 years of Her Majesty’s reign and will be gifted to The Queen following the Diamond Jubilee weekend in June.

As a British Overseas Territory, the Royal Common-wealth Society is very eager that Montserratians are given the opportunity to take part in the Diamond Jubilee celebra-tions and be represented in the Jubilee Time Capsule.

Perhaps you remember Elton John recording in the Montserrat Studios in the 1980s? Experienced the dev-astation of Hurricane Hugo in 1989? Or witnessed The

Princess Royal opening the island’s new airport in 2005?

Alternatively, perhaps you have a personal memory, about daily life in Montserrat that you would like to share? Whatever your memory, this is your chance to share your story with The Queen!

To take part, simply visit www.jubileetimecapsule.org, sign up, pick your date and tell your story.

The Royal Common-wealth Society is also ac-cepting offl ine contributions. Offline entries can be sent to: Jubilee Time Capsule, 25 Northumberland Avenue,

London, WC2N 5AP, UK.


Kids time - In your own korner

Mary was sitting in the sun outside her house. It was a normal day, a bit of cooking, a bit of helping around the house. She was having a few minutes rest, when suddenly an angel appeared. “Are you Mary?” he asked. “Yes, who

are you?”, the startled girl replied. “I’m an angel from God”, and I have a surprise for you. You’re going to have a baby.” Mary raised her hand to her mouth. “It would be a surprise, I’m not even married.”

The angel knew that Mary was going to marry Joseph. He explained the details. ‘Your child will be the Son of God; he will be loved throughout the world for thousands of years.’ Mary thought she was dreaming. ‘It is hard to understand,’ she said hesitantly, ‘what shall I call the baby?’ ‘His name is Jesus,’ the angel answered. ‘Now I must fly.’ And he was gone.

Mary sat for a very long time without saying anything. She thought about all the angel had said, and she prayed a nice thank you to God. ‘Jesus,’ she thought. ‘That’s a nice name.’

Mary married Joseph, and they both left for Bethlehem, where they were going to live.

They had to travel a long way, so Mary rode on a donkey while Joseph walked beside her.

They arrived in the town at nightfall, and Joseph asked if there was somewhere to stay, because his wife was going to have a baby. Someone said, ‘Try the inn, they rent out rooms.’

They walked down the quiet streets; Joseph was worried about his wife, Mary who was feeling more and more tired.

‘Here we are,’ said Joseph. He told Mary to wait outside while he went in to arrange things.

A few minutes later, a miserable Joseph came out. ‘There’s no room at the inn.’

The couple sadly left the inn, and found a stable to sleep in.

During the night Mary had her baby, and said to Joseph, ‘He shall be named Jesus,’ Joseph nodded. ‘Lovely,’ he said.

***

Not so far away, there were some shepherds looking after their sheep. The angel suddenly appeared, and the shepherds looked surprised. The angel said, ‘Don’t worry. I’ve come to tell you some happy news. The Son of God has been born in Bethlehem tonight, go and see him.’

To the amazement of the shepherds, the sky was filled with angels singing. “Glory to God, and peace to all men.”

‘Come on lads,’ said one of the

shepherds, ‘Let’s go and have a look.’They found Mary, Joseph and little Jesus just as

the angel had said, and while the sheep and cows looked on, the men all prayed to God. The baby lay asleep in a manger, with lots of warm cloths to cover him.

***In those days there was a King called Herod.

He got to hear of Jesus and was worried about it. ‘King of the Jews, eh?’ (For that is what Jesus was called) ‘I’ll give him King of the Jews. Not if I’ve got anything to do with it.’

He heard that three wise men were going to visit Jesus. They had seen a very bright star in

the night sky, and were going to follow it. They knew that it was shining right over the manger.

‘Go and find where he is,’ Herod said to the wise men. ‘I want to worship him.’ As the three men left, Herod chuckled to himself. ‘Worship him!’ he laughed. ‘Get rid of him, more like. King

of the Jews indeed. I’m King of the Jews.’

He looked out of the window and

shouted to the three wise men. ‘Hurry back, I can’t wait to worship Jesus.’

What a nasty man.The three wise men travelled at night, following

the bright star. Finally they arrived, and gave the baby Jesus lots of presents. There was gold, and frankincense and myrrh to make him smell nice.

The men worshipped Jesus, and thanked God for sending him to the world.

They were just going to go back home when God said, ‘Don’t tell Herod where Jesus is. He wants to hurt him, not worship him.’

‘Right,’ said the three wise men. ‘We’ll go back a different way.’

And they did, so Herod never found out where Jesus was.


A Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from The Directors, Management and Staff of Bank of Montserrat Limited. We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season , health, happiness and success. We thank you for your patronage and look forward to serving you.

Bank of Montserrat Ltd.YOUR BANK...YOUR FUTURE

Financial Management Workshop to make partners in a viable economy

by Bennette RoachBack in early October,

Premier the Hon. Reuben T Meade proudly declared the launch of a long awaited “Business Financing Facil-ity” (BFF) which will be operated by the MDC in collaboration with the SP-CCU.

Following this offi cial launching the BFF, Mrs.

Teresa Silcott, a qualified accountant, who had previ-ously gone to CDB for the requisite CDB training, gave an overview of a Finan-cial Management workshop (FMW), along with Mrs. Angela Greenaway. Mean-while, the Premier in a short feature address for the dual occasion told the gathering that the BFF will make avail-

able small business loans to prospective and ‘struggling’ entrepreneurs.

(See http://www.the-montserratreporter.com/small-business-financing-launched-at-mdc-and-spc-cu/) and print issue dated November 23, 2012.

The workshop has been hailed a success with twenty seven (27) staying the dis-

tance out of 38 regis-tered (for the course) small business owners completed a finan-cial management and management tech-niques course at the Grand View Bed and breakfast.

Mrs. Silcott said the course was very challenging but she was encouraged as moving forward, busi-ness in Montserrat will be done in a more professional manner.

27 persons and were presented certifi -cates at a brief closing ceremony on the last night. In brief remarks Mrs. Silcott told the graduates, “I started out with at the begin-ning for you to make a promise to stay together as a group supporting each oth-er creating synergies and looking towards a stronger economy for Montserrat.”

“We will share g o v e r n m e n t in making this economy a vi-able one,” she told her partici-pants.

equipment, we will share ideas…we will share in-ventory, whatever it takes because remember I said you are a very important part of the Montserrat economy. You are a partner with the


Obituary"Noel and Harr iet

(Sis) White of Cork Hill, now residing in the United States, announce the death of their mother Mary White of Cork Hill. Our beloved Mary passed away at age 103, on the 14th of December 2012 at theBeth Isreal Hospital, Boston Massachusetts. She was mother of Harriet John (White) and James Noel White (Dox), and adoptive mother of Abra-ham Fergus, who current-ly resides in Montserrat.

She was the grand-mother of Elvina Green-away and Leon White. She leaves nine great grandchildren and four-teen great great grand-

children. She leaves sev-eral nephews and neices including Ruel and Wil-fred Francis, John Alfred Reid, Sarah Reid White, and Irene Reid Gerald, all

currently residing in the US, and Winifred Fran-cis Udobong of London, England. Some of her many surviving cousins include Eddie Buffonge of Montserrat, and Hen-rietta and Tommy Buf-fonge in the US.

She leaves many other offspring, rela-tives and friends not mentioned here, but whom nonethe less are in our thoughts. Mary will be funeral-ized on Saturday De-

Mary White

cember 29,2012, 10.00 am. at Faith Christian Church, 301 Harvard St. Dorchester District of Boston, Massachusetts USA."

Aravin’s Supermarket491-7071

Thanks our customers for their patronage in 2012.

We wish you and the entire Montserrat community a

very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all our customers and e v e r y o n e o n Montserrat every happiness for this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

Montserrat Enterprises Limited

"No(Sis) Wnow resStatesdeath Mary WOur beloaway at14th of at theBeBoston She wasJohn (WNoel Wadoptiveham Fel id

Wishing all ourt d

Because the Goodwill of those we serve is the foundation of our success it’s a real pleasure at this Holiday time to say “Thank you” as we wish you a full year of

happiness and prosperity

The Stationery OfficeThe Stationery Office&&

Johnnie’s Mecca Fashions

Bwsthy

Always low prices


Bin Hammam throws in the towelBy Andrew Warshaw

December 17 - The most damaging scandal in the history of FIFA came to an abrupt conclu-sion today when Mohamed Bin Hammam dropped his long-running fi ght to clear his name, walking away after being banned for life by FIFA for "repeated violations" of the world governing body's code of ethics while he was head of the Asian Football Confedera-tion (AFC).

An announcement from FIFA headquarters in Zurich said the former FIFA Presidential candi-date had thrown in the towel and resigned from all football-related activities following accusations that he seriously mismanaged AFC funds for personal use.

Bin Hammam (pictured top and below) was already under suspension and had been given 45 days to respond to what is understood to be a damning fi nal report of FIFA-appointed prosecu-tor Michael Garcia into alleged malpractice at the heart of Asian football.

However, before he could answer the accusations, he was banned for life – for the second time in 18 months but on differ-

ent charges and this time by the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA's revamped Ethics Committee.

Details of Garcia's fi ndings have not been published but sources close to the case told insideworldfootball there was too much incriminatory evidence for the tireless Bin Hammam to fend off.

According to FIFA, Bin Ham-mam, who was not only a FIFA vice-president but also the most powerful man in Asian football until the bribery scandal that erupted last year, sent a resigna-tion letter to both FIFA and the AFC on December 15.

FIFA said in a statement: "Mr Mohamed Bin Hammam, FIFA Executive Committee member and AFC President, has resigned from all his positions in football with immediate effect and will never be active in organised football again.

"In view of the fact that under the new FIFA Code of Eth-ics, the FIFA Ethics Committee remains competent to render a decision even if a person resigns, the adjudicatory chamber decided to ban Mohamed Bin Hammam from all football-related activity for life.

"This life ban is based on the

ORGANISATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES

Consultancy Services

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking to procure consultancy services for the

“Oecs Juvenile Justice Reform Project Member State Legislative Review”

The Secretariat thus wishes to invite suitable individuals or firms to indicate their interest in providing the required services. Interested applicants are directed to obtain further details from the OECS website www.oecs.org or the following URL address: www.caricom.org ; www.eccaa.aero

ORGANISATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES

Consultancy Services

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking to procure consultancy services for the

“Development of Member State National Strategies Towards the Reform of the Juvenile

Justice System”

The Secretariat thus wishes to invite suitable individuals or firms to indicate their interest in providing the required services. Interested applicants are directed to obtain further details from the OECS website www.oecs.org or the following URL address: www.caricom.org ; www.eccaa.aero

fi nal report of Michael J Garcia, chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Com-mittee."

"That report showed repeat-ed violations of Article 19 (confl ict of interest) of the FIFA code of ethics, edition 2012, of Mohamed Bin Hammam during his terms as AFC President and as member of the FIFA Executive Committee in the years 2008 to 2011, which justifi ed a lifelong ban from all football-related activity."

Only recently, Garcia, FIFA's top corruption buster, dropped his investigation into the bribery case that originally snared Bin Hammam.

Garcia (pictured below) had been seeking more evidence that Bin Hammam bribed Caribbean voters during his election chal-lenge to FIFA President Sepp Blatter last year.

Bin Hammam was banned for life for that too but the sanc-tion was lifted by Court of Ar-bitration for Sport (CAS) in July even though the ruling did not pronounce him totally innocent of the charges against him.

The fresh probe was not able to uncover enough new evidence

and Garcia announced that no new charges would be brought.

But when it came to the AFC allegations, a harsher verdict was imposed by the Ethics Committee – one which Bin Hammam either would not or could not challenge, bringing an end to a long and bitter war of words between supporters and opponents of the 63-year-old Qatari.

Bin Hammam had always insisted that he had done nothing wrong and that the allegations against him were nothing more than a conspiracy orchestrated by the Blatter camp, a claim he could never prove.

When he launched his candi-dacy to oust Blatter in the spring of last year he felt he had strong chance of success given the fact that FIFA was already mired in the debacle of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup ballots.

To try to gain support, he went to Trinidad and Tobago for a meeting with Caribbean voters organised by then Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) President Jack Warner (pictured below).

It was there, infamously, that

delegates were reportedly offered $40,000 (£25,000/€30,000) in cash in brown envelopes.

Warner, FIFA's longest serv-ing vice-president, resigned from all footballing activities rather than face the music but Bin Ham-mam stayed on to fi ght.

Announcing his resignation today, he remained defi ant to the last, clearly believing he was set up with unfounded allegations from which there was ultimately no escape.

"I do not want to spend any more of my life fi ghting trumped up allegations and to focus instead on my family and businesses," he said in an emailed statement.

"However, if further allega-tions are made I will, of course, defend myself in the same way that I did in the past."

Mohamed Bin Hammam


www.themontserratreporter.com

Commissioner Foster back on job, but still under a cloud

A brief release from the Governor’s offi ce has stated Royal Montserrat Police Services (RMPS) Commissioner of Police Steve Foster, will resume duty on 19 December, with the word from the release being, “Investigations into allegations of misconduct are still ongoing but the Governor has considered that it would be unreasonable to ask the Commissioner to remain on leave for a further period.”

The Commissioner was asked to take leave on October 22, initially, by H E Governor Adrian Davis, who told him, “a complaint has been made against you alleging certain conduct which may amount to criminal behavior,” that he should proceed on leave and not try to fi nd out what the allegations were.

There was silence at the beginning, when it appeared since Foster engaged legal counsel that the manner in which he had been forced to take leave, later reported to have been planned, that somehow procedure had been compromised.

On Oct. 23 in mid-afternoon after we received this information, the Governor eventually issued a statement which said: “There have been allegations of inappropriate behavior,” against the Commis-sioner, which, “have to be properly investigated.”

One letter from the Governor to the Commissioner had also said: “If the allegations do not appear to be substantiated, you will also be advised and you may then take additional vacation leave or resume duties.”

The Governor had further advised in a statement to the media, “I am seeking the assistance of the Royal Cayman Police Service to conduct the investigation. I have asked the Commissioner to take leave while this process is ongoing. The Commissioner has not been suspended.”

Foster’s leave had expired since Dec 4 but he had not yet returned to the job. Following that on Dec 7 the Commissioner expressed both his and Foster’s anxiety for resolution so that he can better plan the use of his resources. He said that the investigation had taken place, discussions followed but there were meetings yet to be held, the Governor being away at the time.

The Ag, CoP said: “…the cause of the delay is in fact that the key stake holders involved...the attorney general , there is a requirement for the director of public prosecutions, of course the governor and different consultants including the original investiga-tors from the Cayman islands,’ the consultation takes place, …

then in essence it will be the governors decision as to the next course of action.”

The Commissioner said that he is waiting, “of course for some direction from the Governor as to what my next course of action might be as a result of any decision…”

He explained the anxiety and told the media: “… I know that on behalf of commissioner Foster he would like to see this matter expedited. I certainly need to see this matter expedited so that I can plan from a resource point of view what I need to do inter-nally because there are going to be some implications (as he was prompted) either way.

At a press conference just after the litigious ‘send home’, the new Deputy Commissioner Bradley Siddell who then became Ag.

Commissioner confi rmed that the investigation was due to take place and that the Commissioner’s absence was not affecting the Police and Fire week activities. He did say however on Oct 26, “…from an organizational point of view we will not have of direct access to CoP. That’s an additional resource that the organization relies on for leadership, so from an executive leadership level where we’ve gone from two to one, that obviously is going to impact the speed potentially at which we can deliver certain initiatives.”

The Commissioner reported to work the following Monday, but sources said he reported that the Governor had said he should take more leave, this time for an indefi nite period. There was reportedly as a result, some discomfort and uncertainty within the RMPS. Soon sources speculated that the litigious nature and moreover reported

poor procedural actions might see the CoP back on duty.

Process and ProceduresH E the Governor had been ex-

pressing concerns about processes and procedures especially where litigation could result. There is the question for the Governor whether he has been caught in the confusion of his concerns.

During his last press confer-ence he was asked to explain his concerns as expressed at the swearing ceremony of the Deputy Governor, Alrick Taylor. (See Dep-uty Governor sworn in)

The news then Commissioner Foster is back on the job, but with investigations still on-going. There was seemingly some embarrassing urgency at the beginning, but now, “it would be unreasonable to ask the Commissioner to remain on leave for a further period.”

(See fl ashback: CoP Foster on leave for allegations of inappropri-ate conduct

Governor Davis

Comissioner Foster

Deputy Commissioner Siddell

the montserrat reporter- 21 december 2012

Documents

clear vision

gas new deputy governor

alric taylor

agenda of public sector

sense of ambition

estate of rupert oliver

offi ce

private sector