ZJB News Monday October 8th, 2001
Despite the wind, rain and ash scores of persons turned up at the symposium today to celebrate the centenary of W. H. Bramble’s birth.
Bramble was born on October 8, 1901.
He was Montserrat’s first Chief Minister, ruling from 1961 to 1970.
Today many speakers highlighted the contributions he made to the island as a trade unionist and a politician.
University of the West Indies lecturer Sir Howard Fergus, who has written many pieces on the national hero, said Mr. Bramble is the Montserrat man of the Century.
"Let there be no mistake. The Bramble legacy is still relevant today. Especially so because of our relapse.
- - - - ??? My book Montserrat in the twentieth century will be relaesed within a fort night it has a photograph on the cover, depicting WH Bramble and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd.
This is deliberate and symbolic. Without going into the total symbolism WHBramble is the man of the century.
This is perhaps the hightest tribute that i can pay to him." Sir Howard Fergus.
Member of Parliament Chedmond Browne, presented a paper at the symposium.
He hailed the efforts of W.H. Bramble in acquiring freedom for the people of Montserrat.
The Pan Africanist said Mr. Bramble through his dynamic leadership in 1952 won freedom for Montserratians from the estates and plantations, from political domination and freedom for children to acquire education.
"Today all that we have accomplished as a people can be attributed to that era that started in 1952 with the organised Labour Union Movement of William H Bramble.
Organised union activity of the Labour Party and the dynamic leadership of a man willing to challenge a system.
Today we celebrate and honour the name of our National Hero William H Bramble.
He freed the People of Montserrat from physical slavery. He gave the people of Montserrat collective unity.
He articulatrd their pain and suffering and he offered them leadership for their collective hopes and aspirations." Member of Parliament Chedmond Browne .
Acting Chief Minister Lowel Lewis delivered the keynote address at the W.H. Bramble Symposium.
He used the opportunity to draw attention to the problems the island is facing today.
He said Montserratians should follow Mr. Bramble’s lead and do whatever is necessary to get people out of shelters and back to work.
"Just as our ancestors broke the chains of slavery and the chains of the merchants and planters, we must break the chains of aid with strings.
Why must we have civil service salry increases linked to a downgraind of posts?
Why must we give a comfortable ferry and helicopter service to get an aipport before the airport is available?
Why must our access to housing and roads be dependent on expensive consultancies, that delay the flow of cash to such an extent that we loose significant portions of the aid funds through slippage?
We could not get the water 3 project until we raised water rates and we will not get a new electricity generating plant until we have overcome numerous hurdles."
Mr. Lewis also indicated that the ministers have become frustrated since taking office.
He said while the refusal to permit the rearrangement of ministerial portfolios has destroyed the mandate won at the last election, the governor and civil servants have imposed a veto and the controlling influence of DFID has been preserved.
"We are ministers who have little or no say in what professional staff is appointed for our medical , legal or public works departments.
WH Bramble would not have tolerated the restrictions of our right to direct the use of our consolidated funds.
We must not accept this. We have to break the chains of contingent liabilities, colonial assent and entrustment restrictions that stifle our progress.
We must do this through diplomacy and reasoned persuasion.
We should be allowed to borrow money for what we need for economic recovery once the loan can be secured on property and the ability to repay identified.
We somehow have to break the restrictions that prevent the write off of mortgage debts by civil servants and other people on properties in Amersham Webbs extension and elsewhere long buried by the volcano " Acting Chief Minister Lowel Lewis.
The Solid Waste Committee of Montserrat has announced the beginning of it’s Environmental Awareness Campaign.
The Solid Waste Committee consists of members of the Montserrat National Trust, the Tourist Board, The Environmental Health Department, The Department of Agriculture, The Royal Montserrat Police, and the Education Department.
The main objectives of the campaign are to clean up the island and to promote environmental awareness among the population.
Principal Environmental Health Officer Trevor Howe says it is hoped that the program will help to create a sense of pride and community spirit throughout the length and breadth of the island.
"The environmental awarness campaign is targeted at a number of groups.
For instance religious organisations.
We are hoping to target also the national youth groups, schools, school children.
We hope to also bring on board the private sector. That is individuals who are involved in businesses together in order to address this problem.
What is important about this cmpaign is that what we are trying to do is to promote environmental awareness among the entire population because in sonme ways all of us are to blame.
We hope that through this environmental education campaign that all the communities will become involved." Principal Environmental Officer Trevor Howe.
Torrential rain disrupted some aspects of life on Montserrat today.
The rains were caused by Tropical Storm Jerry, which passed through the Eastern Caribbean.
It dumped heavy rains and produced strong winds, causing minor flooding mainly in ghauts, drains and roadsides.
This forced all government run schools and the privately run St. Augustine School to close around midday.
Several businesses also ceased operations a little earlier than usual, and several meetings scheduled for this evening have been cancelled.
Areas in the northern part of the island were affected by ash today.
This was the result of ash and steam venting from the Soufirere Hills Volcano.
Director Doctor Peter Dunkley says the ash was produced by a pyroclastic flow, which appeared not to be associated with the banded tremor or heavy rains that inundated the island today.
"At the moment things are quite quiet on the volcano.
The general level of activity since Saturday evening has been low compared with previous weeks.
This mornings events were fairly minor.
There was some fairly vigourous degaffe?? with some ash we have been getting that regurlarly the last few months and we als had one small pyroclastic flow that went part of the way down the tar river valley for about a kilometer and a half but did not get anywhere near the sea.
But because the wind was more to the northwest even at times to the north the ash was blown over areas such as St. Johns and St. Peters . Normally it would be blown to the west twards Plymouth.
This morning we were unfortunate to have the wind blown in this direction." Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory Doctor Peter Dunkley.
The Royal Montserrat Police Force has confirmed that it has suspended one of its members.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Morson says a police constable has been suspended after involvement in a domestic incident.
According to reports the officer inflicted an injury on an individual from Gerald’s after a dispute, apparently over money, became violent.
Deputy Commissioner Morson says the matter is being investigated.
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