Former senior civil servant Debra Sharlene Lewis has announced her plans to contest the general election as a member of the National Progressive Movement (NPM).
If elected, together with her party, she plans to help rebuild Montserrat with “shrewd planning, hard work, and cooperation”, she said in a statement on ZJB Radio on 1 May.
“Montserrat is in shambles, in every sector and in every arena – politically, financially, economically, socially, educationally and infrastructure wise – but all hope is still not lost,” she said.
Lewis has worked in the civil service as a development officer, policy analyst, head of the Office of the Deputy Governor, and director of external affairs.
During her statement, she told listeners that she is “very much familiar” with public sector administration and public policy issues.
“So, you can trust me when I tell you that Montserrat is facing the most consequential set of issues as lives and livelihoods hang in a delicate balance,” she said.
“Almost 30 years on and we are still nowhere close to recovering from the impact of volcanic eruptions, rebuilding our population and economy, and resettling our people.
“The huge structural deficit in our budget remains a gaping hole.”
Lagging behind
Lewis said income, salaries, pensions and social welfare have not been keeping pace with inflation year upon year.
This means that the average person cannot afford basic things like school uniforms, fresh fruit and vegetables, bus fares, home repairs or vehicle maintenance, she said.
She highlighted problems such as the high cost of living, the unacceptable state of the roads, increasing poverty among the working class, and the looming health and education crisis.
She also pointed to lack of support for small businesses, the housing shortage, low public morale, dispirited civil servants, and the disempowerment of local political leadership.
“It is clear that if we continue on this same path, we are likely headed to a state of economic collapse, and a breakdown in society never before seen in our entire history,” she warned.
But the NPM candidate said all hope is not lost, as in 1995, immediately prior to the eruptions, Montserrat was on the move.
The government was financing its own recurrent budget, the island had a new state of the art hospital in Plymouth, modern government offices, a thriving economy and a healthy population, she said.
It also boasted a growing financial services sector, roads and houses to be envied, locally produced food at scale, extremely high standards of education, agriculture and medical care, and a working power station, Lewis added.
Identity and pride
“In unity and wisdom under God with shrewd planning, hard work, and cooperation we can build it back even better than before,” she said.
Lewis told listeners that she has a huge stake in the revitalisation of “our beloved Emerald Isle”.
“It is the place where I grew up in very humble but happy circumstances. It is where I continue to invest my energy and my capital. It is the source of my income and jobs,” she said.
“Montserrat, Alliouagana, is what gives us our sense of identity, pride, community and culture.”
Her first order of business, she said, will be to support party leader Donaldson Romeo in ensuring Montserrat is fully engaged with the entire United Nations system.
“We feel that this is exactly what is required to strike a balance and finally fix the enduring tension between the task of negotiating with the British government and our goal of securing the right mix of funds and resources, which meets our needs, but also satisfies their obligation to us,” she said.
Lewis plans to give a full radio interview on her platform in the coming week.
