BRADES, Montserrat (CMC):

Governor Peter Water-worth says the overwhelming mandate given to the ruling Movement for Change and Prosperity (MACP) provides newly elected Chief Minister Reuben Meade with an opportunity to make a significant change in the lives of the population over the next five years.

MCAP won six of the nine legislative seats in the September 8 general election and Water-worth said it provides a "huge opportunity for the new govern-ment to be able to go back to the people in five years with a different Montserrat."

"I am very confident that this can and will happen," Water-worth said. Meade challenged senior civil servants to be more proactive in their approach to determining the future of the British overseas territory.

Moving forward

Meade, at his first meeting with permanent secretaries and other heads of department since his electoral victory, said such an approach was necessary to take Montserrat forward.

He said government managers needed to be mindful of the economic constraints facing the administration as they identify priority areas for their ministries and departments.

Regular reviews

"If we don't present to the British what our priorities are, then they will be choosing for us," Meade said, stressing the importance of more regular reviews of work plans and projects, rather than yearly evaluations.

"We will be in a better position to have continuous negotiations and debates with DFID (Department for International Development) when we are aware of how we are meeting each target and the deliverables," he added.

The chief minister also said that if the island is to move beyond financial dependency on the DFID, the local private sector must be stimulated through the government's actions.

Meade said better systems of communicating and responding to queries from the general public were needed, adding "not all changes needed money to happen".