Reuben Meade sworn in as head of New government in Montserrat
Reuben Meade was sworn in as the new premier of Montserrat less than nine months after coming out of retirement to lead his newly formed United Alliance (UA) to victory in the recent general election.
2024-10-28 12:12:10 - VI News Staff
Following his swearing-in by Governor Sarah Tucker, Meade stated, “We no longer have supporters. This is not United Alliance versus the rest; this is Montserrat versus the rest. We will work together to develop this country for us, our children, and grandchildren.” At 70, Meade previously served as Montserrat’s first premier from 2010 to 2014 and has held the position of chief minister twice between 1991 and 2010. He pledged to create an inclusive administration. “We promise you to be a government of the people. Your government. You will never hear us saying my government. It is your government. We pledge to serve you honestly and with compassion,” he said.
He said part of his job will be to continue training the members of the UA as they each continue their growth in their political life. “I am extremely proud of their development over the past six months,” he said, adding that he is confident “they are ready to serve you, the people. “As a consequence we will have a rotating deputy premier allowing each of them to gather the experience they need to serve you, the people of Montserrat,” he said. The first person to be sworn in as Deputy Premier is Veronica Dorsette Hector, who is also the Minister of Infrastructure, Labour, Transport, Energy and Ecclesiastical Affairs. The UA won five of the nine seats in the Legislative Assembly followed by the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) with three seats and the outgoing Movement for Change and Prosperity (CMAP) winning one seat. Two other uncontested seats that of the Attorney General and the Financial Secretary, will make up the 11-member Legislative Assembly.