Arawak and Carib Indians were the first residents of Alliouagana, ‘land of the prickly bush’, until Christopher Columbus claimed it for Spain in 1493, whereupon he named the island Santa Maria de Montserrat. It was not until 1632 that the British colonized the island, which is still a British Overseas Territory. The actual settlers were mainly of Irish Catholic origin, who appreciated the presence of an ocean between them and Oliver Cromwell. Irish surnames among the present population reflect this history. Between 1871 and 1956 the island was administered as part of the Federal Colony
of the Leeward Islands.
At this point the federation was dissolved; since then Montserrat has been a British colony administered by a Governor appointed by the British government (see
Government section). The island’s internal politics during the last four decades have been dominated by the struggle between a small number of key individuals around whom political parties have been organized. The dominant figure has been John Osborne, whose People’s Liberation Movement was the largest single party in the Legislative Council between 1978 and 1991. Osborne himself served as Chief Minister throughout this period. In September 1991, Osborne’s great rival, Reuben Meade, leader of the other main party on the island, the National Progressive Party (NPP), took over as Chief Minister following the election held that month.
The NPP remained in power throughout the 1990s, but the ‘New’ People’s Liberation Movement was returned to office – Osborne still at its helm – with a substantial majority on the Legislative Council in 2001. In 2004, Deborah Barnes Jones took over from Osborne as leader of NPLM. For the most part, the major political issue since 1960 has been independence. While a significant minority has backed this option, it has failed to attract a majority owing to uncertainty about the island’s economic future. The main reason is its vulnerability to the elements; Montserrat is located in the Caribbean hurricane zone and has suffered repeated assaults from tempests. However, the damage caused was nothing compared to that wrought by the eruption of a previously dormant volcano, Soufrière, in August 1997.
This rendered almost half the island uninhabitable, and much of the 12,000 population left the island. Many original inhabitants have returned to Montserrat, but the island has been left more dependent than ever on aid and support from the British government. The southern part of the island, which bore the brunt of the eruption, has been partially repopulated, but the overriding priority for the government has been to bring economic and social life back to the devastated island. This has been a difficult and gradual process, hampered by disagreements.
GovernmentUnder the 1960 constitution, the Governor, who is appointed by the British monarch, is responsible for defense, external affairs and internal security. The Governor is President of the seven-member Executive Council. The 11-member Legislative Council is elected by popular vote to serve a five-year term.
EconomyThe island was recovering from the volcanic explosion of January 1997, which destroyed much of the island’s productive capacity, when it was hit by a new series of eruptions in July 2003.
Previously, Montserrat had a diverse if fragile economy. The agricultural sector produced vegetables, cotton and livestock. The industrial sector, which employed one-third of the workforce and earned the bulk of Montserrat’s export income, was concentrated in food processing and the assembly of electronic components. In the service sector, e-commerce and financial services were two important growth areas.
After the 1997 eruption, the island became largely dependent on foreign aid – in particular, a US$125 million aid package from the UK.
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