FCDO Petitioned About Montserrat's Access Challenges

Members of the Montserrat Diaspora have submitted a petition to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on the access issues plaguing Montserrat.

The petition calls on the FCDO and the Government of Montserrat to provide for safe, affordable, adequate, and reliable sea and air access before the 2023 St. Patrick’s season and beyond.

The petition also calls for support for the Resolution to conduct a public, fully transparent investigation of this access crisis.

According to the petitioners, in doing so, regulatory matters including safety concerns raised in recent months and years by passengers andother members of the public, will be looked into.

Members of the Montserrat Diaspora will also be requesting that Member of Parliament DonaldsonRomeo present the petition, which is signed by 725 persons, before Montserrat'sLegislature.  

The group says access the challenges which still exist, led to failure to provide ferry access and the

withdrawal of Twin Otter Air services during the Christmas and Festival Season, 2022.  

It points out that efforts in theprivate sector to provide a Ferry and a Twin Otter based air lift broke downand led to chaos.  

The diaspora group says both the people and the economy suffered needless loss as a third Christmas/Festival season insuccession was crippled.

With Montserrat’s largest revenue generator, the St Patrick’s Festival, just weeks away, the petitioners feelthat putting ferry and Twin Otters services in place is now more than urgent.