HISTORY
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 colonised 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 organised. The dominant figure has been John
Osborne, whose People’s Liberation Movement was the largest
single party on 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, took over as Chief Minister following the election held
that month.
The NPP remained in power
throughout the 1990s, but at the most recent poll, held in April
2001, the ‘New’ People’s Liberation Movement
was returned to office – with Osborne still at its head
– with a substantial majority on the Legislative Council.
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 most people owing to uncertainty about
the island’s economic future. Its vulnerability to the elements
is one reason: Montserrat is located in the Caribbean hurricane
zone. However, the damage caused by hurricanes, notably Hugo in
1989, 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. The reconstruction process has been a gradual one.
Many original inhabitants have returned to the island, but the
legacy of the eruption has been to leave Montserrat 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 Osborne government is to bring economic and social life back
to the devastated island.
