St. Helena: Governor Achieves Prime Objective

ST. HELENA:  GOVERNOR TO RETIRE AFTER ACHIEVING PRIME OBJECTIVE

 

By J. Brock (SARTMA)

 

As this is being written the Government of St. Helena is preparing to announce the outcome of the PR exercise that will bring that Island an airport.  This achievement is thanks (in many ways) to the political skill of its Governor, H. E. Mr. David Hollamby (DH).  In the last face-to-face interview that SARTMA held with H. E. the Governor Mr. David Hollamby before retirement, he explained a bit about his career as a diplomat as well as his achievements and challenges on St. Helena.  SARTMA began the interview by asking whether the Governor’s previous posting was anything like the one he now holds.  What were the similarities and differences?

 

DH:   The job I held immediately before this one was in London as Deputy Head of the Overseas Territories Department.  This was my seventh and last assignment in the Diplomatic Service and the last one.  I knew a lot about Overseas Territories because within that department, I had responsibility for the Governor of Bermuda in terms of his office and the five Caribbean Overseas Territories.  But working in a territory and working on a territory is very different.

 

SARTMA:  What would you consider to be the most interesting task you have had in respect of being Governor of St. Helena?

 

DH:  I think the whole question of access to the Island in terms of an airport has been my pet project since 1999.  The Island needs better access than it has now and I believe air access is going to be the way forward.

 

SARTMA:  Was that the most challenging task or are there other aspects of your post that you consider to be important?

 

DH:  A lot of things had to change here.  The ways of doing things were dated and there had to be a lot more openness and transparency.  For instance with the first aid mission that came a few months after I arrived here, instead of having the officials negotiate with DFID, I made it clear that the negotiating part on the St. Helena side was the Executive Council.  So, at the political level, the people of St. Helena had direct representation in those talks.

 

SARTMA:  In respect of fisheries poaching in the waters surrounding St. Helena and Ascension Island, has there been any progress diplomatically with the prosecution of those who are poaching?

 

DH:  On Ascension, we had actually managed to identify a boat that was fishing illegally within the 12-mile zone.  We have taken it up with Maritime Authorities with the port of registration.  We are now awaiting the response from that Government about what that particular boat was doing fishing inside the 12-mile limit around Ascension.

 

Over all, fisheries patrol is very difficult because we have no fisheries patrol vessel.  They are very expensive things to acquire and we have to rely on sightings or even satellite imagery to identify boats.  All we can do is take it up with the host nation and challenge them.  That’s what’s happened.

 

SARTMA:  has there been any progress with the Royal Navy in their proposal to help police the waters of both fisheries?

 

DH:  With that commitment, the Royal Navy will not deploy specifically to fisheries patrol.  But what they will do is when they are in our waters; they will help out by keeping an eye open and reporting on any illegal fishing that is happening within our waters.  The problem is that we don’t get that many Naval visits.  We have been some months now since we had the Royal Navy here.  I think it was last May or there a bouts.  We have HMS Endurance in next weekend.  Hopefully when they come to St. Helena and on north, to Ascension, they will help us out again.

 

SARTMA:  Has there been any progress on the proposed airport?

 

DH:  The airport is in a very interesting stage at the moment.  We are on the verge of an announcement as to the way forward on access.  As you know, we had an invitation for ideas last year.  And, it’s taken until March to get those properly evaluated and they were evaluated by W. S. Atkins.  The recommendations from Atkins have gone up through the DFID ministry and we are hopeful that by the end of the month we will have an announcement on the way forward for access.

 

SARTMA:  When British Citizenship was granted to St. Helenians, there was an exodus of people who wanted to find employment in the U. K.  Has the flow stemmed and are people returning?

 

DH:  There has been quite a haemorrhaging since 2002.  We lost 25% of our population – about 1200 people.  There are still a fair number of people going to Ascension and to the Falkland Islands but the big exodus was in terms of those leaving for the UK.  The big rush seems to be over and we don’t now seem to be haemorrhaging to that extent in terms of losing our people.

 

SARTMA:  Are any coming back?  And, are they coming back with relevant qualifications?

 

DH:  Not in terms of those who have recently gone away but those who have been away for a number of years.  For instance, we have just appointed as our Airport Co-ordinator, a lady who has been in project management in the UK for a number of years.  And, the other thing we have managed to do as a matter of policy is when we can upgrade the terms and conditions of a job, we have managed to get one or two Saints to remain on the Island, rather than going offshore, to take up key jobs in Government. 

 

SARTMA:  Are wages normally provided by SHG sufficient to encourage Saints to remain on the Island?

 

DH:  I would say that we have managed to get DFID, for certain key posts instead of employing Ex-pats, which would normally be the case, we have actually gone for a policy where we can afford to pay from that same pot, St. Helenians for those jobs.  But, across the board, no.  I don’t think we have come away from a low wage economy yet.  We won’t do until we have a better economy on the Island.  And, we can’t have a better economy on the Island until we have better access.  So, generally speaking, people who are generally employed on the Island are still earning about one fifth of what they do in the UK.

 

SARTMA:  It is understood that you will be retiring from diplomatic service at the end of your posting here.  What are your plans?

 

DH:  Firstly my wife and I have to work out our accommodation situation.  We have always had a house in the suburbs of London.  We are thinking of selling that and getting a country cottage.  Perhaps that cottage could be in Spain.  We may even sell both of our properties and get an even bigger flat in London, which my wife would be delighted with.  Once that’s done I think I will sit down with a financial advisor and work out how much I have to earn for a full time job. In any case I hope it isn’t one with any pressure.  I could get a part time job.  But if I can really afford it, I would like to work in the voluntary sector.

 

SARTMA would like to thank Governor Hollamby and Mrs. Hollamby for taking time out on Easter Sunday to grant this interview and special mention to Joan Yon, who helped to organise it.

 

(100X Transcription Service)