Remarks by Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs at the Friends of Labour-Toronto 7th Gala Awards
Dinner and Dance on Saturday, April 26, 2008
Greetings…
 |
|
Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs
|
Let me first thank Friends of Labour Toronto for the honour and privilege accorded me by the invitation to be the guest speaker tonight. The warmth and camaraderie pervading the atmosphere have added to my sense of a special welcome. Canada will always have a special allure for me. Montreal is my favourite Canadian city and the locale of my alma mater, the Concordia University. I readily concede that Toronto is a very good runner up to Montreal.
I consider it laudable when citizens, whether at home or abroad, come together to celebrate the contributions that their homeland has made to them and more importantly, the contribution which they in turn made to their country. John F. Kennedy’s injunction, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” has now become popularized and immortalized.
Tonight we recognize that St. Kitts & Nevis has indeed done a lot for its people; in so-far-as providing strong values and traditions that are at the core of the human spirit and are necessary ingredients for success. On the other hand, this evening’s ceremony for our distinguished compatriots and their outstanding service reaffirms the essence of citizenship embodied in that famous injunction. St. Kitts & Nevis is forever proud of all those persons who have laboured indefatigably and sacrificed to contribute to its overall development and stature without expectation of tangible rewards.
Our awardees have made a significant and lasting mark on many aspects of development in our beautiful Federation. The areas of medicine, academia, technology, culture, social and community service and public service have all been advanced in a remarkable way that only grassroots involvement, staunch patriotism and a true sense of citizenship can attain.
Friends of Labour-Toronto must be recognized for reinforcing its commitment to the Federation and the political landscape that enhances and ensures our democratic culture and developmental aspirations. The Government and people of St. Kitts & Nevis applaud and welcome your inestimable contribution and unwavering support to nation building.
Role of Diasporic Community
Diasporic groups do more than keep the flag of their countries flying high. They reinforce the deep rootedness of their country’s tradition and culture. They provide safe havens from the stresses of assimilation and acculturation which the older generation faces in yonder lands and they create a bridge across waters, a connectivity that bonds them to their nation. Friends of Labour – Toronto is no different in this respect.
We do not all have to be on the same side to acknowledge the good works of others. We in Labour are proud of Labour’s record of accomplishments. We see virtues in its vanguard struggle for justice, freedom, democracy and people’s empowerment. We are proud that because of our great tradition and legacy, tonight, you the beneficiaries of that tradition and legacy are still proud to be associated with us.
The long and torturous years of struggles which Labour began in earnest in St Kitts in 1932 against the backdrop of a depressive global situation and a despicable local one, were not in vain. These struggles liberated the souls of our forebears as much as they asserted our basic rights as individuals and as a people. The importance of the words of a great American, Frederick Douglas, should not be lost in us: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress”. Sometimes some names get omitted or forgotten from the honours role.
Novelle Richards wrote:
“Waterloo and Trafalgar, your memory would recall, were names meant to inspire us with zeal and morale. But what of our heroes, the scions of our race?”
The writing of Richards reminds us of the importance of this Awards Dinner. In part, it is to bring recognition to and bestow honour on our outstanding sons and daughters of the soil. It is a reminder of all our unsung heroes who go unnoticed everyday but accomplish incredible feats. Although your native St. Kitts and Nevis is but a dot on the world map, your contributions have made a difference in the prospects for all mankind. I salute all of nationals who have seized the opportunity to excel at home and in foreign lands. Your work here and elsewhere helps to maintain the name and image of our country as a proud and ambitious people, as a resilient and hard working people and as a people attuned to excellence in all that they strive to do.
As a small country with limited resources the imperative is to work in concert with citizens near and far to fulfill an ambitious but necessary agenda for growth; an agenda that premises policies on transforming our society for the better and changing the individual lives of the population. When the Labour Party took over the reins of government in 1995, it had a vision to elevate people’s lives and it had a strategy to surmount what may have appeared to be insurmountable economic and social challenges. However, no matter how daunting a terrain we had to traverse, we were cognizant that with political capital and a clear mandate from the people we could achieve what we set out to do. And so we invested in the gracious and generous peoples of the Federation.
I am happy to report this evening that that bet on the core decency, resilience, ingenuity, creativity and talents of Kittitians and Nevisians has paid off years later. It has paid off because St. Kitts & Nevis is now much more advanced educationally, infrastructurally, economically and socially. It has paid off because due to an effective contract between the government and the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis, we are able to reap the fruits of labour. It has paid off because the St. Kitts & Nevis Labour Party has been fuelled by the trust of the people and is stronger and still equipped and geared up to fulfill its original mandate of empowerment for the peoples of the Federation.
All of us must be quite pleased to learn that our small federation of St. Kitts & Nevis has skyrocketed in the ranking of countries of the world. We rank highly on the U.N Development Index and are one of the best performing countries in the OECS and second only to Barbados in the wider Caribbean.
Over the years, our government has positioned itself to modernize the health and education sectors. Take for example our health care sector, our government has often consulted with our native health care specialists at home and in the Diaspora and with other friendly governments and interested entities to initiate and implement best practices, innovation and
technology. Health is one area that must always be placed high on the agenda of government: for it is only through a healthy population that a country can thrive and even survive. We have seen how countries have suffered throughout the world because of poor nutrition, inadequate access to health care and consequential prevalence of basic diseases. The Labour Party led Administration has underscored the need to build an avant-garde health-care infrastructure that caters to the protection and basic needs of its citizens.
In education we are planning for the introduction of a degree programme at our College and we are building a state of the art secondary school specializing in technical and vocational education. We clearly understand that the health of the nation correlates with the wealth of the nation and an educated and trained populace best contributes to the ongoing growth and prosperity of our country.
The Awardee
Let me now congratulate all the awardees. I salute each of you for your contribution. Elsewhere, your profile has been highlighted by others but I feel obliged to say a word or two on the auspicious occasion.
Dr. Spencer Eugene Amory
Dr. Spencer Amory throughout his professional life has amassed an impressive resume. Should I elaborate his accomplishments; I may actually end up leaving the podium tomorrow morning. But one only needs to look at his selfless acts of patriotism to see why he is so deserving of his award this evening. Despite an obvious tight schedule, in 2004, Dr. Amory established a non-profit program for colon cancer screening in St. Kitts and he returns home on an on-going basis to lend his expertise to the people of the Federation. This is a major contribution when one considers the increasingly enormous fatal toll that cancer takes on people’s lives. For this, Dr. Amory, St. Kitts & Nevis is eternally appreciative and we embrace your philanthropy and service.
Dr. Eustace Llewellyn Arrindell
In the realm of Academia, Dr. Eustace Llewellyn Arrindell has been an exemplar. His vigorous pursuit of knowledge, through research and analysis of political and environmental issues has been well documented and hailed by his peers. Despite the time consuming nature of his professional work, Dr. Arrindell continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis. He conducts development workshops at high schools throughout the Federation and provides scholarship opportunities to students who mirror his own passion for education. It is that diligence, that devotion, that dedication to St. Kitts and Nevis that makes him a candidate for recognition this evening. Few here may know that Dr Arrindell has put his repertoire of skills in the political milieu to the service of the St. Kitts & Nevis Labour Party. Labour expresses its gratitude to you, Sir, for your service.
Shirley Hendrickson
Our education system, thankfully, has always been characterized by a comprehensive understanding of learning and life; our strong sense of community values -discipline, hard work, spirituality and respect - has always had a presence in the classrooms and community groups across the country. In this vein, Mrs. Shirley Hendrickson has for years, aided the marginalized, the misunderstood, the aspiring and the hopeful in our communities. She has brought out the angels in those with whom she interacted. A potential American President reminds us of the value of community service this way; he articulated that “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself...
Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” Senator Barack Obama’s words encompass the drive that has shaped Mrs. Hendrickson’s path to community service. Mrs. Hendrickson, I assure you that community and social development has a permanent position on the agenda of this Administration. We have constructed community centres throughout the country and we have implemented social development programmes all aimed at ensuring that our citizens, both young and old, have an avenue through which to explore their interests. Your leadership role has set a standard par excellence for those of us who passionately believe that community involvement is of paramount importance for personal and national development. Teacher Shirley, we applaud you.
Cecil Jeffers
Mr. Cecil Larry Jeffers, equal praise must be showered on you, for you have, time and time again, demonstrated an unyielding and uncompromising love for community and country.
The Mount Lily community in Nevis and Nevisians in general are undoubtedly proud of their native son as indeed is the entire Federation. You have proved that humility and hard work often translate into a rewarding and gratifying life. The health care sector in St. Kitts has benefited tremendously from your wealth of expertise and experience. I am sure that your wife Shirley enjoys the fact that she can rely on your expertise to nurse her back to health when she feels down. The Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis records its gratitude for your sterling contribution to the development of the health care profession in St. Kitts & Nevis.
Cpt. Valentine Morris
It is often times said that ‘a people without a culture, is a people without a soul’. With astute citizens like Captain Valentine Morris and Mr. Elston Nero, St. Kitts & Nevis’ soul at its core is rich and vast. These musical prodigies and aficionados have helped to secure a cultural identity in St. Kitts and Nevis that merges the past with the present and will set the tone for the future.
Captain Morris’ contribution to artistic expression in St. Kitts and Nevis is well documented and has defined the musical landscape for sometime. For more than 50 years, Captain Morris has mastered the intricacies of the steel band and his love for his musical craft still pulsates through our communities. With such a profound impact on the cultural development of St. Kitts & Nevis, it would be remiss of us not to salute and congratulate Mr. Morris for his invaluable talents and time of service.
Elston Nero
What can one say about Mr. Elston Nero? Perhaps it would be fitting to say that he is a veritable legend. His mark on the calypso scene in the Federation is indisputably profound. It perhaps wouldn’t be too far fetched if one were to dare say that his sound and style reach the outer regions of the Caribbean. He is to calypso what Bob Marley is to Reggae, he is to calypso what Beethoven is to classical music. The legacy of King Ellie Matt, as he is popularly known, envelopes decades of social commentary, political prophecies and revealing poetry that have challenged us to think about ourselves and our societies. King Ellie Matt is the very essence of what a Calypsonian is and ought to be. He sees beyond what people want to hear and has sung to them what they needed to hear and managed to do so in an artful and classy way. Such an approach has made him a widely hailed Caribbean musical ambassador. Mr. Nero you are a true king to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. Words alone fail to express our sincere appreciation of your inimitable style and your formidable talents. You have gracefully stepped aside from the stage. You must be pleased to see and hear some young Calypsonians like Konris Maynard coming to the fore and tempting you now you are a sleeping tiger, to roar.
Hon. Sam Condor
Edward Heath, a former Prime Minister of Britain said “If politicians lived on praise and thanks, they’d be forced into some other line of business”. Politicians everywhere can relate to that.
My good friend and colleague Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Sam Condor, I know of no one more fitting to receive this Special Leadership Award than you are.
If I were to go through your achievements and years of service, time would perhaps frown at me. However, suffice it to say that education, sports, social security, community development, gender affairs and youth empowerment and a plethora of other areas have experienced due attention and increased commitment because of your leadership. These are areas that are collectively the vehicle of St. Kitts & Nevis’ comprehensive growth. There is nothing partisan about ensuring that there is a solid social fabric, there is nothing petty about assuring education to all, and there is nothing paltry about the advancement of youth and sports.
I speak in strong terms of these matters because I know first hand that the survival of party and ideology do not depend on these things but the survival of country does. You clearly grasp the urgency of spurring support for these pivotal areas of our development and the work you have done on behalf of our county is simply remarkable. You are a once in a lifetime leader and we salute you this evening.
Conclusion
Clearly each of our awardees has added in some way a unique chapter to the Kittitian and Nevisian story. As history would record it, these persons have epitomized the quintessential citizen. Irrespective of position, parish or party affiliation the common denominator for all of us is love of country. This year, as we celebrate our 25th Year of Independence, the words of our motto challenge us again; ‘Country above Self’. If we were to think about the persons here this evening and the selfless, community-driven lives they have led, it becomes obvious that this motto is stitched into their hearts, sewn into their psyche and stamped onto their lives.
Friends of Labour - Toronto and other national groups in the Diaspora realize that it is the people who are the greatest assets of our country and its future. The fact that nationals abroad come together to recognize each other and socialize with each other demonstrates the camaraderie and strength of community that are the necessary framework for good government and good governance. We urge you to remain active and interested in your country for it is yours to help to shape and to mold.
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was accepting his Nobel Peace Prize he acknowledged that it was the “ground crew” who really won the Nobel Prize. Thank you Friends of Labour – Toronto for recognizing that change usually comes from the grassroots level, from the ground crew. Labour strongly supports and actually embodies this view and will continue working to empower and embolden our citizens so they can reach for and attain what we all know is possible. Thank you to every single citizen, every single well wisher, and every single person who has contributed if only a prayer to the advancement of our land of beauty, and our country where peace abounds.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being such a lovely audience and we look forward to many more years of peace, progress and prosperity for all the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Have a pleasant night. May God bless us all.
