BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - UNDER yesterday’s (May 5) mid-morning sun, thousands of individuals took a familiar path along the streets of Basseterre to participate in a march to commemorate this year’s Labour Day.
The march began - as it traditionally does - at Wigley Avenue and made its way onto Central Street, down Fort Street, across Bank Street and South Independence Square Street, onto George Street, north along Sandown Road and west along Cayon Street before culminating at the Pasty Allers Playfield.
Features
At the front of the march were a number of bicycle-riding boys - decked in red shirts and jeans - which were followed by the signature pom pom girls attired in red and white with matching pom poms. These were followed by majorettes, also sporting the colour red.
A large float which highlighted some of the successes of the PEP (People’s Employment Programme) and the SIDF (Sugar Industry Diversification Programme) formed part of the procession.
The march took on more of a carnival theme, featuring a number of mas’ costumes, the largest of which featured a number of kites and was dubbed “Fly With Labour”.
Prime Minister and Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, his party’s candidates for the upcoming general elections and most of his Cabinet colleagues participated in the march.
Messages
The Hon. Marcella Liburd, Chairperson of the SKNLP, was one of the main voices heard at the march. With the use of one of the available Hi-Fi systems, she proclaimed the message of her party, highlighting its successes over the past years. She also expressed her view that the SKNLP should be returned to office and the Unity Movement be rejected when the next general elections comes.
A number of placards carried by the marchers were observed by this media house, some of which bore the following transcriptions: “PM Douglas praised by World Leaders”, “All 8 Again”, “Uni-Tea is a poison tea”, “It is only an emotion of no consequence”, “The workers’ party Labour”, “Labour Cares” and “Full confidence in Labour”.
Entertainment
Two Hi-Fi systems, the Kollision Band, Small Axe Band and the Nu Vybes Band International provided musical enjoyment for the marchers.
At its culmination point, PM Douglas thanked persons for their “massive demonstration of support for the Labour Movement” and estimated that “on this march this morning which has gone into the early hours of the afternoon, we had no less than 15 000 people here on this ground”.
Some hours following the march, patrons were scheduled to be entertained by the major bands in St. Kitts along with Jamaica’s Demarco.
