GINGERLAND, Nevis – THE Gingerland Library on Monday honored pioneer legislator Uhral Swanston with a simple ceremony to mark Black History Month.
Speaker after speaker, including the Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry, described Swanston as a true nationalist who has always put his family and country above self.
Describing in detail what he believes is Swanston’s unequalled service to the country, the Premier said: “Some people enter politics because politics can make them great, powerful and important and rich. Mr. Swanston was none of these. Swanston served and was willing to serve in any position.
“He was willing to play the role of a soldier in the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP). He was never afraid of anybody including Mr. Bradshaw…The army was sometimes sent to his house to frighten him or to intimidate him, but he was never intimidated.”
Swanston, an eminent businessman and one of the surviving founders of the NRP, was described as a seasoned and controversial politician who always maintained a balance, and as a result earned the respect of many. Parry said Swanston always balanced his family, political and business life without neglecting his family.
While urging older Nevisians to tell their children and grand children the history of the black people who served the country, the Premier said that Swanston represented Nevisians in England during Independence talks and at times had to sleep in poor quarters to attend the meetings. “He faced the British effectively,” Parry said.
The Premier holds the conviction that if a man has served as a soldier, he could serve as a minister as well.
“It is not about the most educated, the most fluent; it has to do with your spirit, your heart. We have been deceived. Our old people do not tell our children the history. Sometimes Swanston is forgotten. Mr. Swanston is a hero, a proud Nevisian hero.”
The Premier continued; “As he retires, we must understand what he has achieved…He has set a very high standard. If it were not for him there would be no electricity or water and other amenities. What more do you want if you wish to honor a man? What else does a man have to do to be honored? All the pioneers should be honored. They expected nothing in return; only wanted their country’s progress, peace and prosperity.”
Hon. Parry praised the library for its move in honoring Swanston and said it was in keeping with the entity’s responsibility to recognise and honour outstanding persons who have served their country.
Wendell Huggins, a former Permanent Secretary, lamented the length of time it takes for Nevisians to honor their own: “For whatever reason, we have been a little slow in publicly recognising the outstanding service given by those men and women who have toiled to make a difference in our collective lives.
“He has done many things in his life – worked at the old power station in Charlestown as a taxi driver, farmer and grocery owner.”
He explained that “Swanston served at a time there was limited telephone service, limited electricity, and non-existent pipe-borne water, only one medical doctor on the island and roads that more resembled cattle paths”. And that “he was young, flamboyant, energetic, engaging…always volunteering”.
According to Huggins, “Service is determined by service and not by looks, not by education, not by inheritance, not by racial origin.”
In his short speech, Swanston said all he wanted for his country was for it to be a better place when he dies rather than it was when he was born. He also dreams of Gingerland having its own town and an educational complex, and is optimistic that this would be realised.
Swanston told government officials to serve the people humbly, to keep their doors open to them, and to ensure that needs they express are well articulated and solved. He said nobody should go to a public servant and leave without their problem being resolved.
