Good morning everyone!
I crave your indulgence as I abbreviate the protocol. It is out of necessity and there is no disrespect intended to anyone. The Reverend……… , the Hon. Shawn Richards. Leader of the Peoples Action Movement, Executive members of the PAM, Members of Parliament, the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris Leader of team Unity and executive and members of our partner Parties in Team Unity,spouses, members of St.Anne’s church,
Members and friends of the Peoples Action Movement.
This salutation has sounded like a clarion call across our land for the past 50 years. It has been a source of comfort and hope to the many members and friends who, during the hardship and struggle of the early years, so confidently and longingly sang “We shall overcome, “ – and overcome we did.
We come today therefore, with grateful and submissive hearts, to give thanks to Almighty God for his abundant grace and mercy which has brought us safely and triumphantly to this Golden Anniversary.
I also thank most sincerely, the Reverend ……… for so graciously welcoming us, the members and friends of the PAM, to worship in this sanctuary, and for according me the opportunity to say a few words on this historic occasion.
We say thanks to the pioneers of PAM led by Dr. William (Billy) Herbert. He was the Leader, the visionary, who brought together people from all walks of life in St.Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, to launch the new political party in 1965. There were eleven members on the initial organizing committee. Only four now remain and we are here today. Will Mr. Michael Powell , Mr. Richard Caines and Mr. Colin Pereira please stand. I am already on my feet. In addition to this 4, there is one member of the first executive still with us . Will Mr. Ralph Gumbs please stand. As we stand here today the words of the great Charles Wesley’s hymn of thankfulness comes to my mind: “And are we yet alive and see each other’s face?
Glory and praise to Jesus give for his redeeming grace.”
Gentlemen you may be seated.
Our first fifteen years in opposition were difficult years. They were years in which we were tempered in the fire of victimization, injustice, ridicule, false imprisonment, intimidation and violation of individual rights and freedoms. We were forced to defy unjust laws which sought to deny our fundamental right to freedom of assembly, to hold public meetings to educate our people. I left my job as a Registrar in internal medicine at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau and came home specifically to take part in the so –called illegal public meeting at The Square on Sunday 26th February 1967 and to stand in solidarity with the people of our Country in defence against the infringement of our individual rights and freedoms.
Suddenly, in 1980, the gates of freedom were opened by divine hands and we emerged from the fire of oppression, like tempered steel, stronger than ever, and ready to lead our Country.
Those fifteen years in opposition had prepared us to govern our land of beauty with wisdom, justice, compassion and fairness. In those fifteen years we kept hope alive in the hearts of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis by keeping ever bright before them, a vision of human progress and development which would someday come to our fair land.
Our vision caught the imagination of the people, as did our tenacity in the face of seemingly unending adversity. Our support grew because our vision was credible. It was held aloft and buttressed by a political philosophy which was and still is, 50 years later, clear, consistent and unambiguous. It is a philosophy of pragmatic, diversified development, designed to address our problems with our own solutions derived from our own experience of our country’s history and aspirations. It is a philosophy of democratic, people oriented development in which the Government creates the climate and the opportunities for the private sector of large and small entrepreneurs, to generate economic growth. Our years in government saw the implementation of that philosophy, and the vision became reality.
We brought relief to the poorest of the poor, created new opportunities for the youth, dignified the status of women, opened employment opportunities on a scale not seen before, and converted a mono-cultural sugar economy into a diversified economy in which tourism became a brilliant centerpiece, surrounded by diversified agriculture, industry, construction and services.
The morale of our people was lifted by our early success in economic development and the improvement they experienced in their quality of life, so that in 1983 there was widespread enthusiasm and optimism as we moved forward boldly into Independence.
The Independence of our Nation is without doubt the greatest achievement of the PAM. In this context, I remember and pay tribute to the late Hon. Dr. Simeon Daniel who was man enough and patriotic enough to change from his political philosophy of “secession for Nevis at all cost,” and instead, to join hands across the channel to achieve the greater good for all the people of St. Kitts and Nevis as together we took our Country into Independence.
Two other significant highlights of the PAM administration were the construction of Port Zante and the South East Peninsular Road.
However the things I look back on with great satisfaction are those which go more directly to the heart of people development, to name a few:
Our Early Childhood Education programme. Other Caribbean countries sent delegations here to observe and study our programme in order to copy it.
Equal treatment for all children whatever the circumstances of their birth.
Thirteen weeks maternity leave for women
Non-discrimination against unmarried women in the workplace.
The School feeding programme
The SELF programme to supply text books so that the poor would have equal access to learning.
The Youth skills training and job placement programme.
Reduction of the voting age to18
Dull season payments to sugar workers.
Securing the sugar lands for the benefit of present and future generations.
The achievement of the highest level of per capita income growth in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Today 50 years later, the PAM can be confident of its legacy and its future. The decision at this time to move forward in UNITY is perfectly consistent with the AIMS of the Party as enunciated in our first Policy Statement which was read by Dr. William Herbert at Pall Mall Square (now Independence Square), on 31st January 1965. The first AIM was:
Unity of the entire population of St. Christopher Nevis and Anguilla and the integration of all classes.
Our 5oth Anniversary finds our Nation at a critical crossroads in its history. Our constitutional democracy which our forefathers and our generation struggled to achieve and preserve, is being trampled upon by those charged with the sacred responsibility to protect it. As we have done before, the PAM must stand firmly in the breach against all threats to our people’s fundamental rights and freedoms.
Members and Friends, let us renew our pledge of commitment and selfless devotion to our Nation. Let us “clasp hands” one with another and continue to “strive for progress” for every man woman and child of our time and future generations.
I end with the words of our Founder, Dr. William Herbert, from his 25th Anniversary message:
“When the history of this beautiful twin Island Nation is written, it will record the birth and growth of a political party that was effective in opposition, skilful in Government and whose supporters preferred “Country Above Self” – The Peoples Action Movement.”
May God bless our Party and our Nation.
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