BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FORMER Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas is calling on all nationals of the twin-island Federation not to forget their history and to work assiduously together in order to make St. Kitts and Nevis the very best as a nation.
This call was made in Dr. Douglas’ Message as nationals, citizens and residents gear up to celebrate the 32nd Anniversary of Political Independence on Saturday (Sept. 19).
Dr. Douglas emphasised that the Federation’s journey to nationhood had been a long one which began hundreds of years ago and not in 1983.
“Our journey to nationhood has been a long one and it began not 32 years ago but indeed some 400 years ago. This journey was, for most of its duration, difficult and tortured. But as though by some divinely ordered master plan, it was precisely the difficulties and the traumas which sparked the powerful impetus for us to fearlessly break from what was and to begin moving toward what we knew could be, what, we knew had to be.”
The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party’s Leader exhorted that as an independent nation, nationals should reflect on their struggle for self-actualisation that began from the moment the first Africans were brought to the country as slaves, adding that even when shape and tactics had to change, the focus never did.
“It took great determination for everyday Kittitians and Nevisians to confront the might of the British Empire and the callousness of others as they demanded an end to privileges for the very few, and worked to ensure the introduction of constitutionally enshrined rights for all: Long before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, the same spirit and values that caused it to come into being were already aflame in hearts and minds all across our two tiny islands.
“And so, we remember and honour, today, the many whose courage and humanity placed them in that sacred fold with special homage being paid to national heroes the Right Honorable Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, C. A. Paul Southwell and J. N. France, such pivotal figures in our long call for independence from England, and national hero The Honorable Simeon Daniel who played such a key role in the framing of our country’s constitution,” Dr. Douglas said.
The former PM said he is praying that on Saturday everyone would be keenly aware of the countless ways in which the Federation have so long been blessed.
“I cannot remember a time, in my lifetime, in which there was greater tumult and suffering in the world, with both man-made catastrophes as well as acts of nature leaving such despair in their wake. Yet, for so long, we in St. Kitts and Nevis have been the beneficiaries of God’s abundant mercies. May we never take this divine beneficence for granted. May we commit ourselves to striving even harder to make ourselves, in some small way, worthy. And in a world in which democratic values are more important than ever to ensuring the stability that all humans crave, may we forever commit ourselves to upholding the time-honoured values on which all democracies depend,” he added.
Dr. Douglas reminded that the nation is now into its fourth decade since the Rt. Hon. Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds became the country’s first Prime Minister, and that since then there have been vast changes socially, politically and economically.
“What has not changed,” he stressed, “is the importance that our people, like people everywhere, place on stability, community and intergenerational advancement. Let us be ever mindful that not only is St. Kitts-Nevis ours, but it is, more importantly, ours to build, ours to protect and ours to enhance for the benefit of future generations. Let us apply ourselves to the task at hand, therefore, giving of our very best as individuals, in order that St. Kitts-Nevis might be its very best, as a nation. May God bless St. Kitts-Nevis today and always.”
The quest for independence started with the Federation’s first Premier, the Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, who died on May 23, 1978, and it was achieved on September 19, 1983 under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds.
