As I sat here and listened to Ambassador Sydney Osborne, I reflected on the importance of this occasion and concluded that we are redeeming the times. We came here on these hallowed and historic grounds from which we were once ostracized, and which have now been repatriated as our grounds and Government House. We came to make history and to do a good and historic deed.
Today is a blessed day. Let’s rejoice and be glad. Today for the second time in as many weeks we find and acknowledge the excellent work of our sons and daughters. Today we pause to say congratulations and thank you to Mr Keith Scarborough (MBE) and Ms Clarita Richards (OBE) for meritorious service. Today our heartiest congratulations and loudest thank you are extended to Dr the Rt Excellent and The Rt Honourable Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, our First Prime Minister and only surviving National Hero. Such a momentous occasion is being witnessed by so many today. Many appreciate that had it not been for the Lord, and the transformation of the landscape from its divisive politics and ad hominen attacks, this day would not have come. I give God honour and Glory for bringing our people into the marvelous light and the opportunity it has provided for a fresh start in national healing, reconciliation, honour and national unity.
The Queen’s Honours
Mr. Keith Scarborough (MBE), you have entertained us and provoked our thoughts over the years, performing in the Calypso arena as King “Dis N Dat.” You have won the coveted Culturama Calypso title no fewer than 10 times and represented Nevis well in several regional and international calypso fora. You have also run for representational politics for the St. Thomas constituency in Nevis on the Concerned Citizen’s Movement (CCM) ticket and, in the sporting arena, you served as Cricket Chief in Nevis.
Ms. Clarita Richards (OBE), you have served dutifully and with distinction as a long-standing government employee, most notably as Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, and as a member of the diplomatic corps at our High Commission in London. You have brought happiness to many of us as you performed as a beloved organist and choir director at the Zion Moravian Church for many years. You are well regarded for being an engaging and effective teacher of Modern Languages.
On behalf of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, I commend both of you for being worthy role models to your fellow citizens and for the next generation.
Today is truly significant, as St. Kitts and Nevis’ highest honour, the Order of National Honour, is now formally conferred on Dr. the Rt. Excellent and the Rt. Honourable Sir Kennedy Simmonds, our first Prime Minister and only living National Hero.
Sir Kennedy: Leading Figure in Post-Colonial Caribbean Politics
Sir Kennedy is a towering standard-bearer for the period that historians label as the beginning of contemporary Caribbean politics – which is that watershed moment in time when several Caribbean countries attained their independence from Great Britain: Grenada, for instance, on February 7th, 1974, Dominica on November 3rd, 1978, St. Lucia on February 22nd, 1979, St. Vincent and the Grenadines on October 27th, 1979, Antigua and Barbuda on November 1st, 1981, and St. Kitts and Nevis on September 19th, 1983.
Our larger counterparts preceded us on the journey to political independence in the 1960s: Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago in 1962 and Barbados and Guyana in 1966. Those four countries went ahead and signed the Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4th, 1973.
So, as some of the smaller islands gained their independence from Britain in the 1970s, there was a consensus that they needed to enter into a more formal union to further their developmental efforts. Subsequently, on June 18th, 1981, the OECS was formed with the signing of the Treaty of Basseterre, named in honour of our beautiful capital city where it was formalized. Premier the Honourable Dr Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds signed on behalf of St Kitts and Nevis. Other signatories at this historic ceremony were: the Honourable Lester Bird of Antigua, Hon. Eugenia Charles of Dominica, Hon. Maurice Bishop of Grenada, Hon. Franklyn Margetson of Montserrat; Hon. Winston Cenac of St. Lucia, and Hon. Hudson Tannis of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The formation of the OECS in 1981 etched St. Kitts and Nevis into the forefront of sub regional integration. Everyone in the region and further afield took notice of the halcyon, prosperous days that Kittitians and Nevisians would enjoy, well into the next decade, under the visionary leadership of Sir Kennedy.
Sir Kennedy’s Legacy
Overview:
On September 19th, 1983, Sir Kennedy became St. Kitts and Nevis’ first Prime Minister with the country’s attainment of independence. His government’s main development objectives between 1980 and 1995 focused on improving upon the country’s infrastructure, creating specially designated areas for tourism, and fostering a macroeconomic and regulatory environment that would aid private sector development.
To his credit, the period of the 80s was a bonanza period of the Federation.
Spurred on by a booming economy, wages and salaries on the whole rose in the country. The unemployment rate was one of the lowest among the Caribbean countries. By 1990, labour productivity in St. Kitts and Nevis was among the highest among the OECS. Our country also boasted being the largest exporter of clothing to the United States.
Lasting Impact on Tourism
Any discussion of Prime Minister Simmonds’ lasting legacy must highlight the Sir Kennedy Simmonds Highway that leads to the Southeast Peninsula. Dubbed by Sir Kennedy’s critics as the “road to nowhere” when his government started to construct it, the Southeast Peninsula is now home to many beach bars and restaurants, the Sea Bridge Ferry Terminal, Christophe Harbour, the first tunnel in the country, and the soon-to-be-opened first Caribbean-based Park Hyatt, which is the premium brand of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
The Construction of the Port Zante facilities was another important achievement of his administration.
We cannot catalogue every achievement on the economic landscape and neither would we seek to enumerate those on the social landscape.
Suffice it to note that it would be remiss of me to neglect Sir Kennedy’s impact on making our country’s education and banking systems more egalitarian, his administration’s efforts to end gender imbalance, support equality of children irrespective of the circumstances of birth. Efforts to enhance student learning through the school feeding program and SELF were timely actions in transforming our society.
The so-called “people’s bank” opened its doors to the public on May 22nd, 1981 after being incorporated under the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis Act of that year.In the 35 years since then, thousands of our people have received financial and technical assistance from the Development Bank, to develop medium, small and micro-enterprises,and hundreds more, who could not qualify for loans from commercial banks, have received housing loan assistance from the Development Bank. The statistics, of course, would reveal that the Development Bank is the most significant entity in terms of the provision of educational loans, and so hundreds of our citizens at home and abroad owe a debt of gratitude to the bank for its contribution to their education and training. Just in the past 10 years (2006-2016), the Development Bank has approved 2,143 student loans valued at close to 144 million dollars ($143,503,339.58).
The people of St. Kitts and Nevis thank you, Sir Kennedy
What I have just outlined is only a snapshot. Sir Kennedy’s legacy is composed of tens of thousands of pixels – each one represents every single citizen and resident of St. Kitts and Nevis whose life has been impacted by him. Today, we say thank you, and I note with pleasure that you are our only living National Hero. You have received your flowers while you are alive, rather than posthumously.
I salute you. We hail your wife, Lady Mary Simmonds and your children, and thank them for allowing you to actualize and to serve our country so very well. We honour your Cabinet for allowing you to shine. Some are here: Michael Powell, Hugh Heyliger, Constance Mitcham, Richard Caines, Joseph Parry, Roy Jones, Terrence Byron and H. E. Sir Tapley Seaton.
The Case for Broadening the National Hero Base
My administration feels that more diversity is needed in the pantheon of National Heroes.
For instance, all of our country’s National Heroes were born in the first half of the 20th Century, and all have been active in politics and government. Notably, this year, Montserrat conferred posthumously the Order of National Hero on Alphonsus “Arrow” Cassell, best known as the Mighty King of Soca and for his song “Hot, Hot, Hot.”
And I am sure that it has not gone unnoticed, especially among women, that all of our National Heroes are men. Jamaica, notably in 1982, conferred the Order of National Hero on a woman in the person of Nanny, the highly charismatic leader of the Maroons at the beginning of the 18th Century. “Granny Nanny,” as she was affectionately known, had exceptional skills in guerilla warfare.
Or should we consider a collective or a sub-group, such as the women of the Buckley’s Riots who reportedly made up a high proportion of the estate workers responsible for organizing the general strike and mobilizing the protest marches on January 28th and 29th, 1935? These are important questions to consider.
My Cabinet shall seek advice on these matters from a broad base group of knowledgeable citizens and nationals.
Leave a positive indelible mark on your country and the world
I want now to encourage every Kittitian and Nevisian, particularly young people, to think, dream and act like a hero every day in even the smallest ways. Think of every moment in your life as a pixel that plays a role in creating a high-resolution image of you for the entire world to see. If all of us were to look at that picture of you now, what details would you want us to focus on? Would we see someone who lets circumstances define them, or someone like Sir Kennedy who overcame adverse socio economic circumstances to reach the zenith of his career?
Today we are honoring a man who has defined himself as an outstanding leader. He has made a significant difference to the people of St Kitts and Nevis as well as defining his reputation around the world.
Our nation needs heroes for the future. Young people who will see themselves as our future leaders and who can share their passion, integrity and dynamism to make a difference to their people, our people. The future of our nation relies on you, for our tomorrows and that of future generations.
On behalf of Cabinet and the entire Federation I close by wishing that surely goodness and mercy will follow our honourees all the days of their lives.
God Bless Our Federation! I Thank You!
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