CHAPTER 2:12
“The red, green, yellow, black and white imbues me with delight”
By Ron Daniel
Whenever I see the red, green, yellow, black and white fluttering in the wind, it is much more than a flag but a symbol of the pride development and success that has epitomized our Federation’s history over these 25 years. I have a special sense of pride identifying with St Kitts and Nevis. Whether it’s filling out an immigration form or telling someone where I am from, I am always delighted to be associated with this our twin island Federation. On this our 25th anniversary of independence, I thought it best to dedicate Chapter 2:12 to speaking to why I am proud to be a citizen of this our fair land. In this article I will look at our freedom, our Human Development Index and the significant achievements of our country and its citizens.
We sometimes take for granted the fact that in our Federation we have an unblemished history of human rights. While most constitutions have human rights provisions imbedded in their constitutions, there are cases where these rights are abridged in various countries daily. Although China is fast becoming the strongest country in the world, it has a disastrous human rights record. Although Pakistan is rich in natural resources and it has a booming economy, there are still some people in opposition who have to go into hiding. Although Cuba has the best medical practitioners in the world and their economy is such that they can offer free scholarships to people across the Caribbean there can be no true opposition party in Cuba. Not so in this our land of St Kitts and Nevis.
Neither Lindsay Grant or the Honourable Vance Amory have to go in hiding for fear of political persecution. They work freely and walk freely through any street in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. The opposition is also free to hold marches and demonstrations as occurred in St Kitts on numerous occasions by both parties.
The media in St Kitts Nevis is free to publish what they may and the radio stations are not dictated by government as in other countries. We are all free to practice our religion devoid from religious persecution of any kind. We are able to hold elections every four or five years and though while some may say that they are not all completely free and fair, the fact that we have not lived under one party throughout our independence is evidence that the electorate does not merely kowtow to the incumbent government during elections. If and when our government wishes to acquire ones property for some reason or the other they have to pay that person for the property that they wish to acquire. In other countries they simply acquire arbitrarily with no thought of even indemnifying the person for same. While it is unthinkable for one to take the government to court and win in other countries, there have been instances like the recent case where former High Court Registrar Angela Inniss who won a wrongful dismissal case against the Government of St Kitts and Nevis on July 30 2008. It is freedoms such as these that are not only enunciated in our constitution but are exercised daily in this our Federation. That is why the red, green, yellow, black and white imbues me with delight.
Although we are only twenty five years old as a nation our Human Development Index (HDI) is enviable. Human Development Index encompasses three basic concepts and is an internationally accepted index to measure one success as a nation. The three concepts are life expectancy at birth as this is an indication of a population’s health and longevity, knowledge and education which is measured by the literacy rate and the standard of living “as measured by the natural logarithm of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in United States dollars.”
According to the list of countries measured by the November 27th 2007 United Nations HDI Report, St Kitts Nevis is first in the OECS, third in the English speaking Caribbean and 54th in the world out of 177 independent countries. Only Barbados (31) and Bahamas (51) rank better than us which means that we are ahead of our larger Caribbean counterparts like St Vincent and the Grenadines (93) and Jamaica (101). We are also ahead of the international super-power China who ranks at 81. With a literacy rate of 98% it is very easy to see why we rate that highly. The fact that our life expectancy rate is higher than other countries speaks to the quality of life we have here in St Kitts and Nevis such that more and more people are moving to our Federation to find work and make it their home. We were the last country in the OECS to attain independence and yet we lead the OECS in the United Nations Human Development Index. That is why the red, green, yellow, black and white imbues me with delight.
Our country continues to shine on the regional and international stage by creating history in a multiplicity of areas. We were the smallest country to host Carifesta in 2000 as well as the smallest to host the Carifta Games in 2008. In 2006 we became the smallest nation ever to host an international cricket match and in 2007 we became the smallest nation ever to host a World Cup. In Nevis we have produced the most international cricketers per capita in the World and we now have the first internationally approved drag strip in the OECS. In athletics we have a man in Kim Collins who is a former World Champion and was once ranked as the fastest man in the entire world.
In netball we have two persons from Nevis in Crisenthia O’flahearty and Lydia Thompson who have not only made but also captained the West Indies Netball Team. In Nevis, we have the Four Seasons Resort which has constantly been voted by no less than Conde Naste as the best hotel in the entire world. In St Kitts we have Keith Kayamba Gumbs whose skill as a footballer now has him playing professionally overseas. In Nevis we have the famous but all natural Bath Springs that have healing power while in St Kitts Brimstone Hill stands as a fortress deserving the accreditation of a World Heritage Sight.
In law we have Sir Dennis Byron from St Kitts who has served and now Hugh Rawlins from Nevis who is now serving as the Chief Justice of the OECS Supreme Court. We have excelled in tourism, culture, sports, academics inter alia. These are but a handful of achievements that we have achieved thus far and I believe that by God’s good grace there are more to come. It is why the red, green, yellow, black and white imbues me with delight.
As I see the red, green, yellow black and white fluttering in the wind my heart is engulfed with special pride. It reminds me of our freedoms, our standard of living and our significant achievements. Like aging wine, St Kitts and Nevis just seems to get better with time. May God continue to bless this our Federation as I pledge allegiance to the red, green, yellow, black and white.
