BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – St. Kitts and Nevis celebrates 42 years of Independence beneath the theme “Perpetual Progress – A Sustainable Future in View: Independence 42.” Throughout an handle to the nation, Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew mentioned the nation’s journey is very similar to a highway, constructed stone by stone, formed by sacrifice, and guided by imaginative and prescient.
“Independence as we all know it’s greater than a date on the calendar; it’s a dwelling journey. It’s the regular progress of a folks decided to face tall, to stroll their very own highway, and to construct a future worthy of generations to come back. In the present day, on the forty second anniversary of Independence, I stand on the newly reconstructed fundamental highway in St. Peter’s with the wind at my again and the broader St. Kitts and Nevis in view. Beneath my ft is new asphalt, newly laid, clean, and certain. Round us, you possibly can see the cautious grading of verges and recent highway markings, the drains that carry flood water safely to sea, the connecting sidewalks, and the lights that make the night time safer for all.
The roads we construct, not simply in St. Peter’s however all through St. Kitts and Nevis, throughout the community of rehabilitated and upgraded corridors that now transfer our folks and our financial system extra safely and effectively, are the routes by which Independence turns into actual within the lives of abnormal folks. Each lane we restore, each culvert we exchange, each blacktop we lay is a bit of that freedom, sensible, measurable, and felt.”
The Sustainable Island State Agenda, which the Drew-led administration is main the cost on, was the main focus of the handle, the place Drew touted the efforts being made within the Federation to attain sustainability.
“As our theme this yr suggests, perpetual progress, a sustainable future in view, Independence shouldn’t be a single leap from level A to level Z. It’s a regular march, a triumphant motion, and a highway that continues past the horizon. However nation-building is rarely solely concerning the journey, as roads should lead someplace. They have to hook up with a bigger design, an financial system that works, companies that ship, establishments that shield, and a shared imaginative and prescient that lifts us increased collectively.”
The Prime Minister outlined varied initiatives his administration has achieved since taking workplace, which embody the enlargement of water infrastructure, highway rehabilitation, renewable power initiatives, and different capital initiatives.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the impression of geopolitical challenges and local weather change however instructed that the Federation has the resolve to persevere.
“Our Federation nonetheless faces the impression of unprecedented challenges primarily compounded by exterior components. We worry the results of the elevated value of dwelling triggered by imported inflation, on condition that we’re a small, open financial system. The vagaries of local weather change, resulting in excessive climate occasions akin to droughts, trigger decreased availability of water, and the worldwide geopolitical uncertainties of our time. But we face them not with worry, however with a agency resolve. As a result of we all know who we’re. We’re individuals who have endured, a individuals who have prevailed. My brothers and sisters, Independence calls us to unite.
It calls us to look past what divides us, and to concentrate on what binds us. No highway will be constructed if every stone resists the one subsequent to it. No home can stand if every wall pushes towards the opposite. And no nation can endure if every citizen sees him or herself separate from the entire. Collectively we’re stronger. Collectively we’re safer. Collectively we’re free. Forty-two years could appear quick within the life of countries, however in these 4 a long time we now have travelled far.”
“From a younger nation discovering its footing to a assured federation charting its future, St. Kitts and Nevis has confirmed that progress is feasible. With dedication and dedication, we are able to stroll our personal path and construct our personal future. And but, my fellow residents, Independence is rarely completed. It’s the accountability of every new era. As we glance towards the horizon, allow us to think about and proceed to reimagine a St. Kitts and Nevis of tomorrow. A nation the place we outline ourselves. A nation the place each youngster, no matter background, has the appropriate and alternative to be taught, to attain, and to contribute. A nation the place households dwell securely in houses which are protected from storms and reasonably priced to keep up. A nation the place our streets and communities are freed from violence, and our younger folks see alternatives reasonably than despair. A nation the place we harness the solar, the wind, the ocean, and the volcano to energy our houses, our faculties, and our industries. A nation that welcomes funding, nurtures creativity, and shares prosperity throughout each village and each parish. That is the highway we should stroll collectively.”
With incomplete initiatives and main ones not but began, the Prime Minister mentioned errors are inevitable, however the work continues.
“In order we rejoice this forty second anniversary of our Independence, we should additionally acknowledge that not each highway is but paved, not each mission is but full, and never each group feels the total measure of peace and prosperity we search. As a authorities, we don’t deny this. We face it. However right this moment we are able to say with delight and with out boasting that the Federation is transferring ahead and transferring ahead collectively. This highway in St. Peter’s doesn’t stand alone. It’s a part of a system. The hospital and college beneath development are usually not remoted buildings. They’re a part of a system. The power and water initiatives, digital reforms, housing, social packages, youth initiatives, and enterprise help are every a part of a system. And when a system is coherent, progress compounds. And it’s only then that Independence is absolutely realised.”
He added, “So once we ask ourselves, what does it imply to be really free after 42 years? It means a toddler can stroll in mansion, trip alongside a protected, lit roadway to a contemporary faculty, examine on an digital gadget linked to dependable broadband, take part in an after-school programme that retains them engaged and protected, entry preventive healthcare at a powerful group clinic, after which return residence to a dry, safe, energy-efficient home powered partly by the solar. It means a farmer in Cayon can irrigate extra reliably, get an reasonably priced mortgage to improve gear, transport recent produce alongside an excellent highway to a market, and settle immediately with digital instruments. It means a nurse at JNF can use trendy diagnostics to deal with sufferers at residence, reasonably than having to move them overseas for remedy. It means a brand new graduate from St. Kitts and Nevis can select to remain as a result of staying provides a lifetime of dignity, development, and hope.”
“That is Independence that breathes. That is Independence you possibly can drive upon, be taught upon, construct upon, and rely on. Forty-two years on, we nonetheless have errors to keep away from and classes to use. As such, your authorities is dedicated to prudent financial administration that protects our stability, to transparency and accountability, to session and collaboration, to the regular, disciplined execution that turns plans into initiatives and initiatives into progress. We’ll stay daring and cautious, daring sufficient to alter what have to be modified, and cautious sufficient to safe what have to be secured, and we are going to measure our work not by headlines however by outcomes.”
The Prime Minister concluded by encouraging the residents of St. Kitts and Nevis, each at residence and overseas, to not be distracted by doubt or defeated by division, however to see each highway as a pathway to alternatives and development.
St. Kitts and Nevis gained Independence on September 19, 1983, from the UK.
