Address
by
Honourable Stephenson King
Prime Minister, Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs and National
Development
on the occasion of Saint Lucia’s
31st Anniversary of Independence:
National Youth Rally
Theme: Promoting Excellence in Saint Lucian Youth
La Clery Playing Field
Monday, 22nd February 2010
Your Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor General; Hon. Arsene James,
Minister for Education and Culture; Dr. The Honourable Kenny Anthony; Leader of
the Opposition, Mrs. Rosemary Husbands-Mathurin;
Speaker of the House, Justice Hugh Rawlins; Chief Justice, Colleague Members of
Cabinet, Parliamentarians, Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, Guests,
Principals; Teachers, Students, fellow Saint Lucians; particularly
residents of La Clery, good morning.
Permit me this opportunity; from the onset, to extend a blessed, peaceful and
happy 31st anniversary of independence to all of you under God’s
care, protection and guidance. And as we celebrate, in observance of this great
milestone in our Nation’s history, let us stop for a moment – one single moment,
to reflect on our past, our achievements, and our present situation in our
history, and let us recommit ourselves to the ideals for which independence was
sought.
When the journey towards independence was initiated in 1966/67 the dream then;
like most West Indian brother and sister islands, was to liberate our country
from Colonial rule and to clad ourselves with that responsible cloak of
independence. Convincingly, the fathers of independence intimated that as a
people we were mature enough to fend for ourselves, determine our own destiny
and build a strong nation on the sound foundation of freedom and democracy.
Our journey through “Associated Statehood” in 1967 and eventually independence
in 1979 gave us our constitutional entitlement to the fundamental rights and
freedoms enjoyed in any civilised and democratic society. Our Constitution –
that instrument of independence, guarantees each and every citizen the right to
life, liberty, security, equality before the law and the protection of the law.
In addition, we are guaranteed freedom of conscience, of expression, of assembly
and association, of protection of the family, personal privacy, the privacy of
one’s home and other property and the deprivation of property without
compensation. All of those are subject to respect for the rights and freedoms
of others. Yet still, after 31 years of accepting that instrument of
independence, we are faced with challenges to those very rights and freedoms.
Today; though having attained much progress since independence, we stand at the
cross roads of serious social and economic challenges that threaten our very
survival as an independent nation. Our basic and fundamental right to life,
liberty and security is under serious threat by a few who fail to respect the
rights and freedoms of their fellowmen.
AS Prime Minister of this beautiful “... land that gave us birth”, I shall not
cower, neither fail, nor waiver in my responsibility to ensure the full
entitlement of all Saint Lucians to the fundamental rights and freedoms
guaranteed under our Constitution.
I feel obligated, particularly to you the youth, to protect these rights and
freedoms and to give you hope of a better tomorrow and a brighter and prosperous
future.
It is in this vein that I shall not allow our gains as a small developing
nation; after 31 years of toil, to be evaporated by the growing trend of
lawlessness and deviant behaviour, disregard to law and order, and criminality
in our society. There is no room in our society for such alien attitudes and
therefore this trend must stop now! In keeping with my recent announcement of a
“zero tolerance” to this type of activity, the Police; supported by the
judiciary, has been mandated to, and must undertake, their responsibility to
protect the citizenry and bring the criminals to justice, without fear or favour
to anyone whatsoever. Our society must be purified as an investment to
preserve the prospects of a brighter future for our children – “the sons and
daughters of Saint Lucia”.
Let me therefore reassure all, of government’s commitment to continuing our
effort towards implementing appropriate social and economic policies, designed
to safeguard the future of our young men and women of Saint Lucia. During the
last twelve months this has not been an easy prospect, as our efforts were; and
continue to be, challenged by the global economic crisis which has impacted
negatively on Government’s earnings, thus reducing the availability of adequate
resources, required to undertake critical national development programmes and
initiatives. This, coupled with the growing trend in anti social behaviour and
criminality among a small segment of our youth, has placed even greater strain
on our scarce resources.
Notwithstanding, Government will continue to develop sound policies geared
toward ensuring that our youth are thoroughly engaged in positive activities; in
their schools and communities, that promote team building, patriotism, civic
responsibility and sound leadership. This will be done through a variety of
programmes and activities that will promote the development of youth leadership;
the engagement of youth in policy formulation, thus ensuring that youth are at
the centre of our development thrust.
Last year I
engaged a number of youth groups in dialogue on a number of issues of national,
regional and international interest. Through such dialogue, I challenged the
members of the Caribbean Youth Environmental Network
and the youth of the National Trust, to develop a national project that will
mobilize more Saint Lucian youth in the preservation of our environment, so that
our country can be preserved for generations to come. I also included four
young persons on Saint Lucia’s delegation to the Climate Change Meeting in
Copenhagen, Denmark, last December. I urge more of you to come on board and
become part of this movement and commit yourself to promoting the protection of
our environment and the preservation of our beautiful country.
The engagement of youth in dialogue at the highest
level, on national issues is essential to their assumption of leadership
responsibility. Last month an historic Youth Video Conference was convened,
involving young Saint Lucians in Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Washington, Tortola,
Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Saint Lucia. Governor General, Dame Pearlette
Louisy and I dialogued with them on the subject of “The role of the youth in
developing Saint Lucia”. I must admit that this was one of my greatest
pleasures as Prime Minister, to listen to our youth as they articulated their
hopes, their dreams and their aspirations for their beloved country.
The participation of young people in influencing the conditions of their own
lives is very critical. That is why dialogue is important, because
“Participation is more than involvement in institutions and decision making.
Participation is a pattern of how one lives, it is relevant to work, housing,
leisure, education and social relations. Participation is also a question of
young people’s rights and obligations in shaping the future society.” {Council
Europe (1997)}.
As we encourage our youth to dialogue and participate, youth unemployment is of
particular concern to Government. Government; through the Ministries of Social
Transformation, Youth and Sports, and Education and Culture, will continue its
thrust to put in place policies and effective strategies which will enable young
people to make right choices and ensure their participation in all spheres of
civil and national development.
Consequently, in the search for a long term consensus based, integrated and
cross-sectoral youth policy that empowers young people, a number of youth
initiatives will be embarked upon:
· The Review of the National Youth Policy
·
Capacity Building for District Youth and Sports Councils
·
Establishment of After School Programmes,
·
Reintroduction of social and uniformed groups at all schools
·
Engaging Youth at the national level to allow their input in
issues affecting our society
·
Redevelopment of the School Sports Program to incorporate a more
skewed development format.
In addition, a number of regional youth initiatives
will be initiated through the Regional Integration Unit within the office of the
Prime Minister, in conjunction with the relevant Ministries.
This year the United Nations has
proclaimed the period 12 August 2010 - 11 August 2011 as
the International Year of Youth on the theme
“Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”.
We here in Saint Lucia must be proud, because we have already started our
dialogue with the youth.
Let us therefore give them hope on the occasion of this 31st
anniversary of our independence, by returning to our traditional values, by
securing peace, love, unity and harmony, and most of all securing their
fundamental rights and freedom guaranteed under our Constitution.
In conclusion, let me express my gratitude to the organisers of today’s
activities for their excellent choice in selecting the beautiful and pristine
community of La Clery, which I have the honour and pleasure to represent in the
Parliament. On behalf of the residents of La Clery and by extension the
Constituency of Castries North, and on my own behalf, please accept our warm
welcome, and our wishes for a happy, blessed and peaceful 31st
anniversary of independence.
And as you all depart from this scenic venue, let me borrow a line from
Max Ehrmann's inspirational poem the “Desiderata” – “Go
placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in
silence.
I thank you.