Give full support to Balliceaux acquisition

Where our national heritage and patrimony are concerned, the events surrounding the acquisition of the historic Grenadine island of Balliceaux by the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines for development as a sacred site in memory of the Garifuna people are undoubtedly the most important developments in that regard since we first celebrated

National Heroes Day as a public holiday in 2002.

Naturally, the Balliceaux acquisition, officially done on March 4, and announced in Parliament two days later, was the centrepiece of these developments and again took centre stage at last Friday’s annual wreath-laying ceremony to honour our sole national hero, Paramount Chief of the Garifuna, Joseph Chatoyer, held at the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill, where he was killed in 1795.

Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves had perhaps one of the finest moments of his career in navigating the Balliceaux ship into national port, ensuring that the island, a sacred national site is earmarked for development in keeping with national respect and reverence, and not to become a playground for the rich and famous. It took a lot of courage, especially these days given the state of international relations, to persist in this pioneering initiative.

We must also compliment the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Godwin Friday, for publicly announcing the support of the parliamentary Opposition for the Balliceaux initiative, considering that typically there are supporters of his who would be inclined to listen to arguments of distraction, preferring to place political differences over national interests.

It is important that the Prime Minister give recognition to this public support by the Opposition to invite them to actively participate in all activities in furtherance of this project -developing the Plan, assisting with fund-raising etc. This is essential politically as well, for support for the Opposition is not insignificant in Garifuna communities.

Having set the ball in motion, we must now first come to grip with the implications of this momentous step. First, as the Prime Minister has indicated, there is the task of developing a Plan for the suitable utilisation of the acquired land, in keeping with the purpose outlined. In the process, it is critical that we be mindful of our circumstances and resource limitations and, as we did with the airport “coalition of the willing”, develop broad support among, and active involvement by, Vincentians at home and abroad. Our Garifuna legacy demands such an approach, and the Prime Minister, both at the Dorsetshire Hill ceremony and later on the weekend, on radio, has clearly enunciated that this is the intended approach to be pursued.

Another encouraging aspect of the Baaliceaux initiative is that it provides room for re-energizing the campaign for reparative justice. Again, the Prime Minister seems to have realised this and indicated that this applies to reparations for the Kalinago and Garifuna people as well. In a concerted effort to build national consciousness and consensus for this initiative, it is necessary to be inclusive and have the Opposition lend its full support. They are central to this effort and must play a leading role in the campaign for reparations.