Let’s continue to build this country

23.OCT.09

by H.E. Cenio E. Lewis – High Commissioner for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the UK

Thirty years in the history of a nation is a very short period and yet, as we look back over this brief history of time, our people can truly be proud of the progress which has been made by our nation.{{more}}

The domestic developments, particularly in the last eight years, and the beneficial effects of a more defined and positive policy are clearly visible. To continue our development will demand of us all, even greater determination and the will to succeed.

Thinking about the construction of the Airport and the proposed Constitution, two words come to my mind; namely, evolution and future. Unless we adapt to a constantly changing, economic and political environment, the probable consequence is likely to be stagnation or deterioration in our development. The history of evolution, which is really about adaptation to a changing environment, has lessons for everyone.

Let us in the next thirty years and beyond work even harder to continue the building of a country of which the future generation will be proud. Success is never easy to achieve. It requires, among other things, respect and care for each other and the control of self-interest. Above all, it requires God’s help.

On behalf of the High Commission in London and on my own behalf, I wish to extend to all our people at home and in the Diaspora a happy 30th Anniversary of our Independence. Let us pray that God will continue to give our Prime Minister and his Government wisdom and guidance in the decisions they must make for the development of our country.

May God bless Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and may our nation, in the words of James W. Johnson, “forever stand True to our God, true to our native land”.