Dr. Gonsalves: Positive things are happening

When the House of Assembly resumes here October 28, reflections will be on the Town and Country Planning Amendment Bill and the Stamp Amendment Bill 2004, which were both passed at last Tuesday’s House sitting.

Debate, well into the evening coming from both sides of the House in typical Westminster fashion, was serious but cordial.

The acrimony characteristic of some sittings of the House was absent, and a sense of civility pervaded most of the sitting. {{more}}

The atmosphere might have been coloured here and there with the obvious politicking, as the Unity Labour Party’s five-year term nears a climax. Anticipation of the next election is on the minds of the parliamentarians.

Tributes went to former St. Lucian Prime Minister Winston Cenac, university lecturer Gordon Draper, and Professor Gladstone Charley Mills, who all passed on in recent weeks.

The late Kelvin Gibson, former New Democratic Party stalwart, and Unity Labour Party’s Dudley Grant were also commended for their life’s contribution.

The House applauded the achievements of Kamal Wood, awarded the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate’s Most Outstanding Student for 2004, national scholar Lenski Douglas, and Shermalon Kirby. The latter, who gained First Class Honours at the University of the West Indies Mona campus, is slated to deliver the valedictory address at the University of the West Indies’ graduation exercises on November 5.

Vincy Heat, the nation’s football squad, was praised for their performances against Mexico. The display last Sunday at Arnos Vale came in for acclaim. As for Prime Minister Dr. Gonsalves, the footballers spectacle coincided with the entrenchment of the education revolution taking place here. He qualified the excellent achievements by Douglas and Wood as symbols of the overall expansion in educational opportunities. And for him, “A lot of positive things are happening.” He noted that the nation had overcome self-doubt, and was proceeding on to its tasks with assurance.