Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
R. Rose
February 20, 2009

The road to Independence

Thirty years ago, on February 8, 1979, to be exact, the pre-independence House of Assembly formally approved a Resolution paving the way for the attainment of independence by St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Resolution was a follow-up to a Constitutional Conference held in London in late 1978, at which both the colonial government of Britain and the then Labour Party government of SVG, led by the late Robert Milton Cato, agreed that our country should proceed towards achieving independent status.{{more}}

Many countries have had to fight bitterly to break out of colonial shackles and over the years, millions of people – in Africa, Asia, the western hemisphere (including the United States of America) – died in pursuit of that goal. Indeed, in the case of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, the Callinago/Garifuna people had put up brave resistance to colonial intrusion in a futile bid to preserve their freedom and the independence of their beloved homeland. They paid a high price for their gallant demonstration of patriotism, including exile and gross discrimination against those descendants still left in St. Vincent.

One would have thought, therefore, that Vincentians would have gleefully embraced the march towards independence with a commonality of purpose. Far from it! By a twist of fate, and politics, the historically anti-colonial Ebenezer Joshua now found himself in the Opposition, while Milton Cato’s Labour Party, long identified as reluctant anti-colonialists, was leading the independence march. Just four years before, in 1975, Labour’s most prominent spokesman Hudson Tannis, now deceased, speaking at a public discussion at the then UWI Extra-Mural Centre, had ruled out independence as an immediate option for SVG.

When Labour chose to move towards independence, therefore, there was far from national consensus on the process or even the goal itself. The narrow, partisan approach of the government of the day, and its refusal to mobilize the broad population around the issue of national sovereignty, brought in its wake much division and disquiet. Old prejudices and a lack of understanding of what independence really meant combined with local partisan politics to produce a highly volatile cocktail that saw the Parliamentary Opposition virtually opposing independence itself.

Fortunately, the progressive elements in the society, led by YULIMO (the Youlou United Liberation Movement, “Youlou” being the Callinago name for St. Vincent, promoted strongly by the late Eddy Griffith, among others), ARWEE of Diamond Village, and the anti-colonial democratic Freedom Movement, would have none of this recourse to backwardness. They spearheaded the mobilization of a broad coalition of civil society forces (trade unions, youth and community groups, women’s organizations etc) under thee umbrella of a National Independence Committee (NIC). Led by a well-respected local barrister, Mr. Henry Williams (God bless his soul), later himself to become Acting Governor-General of an independent SVG, the NIC set out to do what the government ought to have done – explain the significance of independence, educate the population on constitutional and political issues, and solicit their views on a new independence constitution.

Unfortunately, such an enlightened approach was not welcomed in official circles. Premier Cato even went so far overboard as to pour scorn and ridicule on the NIC, dismissing its leaders as “a bunch of nincompoops”. Efforts at constructive dialogue on the part of the NIC were spurned, and its far-reaching but very sensible constitutional proposals were largely ignored. Thirty years on, we are paying the price of this folly, having to expend scarce and valuable human and financial resources to revise the very Constitution which we allowed Britain to foist on us in 1979.

The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), established by the last Parliament, has completed its work and submitted its Report to Parliament. It is expected that this year, a national referendum will be held permitting our people to either approve or reject the revised Constitution. It is interesting to take a look back at some of the NIC’s proposals from three decades ago, compare them with those of the CRC and contrast both with the provisions in our current Constitution. This I hope to do, “God spare” as we say, in this column from time to time.

However, let me conclude by touching briefly on the significance of the NIC and its work. That was an earth-shattering, historical development, both in terms of the broad range of forces it enveloped, as well as the importance of the subject matter. The process of engagement, too, was a model one. Never before had Vincentians had such an opportunity to engage in national dialogue on constitutional issues. Most of our people at the time had not even heard of, much more seen, a Constitution. Yet they responded magnificently to the challenge. If only the richness of that national dialogue could have been maintained over the years!

Finally, the example of the NIC was to prove a most valuable one for future mass democratic battles and the building of similar broad people’s coalition. Out of the 1978-’79 experience, the mass movement absorbed lessons enabling it to coalesce in 1981 in the National Committee in Defence of Democracy (NCDD) against the “Dread Bills”, and, almost two decades later in the Organization in Defence of Democracy (ODD). Those remain some of our finest hours.

Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator.

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    Vincy Jewels return home to heroines’ welcome
    Sports
    Vincy Jewels return home to heroines’ welcome
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    The St. Vincent and the Grenadines national netball team returned home on Monday evening, September,1, 2025, to an official welcome at the Argyle Inte...
    Maryann Frederick, a dominant shooter in regional netball
    Sports
    Maryann Frederick, a dominant shooter in regional netball
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    Maryann Frederick has developed into one of the most dominant goal-shooters in netball, a fact acknowledged by many regional coaches. And she proved t...
    Kitchen Corner
    Chinese Chicken Cabbage
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    You will need: 1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 teaspoon oil 1 tablespoon cornstarch. For the St...
    Is a CT Scan or an MRI the better choice for you?
    Physician's Weekly
    Is a CT Scan or an MRI the better choice for you?
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    Over the last 40-50 years, CT scans and MRI machines have tremendously advanced the non-invasive imaging of the body’s internal organs. Since they bec...
    World Suicide Prevention Day 2025
    Dr Jozelle Miller
    World Suicide Prevention Day 2025
    Breaking the silence: Choosing Life when the darkness feels overwhelming
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    Each year on September 10th, World Suicide Prevention Day brings us face-to-face with a sobering truth, that behind the suicide statistics were real l...
    How to turn attention into real results
    Business Buzz
    How to turn attention into real results
    Webmaster 
    September 9, 2025
    In marketing, getting attention is the easy part. A creative post, a trending video or a strong headline can catch someone’s eye for a moment. The rea...
    News
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    News
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Climate Change Resilience Network (CCRN) in collaboration with the Youlou Radio Movement (YRM) recently embarked on a disaster preparedness initia...
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    News
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, is to obtain three more Heamodialysis machines as part of the revolution in the healthcare secto...
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    News
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is leading a delegation to the East African country of Ethiopia; the delegation left the state on Wednesday, Septe...
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    News
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The modern port in Kingstown is expected to be handed over to the government just before this country celebrates its 46th anniversary of political ind...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok