Prime Minister Fruendal Stuart urged Barbadians to mobilize and fully exploit their vast reserves of inner wealth as he addressed the nation on its 51 years of political independence from Great Britain on Thursday.
Enviable capacity to lead
Stuart said although Barbados is a small country which belongs to the family of Small Island Development States. “We have never allowed our size, however, to shape our view of what it is possible to attempt or to achieve. Therein is the secret of the impact we have been able to make on the world beyond Barbados. Whether in sport, in the arts, in literature, in entertainment, in the world of ideas, or in areas such as health, education, and the environment and whether in the region, in the hemisphere or in the world beyond, Barbados has shown always an enviable capacity to lead. That has been the story of the last fifty-one years.”
Stuart also pointed to a study that was commissioned when the island celebrated its Golden Jubilee last year, stating that it revealed that Barbadians have a “deep and abiding love for their country.”
Core values
“It revealed despite the many changes which have taken place in the environment in which we operate, our people continue to attach great importance to those core values that made us strong throughout our history.”
The Prime Minister reminded the nation that the measurement of the nation’s success has never been purely in terms of money or material gains.
“Our image in the world has primarily been associated with our character. It’s that character that sustains us as a nation, in times of plenty and times of need. So, as we work through challenges, and seek to recapture the essence of what it is to be a Barbadian, let us ensure that the strength of this nation’s true character continues to shine for all the world to see.”
He said no one can deny that Barbados has done well as an independent nation.
Concentrate on building future
“What we have been able to achieve, represents battles fought and won. But we cannot live our lives in the past. “Life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday. We have now to ensure that we protect past achievements, in a spirit of thanksgiving, while we concentrate on building a sunlit future.
“We can enhance our chances of creating that future if together we continue to pursue the creation of an inclusive society that is peaceful, productive and stable; if we continue to promote commitment to democratic values, so that as many people as possible can have a say in the molding of their destiny; if together we continue to preserve our belief in fundamental human rights at the core of which is respect for our many individual differences.”
According to Stuart, Barbadians will continue to proudly “write our names on history’s page with expectations great, strict guardians of our heritage, firm craftsmen of our fate. Every Barbadian has an important role to play in the building of our nation.”
