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'Boldly together or stumble separately'- Premier Fahie on regional unity

- Hon Fahie sets precedence that 'One Caribbean' is the only way forward
Premier of the Virgin Islands, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) speaking at the People’s Action Movement’s (PAM) 54th Anniversary Convention on Sunday, April 28, 2019, in Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis. Hon Fahie was the Keynote Speaker at the invitation of Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, The Honourable Shawn K. Richards. Photo: The St Kitts-Nevis Times
Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1), left, at the People’s Action Movement’s (PAM) 54th Anniversary Convention on Sunday, April 28, 2019, in Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis. Photo: St Kitts-Nevis Times
Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1), left, at the People’s Action Movement’s (PAM) 54th Anniversary Convention on Sunday, April 28, 2019, in Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis. Photo: St Kitts-Nevis Times
Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) greets and speaks with Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Allen M. Chastanet during the OECS Authority Welcome Breakfast Meeting on March 14, 2019. It was Premier Smith’s first trip overseas as Premier. Photo: Bria Smith/GIS
Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) greets and speaks with Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Allen M. Chastanet during the OECS Authority Welcome Breakfast Meeting on March 14, 2019. It was Premier Smith’s first trip overseas as Premier. Photo: Bria Smith/GIS
BASSETERRE, St Kitts & Nevis – Virgin Islands Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) says now more than ever the Caribbean region must think of ways to implement regional unity if it is to succeed as thriving economies in the future.

The Premier was at the time speaking at the People’s Action Movement’s (PAM) 54th Anniversary Convention on Sunday, April 28, 2019, in Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis where he was the Keynote Speaker at the invitation of Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, The Honourable Shawn K. Richards. 

Mutual Respect

“For unity to succeed there must also be trust and mutual respect. Too many times in the Caribbean we spend more time tearing down, than uniting. We have to understand in this coalition, none is more important than the other. But you are not the least either, you must demand respect and you must give it,” Hon Fahie told those gathered.

“I come to you today as a friend, and as an observer, but also too as a member of the wider Caribbean fraternity… I come to you also as one of the strongest believers in regional unity, and so I also want to allude to the concept of unity on a regional basis,” he said.

According to Hon Fahie, for Caribbean leaders to truly deliver on the promises of a better way for its people, “there is no better way than to act as one united Caribbean.” 

He pointed out that since coming to office as Premier in the Virgin Islands (VI), through the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), his government has made it a robust and an aggressive policy to move on many fronts so the VI can be an integral part of the regional unity process.

VI Leading the way – Hon Fahie

“Indeed my first overseas trip as Premier was to the OECS [Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States] authority meeting in Guadeloupe. We have also joined the Association of Caribbean States and I had the pleasure of joining the recent head meetings in Nicaragua,” he further revealed.

According to the Premier, the people of the VI have long accepted the notion and the understanding that “we not only have a shared history in the Caribbean but a shared destiny.”

As such, “the option is to either go forward boldly together or stumble separately into irrelevance,” he said in pointing out several strides his government has made, including giving legal status to residents of other Caribbean territories.

The Premier mulled that it is imperative that the region must find meaningful ways to strengthen economic and cultural ties through shared resources and ideas.

He said due to the shared colonial past of the Caribbean Region, “Our generation only now has the duty to consolidate and formalise the commitment to unity that our forefathers made.”

6 Responses to “'Boldly together or stumble separately'- Premier Fahie on regional unity”

  • 123 (01/05/2019, 12:30) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    tell them fahie
  • lodger (01/05/2019, 12:44) Like (0) Dislike (6) Reply
    Do his bodyguards travel with him? With guns? Who pays?
  • Yes I (01/05/2019, 13:23) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    We need free movement now Hon. Fahie.
  • E. Leonard (01/05/2019, 15:08) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    Regional unity is critical to the growth, development and sustainability of regional Anglophone (Commonwealth) countries. From 1958-1962, Caribbean Commonwealth countries made a weak, luke warm attempt at starting and sustaining a Federation. Siting the capital, freedom of movement (especially from small to big countries) among other things contributed to the demise of the Federation. Due to lack of support, division and insularity, the attempt was short-lived. IMO the region would have been in better shape today if there were stronger cooperation and collaboration for the success of the Federation. Instead, the fragmenting of the Federation occurred in quick order, starting the Independence parade. One country asserted that 1 from 10 leaves 0(nought). On 06 August 1962, Jamaica started the independence parade with other countries following in quick succession. Today, some 10 small, resource-poor countries dot the Caribbean Sea as independent countries.

    Moreover, the regional Anglophone countries are resource-poor. With the decline of sugar, tourism, a fragile industry, is the region’s primary economy; mono-economy. The region needs to form some type union to use the region’s limited resources for improving regional growth and development, improving standard of living and quality of life, stemming brain and skill drain .........etc, ie, delivering the highest level of service to the greatest number of people. There are opportunities for regional cooperation on education, medicine, disaster management, insurance, law, economic growth and development, national defence, environmental management.......etc . There is strength in numbers.

    Unification is working for much larger locales, ie, US, Canada, Australia, EU....etc. Premier Andrew Fahie states: ‘Boldly together or stumble separately.’ Which bold regional leader will step forth with a bold new regional plan. The Caribbean Anglophone countries of approx 6.8 million people deserves the opportunity for a brighter future. Freedom of movement historically has been a challenge for many countries. However, if opportunities are created in all countries, freedom of movement becomes a non-isdue, for people like to stay home among family, friends.....etc.
  • RealPol (01/05/2019, 22:45) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    @ E. Leonard, what type of regional unity you had in mind, ie, presedential, federal republic, federation, parliamentary system.......etc? See a number of road blocks to regional unity. These road blocks include concerns about freedom of movement, reluctance of leaders, ie, Prime Ministers, Premiers.....etc to yield control to a central government, self-hatred.......etc. Small regional countries attaining independence was a feel good exercise, for independence has not serve the people of region well. A few people are doing well , but the majority of people are catching hell. Were it not for remittances from sbroad and the relief valve emigration to the US, Canada and UK, there would be more poverty and misery in the region. Agree that scarce and limited resources should be employed to benefit the maximum number people in the region.


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