Premier Parry Speaks Out On Social Values
Charlestown, Nevis
September 21, 2009
The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) has taken a strong view on the importance of values, a position underscored by Premier of Nevis Hon. Joseph Parry, when he delivered his 2009 Independence Day address on September 19th.
He said the Education Department led by Principal Education Officer Mrs. Lornette Connor and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Mr. Joseph Wilshire had been asked to spearhead a study into the Values System.
“We need again to teach values in schools but this effort must expand beyond the schools and must be embraced by our communities. We will expand this debate to every village, every church, every community and we will involve our leaders in the private sector, in non-governmental organisations in every aspect of life in our community.
“We want Nevisians to be courteous, to be polite, to be decent to each other, to respect life, to understand that human life is sacred and must not be treated lightly. At the same time our people must maintain their self esteem and feel proud that they are Nevisians” he said.
Mr. Parry explained that Nevisians were known to be independent minded, proud and hard working and that the present generation and succeeding ones, should be reminded of those traditional values.
With regard to crime, the Premier said many of the efforts of the NIA were to help build Nevisians and to take them away from a path that led to a life of crime.
“We continue our training efforts at home and abroad. As part of the education process we are also doing this to strengthen our efforts to reduce the level of crime on the island.
“We will encourage and initiate the development of activities to bring people from villages and around the island together. We will encourage our people to socialise again without fear of fights, gunfire and violence,” he said.
Mr. Parry noted that a number of community centres would be constructed with research facilities, where training and recreational activities would take place.
“The activities that will be encouraged will be a challenge to people to turn away from negative things and to do positive things for themselves and their community.
“We will seek to again establish voluntary programmes, voluntary activities to foster and engender a sense of giving, a sense of doing, in an effort to remove that self-indulgence that is becoming predominant in our society,” he said.