Acting PM – Marcella Liburd
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
August 08, 2013 (CUOPM)
Heads of Diplomatic Missions of St. Kitts and Nevis have been told that there are inherent benefits to investing in the various sectors in the twin-island Federation.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of a Retreat for Heads of Mission at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort Thursday morning, Acting Prime Minister, the Hon. Marcella Liburd said that the twin-island Federation boasts a stable economy, a solid currency, an educated people and adheres to the rule of law thus making a wise and safe investment destination.
“The plethora of investments we are currently seeing in our economy testifies to the confidence in our country. Let us move forward together motivated by the prospects that abound if we move beyond the tradition of government to government transactions and redefine diplomacy based on our terms,” said Ms. Liburd, the Minister of Health, Community and Social Development, Culture and Gender Affairs.
She used the opportunity to call on the members of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce and others in the private sector to work with the government in the development of St. Kitts and Nevis to create job opportunities and improve the infrastructure.
“We welcome opportunities to engage you and consider the National Consultation on the Economy a critical mechanism to dialogue with you on how together we can continue to recover from this lingering debilitating crisis,” said the Acting Prime Minister, alluding to the recent encouraging news from the International Monetary Fund that the Federation’s economy is rebounding.
“So how have we in St Kitts and Nevis weathered our domestic challenges triggered by the global recession? We undertook a stringent fiscal restructuring programme enlisting the support of all stakeholders. This required sacrifice. It required us leaving our comfort zones. It required us putting aside politically expedient decisions. And now today our actions are reaping dividends not only in the area of debt reduction but also in the area of job creation and employment especially among our youth,” said Ms. Liburd.
She said that she was confident that with the growth trend in the economy St. Kitts and Nevis will continue to witness a better standard of living for all the people.
“This is the goal of this government. This administration is adamant that any gains in the public purse must be reflected in the pockets of the hardworking men and women at all levels who over the past four years or more have had to sacrifice and “˜make do’ for the good of our country. It is this understanding; it is this sacrifice; it is this faith in the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis and in the creed of “˜Country Above Self’ that have allowed us to move forward towards peace, progress and prosperity. This is the approach that must guide our response to this changing world,” said Acting Prime Minister Liburd.
“As a confident and strong St Kitts and Nevis continues to take its rightful place in the region, actively participating in the bodies of which it enjoys membership, supporting the mechanisms for greater integration, we are ever mindful that as a nation, we must be responsible and can only enhance the gains of the whole, if we as a government and people carve out a path as to where we want to be in the next, ten, twenty or fifty years. Having done so we must commit all our resources and energies to making significant strides towards that goal,” Ms. Liburd said.
“I’m often reminded when I think of the world that ours is a world made up of countries big and small, powerful and not so powerful, rich and poor. St. Kitts and Nevis is one of those small countries but only by size. Let me remind us all today, our confidence, our ambition and our numerous achievements cannot be measured in square miles. There is nothing small about our sense of who we are and what we can accomplish together,” she said.
The two-day event is being under the theme: “St. Kitts and Nevis’ Approach to Global Reconfiguration and Caribbean International Relations” and is being led by Dr. Norman Girvan, Professor Emeritus at the University of the West Indies.
The Opening Ceremony was attended by Governor General His Excellency Sir Edmund Lawrence, Ministers of Government, Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Curtis Martin, members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, government officials and representatives of the private sector.