Statement by the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of
St. Kitts and Nevis
at the
Thirty-Second Regular Session of the
General Assembly of the
Organization of American States
in Bridgetown, Barbados
on Tuesday 02 June 2002
regarding the
" Follow-up and Development of the
Inter-American Democratic
Charter"
Madame Chair, our forebears endured the yokes of slavery and indentureship,
and as a result, we as a region are heirs of a shameful system in which poverty
and social inequity were entrenched. After the abolition of slavery, our
colonizers developed for us a skewed system of democracy biased in favor of
their preferred class and race.
This is the foundation, Madam Chair, on which the pillars of our present
system of governance were laid, and in which they are rooted –a system in which
unjust social conditions prevailed and in which there was programmed
under-development consistent with what was considered appropriate for our
people.
Today Madam speaker we stand as an independent small state truly democratic
and free, with justice and equal opportunity for all. But though we are proud
of the developmental strides we have made, Madam Chair, there remains with us
residues of this social inequity which a mere nineteen
years of full sovereignty have not afforded us the unfettered
opportunity to fully correct.
There remains with us as Kittitians and Nevisians, and indeed as
post-colonial Caribbean people:
·
Pockets of
poverty, including extreme poverty
·
Health
conditions which though considerably improved still reflect indices which are
not synchronous with our developmental expectations
·
The need for
a human capacity enhancement sufficient to ensure our self reliance
·
The need for
affordable housing
·
The need, in
short for the means to ensure livelihoods and more comfortable living for all
our people.
It is primarily in this context Madam Chair that St. Kitts and
Nevis wishes to encourage the promotion of the Democratic Charter and to
support its principles. For in the absence of such considerations, in addition
of course to the many other sound tenets enshrined in that document, then representative
democracy would be but a farce.
The development of the Inter-American Democratic Charter must facilitate
our steps on the road to achieving our goal of social and economic development,
thereby averting social discontent and dissonance, eliminating poverty and
hunger, enhancing health care and educational opportunities.
We have come this far by dint of hard work, maximization of educational
opportunities and implementation of sustainable social programs for all of our
people. We have striven to eliminate poverty while endeavoring to consolidate
the democratic principles we have learnt to hold so dear.
There is, I understand, a call for the consolidation of
democracies throughout the hemisphere. This, Madam Chair, must be synchronous
with the call for the reduction of poverty and the eradication of extreme
poverty. The acknowledgement of the interdependency of these two ideals in the Inter-American
Democratic Charter should compel us to pursue with fervor, those endeavors that
create opportunities, open doors and build societies where none is excluded. The
mauiage of these two concepts must move from the pages of the document and from
the realm of rhetoric and must translate into tangible action plans that impact
each city, town and village throughout our hemisphere.
The manifestation of this would be productive employment resulting
in better living standards, good governance, sustainable development and respect
for the rule of law. All of which aloe hallmarks of true democracy.
Madam Chair, the structures that exist for the protection of our democratic
ideals and principles must co-exist with mechanisms developed for our social
agenda and so the success of our efforts to consolidate and preserve our
democracies should mirror the enhancement of social services for our people and
advances in our battle against poverty.
The question which might be asked, Madame Chair is: "Do we
have the political will to deliver on this commitment, or will be stuck with an
impressive treatise for which no application could be found?" Urgent attention
is demanded lest we be perceived as conveniently turning a blind eye or deaf
ear to those for whom life is merely an existence, because we lacked the
courage to truly strengthen our democratic institutions. Indeed, democracy must
be the glove into which the hand of effective social programming and assistance
must fit.
There can be no doubt that our democratic process and structures must
be preserved and strengthened so that they can embrace and shelter all of our
citizens and that the structures must be built on the solid economic foundations
so that growth would buttress whatever progress is made in this building
exercise. We must solidify and consolidate these democratic structures and
processes alongside the fulfillment of the essential purposes of our
organization as contained in article 2 of the OAS Charter, which entreats us to
put into practice the principles on which the OAS was founded and to fulfill
its regional obligation under the charter of the UN, and thereby "to
eradicate extreme poverty, which constitutes an obstacle to the full democratic
development of the peoples"
Our commitment to our instruments must be unwavering and our strengthening
and protections of the ideals enshrined therein must be pursued with zeal and
vigor. Nevertheless we should refrain from engaging in activities that would
retard each other's progress and avoid situations that could tend to aggravate
negative conditions.
Madame Chair, the government of Saint Kitts and Nevis has made education
its main thrust in the fight against poverty and social inequity and recognizes
the role of education as a sure vehicle for the upward mobility of the citizens
of our Federation. As Minister of Education as well as Foreign Affairs, I note
the importance of the fellowship program and the impact that this program has
had on the lives of many of our citizens. Tremendous benefits have been derived
from the opportunities presented within the program and many have in turn
contributed to the improvement of the society in Saint Kitts and Nevis. To
build on its success we must strengthen the program, by partnering with
corporations and private enterprises in leveraging available resources to
augment the program.
Trade liberalization policies which take into account the unique characteristics
of the smaller economies of developing states is another medium by which the
countries of the hemisphere can enhance partnerships and promote economic
growth. To that end, we must challenge ourselves to support countries
particularly the small island developing states whose economies are beleaguered
as we transition to absorb the new global realities.
We, Foreign Ministers from across the hemisphere assembled here in
Barbados, should renew our commitment to the reduction of poverty and elimination
of extreme poverty, and our unwavering support to the strengthening of the
ideals of democracy, while charging the GAS to undertake specific activities
within the framework of the Units of the GAS to achieve our stated goals.
Madame chair, our efforts at creating strong democratic structures
and true social equity must be visibly displayed and perceived in our national institutions.
In order to solidify and strengthen the democratic processes we must endeavor
to create the social climate that would permit democracy to
flourish unfettered and improve the standard of living and the
upward mobility of all the peoples of our hemisphere. In our deliberations we
must have no dissonant sounds as far as these fundamental principles are concerned.
Our Charter mandates us to combat poverty and all forms of social inequity in
our hemisphere. Indeed our very survival depends on it and we must not be found
wanting.