 Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the Governor-General. At this time, Mr. Yannick James will perform the National Anthem. Thank you, Mr. James. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as I invite Ms. Leanna Maritus of the Derrisso Combined School to recite the National Pledge. With God as my guide, I pledge allegiance to my country, St. Lucia. I proclaim that I will serve my country with pride and dignity, and will defend it with vigor and valor in the pursuit of excellence, justice, and equality for all. Thank you, Ms. Maritus. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as I call on Pastor Lewis Paul to deliver the prayer for the nation. Let us pray, O God, thou who art the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things, the Lord of life, the Lord of glory, the God who dwells between the cherry-bimps, thou art God, and apart from thee there is none else, neither in heaven above nor in the earth beneath. O God, how great thou art, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. To thee we come this day, O God, to thee shall all flesh come, and we praise and bless thy wonderful name. We thank thee for thy Son, the Lord Jesus, who died, was buried, and rose again, and now lives after the power of an endless life. The one who shall return to reign as the glorified Lord. It is in his name, Father, we come today, on behalf of this land of ours, O God, on the occasion of the anniversary of its independence, 41 years, O God. We thank thee for having sustained this land. We thank thee for having watched over this land. We thank thee, O God, for the favor thou hast bestowed upon this land. We thank thee for men whom thou hast raised to guide this land. We lead this land, O God, through many choppy waters. But we thank thee, O God, that through them thou hast caused this land to make progress and to excel. We thank thee for the place that this country has in the world. We thank thee for men from this land who have made their marks in the world. They have left their footprints behind, O God, and so we praise thy wonderful name. Now, Lord, we present this land today for direction, for leading in a world, O God, of turbulence, economic turbulence, in a world of natural disasters, in a world of diseases that threaten the well-being of our people. O God, in a world of economics strife, we present our country to thee, Father, for preservation, for promotion. Thou will lead this land, Father, to the next level. Thou will magnify thy power in this country. Thou will help this land forge its future, even in global uncertainty. Lord, help us, we pray. We need thy help today. We commit into thy hands, O God, the Prime Minister, and members of Cabinet, these men and women whom thou hast raised, O God, to guide this land. Father, we pray that thou will grant grace to the Prime Minister and his team, that thou will give him and them all the wisdom they need to lead this country. Lord, God, so that this land could shine forth. Thou know all the opposition that this country faces. Thou know all the turbulence, but we know with wisdom, thou will give them grace, Lord, to stand for this land. Magnify thy power here. Father, raise our men and our women, that Father, they will forge ahead. And, Lord, we will all rejoice to see the progress that this country shall make. We come against, O God, all the bloodshed that is in this land, down the dissource of all these things. We pray, O God, that thou will bring peace to our country, and that, Lord, God almighty, that thou will minimize criminal activity and reduce it to nothingness. Bless our country. Magnify thy power here and guide us, Lord, through the next year and the years ahead, that this land, our God, will shine in the international community. So we thank thee for being here. We commit all that shall transpire here. Let thy great name be magnified, for we ask it giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Lewis. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Governor-General, His Excellency Sir Manuel Neville Snack and Lady Snack, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs, and the Public Service, Honourable Alan Michael Shastney, President of the Senate, Honourable Janine Jirodi McIntyre, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Honourable Andy Glenn Daniel, All Honourable Members of Cabinet, Roman Catholic Archbishop, His Grace, Most Reverend Robert Revas, and All Religious Leaders, Her Excellency Dame Calliope Pallet-Louise, former Governor-General, All Honourable Members of Parliament, Resident and Visiting Ambassadors and High Commissioners, All Dignitaries, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Government Departments, specially invited guests, sentelutions at home and abroad, viewing us live via the national television network. Good morning and happy independence. Welcome to the ceremony for the Prime Minister's official independence address, held on this occasion of the 41st anniversary of the independence of St. Lucia. I am your mistress of ceremonies, keep a tallyum. As a nation known to be home to individuals of immeasurable talent, the next performance is one which reflects the melding of ability to achieve the desired musical outcome of the performers. At this time, please welcome the combined schools' boys' choir who will be performing the tree song. Our choir is comprised of students from two schools, the Marsha Bishop Charles Gershey RC Primary and the St. Lucia's RC Boys' School. The song we will be singing to you today is the tree song written by Ken Medima, an American musician and songwriter. For today's event, the 41st anniversary of St. Lucia's independence, the lyrics and the music of this song have been adjusted slightly by our choir leader, Ms. Anselma Colgian, and our keyboardist, Ms. Deanne Thomas, to include a more Caribbean flavor. The song has been written as a metaphor to challenge you, our audience, to try to figure out what the tree represents. It is nine years old and hails from the tranquil community of Monopole. She is a former student of the Grosally Primary School, but recently transferred closer to home and now attends the Monopole-Passions Primary School. Amira won the St. Lucia leg of the 10th OECS Quartz Reading Competition last year and went on to represent St. Lucia at the regional level on February 11th, 2020, where she placed second. Ahead of the competition, her Facebook page, Mimi Reads, was where she would be found daily reading stories to children amidst the beauty and scenery of St. Lucia in places such as the Lattle Falls, Kalime Beach, and Monopole River. Of course, this was done after school hours and on weekends as Amira prides herself on being focused on education and has consistently been a high performer. Needless to say, she garnered a number of adoring fans along the way. Indeed, she also captured our hearts, making her the perfect choice for this, the anniversary of our 41st Independent Celebrations to introduce our Prime Minister, Honorable Allen Michael Shastney. Ladies and gentlemen, Amira Serie. Good afternoon, everyone. The Honorable Prime Minister, Allen Michael Shastney. Prime Minister, the Honorable Allen Michael Shastney was elected as the parliamentary representative for Mikut South and the Prime Minister of St. Lucia on June 6th, 2016. Our Prime Minister holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Political Science, as well as a Master's degree in Development Banking from Bishop's University in Quebec and American University in Washington D.C., respectively. Prime Minister Shastney has previously served as St. Lucia's Minister with responsibility for tourism and aviation and chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, CTO. In 2007, Prime Minister Shastney was the recipient of Counterpat International's World Leadership Award, World Leadership Award. And in 2009, he was named Travel Agent Magazine's Caribbean Travel Personality of the Year. As Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Honorable Allen Shastney has over the last three years pledged to build a new St. Lucia that benefits all. He has applied his years of experience in government and the private sector. And along with his Cabinet of Ministers, has put St. Lucia back on the path to growth with one of the fastest growing economies in the OECS. He has and continues to be a champion on the issue of climate change and building resilience and on the world stage. He has used his voice and seat at the table to speak always on behalf of small island developing states. Prime Minister Allen Shastney believes in people and is boldly leading St. Lucia on a path to people-centered growth. Prime Minister Shastney maintains that his focus is to continue to unlock the opportunities that will propel every St. Lucia to an acceptable standard of living and offer the chance to build wealth for themselves and their families. Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased and honored to present Prime Minister Honorable Allen Shastney to deliver the 2020 Independence Address to the nation. So Nicole, I think I found my new communications manager. Thank you very much, Amira. Before I begin my presentation this morning, we unfortunately had a very tragic incident last night in the community of Marsha where two senior citizens sadly lost their lives in a fire. So Ms. Julia Williams and also a gentleman affectionately known as Potato. And before I ask everyone to stand in a moment of silence for them, I also got some fairly shocking news this morning that a very dear friend of ours, a gentleman called Sir Royston Hopkins from Grenada. Sir Royston was a pioneer in the Eastern Caribbean and the tourism industry. I can generally say even though he came up in the 60s and the 70s, we considered him to be a maverick. This is a gentleman who his hotel three times was destroyed by a hurricane and each time he came back better. But I would say to you that the greatest attribute of the man that he was is that every single time during the reconstruction of his properties, he paid his staff in full. So I would like all of you if you can to please stand for a moment of silence for these three lost soldiers. Thank you. It also would be extremely remiss of me if I also did not pay special tribute to the firefighters last night. The area in which the fire took place is just opposite Toulouse in a very densely populated area of wooden homes. And I think it was a miracle that the police fighters, one were able to get there in time, sadly not to save the individual's lives. But certainly it could have been even a greater disaster. And I just really want to say to the chief of the fire, JJ, who's also grieving right now. I know that he just lost his son in a car accident, but I want to congratulate him and his team of firemen for the outstanding job that they have done. If you will, please allow me to adopt the protocol that was so eloquently given to us this morning. I don't think I could outdo that. So I'm going to leave good enough alone. I wish all solutions everywhere a happy Independence Day and trust that as many as possible will join in today's celebrations. Last year's anniversary activities were truly amazing. And I once again say a big thank you to all who were involved in the execution of the program for the 40th and of course of the 41st anniversary. We have now completed our first four decades as an independent country. It has been another milestone along the journey, but it is also a fitting point to see how far we have come as a nation. The collapse of the West Union Federation in 1962 spurred the movement towards independence in the Caribbean. And former British colonies began their respective quest for self-determination. Like several other countries before and after, St. Lucia felt that the time had come when it had to take full control of its destiny. And with a Sir John Compton, a champion of solution nationalism at the helm, we took the giant step in February of 1979. From then on, the responsibility to build our country fell on our shoulders. If we faltered, we would have unfortunately no one else to blame but ourselves. At the time with 12 years under our belt as a self-governing associated state, the feeling was that we had successfully laid the basis for this final step. In the 41 years since, we have built a democracy. It has not always been perfect. Just our cultural monocrop. We've diversified into tourism, manufacturing, and the financial services. We could never, though, lose sight of the contribution that the banana industry made to St. Lucia, especially in the 1970s and the 1980s, when alone it created the greatest social and economic revolution in our history. No longer are essential services, such as water, electricity, and telephones, confined to the major towns, which had left thousands of people behind in the race for social progress. We've built roads and bridges to join one community to the other and opened up vast areas of idle land for development. With housing projects, luxurious hotels, industrial estates, health and community centers, sports facilities, and recreational parks. We have expanded air and seaports and institutions of learning and generally laid down all the necessary infrastructure on which to build a small and prosperous country. We've braved many a disaster, natural or man-made, economic or political, short-term or long-term, but we've survived and came back always stronger. The resolve and the resilience of our country and our people are assets that give us the assurance that when the tough gets going, we have the capacity to come together with a common purpose to take on whatever challenge confronts us. I refer here to Hurricane Allen in 1980, the very first year of our independence, the three-year political upheaval, again immediately after our independence, tropical storm Debbie in 1994 that caused more damage than many a hurricane. The world financial crisis of 2008 described as the worst since the Great Depression and who can forget the devastation caused by Hurricane Tomas in 2010 and the Christmas Eve trough of 2013. More recently, we came from a situation of consecutive years of no economic growth with all our indicators trending downwards, record debt and unemployment levels, drying up of investment and an environment of despair and desperation. When I addressed you at the beginning of the year, I indicated to you the areas where we had been able to record good progress, especially in lowering unemployment levels, reducing the debt to GDP ratio, easing the economic burden and improving our infrastructure. Tourism arrivals are now at record levels and the prospects for our culture and the manufacturing sector are extremely good. In our efforts to further diversify the economy, we've strengthened the IT sector and introduced the Headquarters Act to facilitate companies setting up headquarter operations here in St. Lucia. The government has had the task of putting St. Lucia back on track with its development, but I have to say there is still a lot to be done. Overcoming their hurdles so far proves that our people possess the character, the fortitude and indeed the wisdom to rise above adversity. However, we must continue to recognize that the things that keep us back, the attitudes and models, modes of behavior which hurt us and we must eliminate them once and for all. We need to apply equal effort to the development values as we do to fiscal policy and infrastructure. I'm speaking here about love and respect for each other and for our country. Respect for authority and the laws of our country, tolerance, honesty, and very importantly, discipline. The theme for this year's 41st Independence Anniversary was well chosen. Now is the time. Let's do this together. It follows last year's rallying theme for all of us to get all in. As an independent nation, we have responsibilities. While outside countries and institutions would give us a helping hand, in the final analysis, the task of developing Saint Lucia is ours alone. Our people must play a part in building a nation we can all be proud of now and not later. As I've said to before, as I've said before, Saint Lucia, it is our time but we must work together to shake the habits that continue to stifle our country. Should we continue to drive as recklessly as we do? Look how many people, especially young people, have been killed in traffic accidents in the last five years. Many of them talented boys and girls, some victims of recklessness and crass stupidity. Figures for serious traffic accidents are on the increase, causing mayhem and grief for the families and friends of the victims. How many people were killed because of personal differences and the inability to resolve conflicts peacefully? We have to and we must develop the capacity to forgive and walk away. Why are young people choosing the path of gangs? The path to a life of crime and ultimately, death, this has to stop. The pictures of young Brand Jean publicly and in open court in Dallas, Texas, hugging and forgiving a police woman who had shot and killed his brother, sent a powerful message of love and forgiveness to the entire world. But unfortunately, how many of us will follow his example? There are other dangerous habits which harm our country, like cheating on taxes, failure to collect taxes and dues owed to the government. Whether it's in our hospital, customs department, the police department, I say to you, it cannot be right, it cannot be when 95% of the traffic tickets issued by our police remain unpaid. More and more, the social problems confronting our country have their genesis in practices and habits that start small. We ignore them in our homes, in our schools, in our communities and the reality it will and will always come back to haunt us. When will it stop? Unless we put a stop to it. St. Lucia, the advent of social media has given us a great communication tool. But instead, we use it to hurt each other, spread gossip and sometimes even malign our own country without considering the consequences. It is time to change such habits. It is time that we together identify the simple ways in which we can all pull up our socks and do our part to make St. Lucia a better place. This is what togetherness means. This is the call to action. A call to develop a change in attitudes. Let us collectively take stock and recommit ourselves to St. Lucia to take control of our own destiny. The words of our national anthem were well chosen. In its call to all St. Lucia's to love the land that gave us birth. This is one of the basic requirements of true patriotism. The words of our national pledge also speak of the principle of nationalism. As we proclaim to serve our country with pride and dignity and to defend it with vigor and valor in the pursuit of excellence, justice and equality for all. The fact is that these ideals require discipline and commitment. We have many examples of individuals who've embraced these ideals and committed themselves to achieving success. Two noble lords, Darren Sammy, Laverne Spencer, Julian Alfred, most recently, Camania Melius. The list of outstanding solutions continues. They made no excuses and kept their eye on the goal of excellence, no matter their background or their circumstances. No matter how many times they were told, no. It could not be done. They ignored the critics and the critics and the naysayers. They fought their own perceived limitations and pressed on. That is what winners do. I'm reminded here of a beautiful message by a college student, Matthew Jeffers, who wrote a letter to the Baltimore Ravens, his favorite football NFL football team. And the letter was entitled, A Reason to Win. It was a perspective of his physical and life struggles in relation to the struggles of winning a Super Bowl with the ultimate lesson that, and listen to this, life is not fair. It doesn't care about feeling sorry for yourself or self-pity. The only disability in life is a bad attitude. A positive attitude is the most positive combatant to life's misfortunes. And I say it again, the only disability in life is a bad attitude. There is no better time entering into this new decade for us to develop a positive attitude to say from now on that this is our time and we must do this together. If we profess to be truly great, let us demonstrate this every single day in how we treat our island and how we treat each other. Together, let us support the positive development of our young people by attending their games, listening to their music, encourage them and more importantly, volunteer our time. Together, let's keep St. Lucia clean. Together, let's keep Fair Helen safe. Together, let's keep St. Lucia strong. Together, let us celebrate our heroes and cherish each other's success. Today, we stand at the dawn of an exciting phase in the development of our country that holds much promise. Our aim in the long run is to empower all of our people to offer them the equal opportunities to realize their true potential. But the gains that we make will be multiplied tenfold if we move together as one nation, united in a common purpose, loving and respecting one another with tolerance and the understanding of each other. Committed to excellence as we continue the task of building a new St. Lucia. We cannot succeed unless we do this collectively, together. Not some of us, not most of us, but for sure, all of us, now is the time. I say to all of us, now is the time. So with that being said, it's only left for me to say happy independence and may God continue to bless you all and bless our island St. Lucia and I thank you. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to view the upcoming video presentation detailing the meritorious contributions to nation building of the recipients of the 2020 National Awards. His Excellency, the Governor General, as Chancellor of the Order of St. Lucia on the advice of the Prime Minister has been pleased to make the following appointments to the Order of St. Lucia in respect of Independence Day 2020. The St. Lucia Cross, SLC. Dr. Jonathan Romel Daniel, for Distinguished Service in the Field of Medicine and National Development. Mr. Joseph Anthony Francis Compton, for Distinguished Service in the Field of National Development. Mr. Philip McDermott, Honorary, for Distinguished Service in the Field of Philanthropy to St. Lucia. The St. Lucia Medal of Honor, Gold, SLMH. Mr. Mortilal Singh, for Eminence Service Rendered in the Field of Education. Mr. Peter Josie, for Eminence Service Rendered in the Field of Economics, Agriculture and Youth Development. Mr. Irvin Cuthbert John, for Eminence Service Rendered in the Field of Community Development. The St. Lucia Medal of Honor, Silver. Ms. Timber Cadet, for Eminence Service Rendered in the Field of Youth Development and Voluntary Service. Mr. Simon Descartes, for Eminence Service Rendered in the Field of Community Development. The St. Lucia Medal of Merit, Gold, SLMM. Mr. Laura Jappier, for Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Anthropology and Botany. Mr. Edison Saint-Obin Joseph Gard, for Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Music. Mrs. Joyce-Louisa Destin, for Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Entrepreneurship. The St. Lucia Medal of Merit, Silver. Ms. Anna Zilma-Poleon, for Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Education, Youth and Community Development. Mrs. Angela Christine Samuel, for Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Arts and Fashion. Mr. Athanasius Laborde, for Stumously, for Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Creative Arts. The St. Lucia Leipito Medal, Gold, SLPM. Mrs. Lucille Joseph, for Having Performed Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Culture and Community Development. Mrs. Lucille Fontinelle, for Having Performed Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of National Development. Mr. Charles Popo, for Having Performed Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Culture and Music. The St. Lucia Leipito Medal, Silver. Mr. Benedict George Jabatis, for Having Performed Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Religion. Mrs. Crystal Mandy Charles, for Having Performed Long and Meritorious Service in the Field of Youth Development. National Service Cross. Mr. Dorian O'Brien, for Rendering Loyal and Devoted Service Beneficial to the Royal St. Lucia Police Force, the Government and People of St. Lucia. National Service Medal. Mr. John Finley-Leos, for Outstanding and Meritorious Service to the Royal St. Lucia Police Force, the Government and People of St. Lucia. The Public Services Long Service Award. His Excellency, the Governor-General, has been pleased to award the Public Services Long Service Medal in respect of Independence Day 2020 to the following persons. St. Lucia Public Service. Mr. Hubert-Fedrick George James. St. Lucia Teaching Service. Mrs. Fatiana Shari Nelson. Mrs. Allet Anna Snack. Royal St. Lucia Police Force. Superintendent Anastatius Mason. Inspector Jane Norbert. St. Lucia Air and Seaports Authority Ports Police. Inspector Michael Placid. Corporal Venicia Critchlow. St. Lucia Fire and Emergency Services. Station Officer David Nelson. Retired Station Officer Aloysius Christof Harrison Bailey. St. Lucia Prison Service, Bodley Correctional Facility. Jim Anderson Williams. Cecil Jabatis. Of course, for your attentive viewing. At this point in the program, lunch, which has been prepared, compliments of the Bay Gardens Beach Resort and Spa, is served. I thank you.