Statia Day 2024 Speech by Governor Alida Francis Saturday 16 November 2024 Theme: Saluting Courage, Embracing Unity
There is a story that has often been told about a group of African children who were invited to compete for a sweet reward. In one variation of the story, a basket of fruits was placed at a distance, and the children were asked to compete for it. They were told whoever reached it first would win all the treats. When the signal was given, something remarkable happened. Instead of running ahead, the children joined hands and walked together. When they reached the basket, they shared the fruits equally among themselves.
When asked why they chose to walk together rather than compete, one child simply asked: "How can one of us be happy if all the others are sad?"
This beautiful story reflects the very essence of who we are as Statians. We are a small island that works great miracles when we embrace unity. To borrow from the 19th century American orator, Robert Ingersoll, in Statia, we rise by lifting others.
Twenty years ago, when we raised our flag for the first time and unveiled our coat of arms, we were not just creating symbols – we were making a statement about unity, about shared purpose, about walking together toward our common destiny. About ensuring that our friends, our neighbours, our loved ones never walk alone.
These symbols tell a story of courage. The courage of our ancestors who fired the First Salute. The courage of our people who have weathered countless storms – both literally and figuratively. And yes, the courage it takes to extend a hand across political, religious and other divides and say, "Let's work together. Let’s create our future together."
Our Statia may be small in size, but we are gigantic in spirit. Yet the truth remains – we are too small an island to be divided. Too close a community to be fractured. Too important a people to walk separate paths. Therefore, we must break loose from the entrapment of divisiveness. We must rise above the narrow confines of selfishness and charge towards the liberty of selflessness. Or, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "We must learn to live together as brothers – and may I add, sisters - or perish together as fools.”
However, there’s light in the togetherness we show on days like today. There is promise in the small steps that we are taking towards accepting opposing views.
Today’s theme, which focuses on embracing unity, suggests that we are aware, as Dr King said, that we stand “on the edge of the promised land in integration.” We are beginning to recognise that there is beauty and power and strength in unity. And that together is not just a word, it is a way forward. We are becoming more aware that when we pool our resources, when we combine our talents, when we unite our efforts, there is no challenge too great, no obstacle too high, no dream too distant. This means we are coming to terms with the fact that no individual going it alone can ever be what they ought to be until we all are what we ought to be.
There is no greater example of the manifestation of unity than in the management of our roads. In fact, the system of governance demands it. The governor is responsible for public order and safety, one commissioner is in charge of Public Works and Services and another has infrastructure. And the contractor must clean up after each project. Imagine how rapid the chaos if we do not work together. Imagine the unnecessary hindrances we would face if we failed to cooperate.
In the twenty years since we raised our flag, this island has made progress. But it is also true that there is still so much to be done. So much more that we must achieve. Our infrastructure needs further improvement. We need more and better social housing. Many of our roads need attention. The question is not whether these things need to be done – we all agree they do. The question is: how do we get there? And the answer is simple: we get there together. Hand in hand. And no one cares who gets the credit.
Look around you. Everyone you see here today - whether they were born here or chose to make Statia their home – each one holds a piece of our island's future in their hands. When we divide ourselves, these pieces scatter like dry leaves in the wind. But when we join hands we create something powerful, something unbreakable. Something immovable.
So, while we can be spirited, that spirit should fuel our progress, not impede it. When we debate, let it be about ideas, not individuals. When we disagree, let it be about methods, not motives. And when we move forward, let us move as one so Statia can be proud of us.
Today, we salute the courage it takes to extend a hand to those who think differently from us. We embrace the unity that makes us stronger than we could ever be apart. And we believe in our collective power to transform this island. The path ahead requires work – hard work. But if we walk it together, sharing our burdens and our triumphs, there is no challenge we cannot overcome, no goal we cannot achieve. Let us take a lesson from the English writer, Rudyard Kipling’s Law of the Jungle, “The strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” Let’s not forget that our greatest strength lies not in standing alone, but in joining hands and walking together. Only then, like the wise children in the story, will we get to share the fruits equally, happily, together.
Happy Statia Day 2024!