The stirring words were echoed by St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party Leader and Prime Minister of the Federation, Dr. Denzil L. Douglas who delivered the Annual Conference Message before the hundreds gathered for the “public session” portion of the event.
Taking an excerpt from an old hymn, Dr. Douglas said the Labour Party – having been built on a sturdy foundation of mercy, hard work and determination as opposed to sabotage and wickedness, shall stand steadfast and unmovable.
“We are Labour!!! You are Labour!!! And Labour is you!!! Do you remember what our elders told us, Comrades? What starts wrong in the morning cannot end right at night. And Labour started right…You cannot sow in dusty, barren soil and reap a bountiful harvest. And so we stand here today, seventy-nine years strong and the largest, strongest, most respected party in this country because our party – the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party – was planted not in the soil of might, but in the soil of right, not in the soil of exclusion, but in the soil of inclusion, not in the soil of wickedness but in the soil of mercy, not in the soil of privilege, but in the soil of ability, not in the soil of sabotage and subterfuge, but in the soil of hard work, determination, and unity. And, we, Comrades [you, and I, and these two islands that we now have the honour and the duty, by the grace of God, to protect and defend] are the fruit…the yield…the joyous and bountiful harvest of our forefathers’ labours.
“We, Comrades, are Labour. And do you remember the words to that old hymn of faith and courage: Let us echo them together… ‘We, shall not be…we shall not be moved. Like a tree planted by the river, we shall not be moved!!!’ We are here by the Grace of God. We are here by the will of the electorate. We are here through the power of the ballot and we…shall…not…be…moved. Oh Comrades. What a story of vision, and unity, and triumph this Labour Party has to tell. How bravely and skillfully we have withstood every onslaught – from the very dawn of our existence. And how we have prevailed! How we have triumphed! Emerging after each and every act of trickery, and each and every show of treachery, stronger than we were before.”
He noted however, that the strength of the party has hinged on it’s the unity of its member and will continue there to be.