Concern was expressed by one of the youth of the Federation, 20-year-old Kasim Queeley, who spoke on Thursday, 3rd February, 2011, at Dwyer Astaphan’s Operation Rescue meeting held at Greenlands Park.
Queeley, who professes Christianity, said he has a love for his country and has a need to see his country grow to its fullest potential. The young man agreed that the federation currently faces a number of challenges and is of the view that the adage “Unity is strength” holds much truth and is the answer to many of the problems with which residents and citizens of St. Kitts Nevis grapple.
“Although we may be small in size and landmass and population, we are big in heart…If you examine one of the most deadly explosives in this world, the TNT, it is not a huge thing, it is very small but it packs power and it is power that we need as a people. We won’t get that power by one going down Irishtown and another in Newton Ground and then another over in Cayon and one soul in Frigate Bay. We will get power by taking those individual people, all of us going to Irishtown, all of us going to Newton Ground, all of us going over to Saddlers, all of us going down to Frigate Bay and becoming one voice; not separating ourselves because of our political affiliations.
“Sure, that may be an interesting thing to come around at election times. But when election is over, we don’t have five years of election continuing; we have five years of building a country. And we cannot build a country by simply having elections…We build a country by making conscious effort day in and day out to do what is best for this country. And what is best for this country is not separation, its not pulling and hauling, it’s not us beating up and victimizing each other but it is coming together, having one purpose, having one goal and doing what is best for this country.”
Queeley expressed that the people of St. Kitts and Nevis are intelligent people, capable of accomplishing whatsoever they put their collective minds to. He further explained that, in the spirit of unity, the older and the younger generations must work as one, persons of different political persuasions must see past their differences and work for the good of and advancement of the country.
“…We have to get rid of party politics…We have to get rid of not speaking to each other when an election comes around…We have to be able to agree to disagree, to respect each others opinions, to not discriminate, to not victimize, to not condone wrongful behaviour, but to be able to stand up when we see that something wrong is happening and speak out about it. In order to become proud of this country, St. Kitts and Nevis, we have to…exercise our freedom of speech, not be afraid of what will happen five minutes from now, tomorrow, the day after or five years from now. But be sure that when we speak, we don’t speak with any hidden agendas, but we speak with the love for this country…We speak knowing that we want to achieve and we want to do something that is greater and bigger than any of us.
“What is also best for this country is being able to sit down with the young people of this country and give them the history of this country, not from biased opinion but from a broad and an open perspective. Let them know if wrong has occurred, where it has occurred, if it has occurred on both sides, tell them. Don’t give them the left and leave them to find out the right on another example. It is not right and we (ought) not to do that. We ought to be able to come together as young, as old, as big, as small, as girls…What matters is the nationality that you carry, that we carry on our passports, Kittitians and Nevisians,” Queeley expressed.