St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly hails “phenomenal achievement” of President-Elect Barack Obama

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Lawmakers in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly on Tuesday hailed the “phenomenal achievement” of United States President-Elect, the Hon. Barack Obama.

A resolution tabled at Tuesday’s sitting by St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and supported by other parliamentarians including Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Mark Brantley noted that Obama throughout his life, has proven to be a man of brilliance, compassion, integrity, courage, determination, and dignity.

“Now be it resolved therefore by the National Assembly of Saint Christopher and Nevis that the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis (a) recognise and value the tremendous gift that President-Elect Barack Obama has, by his example, bestowed upon people of African descent everywhere; (b) praise and congratulate him on this phenomenal achievement; and (c) pledge to do our part, as a people, not merely to celebrate his victory, but more importantly to celebrate and encourage the discipline, the respect for self and others, the positive outlook, the compassion and determination, and the adherence to the highest standards in all areas life, that made his extraordinary triumph possible,” said the Resolution.

The Preamble to the Resolution noted:

WHEREAS the wealth of the so-called New World – including the United States of America – was made possible by the brutal enslavement of millions of African persons;

AND WHEREAS 246 years of enslavement in the United States was followed by 100 years of government enforced, and legally enshrined discrimination against persons of African descent;

AND WHEREAS during the 20th century, persons of African descent in the United States who acquired land, built businesses, or seemed “too confident or ambitious” were often hanged in public by lynch mobs, causing more than 4,000 African-Americans to lose their lives in this way in the 20th century;

AND WHEREAS neither enslavement, lynching, or other forms of brutality was able to stop African-Americans’ determination to claim full citizenship and assert their full rights as human beings;

AND WHEREAS the profound self-respect and unrelenting bravery of African-Americans like Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and thousands upon thousands more gradually, slowly, but surely opened American universities, hospitals, corporations, hotels, and all formerly closed doors to all persons of African descent – including Caribbean nationals;

AND WHEREAS Barack Obama, throughout his life, has proven himself to be a man of brilliance, compassion, integrity, courage, determination, and dignity;

AND WHEREAS Barack Obama has, throughout his life, demonstrated an extraordinary ability to produce respectful cooperation where hostile consternation once reigned supreme;

AND WHEREAS people of all races, classes, genders, and creeds around the world – and particularly in the United States – have recognised these extraordinary qualities in Barack Obama.

The Resolution also noted that it was recognized by friend and foe alike that his was the most brilliantly run presidential race in the history of the United States of America, resulting in a landslide victory on November 4, 2008.

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and members of the National Assembly.
Prime Minister Douglas said the election of Barack Obama bore lessons for the young people of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Caribbean and the World and his victory is a great source of inspiration.

“This was a man of exceptional capabilities, but because he was black the world doubted that he could have achieved. Today, this country under a black man leading it, is proud of the achievements of Barack Obama. And, that is why we are here today with this resolution so that the world will know that the achievement of Barack Obama, is not an achievement for the people of America, but is an achievement for all people of the world, including St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Dr. Douglas. (CUOPM)