RESTORED NELSON'S DOCKYARD SEAWALL HANDED OVER TO GOVERNMENT

English Harbour, Antigua: January 22nd, 2004.......Prime Minister Lester Bird earlier today delivered the feature address at the official handover ceremony of the restored, 200 year old, Nelson's Dockyard Seawall.

The restoration project began last year with financial assistance to the tune of 2 million Euro from the European Union (EU).

The restoration work, which began in April of 2003, was jointly carried out by Antigua Heavy Contractors and Theo's Thugs and Barge.

Head of the European Commission to the Caribbean, Ambassador Amos Tincani, also traveled to Antigua and Barbuda for the event.

Below is a copy of the Prime Minister's Address:

Speech by Prime Minister Lester B. Bird at the handing over ceremony marking the completion of the restoration work on the Nelson's Dockyard Seawall

22nd January 2004

Thank you, Madam Chair

Your Excellency – Sir James and Lady Carlisle;

Members of Cabinet; 

Members of Parliament, including the Leader of the Opposition;

Members of the NPA Board;

Ambassador and Mrs. Amos Tincani – European Commission Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean;

The diplomatic Corp;

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen;

It was with great joy and pride that I accepted the invitation to deliver the feature address on this historic occasion, in recognition of the importance and value of preserving the Nelson Dockyard, the emerald of our tourism jewel.

Like other jewels – we must protect it from the elements that may seek to taint, destroy, or banish it to history’s faint memory.

The Dockyard’s legacy should resonate in all a symbolic appreciation of the value of history. We are not here to put the past on a pedestal, but to use it to help create the future. A future rich in the preservation of our cultural and historical heritage. It is that which sells, and sets each country apart.

This historic landscape brings together records of the past; perhaps of victories on the high seas, conquest, and where seafarers sought refuge. Each stone like a grain of sand represents an unending tapestry, that our Michael Angelo painted centuries ago, and now, as our inheritance, we must preserve for the use of men and women in the future.

From the serene tranquility of the sea, dotted with yachts great and small in the foreground, up the hills to Shirley’s heights, passing Clarence House, the Interpretation Center, the ruins of the Block House, the Look Out, Indian Creek, Forts Berkeley and Charlotte, the Park majestically reaches heavenward, inspiring visions of historical gallantry. These are visions, which the Government seeks to preserve as part of the strategy of heritage conservation, since they are expressions of culture.

As a nation, we must stand proud and remember, and confidently believe that we can emulate these fortifications in the quest for economic prosperity. They have withstood time and the elements, triumphant despite vicious hurricanes, never surrendering to the fury of the winds, waves or the force of modern yacht propellers. We must believe in ourselves, in the future, and in the capacity of our people to learn from the past.

Today’s ceremony acknowledges the significance of the Dockyard and all the sites within the Park to English Harbor, as a natural, cultural and historical resource. The Park has helped to shape the economic and social fabric of Antigua and Barbuda during the past centuries.

The next stage is the restoration of other buildings at sites within the Park to recapture their historic elegance. I call on all stakeholders to work together to continue the preservation and restoration of the Park, which welcomes more than 300,000 visitors each year. The Government has invested millions in the continual enhancement of the different sites within the park, and will continue to provide the resources where needed.

Heritage tourism is among the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry worldwide. This means that we must adopt the right approaches and strategies to ensure that this aspect of our tourism product continues to thrive as a result of the restoration of various historical sites. Properly managed it will present significant levels of opportunities for the people of English Harbor, Falmouth and its environs.

I challenge the NPA to develop new and additional activities to attract more yachts and visitors, while creating new niche opportunities for residents of the area. 

However, as we reflect on the ever-growing heritage of our nation, I am deeply troubled by attempts to encourage political tribalism in the political process. Where else have you heard of school children being encouraged to call in on the radio to bash the Prime Minister? Have we lost all respect, dignity, and honor? Since when has a license to operate electronic or print media, meant an open season to destroy the name of Antigua and Barbuda? When you destroy the good name of a country, no matter what is attempted, the heights to which that country aspires may not be attained. I recall a heritage taught to us of love thy neighbor; disagree honorably; cherish each life as if it were your own, and uphold the laws of the country and that of the Ten Commandments. 

Winston Churchill said, “we shape our buildings, and then our buildings shape us”. The same holds true for communities. The way we shape them has a huge impact on the way we feel, the way we interact with one another, the way we live. By harming our communities, in one way or another, we all pay for it.

I am convinced that preserving our heritage is essential in meeting some fundamental needs of our nation – and of ourselves as human beings. Today’s population is a melting pot of cultures; people bringing traditions and means of artistic expression that enriches our country in countless ways. But as we become more culturally diverse, we face new challenges in simply knowing who we are as Antiguans and Barbudans. In such a situation, an understanding of our common history is part of the glue that binds us together as a nation, and keeps the society from cracking apart. I am sure that these are the values, which the European Union and the CARIFORUM member states wish us to preserve, hence their support of the project. To these two organizations I express sincerest gratitude.

That is why, today, we have come to the Nelson Dockyard like the star in the east, to fulfill a dream, our promise. A promise of hope and economic prosperity through sustainable policies.

We have come to the waters’ edge to celebrate our accomplishments and wash away pessimisms;

We have come to renew and rekindle the spirit and flame that guide and propel us forward in the service of the nation;

We have come to justify another term in Office during which at least four major resorts will be constructed and jobs created for the population;

We have come to effectively articulate a vision of an end to the “fiscal challenge we faced.

We have come to reassert our connection between the historic past when V.C. Bird championed the rights of the poor and which Labour continues to shoulder;

We have come to the realization that in order for the economy to grow and respond to the challenges of international competition, a well-trained and educated labour force is essential.

This is coupled with efforts to expand and improve the facilities at the Antigua State College, the Youth Skills Training Programme, along with the CDB financed improvement and expansion of several schools across the country. I wish to advise the cynics that although we might not have built a new school, the records show that the Government and the Board of Education have improved and expanded existing primary and secondary school facilities. We have also provided hundreds of scholarships to Antiguans and Barbudans to pursue tertiary and specialized training abroad.

But it’s not just about buildings and structures; it’s about what is taught within those walls. And I am proud to see in the audience today, Dr. Austin Josiah, who has developed the new education plan which will essentially transform the thinking of the people in this country, moving away from rote learning to understanding the need for analysis and to understand we are in the changing world of informatics.

The Government is under no illusions about the magnitude of the economic challenge confronting us. As an experienced team, we will establish appropriate mechanisms to reposition the economy while encouraging greater productivity and professionalism from public servants.

To that end the Minister Mr. Gaston Browne has introduced a whole new programme to provide entrepreneurial opportunity for our people and provide them with the seed money to into the area of learning what our European friends have done for many years ensuring the capacity of our people to get into business to expand the space and scope of our people. 

To this end, the Government will introduce a Worker Appraisal Programme to encourage greater productivity and efficiency on the job. The programme will be twinned to an Incentives/Reward Scheme, making up-ward mobility in the public service more transparent and based on qualification and performance.

We must utilize the best minds to solve our difficulties. In this regard, I wish to recognize the invaluable contribution of His Excellency Dr. Clarence Henry, whose intuitiveness and proactive character, zeal and professionalism represent the right metal required to transform Antigua and Barbuda’s economy. It was he who successfully negotiated and acquired the funds to restore the seawall. Thank you Dr Henry, the nation expects you to continue your hard work and hope that your elevation to the position of Ambassador would further strengthen your bargaining power during negotiations with donor agencies.

I am also happy to announce a deliberate effort to document, validate and publish the critical information required of prospective investors explaining the parameters of how to establish and operate a business or firm in the country. Work is already underway with assistance from USAID and C-TRADECOM, thanks mainly to the Ministry of Planning and Trade. The document will set out all the procedural information including compliance costs. 

In addition, we will undertake a programme to publish legislations on a national website to increase access to applicable laws, regulations and other statutory instruments. 

We are also investing some effort in producing a single document that summarizes Antigua and Barbuda’s incentives regime. Minister Browne has spoken on this matter before, but today I confirm that such a document will establish clear criteria for granting incentives and the process of requesting them. The aim is to refine the decision making criteria applied to allocating incentives and other procedures, publishing these criteria, and creating more automatic approval and appeal mechanisms.

Other actions include the conduct of a benchmarking study of industrial estates and the Free Trade and Processing Zone, to examine the comparative and competitive advantage of the Government’s land holdings for investment, thereby enabling the Government to position and market the country more effectively to international investors. All these represent an attempt to attract more FDIs and diversify the economy.

The global war on terrorism as a result of September 11, 2001 ushering in a down turn in visitor arrivals, reaffirms our conviction that no longer can micro states like Antigua and Barbuda solely rely on tourism for its economic survival. 

Additionally, we will also be introducing priority development zones in cooperation with the Development Control and the Urban Planning Authority to encourage the development of the required infrastructure to facilitate investment to these areas like Crabbs.

These are some of the measures we will be undertaking to improve the governance of the country with the aim of stimulating greater productivity and attracting more FDIs to diversify the economy away from an over reliance upon tourism.

Another concern that is receiving priority attention from the Government is the Nicholson Boat Show. The Cabinet has already agreed to undertake an empirical study to determine the best course of action to allow the event, which attracts a large numbers of yachts, to remain in Antigua. The analysis must determine the options, whether to declare English harbor a duty free port or the entire country in the interest of safeguarding the yachting industry. However, rest assured that the Government, the National Parks Authority and all the stake holders including the Nicholson’s are working on resolving this problem.

At this time, I wish to commend the marvelous work, which Mr. Fuller and his officers are doing for the country. Clearly projects like these justify the creation the NPA, which is now spearheading the preservation of thousands of acres of important lands and many heritage sites. And this contributes to my new acronym of GNH. A state where output meets prosperity and results in happiness. Gross National Happiness – that’s the new watchword.

However, the NPA requires the continued support at all levels of Government, as well as large and small businesses, educational institutions, not-for-profit agencies and, above all, the people who live and work within the National Park.

I also say thank you to the European Union for their continued assistance to Antigua and Barbuda, not only here, but in all the other projects which you have adumbrated Mr. Ambassador. We deeply appreciate this as a government and as a people, and it established the recognition of the universality of the world where everybody is inter-related – no longer can we attempt to have a situation where each of us think we can survive on our own. I think this kind of assistance demonstrates that we are a par of one world and one universe.

I hope everyone will take advantage of the opportunity to tour the Dockyard and the other sites within the Park and experience the tremendous progress we are making in our conservation programme.

Again, thank you to Geotech, Sheranetta, Jack Johnson – all of you. Many of you have adopted Antigua as your home and as far as I am concerned you have shown the patriotism that is required to be true Antiguan citizens.

Again, thank you.
 

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