Christmas and New Year's message of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas

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Parent Category: Dec 2011

Category: Week ending Dec 24th, 2011

Published on Monday, 26 December 2011 11:43

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Fellow Citizens

Brothers and Sisters 

It is the time of year when I bring you greetings on behalf of my family, my Cabinet colleagues and on my own behalf, for this joyous season. It is during the Christmas season that we find time to share, to care and to celebrate together the birth of the Christ Child more than 2000 years ago.

It is also a time when we welcome back home our loved ones who have decided to spend their Christmas with us, as well as our visitors who have chosen to experience our Grenadian Christmas.

We, as a Grenadian people, are known for our hospitality and warmth. I therefore urge us all to continue to celebrate what makes us a truly unique people. Even as we begin to emerge from the deepest recession experienced in our lifetime, we must find avenues for encouraging ourselves, celebrating our successes and using what we have for the benefit of all.

Grenada has had a mixed year of successes and challenges. We cannot forget the way we were glued to our television sets on August 5th when an 18-year-old from Gun Battle in St. John's stole the spotlight and captured the world's attention. Spontaneous celebration broke out all over Grenada as Kirani James stunned the world in establishing his mark on the race track at Crystal Palace first and then in Daegu, South Korea.

Kirani, Rondel Bartholomew and Janell Redhead represented us well and we should continue to be proud of them as they prepare for future engagements.

During the year I was also able to visit many of our primary and secondary schools to share with students and in some instances to provide equipment and fertilizer to the 4H movement.

I was really pleased with the interaction, as students took the time to ask very informed questions on matters of national importance. Many of those questions surrounded my vision for our youth and Government's vision for agriculture.

I am especially pleased with the growing interest in agribusiness and food security because of my belief that these areas, along with the other economic pillars, hold great potential for the development of our country.

As we celebrate this season, I challenge you to utilise more of our local produce in your Christmas meals. Share recipes with your family and friends that will encourage us to utilise the things that are grown in our gardens.

I commend the farmers of Grenada for their increased levels of productivity and their response to government's investment in this important sector. We must celebrate and be thankful for the bountiful supply of fruits and vegetables that we were blessed with this year.  Both Nutmeg and Cocoa production have increased while the increase in the price of both commodities has provided some comfort to our farmers.

We must also celebrate our agro processors, who continue to make us proud by adding value to our raw material, be it nutmegs, cocoa and sorrel or other crops. I want to use this occasion to compliment and recognise the teachers and students of the Concord Government School, who have established a spice garden as part of their Agricultural science programme.

I was particularly heartened to hear one of the students explaining the importance of agriculture to the television reporter. It shows that the future of the sector is in good hands.

If we commit to using our local resources, we will see an improved economy, resulting in more money in the hands of our Grenadian people. As we celebrate this year, I remind you to consider the needs of the less fortunate, vulnerable and disadvantaged among us. I also encourage you to be moderate in your celebration.

In your giving, I want to encourage you to consider gifts that are sow seeds of productivity for future generations. I also take the opportunity to remind you to utilise your resources wisely and exercise temperance and moderation in your merriment.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and sisters, I have great hope that the New Year will be better as our economy begins to rebound.

My optimism is based on my government's two year plan as presented to you in September. I expect many of the projects and programmes to come on stream in this new year. Our focus will be on getting people working and rebuilding Grenada.

Already we have completed scores of small projects in various communities throughout the island, providing jobs to a number of our small contractors and tradesmen. We can all look forward to a better 2012 if we make the choices that will affect us positively in the years ahead.

I wish you Seasons Greetings and a new year that is filled with the hope and expectation of a successful 2012.

May God bless our nation.

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