REMARKS BY HON. DR. KENDAL MAJOR AT THE APPRECIATION DINNER FOR STALWART CONCILLORS BY THE GARDEN HILLS BRANCH OF THE PLP ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 9TH, 2012 AT SIR LYNDEN PINDLING CENTRE

It’s nice to be home again! Moderator, Head Table, National Chairman, Secretary General, Staff, Distinguished Honorees, etc, etc We are here today to demonstrate in a tangible way our appreciation to our distinguished Stalwart Councilors and the Major Team of the constituency of Garden Hills.

The constituency of Garden Hills is an example of entire Bahamas. Although many similarities exist much paradoxes are noted.

- It is endowed with Flat lands and Rolling Hills

- Punctuated with the challenges of City life yet also very Suburban with a sprinkle of Shanty Towns

- Garden Hills is Industrial yet Touristic

- Fully Matured vegetation, landscapes yet much undeveloped land

- Couple Schools, plenty Churches, much Bars and yes, Web Cafes all color the landscape

- You can even go to a Family Island in Garden Hills- Bozine Town But what stands out more than anything else is the Precious Souls that live in the constituency of Garden Hills- and today we salute many of you.

Significance of the Stalwart Councilor-

- Dependable, Resolute, Firm, Steadfast, Uncompromising, Forceful, Dauntless

- Indomitable, Substantial, Tenacious, Unafraid

You represent the Foundation, Fixture, and Statue—The Character The Stalwart is tried, proven and tested and demonstrated to have past the test. You are present in and out of season. Many of you saw then and continue to see now a CAUSE far greater that your personal interest.

You are the true Disciples of our Party. The Woman’s Suffrage movement- a Cause worth fighting for: What a time it was then when the spirit of the movement was characterized by the speech by Dame Dr. Doris Johnson on January 19th, 1959 that says, “today, invincible womanhood, mother of men and ruler of the world raises her noble head and approaches the courts of justice with the clarion call of equal rights for all Bahamian women.”

She stated the cause (worth dying for) when she said that the Rt. Hon Secretary of State, Mr. Lennox Boyd on 13th April 1958 said that there was NOT sufficient interest on the part of Bahamian Women for him to recommend the enfranchisement of women at that time. She concluded her speech by thanking the Almighty God for the imminent victory and warned the Honorable gentlemen that if they deny the people their right they will be found fighting against God.

And so, Ladies and Gentlemen, I shared excerpts of that speech because it serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles then. And although different to some degree our struggle today continues. In fact some of you in this room were a part of that movement and signed your name on that petition of 9,500 women. Our struggle is still Social Justice, but more than that, Good Governance and the Deliverance of our people.

The struggle today, I would coin The Next Commission. This next commission must continue as an ever-evolving process that consumes all of us. Names have changed, faces will continue to change, different, circumstances abound yet the principle remains unchanged. We must without compromise advance the cause of our people through good education, adequate housing, crime reduction, economic opportunities and immigration reform ALL UNDERGIRDED BY A SENSE OF DISCIPLINE AND HARD WORK.

We must re-apply the principles of our forebears like Sir Lynden, A D Hanna, Sir Milo and A F Adderley whose mantra of higher education and social justice as a means to evoke and sustain the self-dignity of our people.

This cannot be accomplished with just talking about it but rather demonstrating it through clear, transparent policies that touch people where they need it most- their hopes and dreams, and their pocket books. In short we must collectively be principle based and articulate a clear vision for the way ahead. Helen Keller, the blind author once said, “The only thing worse that having sight is to have sight but no vision.”

An unknown author also said, “When one bases life on principle then 99% of the decisions are already made.” See the life of the Israelites during the exodus. Theirs was a journey of principle. Many of you honorees here were on the front line then and remain on the front line now to bring every goal, plan or initiative to past.

You have earned the right to be adorned with adulations today. As the Member of Parliament for Garden Hills and the 8th Speaker since an Independent Bahamas I salute you for your steadfastness, courage and stick-to-itiveness.

And it is with this spirit I charge each of us today, particularly the new generation PLPs to stand strong on the great foundations that you Stalwarts have laid and we must always seek to serve our country with excellence for the greater good. Our brothers and sisters deserve it.

Continue to be role models of what the stewardship of a Stalwart Councilor really means. If we do this then the God who holds the future in his hands will forever be gracious to us, and to all generations to come. Congratulations once again.