Nevisians urged to design flag and compose anthem

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: While the date for the impending referendum on whether or not Nevis should secede from the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis is yet to be released, Nevisians have been tipped to be on the ready should the vote be successful, by starting to design a flag and composing the national anthem.

"We will have to begin to get people to look at things like designing the flag and writing the national anthem - getting music for national anthem," Premier the Hon Mr Vance Amory said on Monday evening. "People will have to begin to do that, so when the time comes that there is not a scramble to begin to do it."

The Premier made the remark at the first town hall meeting for 2004, in response to a query fielded from the floor. Unlike the previous town hall meetings held last year to discuss the way forward for the island of Nevis following the invocation of Clause 113 of the Constitution, participants were given more time to express their views.

He further suggested that it was the right time to start looking at discussing the issue of Nevis' independence with the international community, albeit informally, on what steps the government would have to take to make the declaration. He however clarified that the declaration would have to come from the government once it was satisfied that the people had voted in favour Nevis to go it alone. 

On the matter of how long it would take after the referendum for the declaration to be made, Premier Amory said that it would depend on them but he would not say the time limit, whether it be two days or not, but acknowledged the fact once people would have voted that they would want it to happen expeditiously. 

"That is why we are very meticulous now upfront, trying to put everything in place, all things that we have to do; the Constitution, making sure we have the transitional provision so that we don't end up on a political and Constitutional limb," said the Premier.

He assured Nevisians that as a government, they would start to put things in place, a move that would allow them to move quickly once the people would have voted, adding "because the key to it is people voting and voting 'yes'; that is the key because without the vote 'yes' 80 percent, 70 percent, all the other things that we have done would be of no avail."

The Premier called on all Nevisians who have attainted age 18 to register as voters, and announced that he would make arrangements for registration clerks to visit all the districts to ensure that everyone who is eligible to be on the voter's register is on it, but implored them meanwhile to go to Charlestown to register before that measure is put into effect.

"I can't make anybody go," commented Premier Amory. "I am encouraging them because the system now requires that you have to be there in person and take your identity card so that nobody can claim that there is any rigging of the voters' list. This country belongs to all of us. Everyone should take the opportunity to register to vote. Every Nevisian should do that." 

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