Good morning and welcome to this 44th Saba Day celebration. I would like to express a special welcome to the many visitors and the people of Saba who are here to celebrate with us. Your presence is greatly appreciated. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honour that I wish everyone who is in attendance a Happy and Blessed Saba Day.
For 44 years our people have made it a tradition to celebrate our national day. Next weekend Saba Day will be celebrated in Florida for the 10th consecutive year and in the Netherlands for the second time. Over the years these celebrations here on Saba have become somewhat iconic, for firstly always conveniently falling on a Friday and for the festivities that extend throughout the weekend. However, we should not just celebrate a Saba Day in December. We should celebrate Saba and what it means to us daily.
So what exactly does this mean? In my opinion celebrating Saba should be about being proud of our land. Proud of our heritage and taking pride in not only acknowledging but also upholding our traditions, our culture and the hardworking mentality that has been passed on to us from our forefathers.
People who visit from all over the world are continuously impressed with the organization, the cleanliness, the infrastructure and the beauty of our island. As Sabans, we have historically been known as a proud and resilient people. Friends this is who we are. We have always had a “do first” mentality. This is what makes Saba such a special place! Let us not allow this way of life to fade away as this characteristic is part of what makes us Saban.
In 1961 the late President John F Kennedy said in his inaugural speech, Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Today I implore you to think about what this means. If each one of us kept this phrase in mind for Saba in our daily, weekly or even monthly routines, to protect and preserve our culture, our traditions and our beautiful nature, we could be even much more than what we already are.
The generations before us literally paved the way for our success with far less resources than what we enjoy today. They lived as a humble community where family was important and hard work was a way of life. If they wanted something they worked hard for it. There was no other way and as such they became a proud people.
More often now I see that some of our people are losing the conviction that they can personally make a valuable contribution to the development of our island and to the success of their own lives. We must make the Saban “do first” mentality more of a daily way of life rather than making it a catch phrase which is only used during these celebrations. Each individual here on the island has the power and the choice to bring something positive or something negative to their surroundings. I hope that you will all choose to every day be that person that brings positivity for your personal wellbeing and for Saba. It is up to all of us to keep the “do first” mentality on Saba a part of who we are.
Ladies and gentlemen, “doing” is not the only characteristic that we need to hold strong to. We also need to become more conscious as to how we treat each other. We should always be respectful of each other as we know how hard island life can be. As Sabans we know almost everyone’s story as we live in a tightly knit community.
Respecting just our fellow local Sabans isn’t enough though. We need to be more mindful of how we treat those who visit and those who have made Saba their home. These people should not be seen as threats to our culture, our jobs or the cohesiveness of our society. Many of these people love Saba as much as we do and contribute much to our society. And while we are appreciative of those that have decided to make Saba their home we must also ensure that they respect Saba and our values as we accept them and admire theirs. As an island and as a people we will become far more resilient when we unite together as one.
Both the Government and the community as a whole has a responsibility for the future development of our island, our society and our future generations of Sabans. It is our responsibility to uphold the values that have been passed down to us so that we can preserve and nurture the solid foundation that was built by our forefathers. We must ensure that we protect our land, our culture, our traditions, our nature and the pride that makes us Saban.
My message today is a very patriotic one. The celebration of our beloved Saba should not be limited to a specific day, or to a specific village or to even a specific group of people. This morning I must ask you; do we only love Saba on Saba Day? Should we only feel patriotic on the first Friday of December? Whether you were born here or have recently made Saba your home, for those who are celebrating Saba Day abroad, or even for those of you who are visiting; make Saba a part of who you are every day. Be proud of who you are and what you came from. Uphold the values that make us Saban every day. Be proud of Saba every day!
Ladies and Gentlemen have a happy and blessed Saba Day. May God continue to bless Saba and all her people!