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REMARKS PRESENTED BY THE HONOURABLE DR. JOHN ALFRED OSBORNE CHIEF MINISTER OF MONTSERRAT ON THE OCCASION OF SYMPOSIUM IN HONOUR OF ROBERT W. GRIFFITHHELD ON MONDAY, 6TH AUGUST 2004 POLICE HEADQUARTERS BRADES, MONTSERRAT

Mr. Chairman, Your Excellency, Colleague Ministers of Government, Members of the Legislative Council, Members of the Youth Parliament, Government Officials, other Presenters at this Symposium, Members of the Private Sector, students, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Firstly I would like to express congratulations to the organizers of the Robert Griffith Symposium and the other events, which will highlight the work of a great Montserratian who during his lifetime made outstanding contributions to our country, Montserrat. From the onset my Office and Government have given support to the programme of activities commemorating the 100^th Birthday of R W Griffith or Marse Bob, as we popularly refer to him.

Montserrat is not a large or wealthy country but we are people with pride. We take pride in our achievement as a people, pride in our individual achievements and I was always convinced that we should celebrate these achievements. But I am of the opinion that we need to do more as a nation to show our appreciation for each other.

In other words we must celebrate and honour our people who have made outstanding contributions to the development of Montserrat – whether it is in agriculture, cricket, commerce, music and other arts, politics, education, or trade unionism or voluntary work to name a few. They must be singled out and held in high esteem for their contribution, so that new generations can have models to emulate and develop pride in themselves and in our country.

I am so convinced on this matter that in November last year I presented a paper to Executive Council and my Government took the decision to establish a National Committee to come up with criteria for National Heroes Awards. We feel that this exercise is long overdue and I have urged my Office to take this process forward as priority.

I therefore naturally welcome this effort to commemorate the contribution of the late Robert W. Griffith. Without doubt, he is one of our heroes. He was a man of and for the people and he championed their cause for higher wages and more decent standard of living. When as Chief Minister I announced some time ago that I would like every Montserratian to own a house and a car, I was only sharing the dream of pioneers like W.H. Bramble and Robert W. Griffith. And the best tribute that we can pay to R. W. Griffith is to continue the fight for the dignity and the advancement of those who were not fortunate to have been born in wealth.

Whenever you are fighting for the ordinary man, there will be obstacles. Robert W. Griffith experienced this for he was up against powerful interests of class, colour, and wealth. This is why he used the people power of industrial action, which was what was available to him. He could easily have been put in jail and may have just narrowly escaped but he was propelled by the cries of the dejected and the down trodden.

One of the lessons that we can learn from Mr. Griffith is that once you are convinced of the rightness of your cause, you must continue even in the face of odds and opposition. With great perseverance and fortitude Mr. Griffith achieved great success for the Trade Union Movement and the people of Montserrat.

Apart from his work with the union, which made him a national leader, we owe Mr. Griffith another debt. He realized that to truly help the people, he needed political power. He needed to represent them in the Legislative Council where laws are made for the country. As the first Montserratian from humble circumstances to enter the Council, he paved the way for people like us.

There is no doubt in my mind that Mas Bob, is down in history as a great Montserratian, a pioneer, a creator, a trail blazer. My Government salutes his memory and his contribution and wishes that his children and the youth of Montserrat in general will emulate his tenacity and selfless ambition.

Best wishes for a successful symposium.

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