KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, April 10 — The University of the West Indies Open Campus will continue its series of public lectures on national heroes next week Thursday, April 18 with a presentation by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.
The Prime Minister will deliver a lecture on the topic, “National Hero Status: Consideration for McIntosh, Joshua and Cato”.
He will make a case for why he thinks these three national figures ought to be considered for national hero status, given the impact and reach of their role as nation builders especially, their work among the working people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the open campus said.
The presentation will be held at the lecture Hall of the Open Campus at 6:30 p.m.
So far, historian Dr. Adrian Fraser has presented his case for George Augustus McIntosh to be made a national hero, while Dr. Kenneth John has made a case for Ebenezer Theodore Joshua.
SVG has one national hero, Joseph Chatoyer.
I am sure all three would of hated him, I just hope that wherever they are now they can call him to them for a discussion.
I know for sure that one of them hated him.
Cato? Nah!
The elevation of these three figures is simply an exercise in political expediency;revisionist hypocrisy and a certain level of class bias. None of them truly deserves to be National Hero but enlightened folks will continue this farce, while the masses look on in a state of abject apathy.
It is almost a foregone conclusion that Cato will be our next National Hero…this is what Gonsalves said in 2011:I know that they have some persons like Kenneth John and Bassy Alexander and they were campaigning against, for instance, Milton Cato to be a national hero, Gonsalves said of the two newspaper columnists.
Well, they have their opinion, but I have mine. And I am the Prime Minister. It doesnt mean that their opinion is not important. But dont tell me that because I am Prime Minister I mustnt have an opinion,[i-witness news]
So to please the Vincentian aristocracy and garner political points from the Labor hogs…McIntosh and Cato will be the next National Heroes…Joshua will have to wait until the NDP gets back into office.
PVPALMER, why not CATO?
TEACHERFANG aka SAADISS, is that your logic or thesis for why Cato is going to be our next NATIONAL HERO? lol
My 10 year old niece could have made that argument.
Cato is a PRIME CANDIDATE for NATIONAL HERO because he is HIGHLY DESERVING of such a STATUS and not because of the FIFTH GRADE reason you put forth.
VINCYPOWA, I always try to respect others opinion, but since you have stated that CATO is highly deserving of the status of national hero, can you share with me five reason why you believe that? You may just convince me.
Eric,
1. He nationalized the airport and seaport for his government to raise revenue to develop the poor.
2. He built the Nursing School and the Technical College.
3. The National Lottery for Sport and Culture is a symbol of his love and care for SVG youths.
4. His desire was to ensure every sportsman and sportswomen who represent St Vincent and the Grenadines be gainfully employed.
5. The Provident Fund, now National Insurance Service.
6. The National Commercial Bank, now Bank of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
7. His home building programme gives sustenance to a new emerging middle class.
8. His effort to diversify around agriculture, pioneer Offshore Banking and Resort Tourism.
9. His electrification and industrialization programme, like Campden Park Industrial site, gives us a modern transportation system.
10. Established Diplomatic Relations with Taiwan. We have seen great benefits in the development of SVG because of that relationship.
11. He is the Father of the Nation…he is our FIRST Prime Minister by leading our country to INDEPENDENCE, which was opposed by James Mitchell and Joshua.
12. Chairman of the Kingstown Town Board and a former president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association.
13. He was an elected member for St Vincent and the Grenadines in the parliament of the short-lived Federation of the West Indies.
14. He represented the Shakers (Spiritual Baptist) caused when they were prohibited from practicing their religion.
You asked for six and I gave you fourteen…and there are so much more to do add.
but he still hated the fat man, he hated communism and quite clearly said so
So, VINCY POWA, you mentioned a list of fourteen items that you claimed was accomplised by RM Cato, thus qualifying him for the status of Nation Hero. In short what you are actually saying is that Mr. Cato, by fullfilling his elected mandate and doing what the people elected him to do, qualifies him to be a National Hero. I guess then that there are a few other politicians who qualify, using your criteria.
I think that’s setting the bar awefully low and trivialising the status of National Hero.
Eric, how is what Milton Cato did set the bar AWFULLY LOW and TRIVIALISING the STATUS of NATIONAL HERO?
Milton Cato was the FATHER of this NATION. He was the LEADER who fought for and gained INDEPENDENCE for this NATION when other LEADERS, like James Mitchell and ET Joshua, wanted St. Vincent and the Grenadines to REMAIN a COLONY of BRITAIN.
On just that ALONE, Milton Cato should be a PRIME CANDIDATE for NATIONAL HERO STATUS. So I do not know what you talking about when you said that I am TRIVIALISING the STATUS of NATIONAL HERO.
Did Jamaicans TRIVIALISED the STATUS of NATIONAL HERO when POLITICIANS Alexander Bustamante and Norman Marley were made NATIONAL HEROES?
Did Antiguans TRIVIALISED the STATUS of NATIONAL HERO when POLITICIANS Vere Bird Sr and George Herbert Walter were made NATIONAL HEROES?
Did Kittitians TRIVIALISED the STATUS of NATIONAL HERO when POLITICIANS Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, Joseph Nathaniel France and Caleb Southwell were made NATIONAL HEROES?
Did Grenadians TRIVIALISED the STATUS of NATIONAL HERO when POLITICIAN Eric Gairy was made NATIONAL HEROES?
Sometimes I FEEL it is the MENTALITY of our PEOPLE why we have not PROGRESS as a NATION beyond where we are today.
Sometimes we act like we’re TRUE PATRIOTS and NATIONALISTS, but when ISSUES of NATIONAL IMPORTANCE come to the FORE, we allow our PARTISANSHIP and our PERSONAL DISLIKE for others INFLUENCE our THOUGHT PROCESS and so make DECISIONS that do not HELP in the DEVELOPMENT of SVG.
But you will hear these same people talk about how they’re VINCY 2 D BONE or they’re PATRIOTIC VINCENTIANS. But I have a FEELING that they do not know what being a PATRIOT or a NATIONALIST truly means.
A CLASSIC EXAMPLE of this is the REFERENDUM that would have led and should have led to St. Vincent and the Grenadines becoming a REPUBLIC with a NEW CONSTITUTION, but we ALLOWED our PARTISANSHIP and FRANKLY, IGNORANCE, stop the DEEPENING of our nation’s INDEPENDENCE.
When we MATURE as a PEOPLE SOCIALLY, CULTURALLY and POLITICALLY, all this PARTISANSHIP on NATIONAL issues be LESS of an ISSUE.
Politicians should not even be considered as heros. They can only ever be pseudo heros.
They are elected by their electorate to do whatever is good for their supporters and society in general. If they do that, even in an outstanding way, that does not make them heros, I have never heard of anything so preposterous as what is going on at the moment at the behest of Ralph Gonsalves. Having a socialist committee to judge which past deceased socialists are to be put forward as heros. With Gonsalves calling all the shots, who needs a committee?
What rubbish is this that we Vincentians are being fed?
Now if a politician offers their own life in exchange for that of a hostage, that is a hero, because that is not their job.
If a politician stands in front of a child to knowingly shield them from a bullet or cutlass, that is a hero, because that is not their job.
Our pseudo national hero, I believe will be his choice, not ours, not the committees.
Pseudo = artificial, bogus, counterfeit, fake, imitation, pretend.
Yes the people put forward as National Heros carry all of those titles when it comes to heroism.
THEY ARE PSEUDO HERO’S THAT WE DO NOT WANT