What Does Independence Mean to You?

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]head of the island’s 38th Anniversary of Independence Celebrations, the Star headed out to find out just what the observation means for Saint Lucians around the island. The perspectives were mixed but one thing was certain: hope for the island’s progress remains at the heart of Saint Lucians far and wide!

I don’t think people recognize how important it is to be able to say that we, as a small nation, have achieved something so significant. I think it says so much that those before us set such an example for all of us, that on our own we can be something wonderful. Saint Lucia has come a long way, and we still have some way to go, but every day I see the progress that my island is making, and it makes me very proud to be a Saint Lucian!  — Justine

I’m not very patriotic but I love holidays. I will be celebrating the day off work with the rest of Saint Lucia, most of whom will have no idea why there’s a holiday in the first place!  — Randall

It says a lot that we can now celebrate this significant milestone. We are a small island, with just over 160,000 people, but within that number there are so many things we can be proud of. I pray that we all continue charging forward, celebrating all that we are, while striving to make this nation a great place where we can all live in harmony. — Gerard 

I’ll be honest, I’ve always struggled to find the difference between National Day and Independence Day. Two very similar occasions with patriotism at heart, but at the same time very different. I will take the time to wish Saint Lucia a happy independence nonetheless! — Mandy

Is it possible to reverse Independence? I think that we should have remained a British colony for a bit longer so that we could at least get free education and help, particularly in terms of trade. From the account of my mother and others, their lives would have been much different had it not been for some of the possibilities that existed then. We were doing much better, and we probably would have been much further along in terms of development, had we waited just bit longer.  — Claudia

We have come a long way but we still depend on other countries for help. I don’t know what kind of Independence that is! —Paul

Independence is one of my favourite times of year. I love especially heading around the island with the bikers for the annual motorcade! That’s one thing I hope will never be removed from the Independence calendar and I appreciate that the scope of activities keeps growing every year. I am looking forward to a very exciting Independence weekend, and week to follow! — Diane

We always have something bad to say about our country. It’s nice that we can now focus on something good. Saint Lucians deserve a reason to celebrate, and to pay tribute to the people who have helped us reach where we are today. We are not the biggest, but we certainly are the best in our own right!  — Narissa

Thank God we break way from England because Queen Elizabeth there enjoying all the diamonds and pearls and rubies while we’re broke in Saint Lucia. She’s there preparing to spend the money on Harry and Meghan wedding!  —– S.M.

I don’t even think Saint Lucia should have been independent in the first place. I think we would have been better off still under the British, or at least with more access to some of the benefits that would have offered us. I wonder often who’s idea was it really to be independent. We are still dependent in many ways on so many donor agencies, and countries around the world. We can’t even adequately fund our police force! I think whoever the person was who decided we should be independent needed to think more about that decision, and in that light I’m not convinced that we were given much choice in the matter!  — Louise