Senator Carlos James, speaking on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition at the 2026 National Heroes Day ceremony, delivered a speech centered on sovereignty, cultural revival, and reparatory justice.
He described the ceremony at Dorsetshire Hill as an “affirmation of a covenant of our resistance,” honoring Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer, who made the “ultimate sacrifice for our sovereignty” in 1795. He characterized Chatoyer’s struggle as the “first light of our liberation” and a fight for the nation’s dignity and autonomy.
James highlighted the legal acquisition of Baliceaux by the ULP government under the Land Acquisition Act, securing it as a “national patrimony” and a permanent monument to the Garifuna people’s resilience and noted that Baliceaux should be treated as a “solemn space” to remember the attempted annihilation of the Garifuna people.
He urged Vincentians to channel “Chatoyer-like resolve” against neocolonialism and “hegemonic restlessness” that seeks to use small states as pawns in geopolitical rivalries and asserted the nation’s right to self-determination and expressed solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela despite external pressures.
James spoke out against “extrajudicial executions of Caribbean nationals” within territorial waters and the “forced acceptance of third-country deportees,” calling these actions an affront to national borders.
He made a firm demand for reparatory justice from European nations for the “legacy of native suicide and the enslavement of African bodies”. He stated that reparations are not a request for charity but a necessity to heal the socioeconomic scars of colonialism.
Commending the work of former pm Ralph Gonsalves regarding the CARICOM 10-point plan, James concluded by quoting Frantz Fanon, stating that each generation must “discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it”. He called on Vincentians to wear their heritage as a statement of pride and to continue the struggle for social justice.