Title
Recognizing the Honorable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis.
Body
WHEREAS, The Honorable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas was born into modest circumstances in the St. Kitts village of St. Paul's in 1953, where he lost his mother very early in life and was the son of a tailor and part-time sugar cane checker. Yet, Dr. Douglas was raised in a loving family with ample books and a great respect for learning; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Douglas was a gifted student that excelled in elementary and secondary school and attended, through a scholarship, the University of the West Indies, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in 1977. He also graduated from the University's medical school and, following an internship at the Port of Spain General Hospital in Trinidad, he opened a private family medical practice in Basseterre and in St. Paul's, St. Kitts and, in a decade, became the President of the St. Kitts-Nevis Medical Association; and
WHEREAS, As a young professional, Dr. Douglas understood the power of politics to bring about change for the people of St. Kitts & Nevis and, despite his success, he never forgot his upbringing and that ordinary working people are the backbone and strength of the twin-island Federation; and
WHEREAS, In 1979, he became the first Young Labour representative to sit as a full member of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party and he was elected Deputy Party Chairman in 1987. In 1989, he was elected Member of Parliament for St. Christopher #6, appointed Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and chosen as the National Political Leader of the Labour Party; and
WHEREAS, Between 1989 and 1995, Dr. Douglas re-organized and re-energized the Labour Party into a formidable democratic movement, which he led to power with his 1995 appointment as Prime Minister. With the confidence and support of the voters in the 2000 and 2004 elections,...
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