mr president colleague heads invited all when in september 19 1983 cengiz and nevis became
a sovereign democratic federal state the people of cenkitsu nevis asserted among other precepts
they believe in the concept of true democracy obviously the bedrock of a true democracy
is securely grounded in the exercise of free and fair elections and specifically express regular
intervals the concept of free and fair elections is a fragile one which must be zealously guarded
by those with power to govern and vigorously monitored by the governed the institutions of a
participatory democracy are not self-sustaining and consequently they must be buttressed by
the deliberate positioning of institutional safeguards the strengthening of democracy is
part of the bulwark against authoritarian rule a commitment to issue authoritarian
rule adhere to the separation of powers maintain transparency and an accountable electoral process
are all imperatives for a democracy weathered to the rule of law sanchez zenkitsanivis
a relatively young sovereign state is still in the process of strengthening its democracy
parliamentary representatives are chosen every five years via the casting of secret ballots
by all eligible voters 18 years and over any dissatisfaction which results
may be adjudicated in a court of law the court of course is one of the tripartite institutions
along with the executive and the legislature which ensures separation of powers and prevents
the foundations of democracy from being eroded we remain committed to the democratic charter
which outlines measures to strengthen democracy in our hemisphere accountability and transparency
guard against corruption and financial misconduct in public office happily senkitzanivis is a
shining example of the omnipresence of the director of audit whose creation duties and powers
are doubly entrenched in our constitution like an alert sentinel the director of
audit is the constitutional watchdog against corruption it is his or her duty to ensure
that all monies appropriated by parliament and disbursed have been rightly applied
to the purpose for which they were appropriated and that the expenditure conforms to the authority
that governs it the director for it is not subject to the authority of any other person
this inoculates him or her for many interference political or otherwise in the conduct of the
affairs of the office which includes a yearly report to parliament the straightening of
democracy defending against authoritarianism and fighting corruption is a trilogy of ideals hinge
on the respect for human rights and the dignity of human life all three are grounded in an imperative
that respects and recognizes that every life is imbued with intrinsic value all who govern
must ensure that the governed are empowered with every opportunity to maximize this intrinsic value
and achieve self-actualization the promise of a true participatory democracy i thank you