CMC – Barbados is celebrating its 46th anniversary of political independence from Britain today with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart telling nationals that the achievements of the island over the years have “fully justified” the decision to break colonial ties with the United Kingdom.

He said at the social, political and economic levels, Barbados has made tremendous strides.

“At the social level, we can boast of having a Barbados that is more balanced and inclusive today than at any other time in our history,; our children now have access to education from the nursery to the tertiary levels; enlightened legislative reforms have `massively expanded the rights of our women.”

He said economically, the island has been able create an environment friendly both to the local and the foreigner who wants to invest and expanded opportunities to encourage the development of micro- and small businesses.

However, he warned Barbadians that the island’s development has been hit by the global financial and economic crisis to the point that the “sectors from which we have traditionally earned our foreign exchange have faced unprecedented challenges”.

In his message, Prime Minister Stuart reminded nationals that independence never promised to confer only benefits.

The island is observing the anniversary with the traditional military parade and the honouring some of its nationals for their contributions to the island’s development.

Like our new Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/gleanerjamaica

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/JamaicaGleaner

radio@gleanerjm.com