by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—The People’s Action Movement (PAM) held its 60th National Convention on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
The milestone event took place at the Samuel Williams Sporting Complex in Verchilds, Constituency #4, St. Kitts.
The convention was centred around the theme, “Built by the People, Ready for the Future”.
Jamaican MP Alando Terrelonge, Featured Guest speaker at the convention, expressed that the People’s Action Movement has a history of nation-building.
“This great federation of St. Kitts and Nevis knows how to build because greatness is in your political DNA. Just look around you, every paved road, every school, every clinic and every opportunity in this country was built by the strong hands of your people. From the first stones laid ages ago by your ancestors at Brimstone Hill Fortress and the first roads dug into the hills at Old Road Bay, the people of St. Kitts have known what it means to work hard and build a legacy that lasts for generations to come. PAM is a party of builders.
Jamaican MP Alando Terrelonge“PAM is a party of innovators and success stories; the legacy left by PAM is there for everyone to see. So when I sit down there, and I hear some people questioning who is the founder of a modern St. Kitts and Nevis, I have to say, but I know St. Kitts history better than them. Because there is no question about what the Rt. Exc. Dr Sir Kennedy Simmonds has done for St. Kitts and Nevis. There is no question about what PAM has done for this great federation.”
Terrelonge encouraged the party to work together and to include the youth in the political future of the country.
“Let us work together under the experienced and capable leadership of Dr Shawn Richards. Let us march into every community, knock on every door, and carry the message of hope, competence, renewal, and prosperity. Get our young people to understand that politics is a part of their daily lives as much as the telephone that they’re walking around with and the technology that they crave. It is the government that develops and implements the policies that determine the strength of your economy. Whether investors want to invest in St. Kitts and Nevis, whether you’re going to get new roads, new houses, new commercial centres, and as we look to the future, whether you’re going to get new artificial intelligence data centres to create the jobs of the future for our young people.
“It is the same government policies that determine whether, and this is important for young people to understand, because too many of them think that politics has failed the country, not understanding that it is poor choices and poor and lazy political parties that fail the people. So when their young brother and sisters are not getting a good education, when their elderly parents and grandparents can’t get good access to health care, when they can’t find the credits to put on the phone so they can go on WhatsApp and Telegram and Instagram, what they need to understand is that it makes a difference who represents the people, and a PAM-led government by Sean Richards is the difference that St. Kitts and Nevis needs right now.”
Hon. Dr Shawn Richards, the party’s sixth Political Leader, emphasised the importance of the history of the party and lauded the work of Sir Kennedy Simmonds.
Hon. Dr Shawn Richards“61 years as a party is not simply a milestone. It is a testament, a testament to the vision, courage, and resilience of our great institution. And above all, it is a testament to the enduring belief that the people of St. Kitts and Nevis deserve a government that puts people first. And tonight, we are especially privileged to have among us the man who stood at the centre of one of the most defining moments in our nation’s history, our 90-year-old first Prime Minister, national hero, and father of independence, the right, excellent, and Rt. Exc. Dr Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds. Sir Kennedy, it is an honour to stand in your presence and to walk, however humbly, in the footsteps of those who came before us.”
Dr Richards expressed the need for the nation to not be left behind as the AI boom continues globally, despite expert warnings about rapid adoption and integration.
“We must remind the nation that during the PAM-led era, St. Kitts and Nevis achieved levels of economic performance that attracted regional recognition. This is the same PAM that introduced social programmes that continue to benefit our people. It was PAM that established the institution that became the Clarence Fitzroy Bryan College. It was PAM that helped remove VAT from essential food items and medicines during the Team Unity administration. Now you can’t even afford to buy food. And it was PAM that demonstrated that government can be both socially responsible and economically ambitious. So let me put it simply, PAM knows how to build. But we do not just want to build; we want to build better. And that is why we are presenting a new economic vision for St. Kitts and Nevis. Some on the other side don’t like to hear us talk about our past.
“Because when we do that, the evidence is revealed that it is PAM who built an independent country. When the people give PAM the opportunity to serve again, we will pursue a new economic architecture built around seven strategic pillars. I want you to bear with me. The world has changed. Artificial intelligence, automation, digital services and advanced technologies are transforming economies everywhere. St. Kitts and Nevis cannot be left on the sidelines. We will explore how AI and other modern technologies can improve government efficiency, increase productivity and create new economic opportunities. We will also deepen conversations with international partners, including Taiwan, to explore opportunities in technology, innovation and modern manufacturing.”
Dr Richards was recently elected during a Special Caucus on September 1, 2026, following the resignation of the previous leader, Natasha Grey-Brookes.
“I have come to tell you that there is hope. There is a path forward. There is a plan. And there is a political movement preparing itself to solve. The challenges are real, but so is our determination. The problems are serious, but so is our capacity to solve them. And the future may be uncertain, but we have the power to shape it. PAM has done it before. We helped build modern St. Kitts and Nevis. We took this country to independence. We built institutions. We built infrastructure. We built industries. We created opportunities. And now we are preparing to build the next chapter. But we cannot do it alone.
We need you. We need everyone, including the diverse talents that we have in the diaspora.
“And I saw Mel earlier, and I want to thank her for being with us here this evening. We need you, and we will be reaching out to all of you. In this new paradigm, we are not tapping our diaspora for votes. We will be dipping into the vast resource of human capital to help rebuild this failing nation. For PAM to succeed, we also appeal to the young people for their support and help. We need the young people. We need the business community, the farmers. We need every constituency and every community. And we need every Kittish and Nevisian who believes that better is possible.”
The convention officially ratified the party’s newly completed slate of executive officers, which includes recently appointed positions such as Shermel Drew (Assistant General Secretary) and Laverne Caines (Public Relations Officer).
