Embrace the possibilities of technology, says Sir Patrick

WESTERN BUREAU:

GOVERNOR GENERAL Sir Patrick Allen has called on Jamaica to embrace technology, noting that the world is evolving and new opportunities are opening in that area.

“We must embrace the possibilities of technology, sustainable development and global partnership with the same fervour and determination that marked our Independence in 1962,” Sir Patrick noted in a message, which was read by Custos of Westmoreland, Reverend Hartley Perrin, during last Tuesday’s Independence Civic Ceremony in Savanna-la-Mar.

“Our priority must be to innovate, educate and build a society where every citizen can strive.”

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, whose message was read by Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang, has called for Jamaicans to consider what it truly means to be independent.

“While we celebrate our freedom as a people and independence as a nation, we must consider the meaning of freedom and independence, as they are not without obligations and responsibilities,” said Holness. “We must also consider the global, political and environmental context in which we exercise our freedom and independence.”

Holness said that as a small developing state with an open economy in a highly connected world, Jamaica has been putting in the required safeguards. He noted that an economic shock, such as a disruption in the supply chain causing global inflation; political shock, such as the war in the Ukraine; or a health shock, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can set back the nation.

“We have built a new system of government that is more robust, self-reliant, and strategic. In fact, that is what it means to be independent; the ability to withstand shocks, and deal with crisis without having to rely on, or be dependent on the resources of others, or be indebted to others,” said Holness. “At 62, Jamaica must be able to stand on its own two feet and face the challenges and uncertainties of this era of globalised world and the changing climate.”

Opposition Leader Mark Golding, meanwhile, called on Jamaica to fully assert its independence, saying the cycle that started in 1962, when the country ended over 100 years of British rule, is not yet complete well into its 62nd year of political independence.

“Our journey to Independence is incomplete,” asserted Golding. His Independence message to the people of Westmoreland was read by Dwayne Vaz, the former member of parliament for Westmoreland Central.

“Our head of state is the King of England, and our final court, the United Kingdom Privy Council, is a colonial institute in England that makes orders in the name of the King and is inaccessible to ordinary Jamaicans,” said Golding, who only last month promised to renounce his British citizenship, which he acquired through his parents.

“It is time to reaffirm our national identity and assert the confidence to share our own destiny. Time come to sever ties with the British monarchy and become a fully sovereign nation, with our own creation, in keeping with our vision of the future as a proud and independent people,” said Golding.

Golding says the seeds of Jamaica’s Independence did not start in 1962, but were sown much earlier. He cited the work of National Hero Marcus Garvey, who in 1932 advocated for self-government and what he called the “new Jamaica”. He noted, too, that the labour uprising of 1939 provided the impetus for fundamental change, with leaders Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley emerging as the workers’ champions.

“N.W. Manley spearheaded the struggle for universal adult sufferage (meaning the right to vote for a government of the people’s choice), negotiated for Jamaica’s political independence, and led the development of the Independence Constitution, culminating in Jamaica taking up the mantle for full statehood on August 6, 1962,” Golding stated.