Opposition Leader Calls For Jamaicans To Focus On ‘holistic’ Independence | RJR News

By Prince Moore/Kimone Witter

Opposition Leader Mark Golding says Jamaicans can be proud of the many milestones achieved over the six decades of political independence.

In his Independence Day message, Mr. Golding said, though small in size, Jamaica’s influence on the world has been extraordinary.

He said the country’s musical artistes have transformed global culture, and Jamaica’s creative industries are among the most influential in the world with its athletes redefining performance at the international level. 

Despite great achievements, he said, political independence is not an end in itself, and nation-building requires more than symbols and ceremonies. 

“A holistic vision of independence entails a society in which our economy is well balanced and strong, where talent and application are rewarded, where innovation is encouraged, where integrity is embraced as a core principle of personal identity and of national development, and where success is determined by merit rather than one’s circumstances. It requires strong democratic institutions that are protected from the insidious creep of autocratic tendencies. It requires sound and accountable governance and respect for the rule of law,” said the Opposition Leader. 

Mr. Golding also used his message to reiterate the Opposition’s position on the process for Jamaica’s transition to a republic.

“It is time to come together to fully decolonise our 1962 Constitution, so that our head of state is no longer a foreign monarch, and our final court is no longer the colonial vestige of that monarch, but is an institution of judicial excellence that has been deliberately fashioned to be accessible to our people and to ensure its independence from political interference,” he urged.