My Fellow Jamaicans:Each New Year brings with it the promise of a new beginning, and the hope of a brighter future. I believe in renewal, and so at the beginning of this New Year, I invite you to pause to renew our minds and consciousness.
. We need to embolden ourselves by renewing our aspirations, dreams and concepts of what we hope to be, and the potentials in each of us. . We need to renew our fight against malice, hatred and vengeance in our personal lives, and reject them as misguided approaches to conflict resolution. . We need to renew our fight against the disintegration of the moral fabric of our society, replacing expressions of hostility, vulgarity, immodesty and vagrancy, with those that reflect propriety, decency and civility.
The beauty and greatness of our people must not be marred by the ugly spectre of crime. Instead, the goodness of Jamaicans must compliment the beauty of the landscape, and cooperate to define the character of our nation as a place where everyone can realize his or her potential.
Our vision for 2030 is intended to enhance the quality of life and the natural beauty which already exists in our country. This vision of our leaders must be embraced by all of us, as we commit to making Brand Jamaica the standard of excellence.
My travels across the Island have reinforced my faith and belief in this country, and the potential of:
. our young people, who respond to challenges with creativity and innovation;
. the potential of our volunteers who give unstintingly of their time and wherewithal to ‘mend broken people’ and perform ‘service above self’;. the potential of our workers, artisans, farmers, teachers, other professionals and skilled groups who contribute to the productivity of our nation.
We all long for things to go well, we long for a better existence here and now. But often, given the nature of our world, that has not happened nor does it come about the way we imagine it should. But we must not stop believing!
As we face this New Year, let us renew our efforts, initiatives, energies, our commitment and our being, to the purpose of building a great nation. We know that we will experience crises, but we also believe that we can overcome them ‘with the strength and vigour of our minds, as we serve each other.’
I wish for you a New Year that is filled with abundant hope, peace and success.
God bless you and God bless Jamaica.
