BROADCAST TO THE NATION BY HON PORTIA SIMPSON MILLER PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA – LABOUR DAY 2006

This is my first broadcast to you, my Jamaican Family, since assuming office as Prime Minister. I can think of no better occasion than that of Labour Day to speak to my extended Family.
I am taking the opportunity to call this great nation to action. Our history of survival and success is rooted in organized labour and collective endeavours whether it is in the struggle for freedom, for a new social order, or for independence.
Today, this small but mighty nation must face another struggle. It is the struggle to rekindle the spirit and soul of Jamaica. It is the struggle to awaken every community from the uneasy slumber of indifference and inaction. We must be shapers of events not mere observers. If we surrender to indifference and inaction we risk the future of our children and that of our nation.
I invite every Jamaican man and woman to join me today as we clean our drains, gullies, streets, parks and beaches. Let us plant as many trees as we can across the country. But even as we work shoulder to shoulder as countrymen and women we must be determined to make today a defining moment in the history of our country.
By our individual action today, we can take a giant leap forward in our quest to enhance the dignity of labour. We do so by improving the environment, inspiring the spirit of community development and encouraging the principle of working together and sharing.
By our individual action today, we remove the muck and grime that blankets the natural beauty of our country and demonstrate in a practical way that Jamaica’s beauty is our duty.
By our individual action today, we acknowledge our profound respect for the legacy of the founding fathers and the builders of our nation. And we make a compact for the future of our family, community and country.
This year, the National Labour Day Project will be the beautification of Water Square in the historic town of Falmouth, Trelawny. It is a town rich in history and was once home to planters, painters and poets. It is fitting that it becomes the place for the awakening of the Jamaican spirit of community.
While I look forward to hundreds of Jamaicans joining me in Falmouth and other communities today, I urge you to join your neighbours in the community in which you live. There is much work to be done.
This call to action requires very little of you. You can come with your brooms and rakes, your shovels and wheelbarrows, your paint and paint brushes. If you have nothing, just come.
This Labour Day join me as we strike a fatal blow against indifference and inaction. Let us together remove the ugliness that is born of neglect and uncivil behaviour. Let us together work to cleanup and beautify our spaces.
I call on you my fellow countrymen and women to be part of the celebration of the value and honour of work. It is the foundation upon which we have built a Jamaica proud and free.
In the womb of this day, we must plant the seeds of a brighter and better tomorrow and we must labour every single day to water and nurture those seeds to secure Jamaica’s place in a bold new world. I thank you.