Hard Work Important to Nation Building – Assamba

Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, Aloun Assamba has said that hard work and collective effort were important in strengthening communities and furthering the process of nation building.
She was speaking at Jamaica House on Thursday (April 26), at the launch of Labour Day 2007, which will be observed on May 23 under the theme: ‘Honouring Our Ancestors.Strengthening Communities’.
The Minister noted that there are many examples of how “hard work can enhance individual lives, make communities proud, and if applied consistently, transform nations.”
She cited the birth of the modern labour movement in 1938 as “testimony to the fact that the real Jamaica and genuine Jamaicans clearly understand the dignity of work and the transformative power of collective effort.”
Minister Assamba urged that in highlighting this year’s Labour Day theme of honouring our ancestors, we must “consider the many ways in which we can prove, first to ourselves, that we deserve the fruits of their labour. Let us not just go sweep a street as a token effort.let’s put a little thought into the selection of the projects.”
She outlined several activities, which could be done to mark the day including: the cleaning-up of historic cemeteries; beautifying national heritage sites; repairing monuments; and cleaning-up and refurbishing community centres, schools and churches.
The Minister announced that for Labour Day 2007, the community that best exemplifies the theme will be rewarded. The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) will work with the winner to mount a community-driven event to raise funds to support a local cause of their choice.
“The idea behind this is to demonstrate in a tangible way, the fact that the development of cultural industries represents our best hope of sustainable economic growth,” the Minister explained.
The National Labour Day project will be the rehabilitation of the Bath Botanical Gardens in Bath, St. Thomas, which has a strong heritage component, being the second oldest botanical garden in the western hemisphere.
Work will include the clean-up and beautification of the garden and surrounding areas; creation of storyboards to highlight the significance of the plants and a healing garden with legal medicinal herbs and plants.
Other major events to mark Labour Day 2007 will be a National Thanksgiving Service at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Church on May 19 beginning at 11:00 a.m. and a Labour Day concert in Morant Bay on May 23.
Activities to mark Labour Day are being coordinated by the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture (MTEC) through the Labour Day Secretariat under the chairmanship of Dr. Wykeham McNeill, Minister of State, MTEC.