Minister of Industry and Tourism, Aloun Ndombet-Assamba has urged Jamaicans to view Jamaican Diaspora Day as an event which represented oneness, regardless of geographic borders, “as we work together for the strategic and developmental plans of Jamaica”.
“All Jamaicans can make a positive contribution to the development of Jamaica from wherever they are, and many have given valuable support to their homeland through various community organizations and we salute them,” the Minister said.
Mrs. Assamba was addressing the launch of Jamaican Diaspora Day today (June 16), at the Hilton Hotel in Kingston.
She reminded the gathering that it was at last year’s Jamaican Diaspora Conference that it was agreed that the Day be recognized and observed world-wide by all Jamaicans.
“This launch today is another tangible demonstration of the commitment of the Government of Jamaica to the Jamaican Diaspora, and the establishment of the Jamaican Advisory Board is one of the organizations, which is expected to provide the general liaison between overseas communities and Jamaica,” Minister Assamba pointed out.
In her remarks, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities in Ontario, Canada, Mary Anne Chambers, said that the coming together of the Diaspora “will create a stronger economy”, as a more educated workforce could only benefit the country.
“We could be more productive, successful and contented if we could direct our collective passion more constructively towards the achievement of positive outcomes,” she stressed.
She noted that social and fiscal responsibilities must co-exist and government must lead in this regard.
“The engine for increased prosperity is a more educated population, which is less likely to experience high levels of criminality. Young people across the Diaspora are at risk of being left behind, as poverty can cause people to despair and threaten their self-esteem,” Minister Chambers said.
She emphasized that the time has now come to have opportunities to enable them to be better and successful contributing members of the society.
“Jamaica has all the ingredients required to be a model nation and Jamaicans have all that it takes to be a genuinely proud people. Today, Jamaicans in Canada, Britain and the United States are celebrating their roots and their love for the country in which they or their parents were born,” the Minister pointed out.
The Jamaican Diaspora Foundation is another entity formed, to facilitate and deepen the linkages with Jamaicans residing abroad and those at home. The principal goals of the Foundation are to facilitate and increase the scope and impact of the contribution of the Diaspora to the development of Jamaicans and to deepen the collaboration and co-operation between the stakeholder groups that serve them.
A number of other countries with large migrant communities have recently moved to establish independent Foundations in order to facilitate and deepen the linkages with their Diaspora, and to promote the development of their nationals at home and abroad. Among these countries are the Dominican Republic, Brazil, South Africa, Ireland, Israel and India.