PM Calls on Jamaicans to Take Charge of Communities

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, has called on Jamaicans to take charge of the parishes in which they were born and help to shape the character of the communities.
Speaking at the St. Elizabeth Home-coming Foundation Pioneers recognition ceremony on July 26 in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, Mr. Golding argued that with improvement in technologies, persons are losing community life that was once a cherished phenomenon in the society.
The Prime Minister stressed that the place where a person resides must be more that an address, and persons living in a particular community must take responsibility of what happens, and how the community is shaped.
“That is why the work of the St. Elizabeth Home-coming Foundation is so important, because of its work. St. Elizabeth is more than a place, it is an experience and the Foundation is determined to preserve this experience that they conveyed to the people of the parish and people outside of Jamaica, and we need to see more of this effort in other parishes,” Mr. Golding emphasised.
“We need to see more examples of people in a parish and communities, which make up that parish, taking responsibility for what happens around them. The character of a community must come from the people, and people who have emotional ties to a community are the best ones to provide that type of leadership,” he added.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the places where people live represent the cradle of life and “we must take charge of them and create lasting foundations.” Twelve outstanding citizens were recognized for their contribution to St. Elizabeth and to the nation.