Prime Minister Holness Hails Mothers as Pillars of Jamaica’s Future

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is expressing gratitude to mothers across Jamaica for their strength and the pivotal role they play in instilling values and attitudes in their children, shaping both their character and the nation’s future.

“Mothers are our first teachers, shaping the moral compass of our children and, by extension, the soul of the society. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, once wrote: ‘Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man’; and it is in these formative years that the hands of mothers mould the values, thoughts and inner life of future generations,” Dr. Holness said.

He noted that, in the Jamaican context, mothers are the primary caregivers, consistently guiding their children through the formative years.

“So in every sense, it is the mothers who are truly shaping the character of the nation in the formative years. So then, by this construct, the mothers are the ones who really have the power in shaping the character of the nation and, indeed, to cultivate the conscience of the nation,” the Prime Minister said.

He was addressing a special Mother’s Day function at the Office of the Prime Minister in St. Andrew on Thursday (May 8).

The event honoured mothers who are staff members of the Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica House, and the Office of the Cabinet.

Mother’s Day 2025 will be observed on Sunday, May 11.

Dr. Holness stated that research consistently shows that a mother’s love and labour are invaluable assets to any developing country.

He highlighted a 2020 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) study on parenting in low- and middle-income countries, which found that responsive maternal care – nurturing, loving, and consistent – is one of the strongest predictors of children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development.

Further, that in resource-limited environments, mothers provide the stability.

“It is the mothers who provide the equity… the fairness in the society, and they do this by providing love. It is oftentimes the love of mothers that rights the wrongs that our children experience in the society, In Jamaica, our mothers have long carried the weight of our history but, moreso, you carry the promise of the future,” he maintained.

The Prime Minister pointed out that whether in rural farming communities or urban centres, mothers have transformed hardship into homes and heartbreak into hope.

“You have worked the land, sold in the markets, taught in our schools, prayed in our churches, and raised generations with nothing… but only faith, love, and grit. So let us acknowledge our mothers on Mother’s Day, the special people you are,” he emphasised.

Dr. Holness added that, “Your strength is the ability to comfort. Your strength is the ability to turn your hand and [make] fashion. Your ability is to recover from the hardships and the challenges; but not just to recover but to recover even stronger. Your strength is the radical healing force that you naturally have.”

He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to building a Jamaica where every mother can raise her children in safety and dignity, with the assurance that they will have access to equal opportunities.

“Every day that I occupy this office [of Prime Minister], I’m certain that this commitment is being fulfilled. Jamaica is becoming a safer place. Jamaica is definitely a stable economy. Jamaica is making steps towards [becoming] a more resilient and growing economy, and every day there are opportunities for employment, for the creation of wealth and for innovation. So, I am confident in making that commitment to the mothers of Jamaica. Your children will be able to grow up in a thriving, fair, innovative and safe society,” Dr. Holness stated.

“To all Jamaican mothers, those present and those who have gone before us and those who are raising tomorrow’s leaders, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and to my own mother, Happy Mother’s Day,” he said.