Prime Minister pays Tribute to Consul-General in New York

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has paid tribute to Consul-General to New York, Dr. Basil K. Bryan.
Speaking at a dinner in his honour on Thursday, August 11, at the Citigroup Centre in Manhattan, the Prime Minister said that Dr. Bryan was an excellent representative of Jamaica and that she was pleased with his contribution to his homeland.
“You have done well, you have done us proud and we are indeed grateful for your contribution,” she said. Mrs. Simpson Miller is on an official visit to New York, where she will participate in a number of activities to mark the 44th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence.
Paulette Willoughby, representing the community organizations, said that Dr. Bryan “is an outstanding advocate for the advancement in education and a beacon of hope for the less privileged here in New York as well as back home”.
The Consul-General’s sister, Merline said he had compassion for his fellowman, “always stressing the importance of education as a means to change and a chance to improve one’s life”.
She described her brother as a visionary, a true humanitarian and a “wonderful example of what family is about”.
Others paying tribute were Vincent Hosang on behalf of the business community; Bishop E. Don Taylor for the Church; Jessica Odle, Consul-General of Barbados, on behalf of the Diplomatic Corps; Michele Rodney from Carib News; and Denise Durham-Williams from Citigroup.
In his response, Dr. Bryan said that as Jamaicans, “we have no option but to succeed and that we should not be weary doing good”.
“If we have to go forward, we have to do so in a unified manner,” he emphasized.
The special dinner tribute was organized by the New York Carib News and Citibank.