Emancipation Day is a reminder that freedom must be protected from every form of domination - Holness

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says the promise of Emancipation must be renewed in every generation by working to create a society in which every Jamaican has a fair opportunity to advance.

In his message marking Emancipation Day, Holness said it should also serve as a reminder that freedom must be protected from every form of domination.

Emancipation Day, which is being celebrated in Jamaica under the theme ‘United in Celebrating Resilience’, commemorates the end of slavery in 1838.

The prime minister said Jamaica must continue to widen access to education, land ownership, housing, employment and entrepreneurship.

“We must build an economy in which effort is rewarded, enterprise is encouraged, and families can accumulate assets that may be passed from one generation to the next,” he said.

“We must recover that spirit of self-reliance and enterprise.”

The prime minister said the struggle for freedom continues wherever law-abiding citizens are denied peace, security and opportunity.

He said no Jamaican should live under the control of criminals, gangs or violent men who seek to govern communities through fear.

Holness said a community cannot be truly free when children are afraid to walk to school, when businesses must pay extortion or when families are forced to remain silent in the presence of wrongdoing.

“We must stand firmly for law, justice and order. We must strengthen families, support responsible parenting and teach our children that freedom carries duties as well as rights,” he said.

“We must reject the idea that discipline is oppression, that accountability is hostility or that personal responsibility can be replaced by permanent dependence.”

The prime minister said the strongest tribute Jamaica can pay to its ancestors is to “use our freedom well”.

“We honour them when we educate our children, care for our elderly, build honest businesses, protect our communities and conduct ourselves with dignity. We honour them when we reject prejudice and injustice. We honour them when we refuse to allow the circumstances of our birth to determine the limits of our ambition,” he said.

Holness urged citizens to continue the work of building a Jamaica in which freedom is supported by opportunity, ownership, independence, rights by responsibility and hope by purposeful action.

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