Prime Minister Michael Manley praised the National Youth Service workers for their dedication and commitment to nation-building. Speaking at the launch of "Project Pull Together", he commended the over 1,000 volunteers who had contributed to education, health, and community development. He emphasized that their efforts were valuable in shaping a better Jamaica as they gave back to society while gaining discipline and experience. 

Published Wednesday, March 6, 1974

PM stresses importance of discipline

Prime Minister, the Hon. Michael Manley has emphasised the importance of discipline and commitment in the building of a nation. He was speaking at the St. James launching of "Project Pull Together" yesterday afternoon at Montego Bay’s Jarrett Park.

The project is primarily aimed at fostering discipline among young people and is conducted by a National Committee, working through the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA).

Mr. Manley described the project as “an imaginative idea” and hoped that students, teachers, and parents would work together. Congratulating Mr. Ivan Burnett, chairman of the project’s National Committee, and others associated with it, he said that from their experiences, it was hoped that all would learn to pull together.

The Prime Minister said that "Project Pull Together" was important, particularly for young people. He expressed the belief that young people were going to decide what kind of country they would live in as they grew up.

“You, the younger ones, will decide and be responsible for what your country will be like - whether it will be good, bad, or in between; whether it will be happy, unhappy, or indifferent. This requires a will and a desire to have the right attitude to begin with, and until we have them, we have to keep on examining ourselves,” he said.

Mr. Manley noted that it was often said that Jamaicans had no sense of discipline or commitment to the nation, which was needed to make things better through individual effort. This meant that Jamaicans had to first learn and understand who they were in order to change — individually and as a nation.

Knowing and understanding the care of a neighbour and the love of one’s nation was important as was the realisation that a team was bigger than the individual — two critical lessons to be learned, he said.

“As members of a nation, we are playing for a team that requires our first loyalty and with discipline as the medium for creating teamwork,” he declared.
Referring to the National Youth Service, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the more than 1,000 volunteers who served last year. He said their contribution was valuable as were their efforts to give back to society in return for the benefits of their education. This year, the effort would be far bigger, expanding into fields other than education, he said. He mentioned Health, Planning, Legal, Medical and Nursing Services, Teaching Literacy, and Youth Training.

Mr. Manley concluded that he believed that the National Youth Service provided a means for young people to express love for their country in practical terms and through which they learned some of the disciplines necessary for building a better nation.

The launch was attended by schoolchildren and youth groups from across the parish, along with members of the JTA, Parliamentarians, Parish Councilors, and members of the Clergy.
The function was presided over by Mr. Leo Oakley, president of the St. James branch of the JTA.

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