KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica is marking National Heroes Day on Monday with the country’s two prominent political leaders paying tribute to those who have paved the way for the government to be recognised both at home and abroad.
In addition, the day provides an opportunity for 141 Jamaicans to receive national awards as the 2025 Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards will be held on the lawns of King’s House, the official residence of the Governor-General, Sir Patrick Allen, who acting as chancellor of the orders, confers these honours on the advice of the prime minister.
Among the awardees announced for 2025 are three individuals who will be appointed to the Order of Jamaica (OJ), the fourth-highest honour in the land.
Group chief executive officer of JMMB Group and recently appointed Government Senator Keith Duncan has been recognised for his exceptional service in finance, business, and social development.
The long-serving Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie, is being honoured for more than four decades of public service, while Marlene Street Forrest, the former managing director of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), is being celebrated for her leadership in transforming the JSE into one of the world’s top-performing exchanges.
In his message Prime Minister Andrew Holness said National Heroes Day should serve as a reminder of “Jamaica’s “story written in courage and conviction”, describing the country’s heroes as the “embodiment of courage, faith, intellect, sacrifice, and love of country.
“Our heritage is not something locked away in the pages of history. It is a living call, a charge to each of us to carry forward the values of discipline, hard work, respect, and love for one another. Our forebears fought so that we could live purposefully, and we must guard our freedom with great vigilance and commitment.
“If we are to honour the legacy of our heroes, we must return to the principles that made us who we are: respect for law, reverence for God, and pride in honest work,” Holness said as he linked those values to national progress, acknowledging also that true nation-building rests in character and citizens.
“But the greatest work lies not in the infrastructure we build, but in our character. It lies in teaching our youth that patriotism is a lifestyle; that to love Jamaica is to serve her with excellence, to protect her from harm, and to lift her name with pride wherever we go.”
Holness also extended his definition of heroism beyond history’s significant figures, saluting everyday Jamaicans who serve with integrity from teachers and nurses to farmers and security personnel calling them “the continuation of that proud and bold heritage.”
But as he has done in years gone by, Opposition Leader Mark Golding again called for cultural icons Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley and Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou) to be recognised as National Heroes.
He said that their music, poetry, and advocacy for Jamaican identity had inspired generations both locally and abroad.
Golding, whose People’s National Party (PNP) lost the September 3 general election for a third consecutive time to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), described the voters as “modern examples of heroism”, no doubt in reference to the party’s improved showing at the polls.
He said Jamaicans had exercised their right to vote “without indulging in the malignant influence of money or other corrupt influences.
“In exercising your choice based on your belief and conscience, you embraced the very ideals that our national heroes fought to secure. Your honest participation demonstrated your commitment to shaping Jamaica’s future and reaffirmed that the spirit of our ancestors endures in our people,” he said.
But Golding is worried over the recent rise in violence and suicides impacting the island.
“In the face of these challenges, let us choose empathy over anger, unity over division, and hope over despair. Let us stand together as one people, united in purpose, bound together in our love for our country, and determined to build a Jamaica where peace, equality, and opportunity become realities for all,” Golding said.
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