KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged citizens to embrace the 2024 canvas of possibilities “to paint new and better pictures for our future,” with the Opposition Leader, Mark Golding, saying the new year brings with it a renewed sense of possibility.
In their New Year messages, both Holness and Golding said they were committed to making Jamaica a peaceful nation, in harmony and with social and economic stability in 2024.
Holness said God had given Jamaicans the opportunity to see the sunrise on a new year and that they should rejoice with gratitude and embrace the 2024 canvas of possibilities “to paint new and better pictures for our future with vibrant colors of our Jamaican creativity, dreams, and aspirations, or complete the masterpieces we have started with optimism and determination.”
He said last year, his Administration had achieved several successes, including on the crime and economic fronts, and that it would continue to build the plan to secure Jamaica sustainably.
He referred to the new Firearms Act, Bail Act, and amendments to the Offences Against the Person Act to create realistic deterrent penalties, along with the use of the anti-gang law and improved intelligence and policing operations, which substantially impact crime overall.
“In 2024, your Government will begin the build-out of a comprehensive social services response to violence. In 2024, my Administration will turn the machinery and resources of Government to focus on reducing violence, building our socio-emotional intelligence and human capital, strengthening our families, and promoting peace in our land.”
He said Jamaica has been able to undertake transformational projects and recover strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic and that “this year, the economic focus will be on increasing economic growth by increasing productivity.
“I urge Jamaicans not to undervalue the importance of a strongly performing economy. I want to ensure that the Government I lead is committed to ensuring that the benefits of a growing economy reach the people fairly and justly.
“So, in 2024, we will further expand economic activity and invest in human capital and security to support economic expansion. This will allow us to do more for you in 2024,” he added.
For his part, Golding said the new year is a time for reflection “and also an opportunity to commit to positive change in our own lives and the life of our beloved Jamaica.
“It is clear that overcoming our serious challenges requires a collaborative approach energized by a renewed spirit of national unity. History demands that we cast aside the divisive and selfish attitudes of the past, preventing us from harnessing this capacity to solve the major issues that are holding us back.”
Golding said that last year, Jamaicans faced several challenges, including the increases in the cost of living “driven by higher food prices that have made everyday survival that much harder” and the “demoralizing scourge of violent crime, which has continued to sap our national spirit, and poses significant obstacles for the development of our nation.”
He said despite the talents and creativity of Jamaicans that have allowed them to excel to greatness in many areas of life and made Brand Jamaica internationally recognized and admired, “we continue to lag when it comes to building a strong, diversified, and inclusive economy that is internationally competitive and resilient and creates opportunities for all our people to pursue their dreams of a better life, right here at home in the land of our birth.”
The Opposition leader said he is committed to working constructively and in good faith with all well-thinking Jamaicans, “regardless of political affiliation or other considerations that have too long divided us, towards finding the ways and means to secure a better future for our country.
“Our proud history of overcoming oppression and adversity is a testament to our ability to overcome challenges and emerge stronger. Now, more than ever, we must harness that strength to address the pressing issues that lie before us. I am confident that, working together, we can progress in overcoming the formidable obstacles to the Jamaica we long to see,” Golding charged.
“Let us build common ground to create a society that values every Jamaican, regardless of background, wealth, or other factors. As we enter 2024, let this new year be a canvas on which we paint a beautiful vision of a Jamaica where every citizen can realize their full potential. It can be achieved if we commit ourselves to this great and noble task in a spirit of oneness in our shared destiny,” Golding added.
and then 