Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, addresses a function on July 9 at Beadle Hall in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, which was hosted by the St. Elizabeth Lay Magistrates Association. Others (seated from left) are: Custos of the parish, Hon. Alfred Farquharson; President of the St. Elizabeth Lay Magistrates Association, Wilfred Nembhard; and Her Excellency the Most Hon. Lady Allen.
“We, of necessity, at this point of our history, must unite, every one of us, with hands and hearts together, if we intend to herald a new day for Jamaica,” the Governor-General stated at a forum hosted by the St. Elizabeth Lay Magistrates Association recently, at Beadle Hall in Santa Cruz.
Communities coming together for a common good, he said, will help to curb crime and violence, and combat the breakdown in the family structure.
“To address the economic hardships that we are experiencing, we must start where it all begins, at the home. We must start there to reinstate the family as the primary unit of socialisation,” he noted further.
He called on Justices of the Peace to continue their efforts to settle disputes at the local level, noting that in many instances, if greater effort was made to mediate between communities and individuals involved in disputes, there would be less fractious encounters.
“Jamaica’s future depends on all of us. I urge our Justices of the Peace to be part of the solution as we go forward. I encourage you to keep the message of hope alive. It requires all of us working together for the greater good of the country, and giving our best in whatever field we are planted,” the Governor-General stated.