Holness urges Jamaicans to embrace forgiveness and drive safely as year ends
Vanassa McKenzie / Our Today
Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging Jamaicans to embrace the spirit of forgiveness and unburden themselves of old grievances and vexations as the year draws to a close.
He made the plea during his Christmas message to the nation on Wednesday, December 25.
“We must put ourselves in a positive mindset to receive the blessings and the good happening around us. We must not blind ourselves with negativity. The message of family, spending time with loved ones is important in today’s high-paced, virtualised, and individualistic world. Simple, familiar, and social contact is oftentimes overlooked and undervalued. Look for mama, reach out to the family and friends that you have overseas, and as you do this, be prepared to forgive and unburden yourself of baggage of old grievances and vexation. It will do your mental a world of good,” he urged.
Additionally, the prime minister urged citizens to drive safely on the nation’s roadways, as road fatalities are known to spike around the festive period.
“Every Christmas we see a spike in road fatalities, take it easy on the road, no man. As we are talking about roads, we have had unusually heavy rains for the past few months, which have had a serious impact on our roads. I have directed the National Works Agency to patch as many roads as possible throughout the Christmas season to ensure traffic is not unduly delayed and our main road network is maintained. Please look out for the patching teams as you traverse towns and city areas,” Holness said.
He added that the government will also be examining ways to assist Jamaicans whose households are most in need of roof repairs following the recent heavy rains.
“While we have no snow in Jamaica, given the climate change factors, we are certainly going to have more intense weather events. Your government will design and develop a programme to help you adapt and mitigate the impacts of the change in climate,” he added.
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