Fishing beaches getting facelifts

The Government's commitment to provide the fishing industry with the necessary support to ensure its sustainability has been underscored by portfolio minister, Dr Christopher Tufton.

Addressing a reopening ceremony for the recently upgraded Rio Nuevo Fishing Beach in St Mary last Thursday, Tufton said the State was aware of the importance of the fishing industry to the national economy.

The beach, which was upgraded at a cost of approximately $11 million, includes a vending area and bathroom facilities.

He pointed out that the upgrading of fishing beaches was one of the initiatives being implemented to develop the industry.

The minister said 35 fishing beaches had been identified for immediate upgrading under a government programme, with 20 being completed so far.

Don't stop praying, GG tells Church

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen has called on the Church to never cease praying for the nation, but rather to have faith that positive change will come.

"Do not give up in despair, Jamaica is not going anywhere. It is not going to sink. Do not listen to all the doomsday prophets, we are not going anywhere.

"We are just going through a cycle; we are going through hard times, but we will come out. How soon we come out is dependent on how much we pray," the governor general said.

He was addressing persons who turned out at the St Ann's Bay Baptist Church in St Ann for the National Prayer Vigil, which was held on December 13. The vigil, which was organised by the St Ann's Bay Ministers' Fraternal, was held under the theme 'Justice, Unity, Peace and Healing'.

"Prayer promotes tolerance and encourages unity and positive vibes, and all of this is good for Jamaica. It is the supreme remedy for the challenges facing our nation. It draws us closer to God and transforms the lives of all persons who are engaged in prayer," Sir Patrick said.

He argued that the social and economic challenges that confronted the nation resulted from intertwined components that could only become untangled through collaborative bouts of prayer. "Men and women must always pray and not faint," he emphasised, referring to a popular scriptural passage.

South African minister lauds Ja's Garvey

South Africa's Culture Minister Lulama Xingwana has said the life and work of Jamaica's first National Hero, Marcus Garvey, continues to inspire and motivate the pan-African movement.

Xingwana spoke during a tour of Liberty Hall, the original headquarters of Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in downtown Kingston on Monday. The tour was part of the itinerary of her three-day visit to the island from December 12-14.

Noting that Garvey was "highly respected" by South Africa's leaders, Xingwana said that during the country's struggle against apartheid, the Jamaican's philosophy was a pivotal force at the forefront of the struggle.

"He inspired the ideas of great African leaders like (independent Ghana's first president) Kwame Nkrumah, and many other leaders, like our own Nelson Mandela. We still look back at his work and we still are motivated and inspired to work for pan-Africanism," she added.

The minister's visit to Liberty Hall entailed a tour of the Marcus Mosiah Garvey Multimedia Museum, during which she viewed a range of digital and manual records of the hero's legacy.

She praised the work of Nicosia Shakes, acting director/curator, and her staff for preserving the records, citing benefits, which could accrue to South Africa.

"I think there is a lot we can learn from institutions like this one, and other institutions in Jamaica, since we are a new republic ... a new democracy," said the culture minister.

"I think, also, we are very much impressed by the manner in which you have conserved some of your heritage spaces, and ... documented your history, particularly the liberation struggle and history of the people of Jamaica."

Retired custos of St James honoured

Retired custos of St James, Clarence Nelson, was last week recognised for 13 years of service to the parish.

The presentation was made by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen during a special visit to Nelson's home in Anchovy, St James.

The former custos, who is ailing, was unable to attend a recent ceremony at King's House in honour of himself and outgoing custodes Canon Weeville Gordon of Kingston and Roylan Barrett of Trelawny.

The citation described Nelson as an outstanding servant of the people, who also served as justice of the peace and president of the St James chapter of the Lay Magistrates Association.

In his reply, the former custos expressed gratitude to the governor general and his wife for visiting him.

"I am very humbled that you have taken time out to do me this honour, and to come in person to present me with this wonderful citation. Thank you very much," he said.

PM: Get your MIND on public-sector reform

Prime Minister Bruce Golding told the leadership of the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) to be ready to play a greater role in the public-sector reform effort that is currently being undertaken.

Golding was addressing MIND's 10th-anniversary graduation and awards ceremony at its Old Hope Road premises last Saturday. Approximately 700 students took the academic leap.

"In this new public-sector culture that we have to create, MIND is going to have to play a critical role ... . Our appreciation of the fact that, for a country to grow and develop, it must have investment; it must have macroeconomic stability; it must have a range of things ... but if it does not have a modern facilitative public sector, it is neither going to grow nor develop."

Describing the challenges of getting effective results from the 117,000 persons employed in the public sector, the prime minister paid tribute to the emphasis that MIND places on developing management and leadership. He said changing the culture of the public sector to be service driven was key towards reducing the $157 billion spent annually to keep the state bureaucracy going.

MIND is the successor of three training institutions that were established more than 30 years ago to deliver courses tailored for public servants. It is among the first four executive agencies that were established 10 years ago.