Message
Independence Day 2012
President of the Public Relations Society of Jamaica, Christopher Benjamin
August 6, 2012
tate of being.
No question, Jamaica is replete with examples of things which are right and have recommended us highly to the rest of the world. So our sportsmen and women, the exponents of our creative industries, our cuisine, our intellectual prowess for instance have distinguished our nation way beyond our shores, stamping what it means to be Jamaican far and wide. However “Jamaicaness” is not limited to us here on the island. A very recent example of what I’m talking about – at our recent ‘World Reggae Dance Festival’ held as part of our Jamaica 50 celebrations, it was ‘Japan Squad’ out of Japan that took home the top prize! And of equal note is the fact that at our ‘Dancehall Queen’ contest held also recently in Montego Bay, entrants were present from all over the world and it was, you guessed it, a Japanese that took the runner-up position.
But even as we celebrate and embrace all the encomiums which have come our way as a result of these aspects of our culture, we can’t escape the unsavoury elements which continue to stifle our growth. So our crime rate continues to dwarf our achievements elsewhere; our unemployment rate is cause for concern; corruption in various spheres of our society sees us placing very low on the International Corruption Index and our economy has not recorded any positive growth for what seems like aeons.
But all is not lost; indeed we have a future pregnant with positive possibilities. I want the Public Relations Society of Jamaica (PRSJ) to assist this nation in transforming some of those possibilities into reality. The Society has residing in our ranks some of the finest practitioners of our craft and I am confident that we can use our collective energies in having more of ‘the best of times’ and less of ‘the worst of times’.
I am encouraging us to use this watershed moment in our nation’s history to pledge to have our voices heard on national issues; to lift the standard of our profession; to do our part in volunteerism efforts; to engage in activities that will assist in enhancing the potency of the brand that is called Jamaica.
We in the Society have a great vantage point from which to do this. Let us seize the opportunity and run with it – history will judge us harshly if we drop this ball!
Happy Jamaica 50 Independence.
No question, Jamaica is replete with examples of things which are right and have recommended us highly to the rest of the world. So our sportsmen and women, the exponents of our creative industries, our cuisine, our intellectual prowess for instance have distinguished our nation way beyond our shores, stamping what it means to be Jamaican far and wide. However “Jamaicaness” is not limited to us here on the island. A very recent example of what I’m talking about – at our recent ‘World Reggae Dance Festival’ held as part of our Jamaica 50 celebrations, it was ‘Japan Squad’ out of Japan that took home the top prize! And of equal note is the fact that at our ‘Dancehall Queen’ contest held also recently in Montego Bay, entrants were present from all over the world and it was, you guessed it, a Japanese that took the runner-up position.
But even as we celebrate and embrace all the encomiums which have come our way as a result of these aspects of our culture, we can’t escape the unsavoury elements which continue to stifle our growth. So our crime rate continues to dwarf our achievements elsewhere; our unemployment rate is cause for concern; corruption in various spheres of our society sees us placing very low on the International Corruption Index and our economy has not recorded any positive growth for what seems like aeons.
But all is not lost; indeed we have a future pregnant with positive possibilities. I want the Public Relations Society of Jamaica (PRSJ) to assist this nation in transforming some of those possibilities into reality. The Society has residing in our ranks some of the finest practitioners of our craft and I am confident that we can use our collective energies in having more of ‘the best of times’ and less of ‘the worst of times’.
I am encouraging us to use this watershed moment in our nation’s history to pledge to have our voices heard on national issues; to lift the standard of our profession; to do our part in volunteerism efforts; to engage in activities that will assist in enhancing the potency of the brand that is called Jamaica.
We in the Society have a great vantage point from which to do this. Let us seize the opportunity and run with it – history will judge us harshly if we drop this ball!
Happy Jamaica 50 Independence.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment