Holness urges civic pride and hurricane readiness at Labour Day projects

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has raised concern about what he described as weak national pride among some Jamaicans, linking it to the continued dumping of garbage on roadsides and in shared public areas.

He also used the occasion to urge Jamaicans to get ready for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which was just days away, by clearing drains, cutting back trees that may pose danger, and securing their homes before severe weather arrives.

Holness made the comments on Monday at Sabina Park, one of the two National Labour Day projects. Earlier, he had taken part in work at the other national project, Lewis Town Early Childhood Institution in St Elizabeth.

The prime minister questioned why, after repeated calls for civic discipline and cleaner communities, some people still choose to get rid of waste carelessly.

“As you travel and you look on the side of the highways, you see the travel waste and you wonder what has gone wrong in the country. Where is the national pride? Why would someone drink their juice and feel that it’s okay to throw the plastic bottle through the window? Why?” Holness questioned with visible concern as he addressed volunteers at the island’s premier cricket venue.

He said Jamaica’s progress cannot depend only on building roads, facilities and other infrastructure, because public behaviour must also improve if those investments are to be properly protected.

“So it’s not that we only need to build great infrastructure, we also need to change the minds of the people who occupy that infrastructure. So on this Labour Day, as we labour to preserve this wonderful piece of infrastructure, we also contemplate these things,” he said.

Holness spoke while Government ministers, Opposition representatives, municipal officials and volunteers joined painting and clean-up work at Sabina Park. The venue is expected to stage several major cricket fixtures in the months ahead, including Caribbean Premier League matches.

He said Labour Day should be seen as more than a holiday from regular work. In his view, it should be used to build stronger communities and to prepare for the kind of problems that often come with the hurricane season.

“So I encourage all Jamaicans, ‘It’s not too late to use this time to walk around your house and look for the trees that are a threat to your roof… check your generator, re-heat it; put together your emergency stock of food and other items. Look for that drain or culvert that may be blocked in your community and help to clean it,” he said.

Holness said hurricane readiness depends on people acting together across the country, adding that small steps taken by individuals can make a major difference when combined.

“Do something! Every individual taking action in their own sphere together can synergistically change the nation, so I urge all Jamaicans to bear that in mind,” the prime minister added.

He also said the selection of Lewis Town Early Childhood Institution in St Elizabeth as a national project was meant to keep focus on communities still trying to recover from Hurricane Melissa, which affected sections of Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

Holness had earlier visited St Elizabeth, where he participated in roofing, painting and clean-up activities at the school. He said many residents in areas damaged by the hurricane continue to face difficult conditions months later.

“But there are still many Jamaicans without roof, without amenities, without livelihoods that are affected,” he said.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who also joined the Labour Day activities at Sabina Park, supported the decision to include the historic cricket ground among this year’s featured national projects.

“It’s a legendary facility around the world, and we have to keep it at a standard that is befitting of its tremendous legacy,” Golding said as he recalled going to cricket matches there during his childhood.