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Monday, 01 September 2008 |
KINGSTON – Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding has called on criminals in the country to follow the positive examples set by the island's athletes at the just concluded 2008 Beijing Olympics and "stop trying to make us look like we are the baddest in the world".
In a nationwide radio and television broadcast on Sunday, Golding urged all Jamaicans to come together and take advantage of the successes of the athletes who won six gold, three silver and three bronze medals, placing Jamaica 13th in the overall medal standings.
"You gunman, you rapist, you badman - you are spoiling the show. Get with the program. We are the best in the world! Stop trying to make us look like we are the baddest in the world!” he said.
"Let us use this moment, this unprecedented display of world-class excellence, this moment of triumph and glory to unite as a people, to set new standards for ourselves and our community in how we treat each other. Let us be one Jamaica, One Love, One Heart. Bob Marley was right. If we get together, we'll be alright.”
So far this year, more than 1,000 persons have been murdered in the country and law enforcement officials have implemented several strategies to help curb the rising crime situation.
The Prime Minister said that he had told the athletes in Beijing they carried on their shoulders, in their legs and in every muscle of their bodies, the hopes of all the Jamaican people.
"I told them that they represented the dream of thousands of boys and girls in our cities and towns and rural villages who cherished that dream but might be uncertain about their future; that theirs was the mission to show them that no matter who you are or where you are from, no matter how hard life may be, you have the capacity to be the best in the world, to command the respect of the world...because you are Jamaican".
Golding said the country could not have asked for a better performance from the team, adding that the island had been hailed as “the sprint factory of the world".
He said Usain Bolt's double triumph in the 100 and 200 metres "was not only a rare accomplishment but, by winning both in world record times - something that no one has done before -, he has etched his name and Jamaica's name in the annals of Olympic sports”.
"We emerged as the stars of the Olympics - this little country of ours of less than three million people, faced with more than our fair share of challenges. But we demonstrated that when we make up our minds, when we set our eyes firmly on a dream and work hard, there is no challenge too great, no ocean too deep, no mountain too high. No, they can't hold us down, for this is Jamaica."
Golding said that while the games are over, Jamaica must ensure that the success achieved at Beijing must be built upon.
"We must go further. Our success in these Olympics not only provides an opportunity but imposes on us a duty to expand and strengthen the institutional arrangements to support the continued development of athletics, to identify young talent and help them to develop to Olympic greatness,” he said.
He said there were many youngsters in Jamaica who could be as good as the Bolt and the others who participated in the games.
"They only need to be discovered and assisted to become the Olympic champions of tomorrow. We are not going to let this moment, this opportunity, pass.
"There is still more benefit that we can derive from our Olympics success. Our tourism promotion must take account of the fact that Jamaica is again in the world's spotlight and now, more than ever, we can proclaim that ‘Once you go, you know’.
"Our Brand Jamaica campaign has been given a priceless springboard because our athletes have name-branded Jamaica. We must take full advantage of this. We must seize the moment!" Golding added.
He also said that a committee had been formed to plan the home coming celebrations and other activities for the returning athletes.
“I have asked the committee to also make recommendations as to the most appropriate way for us to honour and reward them. There will be more Olympics to come and more medals for us to win but our performance in these Olympics has been so phenomenal, so extraordinary, that we want to memorialise those achievements for generations to come," the Prime Minister said.
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