KINGSTON, Jamaica — In light of the spate of crime and violence that has been rocking the country, Prime Minister Andrew Holness in his National Heroes Day message has called on Jamaicans “to rediscover the things which bind us together”.

He said that crime constrains our freedom and that the right to life is the most basic freedom. “As a society, we have to deeply embed the concept of the sanctity of life. We have to find ways to inculcate and reinforce that in our children… in the home, at basic school, through the media and in the popular culture.”

The prime minister insisted that “We have to teach our very young ones that each life, including theirs, is precious and inviolable. We can’t wait until they reach adolescence to teach them respect for life.

“Let us recommit on this National Heroes Day to respect life; to continue the tradition of our forebears to promote the liberty and happiness of our fellow Jamaicans; not their demise. Our heritage, indeed, can provide the wellsprings from which we draw strength.

“At a time when we need to deepen civic engagement, let us remember the examples of our Heroes, whose lives were characterized by self-sacrifice,” he said.