Older Jamaicans who witnessed the events of August 6, 1962 will recount their deep sense of pride and excitement on seeing the British flag lowered and the Jamaican flag hoisted during the official Independence celebration at the National Stadium.

Three years ago, on our 60th anniversary as a sovereign nation, Mr Earle Whyte, a former Queen’s Scout who was at the stadium on that first Independence Day, told us of the electric atmosphere he felt en route to the event.

“I have never, ever, to this day — maybe apart from when we went to the [1998] World Cup — seen that feeling of oneness. It was one Jamaica,” he told us.

That feeling was expressed in recording artiste Mr Derrick Morgan’s song, Forward March, which many Jamaicans regarded as the unofficial Independence anthem.

From its opening line — “Gather together, be brothers and sisters, we’re independent” — the song mobilised Jamaicans to celebrate and embrace self-government and the possibilities for this new nation.

That sense of pride and patriotism held for many years. Unfortunately, we have seen erosion of that spirit, driven largely by materialism and a sense of entitlement among younger Jamaicans.

To be fair to our political leaders, particularly those who have served as head of Government, they have, over the years, emphasised the importance of us shaping our own destiny while honouring the sacrifices our forebears made for the freedoms we enjoy today.

It was with that in mind that this newspaper welcomed the reintroduction of civics to the school curriculum in 2022. At last check, in 2023 the education ministry reported that the subject was being taught in 584 schools. Of that total, 479 are primary schools and 105 secondary.

And while the ministry pointed out that this number is approximately half of all the schools in Jamaica, it is clear that a serious effort is being made to reverse the decline in the understanding of nationhood as well as the pride and dignity of being Jamaican.

Achieving that ideal among the next generation is not easy, given easy access, via technology, to foreign cultures with value systems that are questionable at best.

But even as our schools do their best to infuse this knowledge and sense of nationalism in our youth, it is incumbent on our leaders — political, religious, and civic — to play a role in shaping positive attitudes and a culture of respect, brotherhood and peace.

The current election campaign could be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate this.

A few years ago, former Prime Minister P J Patterson cautioned against the belligerent tone of utterances from some people in the political sphere and positions of authority.

That type of rhetoric, he rightly said, “belittle us as a nation and also undermine respect for all”.

Added Mr Patterson: “Public respect is rapidly descending to an all-time low. The language used routinely is distasteful, disgraceful, and comments are derogatory. The tone of their delivery is devoid of respect.

“Increasingly, the public is made to endure intensely negative public discourse that abuses, demeans, and vilifies others. Instead of mutual respect, a small but vociferous number of our public speakers are consistently mean-spirited and vulgar…”

Our appeal to the political combatants on this 63rd anniversary of Independence is to divest themselves of crude language on the hustings. Instead, they should promote unity and respect, even as they campaign with passion.

Happy Independence Day, Jamaica.