See Golding’s Emancipation message below:

Message from the Leader of the Opposition Mr Mark Golding, MP for Emancipation Day 2026

Fellow Jamaicans,

Today we commemorate one of the most profound and defining moments in our history. On the first day of August 1838, that is 188 years ago, our people awoke to a new reality. The brutal institution of chattel slavery, which had denied generations their humanity, their liberty and the fruits of their labour, had finally come to an end.

Emancipation was not bestowed as an act of benevolence or charity. It was won through extraordinary courage, sacrifice and resistance. It was secured by men and women whose names history has not always recorded, but whose determination changed the course of our nation’s history forever.

This year’s national theme, “United in Celebrating Resilience” is therefore fitting, as it reflects the time-tested resilience which has defined our national character from inception.

It is the reflected in the resilience of the enslaved who endured the unimaginable horrors of enslavement without surrendering their dignity. It is borne out in the resilience of our National Heroes, Nanny of the Maroons, Sam Sharpe, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Garvey, Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamante, and so many others who, in different ways and across generations, challenged injustice and expanded the boundaries of freedom for those who would follow.

The resilience that defines Jamaica is not only the ability to survive hardship. It is the determination to transform hardship into hope, adversity into opportunity, and injustice into righteousness. It gives us the courage to believe that tomorrow can be better than today, and it is the source of our willingness to work together to make that vision a reality.

The great resilience of our people is one of the enduring lessons of Emancipation.

Nearly two centuries later, we have come a far way, and we should never underestimate how remarkable our national journey has been.

We have built a nation whose influence far exceeds its size. Jamaica has given the world extraordinary music, literature, food, art, fashion, athletics, scholarship, entrepreneurship and innovation.

We have inspired movements for freedom and justice, and shaped global culture. We have produced sons and daughters whose achievements continue to command international admiration.  Wherever Jamaicans have gone, they have carried with them the indomitable spirit — an identity born not of privilege, but of struggle and perseverance.

The greatest way to honour those who fought for our freedom is not simply to celebrate how far we have come since Emancipation, but to ask whether we are doing enough to fulfil the dreams they held for future generations.

After all, freedom is not limited to freedom from oppression. It also means freedom from poverty, freedom from exclusion, freedom from discrimination, and freedom to pursue one’s goals and aspirations with confidence.

Many Jamaicans still struggle to access opportunities that allow them to live with security and dignity. Many young people wonder whether their greatest ambitions can only be realised beyond our shores. Many families continue to feel excluded from the full benefits of our country’s progress.

And another aspect of our Emancipation is incomplete. Some of our values and attitudes do not help us to move forward as a people. The Rt Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey called on us to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, with the exhortation that none but ourselves can free our minds. There is still work to be done to move ourselves forward beyond this.

These realities do not diminish our achievements. Rather, they remind us that the work of nation-building remains unfinished.

As many people continue to grapple with the devastation and loss caused by Hurricane Melissa and the feeling of abandonment in its aftermath, we have once again witnessed our resilience in communities coming together. Neighbours have supported neighbours. Volunteers, churches, civic organisations and ordinary citizens have demonstrated the compassion that has always distinguished the Jamaican character.  That spirit reminds us that resilience is strongest when it is shared.

But while resilience has ensured our survival, it should not be the cornerstone of our national strategy. The responsibility of leadership is not merely to admire and extoll the resilience of our people; to the contrary, it is to create the conditions in which we are less dependent on resilience.

We must build institutions that are designed to be fair, transparent and accountable. We must create an economy that rewards hard work and enterprise. We must invest in education, healthcare and public safety. We must ensure that justice is neither delayed nor denied, and that every Jamaican, regardless of where they live or the circumstances into which they were born, is provided with a genuine opportunity to fulfil their potential.

That is how we honour the promise of Emancipation.

As Jamaicans, we have inherited a rich legacy and a solemn responsibility.  Each generation must accept that is it not enough simply to preserve what we have inherited. We have the collective responsibility to leave the nation stronger and more just than we found it, working together in unity.

I believe Jamaica has the capacity to build that future. Our greatest asset has always been their creativity and resilience of our people. Their generosity, their courage and their unwavering belief that, no matter how difficult today’s circumstances may be, tomorrow can be better.

Let us honour those who secured our emancipation by renewing our commitment to the ideals for which they struggled.

Let us reject division and embrace our shared destiny.

Let us invest in our young people, protect the vulnerable, and create the conditions where every Jamaican has the opportunity not merely to survive, but to flourish.

If we remain united in purpose, faithful to the values of justice and democracy and committed to serving one another, there is no challenge beyond our capacity to overcome.

May the resilience of our people continue to unite and strengthen us.

And may God continue to bless each and every Jamaican, and our beloved Jamaica.

Thank you.