ONCE AGAIN there is cause for celebration of the achievement of a Jamaican son of the soil who has been elevated to a position of respect and influence in another land. The latest news of the election of Kingston-born Canadian resident Alvin Curling to be Speaker of the Ontario Legislature, thus becoming the first man of colour to attain such a position of eminence in Canada, serves to underscore the commitment to excellence which has been demonstrated by many of our people when they become adopted citizens of another country.
Mr. Curling is one of an exemplary band of Jamaican-born men and women who have not been content merely to take the opportunities for advancement offered in the setting to which they migrated, but have found a way to give back to the community and in so doing, brought prestige and honour to the two societies which can lay claim to them.
Alvin Curling's story is one of persistence and perseverance, of sustained involvement in public service given through the political system. Having migrated from Jamaica in the 1970s, he has represented the electorate in the Province of Ontario as a legislator for over 18 years, savouring victory and tasting defeat along the way, but never giving up. A member of the Liberal Party, he has served variously as Minister of Housing, Minister of Skills Development as well as Parliamentary Secretary to a former Premier, David Peterson. He also has the distinction of being the first to win a Provincial legislative seat six times and now comes the elevation to the chair of the Speaker.
While Canada has been a haven for people of many races and cultures, life in that country has not always been a triumphant experience for all immigrants. The success of an Alvin Curling is often overshadowed by the anti-social and even criminal behaviour of other Jamaican migrants who have not been able to seize the opportunity for development. In the minds of some, they are the ones with whom Jamaica's name is more readily associated. The victory of Alvin Curling and others, including Mary Anne Chambers, a Jamaican who rose to the post of senior vice-president in Scotiabank, Canada, and has gone on to become a first-time winner in representational politics, serves to remind the people of Canada and Jamaica, that there is good and there is bad among our people. We should not all be judged by the worst.
It has been noted that many Jamaicans abroad have failed to grasp the significance of becoming fully integrated into their host communities by getting involved in the political process, not necessarily through running for public office but by registering as voters. This goes with the acceptance of citizenship which provides protection through the law of the land but does not make provision otherwise for non-citizens.
Many of our people abroad still dream of coming back home to settle and thus seem to regard citizenship elsewhere as denying that dream. The fact that our Constitution allows for dual citizenship seems to escape them. The result is that, in times of difficulty, persons can de deported unceremoniously back to Jamaica, even though they had not had a presence here for most of their lives.
While citizenship should not be undertaken as a matter of expediency, it is to be hoped that the message will reach those of our family sojourning in Canada and elsewhere, that they can play a part in the life of their adopted community and still maintain loyalty to "Jamaica Land We Love." Alvin Curling and others who make up the list of successful Jamaicans abroad should provide inspiration.
