Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica

My fellow Jamaicans, today we celebrate 45 years of political Independence, a high point in the history of the Jamaican people.

The struggles of a long line of freedom fighters that eventually brought us to that historic moment when the Jamaican flag was unfurled, for the first time, in the National Stadium.

Today, I want to pay a special tribute to two of our National Heroes, great leaders whose work and wisdom laid the foundation for an independent Jamaica, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley.

Both played leading roles in the worker uprising of 1938, which opened the door to our eventual freedom from colonial rule.

Sir Alexander became the founder of the labour movement and also the first Prime Minister of Jamaica. Norman Manley became the advocate and activist for the right of all Jamaicans to vote and leader of the national movement for political Independence.

These leaders left us the rich legacy of our two major political parties which have been the pillars of our stable and maturing democratic system. We remember these two National Heroes with love and appreciation today.

At the time when we gained our Independence in 1962, there were a few who voiced doubts about our ability to stand on our two feet as a sovereign nation. For the overwhelming majority of our people, any misgiving was completely overshadowed by the great feeling of new hope that the achievement of political independence brought.

'Brand Jamaica'

We have not yet completed that process, but this is the road on which we have been walking over these 45 years, and the few who once doubted our abilities to progress as a nation have been proven wrong.

Our expertise and successes in tourism have placed us in the top echelons of most favoured destinations in the world.

On every continent, and especially in the Americas and in Europe, Jamaicans in the diaspora are excelling in various fields.

We have created our own 'Brand Jamaica' popular music form, which has captured the imagination of the world. Many of our entertainers are giants on the international stage. In sport, we have established an amazing reputation, especially in track and field.

Today, Jamaica, with its modern highway network, up to date telecommunications systems and advances in health and education, is on course to becoming a developed country.

The general election later this month will allow us to make some fundamental decisions about the way forward.

I call on all our leaders, and everyone with a heart of love for this country, to help spread the word that violence serves no useful purpose. No one wins. Everyone loses.

Let us give the year of our 45th anniversary of Independence special meaning by making the high season of political campaigning and the conduct of our elections peaceful and dignified. Jamaicans have too much at stake for us to do otherwise.

In celebration of the nation's birthday, I encourage Jamaicans everywhere to rise up to the highest expectations of those who went before us!

Portia Simpson Miller

Prime Minister