Mark Golding: Choose empathy over anger, unity over division, hope over despair

On National Heroes' Day we celebrate and express gratitude to our six national heroes and heroine who transformed struggle into triumph and dreams into nationhood.

Through their courage and sacrifice, they laid the foundation for a Jamaica where our aspiration is for freedom rooted in justice, progress forged in unity, and leadership grounded in service. These are the towering figures of our history, on whose shoulders we stand. They inspire us to strive for a Jamaica worthy of their legacy.

The strength, determination and courage of our national heroes are a guiding light as we navigate the challenges of today. They remind us that every generation must continue the struggle for justice, equality, and opportunity.

In doing so, we must draw on our memories of:

· the Right Excellent Nanny of the Maroons, who fought fearlessly to liberate her people and was the first insurgent military leader to defeat the British colonial forces in battle,

· the Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe, who provided a guiding light to the world as to the power of peaceful protest in securing fundamental rights and freedoms, and gave his life to end the cruelty of slavery in Jamaica and across the British Empire,

· the Right Excellent Paul Bogle, who led our people and was martyred in the major post-Emancipation fight against an oppressive system and laws, but only after having done everything he could to advocate for change by peaceful means,

· the Right Excellent George William Gordon, who advocated boldly for justice in support of the people’s cause in that struggle, and paid the ultimate price and was martyred for standing up for the people,

· the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who awakened a global movement of Black pride and unity, and whose philosophy and teachings remain a source of self-belief and inner strength that we must draw on today,

· the Right Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, who championed the cause of the workers and then dedicated his life to political leadership of the people, and

· the Right Excellent Norman Washington Manley, the brilliant architect of our constitutional democracy and national development who laid the path to self-governance and then political independence for Jamaica.

I continue to advocate for the expansion of this list of heroic Jamaicans by the addition of:

· Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley), whose music and message have internationalised Jamaica’s culture and brand and provided inspiration to people struggling against oppression across the world, and

· Louise Bennet-Coverley (Miss Lou) whose poetry and performances in the Jamaican language have provided self-affirmation of who we are as a people and uplifted our national confidence and consciousness.

This National Heroes' Day, I also wish to pay tribute to those Jamaicans who, on September 3, 2025, exercised their sacred right to vote without the indulging in the malignant influence of money or other corrupt influences. In exercising your choice based on your belief and conscience, you embraced the very ideals that our national heroes fought to secure. Your honest participation demonstrated your commitment to shaping Jamaica’s future and reaffirmed that the spirit of our ancestors endures in our people.

I also wish to pay tribute to the many unsung heroes among us, Jamaicans who, through simple acts of kindness and resilience, make our country a better place for all of us. When we lend a helping hand to someone in need or demonstrate the strength and ingenuity to overcome perilous situations, we are modern examples of the spirit of heroism that keep our nation’s light shining brightly as a beacon of hope. Such acts remind us that courage is not only found on battlefields or in history books, but in the daily choices we make to uplift one another in our shared humanity.

Yet, even as we celebrate of the greatness of our heroes, we must also recognise the recent tragic loss of lives through violence and suicide.

In the face of these challenges, let us choose empathy over anger, unity over division, and hope over despair.

Let us stand together as one people, united in purpose, bound together in our love for our country, and determined to build a Jamaica where peace, equality, and opportunity become realities for all.

That is the Jamaica our heroes dreamed of, and the Jamaica we must continue to create together.

Happy National Heroes Day.

God bless Jamaica, land we love.

-Mark Golding is leader of the Opposition