Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (second left) dances with Opposition Senator Dwight Nelson while Aloun Assamba (second right), Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, dances with Rudyard Spencer, Opposition Spokesman on Labour, after the Prime Minister's unveiling of the Labour Day theme during the launch of the National Labour Day project 2006, 'Jamaica's Beauty - Our Duty' at Jamaica House, St. Andrew, yesterday. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
PRIME MINISTER Portia Simpson Miller yesterday vowed to reinvigorate Labour Day, calling on Jamaicans to become more aware of their environment and to not take the country's natural assets for granted.
"Jamaica has been blessed with such amazing natural beauty. However, over time, the thoughtless actions of a few have undermined our environment and spoilt many of our common spaces," she said during the launch of Labour Day at Jamaica House.
'Jamaica's Beauty - Our Duty' is the theme for Labour Day (May 23) this year with Water Square in Falmouth, Trelawny, designated as Government's pet project.
Mrs. Simpson Miller said she expects hundreds of volunteers to travel to Trelawny's chief town where they will assist in the landscaping and painting of Water Square.
A team comprising North Trelawny Member of Parliament Patrick Harris, Falmouth Mayor Jonathan Bartley and Jim Parent, an American involved in the renovation of Falmouth, will spearhead the restoration project.
Their assignment includes repairing Water Square's fountain and façade, and the redesign and landscaping of its green spaces.
Mrs. Simpson Miller said she plans to emulate former Prime Minister, Michael Manley, who re-energised Labour Day when he was elected in 1972.
PUT MEANING INTO LABOUR DAY
"(He) gave this national holiday a new dimension by issuing an appeal to all Jamaicans to put some meaning into Labour Day by making it a day of voluntary labour," she said.
Activities to mark Labour Day will officially begin on May 21 with a church service at the Highholborn Street Church of God in downtown Kingston. A Labour Day concert is scheduled for Water Square.
Labour Day was first observed in Jamaica in 1939.
