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PM urges greater appreciation of monuments, civic structures

Life-sized statue of Sir Alexander Bustamante unveiled in Hanover

Published:Monday | August 15, 2022 | 12:08 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Prime Minister Andrew Holness (right) participates in the unveiling of a statue of National Hero Alexander Bustamante on the grounds of the Hanover Parish Library in Lucea on Friday. Als in photograph are Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels (left) and Minister of
Photo by Bryan Miller
Prime Minister Andrew Holness (right) participates in the unveiling of a statue of National Hero Alexander Bustamante on the grounds of the Hanover Parish Library in Lucea on Friday. Als in photograph are Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels (left) and Minister of State Homer Davis. The Bustamante unveiling triggered a poltical firestorm on Twitter at the weekend, with rival supporters of the opposition People’s National Party and the governing Jamaica Labour Party trading insults over Bustamante and fellow National Hero Norman Manley, his cousin.

WESTERN BUREAU:

MISPLACED VALUE has been cited by Prime Minister Andrew Holness as the reason why Jamaicans are not generally appreciative of improvements to civic infrastructure such as monuments.

Holness made the observation while delivering last Friday’s keynote address at the official ceremony where he unveiled a life-sized statue of Sir Alexander Bustamante, national hero and the first prime minister of independent Jamaica, accompanied by two storyboards.

“There is a sense in Jamaica that if you spend resources on improving infrastructure such as a monument, improving civic buildings, building a new Parliament building, for example, there is a sense that it is a waste of money,” he said on the grounds of the parish library in Hanover, the parish of Bustamante’s birth.

“We wrestle with this in our country because there is a lack of understanding in the public discourse about what the symbols of our civil bureaucracy and our civil administration mean and what the monuments of our history mean,” he added. “And that speaks to how we see our nation, our government, and how we view our history, how important it is.”

The prime minister argued that there was a disconnect between the people and state institutions, which leads to a devaluation of history.

“The irony, of course, is that the more we devalue our history, we devalue our monuments, we devalue our civil bureaucracy and our administration, it is the less likely they will perform to the standards that you want them to,” Holness stated.

Commissioned and financed by the Tourism Product Development Company Ltd (TPDCo), under its ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ campaign, the statue celebrates Sir Alexander Bustamante’s contribution to nation-building. The $3-million statue and accompanying storyboards were designed and sculpted by Scheed Cole, director of Sculptural Elements and Construction 001 Limited, which is a creative artistic company with more than 20 years of experience in the provision of sculptural solutions for attractions.

Hanover Western Member of Parliament Tamika Davis said that the parish was proud of Sir Alexander not only because of his many achievements, but “more importantly because of the fact that he hails from a small, rural community called Blenheim”.

Davis said that Jamaica’s 60th anniversary Independence celebrations offered a timely opportunity to honour Bustamante.

“As we celebrate this great champion and statesman, let us consider his work in paving the way for Independence,” she stated.

Director general of the Jamaica Library Service (JLS), Maureen Thompson, noted that the JLS was very proud that the Hanover Parish Library had been chosen as the site for the statue.

“... This statue will be here for generations to come and will bring additional traffic into our environment,” she said.

bryan.miller@gleanerjm.com