Worrell King, veteran promoter/manager and former associate of Peter Tosh, believes the reggae icon should be made a national hero.

According Worrell, Peter Tosh's legacy is timeless and should be respected locally.

In an interview with THE STAR recently, King said Tosh deserves nothing less than the highest honour.

"I am not limiting the work of Peter Tosh. I just think he should get the highest accolade that this country has, whether it be OD (Order of Distinction), OJ (Order of Jamaica) or OH (Order Of National Hero). As long as it is nothing less than the highest value, that is what he deserves," King said.

He explained that persons outside Jamaica have embraced Peter Tosh's legacy for its true value, however he is yet to get that stamp of approval from local leaders.

"Peter Tosh's song, Jah Is My Keeper,is in the Anglican Church hymnal, (Anglican Church in the Povince of the West Indies), and we tend to overlook these things. That is a big achievement for a 'little radical Rasta man', as they would call us. Leaders, you have been chosen to lead the people, so I encourage you to listen to Peter Tosh's music and become spiritually connected and, after you have done so, you will know what to do," he said.

According to King, Peter Tosh was not as commercial as Bob Marley because of his way of expressing his radical beliefs, but his work is as good as the best.

very militant

"We as the people need to put in more work for Peter Tosh, his work was not the easiest to sell back then because of what he stood for, Bob Marley was very militant, but he put it in a different way, Tosh was more straightforward," he said.

The promoter believes in the next five to 10 years, Peter Tosh's legacy will be better cemented locally and he will get the respect he deserves.

"We don't know if he will be called Honourable Tosh, but his work will be respected in the eyes of the people," he concluded.

The STAR also spoke to Tosh's second son, Dave Tosh, and said Peter Tosh is not loved, but respected.

"Peter Tosh is not a man that people will love, but he is somebody that is respected - he is not somebody who will bow down to the system, he stood for what he thought was right and that is what he lived by," he said.

According to Dave, his father's legacy is not familiar to the youth, but they are not to be blamed.

"We can't blame the youth, we have to blame the teachers. But, youths, just search for yourself, because the truth is within, listen to his music and judge for yourself," he said.

The Peter Tosh estate is based in the United States and Dave Tosh revealed that there are plans to increase the local promotion of Tosh's work.

While Worrell King, founder of the annual Peter Tosh tribute, plans to increase the range of the celebration, starting with a symposium at the University of the West Indies in September and the Tribute to Peter Tosh celebration, October 19-20, at Belmont in Westmoreland.