Mi good and nice people, ooonuh see seh we birthday come again? Mi naw talk bout wi individual birthday!

Mi ah pree Jamaica's birthday - 53 years old on Thursday the 6th of August, 2015! We ah grow up so fast we ah tun "senior citizen"! Before oonuh pass ooonuh place - when me say "senior citizen" me ah talk bout Jamaica not me personally!! Oh!

On a serious note, however, before we even get to Jamaica's Independence Day celebrations there is the matter of Emancipation Day. On the 1st of August, 1834 (181 years ago) slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom, and in recent years Jamaica has celebrated this significant milestone officially with a pubic holiday. This is quite fitting. The two holidays are so close together that they have been wittily called 'Emancipendence'.

Economic problems

Nuff disenchanted and frustrated people a seh we nuh have nutten fi celebrate. Dat slavery still deh bout and we just dash weh one different buckra master fi annedah! Several Jamaicans still under mental slavery and figget fi listen to Bob Marley, who beg we fi emancipate weself from mental slavery. Nuff ah we nuh listen to de Gong when him sing inna Redemption Song that none but overselves can free our minds".

When one looks around at the increased instances of skin bleaching, the high failure rates in schools, the number of students leaving schools illiterate, our economic problems, the high incidence of crime including murder, rape, carnal abuse, child abuse, praedial larceny it feel sometimes that we have not really progressed. Mi naw lie it can be depressing man ... no sah ... sometime mi feel like fi just lie down and bawl!

It is understandable why the two holidays are linked because "independence" is another form of "emancipation" an vice-versa. Nonetheless, it is not all doom and gloom. We have made progress in a number of ways. Our reggae music continues to thrive although things could be better.

Just recently Omi mash up Billboard and other world charts with Cheerleader. Our sportswomen and men have become world beaters and done us proud, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce taking the baton from Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, Donald Quarrie, Merlene Ottey and Deon Hemmings just to name a few.

Our scientists have done wonders - TP Lecky creating history with his Jamaica Hope cow dem! Mek wi nuh figget di ground-breaking research wid the most controversial of herbs/plants ganja, that Justice Minister Mark Golding fly di gate pon recently!!

Our infrastructure has improved in a number of ways although still much more needs to be done, for example, with our justice system. Additionally, we should not have all these problems with drought when we are the "land of wood and water".

Her potential

At a time like this it is always good for some serious introspection and for us to be brutally frank with each other as a people. Look ourselves in the mirror like wah Michael Jackson did sing bout and call a spade a spade. We know di problem dem. We know who a cause dem. We know who di corrupt people dem inna Government, private sector and citizens overall! Mek we finally fix things so that wi beautiful nice clean God-bless JAMAICA can realise her potential!

Mek we sort out we self proper and gi wi pickney dem a good future, a great sense of identity so that dem wi know what it takes to be Jamaican ... and to feel pride in being a part of this powerful country - small in size but large in achievements and potential.

Mi a gwaan buss fi mi champagne and nyam piece ah cake fi celebrate. No time fi worry bout nuh crosses right now. After di holiday mi wi tek on dem tingz deh! Be safe and enjoy to de fullest and oonuh mek sure fi do everything mek Jamaica better. If mi love oonouh one more time yuh si!