National Heroes’ Day Message by Hon McKeeva Bush, January 28, 2013

The Easy Way?

Fellow Caymanians and residents, since inaugurating National Heroes’ Day in 2003, as a country we have honoured many people and many of the very important sectors that have built these islands.

Today we are honouring our youth, and we have much to be thankful for, to many individuals who have wanted life better for our youth, those who worked in the various organisations over many years for the betterment of our community, through programmes for the positive development or our youth.

We are thankful to the organisations such as the Boy Scouts, Boys Brigade, Girls Brigade, Brownies, Duke of Edinburgh Awards Schemes, and all the Church based youth programmes and other youth organisations such as the various sporting bodies. Many have worked for the good of our youth and it is now a good time in this new year to thank them, to search our minds and ask, “what next”? I say to these rising generations, to our sons and grandsons, our daughters and grand daughters, that we must not underestimate the importance of helping our fellow man and nation building; ensuring opportunity is available to meet the emerging and future challenges as it enabled us in the past.

And so as we seek to educate our children, our youth, we must also ensure that jobs are available for them to aspire to, and that means a strong economy, which means viable projects in our Islands and the support for investors, foreign and local businesses.

Yet success in these areas is not a be all and end all. Our youth must be nurtured to realise that the world roars and rages on; must be led to appreciate why it is critical that we secure our peace of mind, a quiet place of tranquility and of order and of purpose within ourselves and within the wider country.

We trust that our youth will have the good sense to understand that it is doubt and uncertainty, purposelessness and confusion of values, which unnerves and undermines us. Peace of mind comes to us only when having faced all issues clearly and without flinching, we have made our decisions and are resolved.

Understand that there are those who are always nay-sayers and doubters – and in this life will always find some way to accuse, point fingers and raise doubt; and know in building a nation, it is most probable that no plan we propose will be supported by all – and so for me as a leader, to offer any young person what I myself cannot support – or that I disapprove of – how could I afterwards defend it?

No! I must believe that what I do as an adult leader is for the good of all – recognising that just to do good is a real struggle.

And so perhaps we have all lived the easy way and now must prepare you for the battle of a harder way.

So we must think of what future we are building for our children, or better still, what future together the youth of these Islands will build with us, whether it be a bigger and better financial industry, or a diversification of medical tourism, or major and minor industries, whether the Economic City, or some new business development, but build we must, and jobs must be prepared for this generation and the next.

You the youth and I the elder must take up our responsibilities for the rights we cherish.

There is a duty we will have to fulfil: that for every hope we entertain, there is a task for us to perform; and for every good that we must preserve, we may have to sacrifice some comfort and ease. Something I was taught from an early age is that there is nothing for nothing any longer. Sometimes we must give up something we hold dear, but let us hope together, and work together, for the common good.

Let us stand together. Let us unite and resolve never to be so divided that we are subject to be easily conquered. Never! Young people, God had been good to all of us. Please be mindful, be watchful, of the evils around you. But be proud of things that have been built here; the standard of living – tested though we are now – be thankful for it; give thanks for our heritage, and be proud of our Islands. Be resolved to carry that banner forward, each of you, by the grace of God.