Burning deep inside every thinking person is the desire to achieve something great. The degree to which that desire supersedes self in the interest of the common good, determines the measure of a man.
An anonymous author penned the following words about the worth of a man as:
Not – How did he die? But – How did he live?
Not – What did he gain? But – What did he give?
Not – What did the sketch in the newspaper say?
But – How many were sorry when he passed away?
These are the things that measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth; and by that measure our National Hero the Right Most Excellent Honourable James Alexander George Smith McCartney was a great man.
He was affable, companionable and devoid of pretense. He was humble, self-confident and did not kneel to the inequities of his time. Elected at 31, he was still an idealist at heart; a central desire of his, being the achievement of self-determination for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
At a time when the Turks and Caicos was a largely undiscovered ‘backwater town’ constrained by a colonial mindset, McCartney had a big vision for a constitutional reform that would be inclusive of the rights of all Turks and Caicos Islanders.
As a young man himself, he was particularly concerned about the education and provision of opportunities for the youths of these Islands and the economic and social development of everyone. It was that desire that resulted in his demise in May of 1980 at the young age of 34. Much has changed since then, but many of the issues remain, and in some measure they have intensified.
His courage and bold determination to change the country for a common good was the catalyst that resulted in a paradigm shift in the minds of the youths, that anything could be achieved. It was also a major influence on the country’s economic and social progress over the last 41 years since his passing.
However, the dream of a self-confident, self-assured, fully self-governed and unified people, is yet to be attained. JAGS was not only a visionary who dreamed big, he was a consensus builder – a unifying force for good. It is now up to us who remain, and the next generations to reclaim his dream of inclusive growth and unity of purpose.
I am fortunate to have known our national hero and to have been a witness to his charisma and empathic leadership style. He started a nation building construction project that every leader since has contributed to, albeit in a world of rapid change over the last 41 years; but principles never change even when priorities do. Standing on his shoulders, I challenge us to honour the sacrifice of the Right Most Excellent Honourable James Alexander George Smith McCartney by fresh commitment to the principle of duty, above self and deference towards each other to forge a united self-determining and prosperous nation under God. May this proclamation remain as this memorial resting place of our national hero and forever remind us of the importance of keeping the dream alive.
