Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
WHILE THE jury is still out on whether reggae icon, Robert Nesta 'Bob' Marley otherwise called 'The Gong' is of national hero calibre, key public figures believe that the notion is deserving of the litmus test.
A recent article by the Associated Press (AP), said, "members of Bob Marley's estate are lobbying the Government to proclaim the dread locked reggae singer a national hero..."
As grounds for their request to have Bob Marley propelled to heroic heights, Jacqueline Knight-Campbell, who is organising the campaign for the Bob Marley Foundation, reportedly told AP that "Anywhere you go in the world the first thing people think of when they hear Jamaica is Bob Marley."
This petition is an old tale, which has been met with mixed views in the public domain. However, this renewed thrust to have the nation's highest honour given to the legendary singer who has already been awarded with the Order of Merit, the nation's third highest honour has allegedly been coupled with an unprecedented request to have his birthday February 6 declared a national holiday.
Bishop Herro Blair, political ombudsman, concurred that the ambassadorial work of Bob, on behalf of Jamaica is incalculable, but questioned whether that standing by itself would suffice.
NATIONAL CONSENSUS
"I don't think it is sufficient (but) it may very well be one of the criterion. (The selection of) national heroes should be a national consensus (but) it should not be based on feelings or religion, (as) I wouldn't disqualify him based on his religion," explained Bishop Blair.
Ainsley Henriques, chairman of the Norman Manley Foundation told The Sunday Gleaner, "There is a process and I would be presumptuous to pre-empt that process." Mr. Henriques, like Bishop Blair, believes that the public should be educated on the prerequisites to receiving the nation's highest honour and most coveted crown.
"One aspect of becoming a national hero is not just international acclaim, but what the individual has done in contribution to our development as a people," he said.
Tony Laing, musicologist and host of Power 106's Laing and Company, believes that the call for a public holiday in his honour should be entertained, but must firstly be discussed in the public domain. "Most of our holidays are inherited, so I would support a national day for Gong, but it is coming up against the argument that there are too many holidays but I am all for dropping one of the inherited ones," reasoned Mr. Laing.
Dub-poet, Yasus Afari said that the honour is late in coming, but it should be done because Marley's contribution to the nation is next to just a few.
Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 at 36.
