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Patrick Allen,
Jamaican of humble origins, now is Governor-General
By: Mark A. Kellner, News Editor, Adventist
World, reporting from Kingston, Jamaica
Change came softly on a Caribbean breeze Feb. 26 as the nation of
Jamaica installed a Seventh-day Adventist pastor as its
Governor-General, or head of state, in a solemn ceremony attended by
thousands and broadcast nationally.
Dr. Patrick Linton Allen, until recently president of the West
Indies Union of Seventh-day Adventists and a veteran church pastor
and administrator, became the sixth Governor-General as a band from
the Jamaica Defense Forces played the national song and a choir from
Adventist-owned Northern Caribbean University sang.
Newly inaugurated Governor-General of
Jamaica Dr Patrick Allen being invested with the Insignia of the
Order of the Nation by Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Order of
the Nation Justice Zaila McCalla during yesterday's installation
ceremony at King's House in Kingston, Jamaica.
Allen was named to the
position on January 13, under recommendation of Jamaican Prime
Minister Bruce Golding and the approval of Queen Elizabeth II, whom
Allen will represent on the island. He replaces Sir Kenneth Hall, a
professor and educational administrator, who is retiring for health
reasons.
Allen’s new job also involves appointing and disciplining officers
of the civil service, and calling or dismissing the Parliament. As
the Daily Observer noted in a front-page story annoucning Allen’s
inauguration, his “assent is necessary for laws to come into effect”
and “only in a few cases is he empowered to act on his own
discretion.”
Allen is a native of Fruitful Vale, in the Portland district, and a
three-time graduate of Adventist-owned Andrews University in Berrien
Springs, Michigan, United States. He served as union president since
2000, as well as serving as chairman of NCU. Pastor Derek Bignall,
who gave the benediction at the installation, has succeeded Allen in
both posts.
The installation brings
to two the number of people from the Seventh-day Adventist Church to
serve as a Governor-General in the Caribbean. The other was Sir
James Carlisle, a dentist and layman, who is the former
Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, having served from 1993 to
2007.
Ceremony and tradition
were hallmarks of the event, which began in sunlight following a
mid-afternoon rain and ended after sunset. Prime Minister Golding
and his wife, Lorna, a Seventh-day Adventist, were in attendance,
along with opposition leader Portia Simpson Miller, M.P., former
Prime Minister Edward Seaga, former Governor-General Sir Howard
Cooke, and a raft of other national leaders. Regional dignitaries
included the Governor-General of St. Kitts and Nevis, and the
presidents of Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago.
NCU Concert Choir presented a musical item
Allen takes office at a
time of great national concern here: the economy, as with much of
the world’s trade, is in upheaval, with tourism and trade affected
by the slowdown in the United States, Britain and Europe. Crime and
violence also are issues; the morning of Allen’s inauguration
brought front-page news of a violent death at a party boat in
Kingston harbor.
“Jamaicans are hurting – economically, financially, socially,
mentally and spiritually,” Allen allowed in a speech delivered at
the conclusion of the installation ceremony. His address sounded
several traditional Adventist themes, albeit couched in
appropriately secular language.
In focusing on the economic situation, he noted: “Should not this
challenge us to find alternate ways of providing for ourselves by
using the natural resources with which we are blessed: water, land,
fertile soil and good climate all year round? This may also be the
opportunity for us to feed ourselves, rely less on imported goods,
promote a healthier lifestyle and improve the quality of our diet by
eating more of what we grow from the soil.”
On the continued
violence in Jamaica, he said the nation has room “for conversations
… in order to resolve our disputes without resorting to the use of
violence. We have a reputation of being friendly to visitors, so why
can’t we get along with each other and help each other?”
And, he said, “we must
embrace the values that will develop a just society and define us as
a people – respect, fairness, punctuality, forgiveness, sharing,
caring and lending a helping hand.”
“The well-being and welfare of Jamaica must be our primary concern,”
Allen declared in his remarks. “We must repair the ills that
threaten to divide, separate and destroy us. We must appeal to our
better nature and restore mutual respect for each other.”
He said, “every one of us has to participate in the healing, the
restoration, and ultimately, the prosperity of this nation. There is
nothing wrong with Jamaica that cannot be fixed by what is right
with Jamaica.”
Prime Minister Golding said “our Governor-General serves as an icon
of national unity, someone who stands above partisan and sectoral
(STET) differences, someone who embraces the entire nation and whom
the entire nation can embrace.”
The appointment of a
Seventh-day Adventist pastor to this post – which Golding said would
become President should Jamaicans approve a referendum changing the
nation to a republic – “is a testimony to the pluralistic,
multi-denominational character of our society and reflects the true
spirit and hope of our nation that anyone, regardless of color,
class or creed, and however humble one’s beginnings, can rise to
occupy the highest office in our land.”
Allen noted this himself, saying, “it would be remiss of me not to
mention the persons in this audience and elsewhere who have
contributed, in one way or another” to his life’s development.
“As a boy from a modest family in the far reaches of the Portland
community of Fruitful Vale, I have taken one step at a time toward
my goals,” Allen said, “…not wondering where the next step would
lead me.”
Earlier in the week, according to the Jamaica Information Service,
the government’s news agency, Allen told Adventist leaders at
Northern Caribbean University “the decision to accept the Prime
Minister's offer was not easily reached, but was the result of much
prayer and agonizing.
“’We are confident that the path that we are now ready to pursue,
will be alright because God is leading. It is the Lord's doing, and
not ours,’” the JIS quoted Allen as saying.
And as Allen’s remarks concluded, he offered a commitment to his
nation and his people, saying, “I believe in Jamaica. I believe in
the people of Jamaica. I am committed to doing my best as I carry
out my responsibilities. I am confident of the support of my wife
and best friend, Patricia, as I uphold the dignity of this office,
and the confidence which has been placed in me.”
Seventh-day Adventists have a long tradition in Jamaica and church
members comprise approximately 12 percent of the population here.
Allen’s sectarian roots stirred some controversy on his appointment,
but in an editorial, the local Gleaner newspaper said “we do not,
however, share the expressed fears about Dr. Allen, a highly
intelligent and decent human being, who will be guided by the
Constitution and the law and the appropriate balance of public
sentiment.”
The newspaper also published a letter to the editor wishing Allen
well: “I am hoping that the kind of sympathy and care he showed as a
pastor will be transferred to his new role,” wrote Dave McFarlance
of Manchester.
- Source: West Indies Union Conference:
http://wiunion.org/ |
