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It has remained exciting and relevant, due largely to its rich tradition
of dialectical ferment and a formidable organisation structure that permits
wide outreach, within and beyond our national borders.
The P.N.P. is renowned for its capacity to be self-critical and its
willingness to pause at crucial times, such as this, to assess how best to
achieve our fundamental goals.
As was the case in 1938, so now, the true liberation of all the creative
energies of our people, to trigger economic growth and social advance must
constitute the pillars on which we rest our platform for political action in
the 21st Century.
With each passing day, we remain convinced that political modernisation
and total national development require the focus of our collective
intelligence, translated into positive action, so as to realize the
intrinsic worth of every Jamaican, at home or abroad.
The dawn of the new millennium imposes a historical obligation on the
P.N.P., a Party of destiny, to undertake a critical analysis of the
prevailing environment - domestic and external; to evaluate existing
policies, programmes and political approaches. This is essential in a world
where change is the only constant.
A new Paradigm is required
As it challenged the inequities of the plantation system, resisted the
persistent obscenities that followed the ravages of slavery, as it struggled
against the yoke of colonial oppression, the P.N.P. is summoned to ensure
the demise of the last vestiges of an old order, closed, distant and remote.
It must be the architect of "a structure which is inclusive,
responsive and accountable to the new, proud, informed, assertive Jamaican
citizen of the 21st Century."
The People’s National Party must be vanguard of progress, shaped by the
deep and profound changes that are taking place globally and at home.
The effects of globalisation, as it unfolds and takes hold of every
aspect of the social and economic life, must be met with new attitudes, and
a more determined resolve not merely to survive, but also to reap our fair
share of its inherent benefits.
As a Party, we are blessed with a rich tradition of excellence in
governance and a superb track record of landmark achievements.
Ours is a history from which we can draw inspiration, derive courage and
fortitude to face the future.
But it is clear that as we go forward, we must remain true to our
historic role as the social conscience of the nation and the defender of the
rights of all citizens.
We must re-commit ourselves to relentlessly pursue the cause of greater
social equity and seek to create more opportunities for the upliftment of
our people.
We must never lose sight, however, of the quest for the quality society
which we have pledged to build.
Above all, we must reassert the absolute necessity for all Jamaicans to
strive towards a unity of purpose, which embraces the core values of
decency, civility, cooperation and concern for our fellow man.
The search for excellence in all our endeavors must be the pivot around
which we build.
The Century 21 Document encompasses these precepts. It is intended as the
torch, which will illuminate our path, as we soar into the skies of the new
century and the third millennium.
Once again the Trumpet sounds.
P. J. Patterson
President
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21st Century Mission 
21st Century Mission