(Jamaica Observer) Members of the Senate today paid tribute to Ackaisha Green, the young mother who returned a large sum of cash she found in an automated teller machine (ATM) in downtown Kingston recently.
President of the Senate, Tom Tavares-Finson, who had invited Green to the Upper House, met with her before the morning’s proceedings began.
Leader of Government Business, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith and Leader of Opposition Business, Senator Donna Scott-Mottley, presented Green and her mother, Yvonne Jones, with gift baskets courtesy of GraceKennedy.
At the start of the session, the Senators rose to show their approval of Green’s actions, while thumping their desks.
With this latest gesture, the Senate has joined in the outpouring of commendations and other kind gestures from Corporate Jamaica and other individuals to the 24-year-old mother of two.
In her remarks Johnson Smith praised Green for “doing the right thing” when she thought no one was looking.
“We want to thank you for the inspiration that you are for a lot of young people, who look for direction in their lives… . We thank you for making the right choice; for demonstrating that honesty pays,” she said.
Johnson Smith noted that without realising it, Green has stimulated conversation across Jamaica about the importance of honesty.
For her part Scott-Mottley said the story of Green “touched our hearts”.
She said that despite Green’s circumstances, she did the right thing.
“Her house had just burnt down…; she’d lost everything. She had to borrow $200 from her mother that morning, and that temptation to have a bag of money in front of you, it ought to have been that there was a conflict,” she said.
“How many people can do the right thing under difficult circumstances?” she questioned.
The Senator said she was almost sorry that “such a big deal” was being made out of whatGreen did, as it should be the norm, “but it’s probably your actions now that will inspire other young people to recognise they have a choice and the best choice is always to do the right thing”.
“Miss Green, you are an inspiration… . Your action and your decision is the pathway to having all of your dreams realised. Jamaica is behind you,” she added.
