It was an extraordinary Emancipation/Independence holiday in Jamaica, in more ways than one.

It was a “first.” One could even say that history was made. J-FLAG, the non-governmental organization that supports and advocates for the Jamaican LGBT community, held its first “Pride” celebration under the theme: “The Pride of a People: Breaking the Rules of Oppression.” 

I would really recommend an excellent, detailed three-part series by the Antillean Media Group (AMG), which includes an interview with the marvelous Latoya Nugent – a dynamic, focused and extremely hard-working woman whom I spoke with a few months back (when she first mentioned plans for a Pride celebration). By the way, Latoya was almost unrecognizable in her full “Pride” costume! Part One of AMG’s series is here: http://www.antillean.org/emancipendence-and-pride-jamaicas-first-official-lgbt-celebrations-signal-turning-tides-876/  I will just add a few of my own thoughts…

There were doubts. Some Jamaicans told me they thought it was a most inappropriate time to have a Pride celebration, since the holiday is about tradition, about celebrating Jamaica. But Pride was intended as a “positive” event, too – recognizing the achievements of the LGBT community so far, acknowledging the successes, and reinforcing the national motto “Out of Many One People.” The word “Oppression” in the theme is heavy, but quite appropriate in the context of Emancipation.

Mayor of Kingston & St Andrew Angela Brown Burke lent her valuable support, and it was much appreciated.

So, on Emancipation Day morning, a group of young J-FLAG activists staged a “flash mob,” danced to soca music and enjoyed themselves for fifteen minutes under the watchful eyes of armed policemen, next to the statue on the corner of Emancipation Park in New Kingston. The statue has become a convenient, suitable spot for protests and demonstrations by Jamaican citizens (usually with more police than demonstrators). Most passers by are motorists, who cannot usually stop for long, but who can toot their horns or shout out of their window. The few pedestrians who might pass by are usually wandering visitors, who aren’t going to be greatly concerned, some of whom might want to take a photo or two of the lumbering statue on the corner. It is not a busy spot, and Jamaican demonstrations/protests are generally very well-behaved!

Some journalists were there. Much of the local media did not appear to know about it in advance, and media coverage was not extensive either before or after – with one or two media houses noting there was going to be a Pride parade – a report which J-FLAG immediately corrected; there were never any such plans. There was a touch of Hollywood, though; movie star Ellen Page was there, garnering more overseas attention.

It’s always important to tell your story. Stories are powerful.

So that was the public part of the celebration. The Opening Ceremony was that same evening (a heartfelt thank you to USAID for their support once again). It was attended by the Mayor of Kingston Angela Brown Burke (and enormous kudos to her). There were several other musical and social events throughout the week, by invitation only. Due to my illness, which has kept me at home for ten days now, I did not attend any of the events, so I did not really get a “flavor” of them, at all. So I will leave you with some of these wonderful photos, which demonstrate the exuberance, the optimism, and the sense of progress.

Security “tight,” but I heard this party went very well…

By the way, Minister of Justice Mark Golding also put out a statement endorsing the Pride events and calling for greater tolerance. This is excellent and quite unprecedented for a government minister, I believe (although one must always bear in mind that politicians always have their agendas – but it doesn’t hurt!)

A well-crafted message from Justice Minister Senator Mark Golding.

The Jamaican LGBT community has come a long way. There is still a long way to go. One step at a time. As the very bright media person Joi Ito said:

Why is summer in Jamaica such a difficult and miserable time? I had an online discussion with the awesome broadcast journalist Cliff Hughes, who is looking forward to the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Beijing. Jamaicans have high hopes for excellent performances from the likes of the wondrous Usain Bolt, et al. Yes, Cliff – I am looking forward to the championships, too. It just struck me that it’s rather sad (even a little desperate?) that this is the only thing we have to look forward to, this summer. And as he said, summer 2015 has been “awful.” Yes, awful!

Let’s hope our always upbeat hero Mr. Usain Bolt and his amazing Jamaican team members can give us something to laugh about. We do need something. (Photo: Reuters).

Cliff challenged me to find something else happy and positive to look forward to, apart from some potential gold, silver and bronze medals. I am really trying, Cliff. I am!  Oh, I know… A shower of rain? I mean, it must rain at some point, right? Seriously though, I am looking for the (possible) silver lining…

INDECOM is five years old (as of August 16) and it is doing a pretty good job of justifying its existence and defending its record. In fact, it is doing a pretty good job altogether, in my view. Just a few weeks ago INDECOM’s first case to have been completed in the High Court resulted in a conviction (yes, we know – the justice system crawls along at snail’s pace). INDECOM appears to be working perfectly well in collaborating with the Jamaica Constabulary Force on crime scenes for cases involving possible police involvement.

The Police Federation’s Raymond Wilson gets full marks for passion, but regularly goes off the rails with it. (Photo: Nationwide News Network)

Yet there  are rumblings about INDECOM “protecting criminals” (always a familiar cry against Jamaicans for Justice) and other attempts at misinformation. Chair of the Police Federation Raymond Wilson, riding a wave of emotion at the funeral of murdered policewoman Crystal Thomas over the weekend, lambasted INDECOM, human rights groups and anyone else who might be preventing the police from doing their job (from which I take it that the police’s job is to abuse and shoot citizens? No, surely not). Incidentally, Mr. Wilson also has a beef with State Minister Horace Dalley regarding the long-delayed wage negotiations. Perhaps his frustration got the better of him. But Mr. Wilson, the high murder rate is not the fault of INDECOM, as you well know. Most responses from “vox pops” I have seen have been supportive of INDECOM.

There has been a dramatic decline in the number of police killings since INDECOM started its work. At the end of October 2014 there was a 53.18 per cent decline compared to 2013. We are talking about 200 plus killings a year prior to this – one of the highest rates of police killings in the world. The mandate of INDECOM is simply to hold police officers accountable for their actions. I have not heard any complaints from senior policemen about this, but the Police Federation claims that some of its members have had their constitutional rights breached by being compelled to give statements.

And these people expect us to vote for them? MP Warmington at his most endearing. (Photo: Bryan Cummings/Jamaica Observer)

The heat and drought continue to get political people all befuddled. Television newscasts this week have been a confusing mess of bellowing politicians on platforms, over-excited supporters, and a whole lot of finger-pointing and acrimony. Oh!! Did I say finger? Yes, the media darling of the moment, Opposition Member of Parliament Everald Warmington had another rush of blood to the head and, on spotting the media in the parking lot, gave them the finger (a very long one, actually). By the way, Andrew Holness was confirmed as leader (apparently by consensus, not a vote) during another long meeting at party headquarters; he is safe, at least for now.

Meanwhile, there was a minor tremor on Twitter overnight when a member of the Duncan family sought to defend her father, veteran politician DK Duncan, against a perceived threat by fellow Member of Parliament Ian Hayles to DK’s power base in the parish of Hanover. Dr. Duncan has been ill for some time, and I wish him a speedy recovery; but this is politics, isn’t it? Mr. Hayles can challenge him if he wishes, I would have thought. However, I would advise his daughter to avoid using words like “sue” on social media (she is upset with a local media house, which revealed her upset with Mr. Hayles); and Facebook Messenger is not really a very secure method of communication, is it? For a start, you can send group messages, and one member of the group… Well. Now the police are apparently looking into the alleged “hacking” of the Duncan daughter’s Facebook account. I am not too comfortable with the arrogant tone of Ms. Duncan’s tweets. Oh, sorry, Dr. Duncan!

#Askyourprimeminister: The Prime Minister’s PR people have gone into a huddle and come up with a brilliant idea to connect our increasingly distant and figurehead-like Prime Minister with her subjects… I mean, voters… I mean, sorry, Jamaican citizens. You email your question to the PM (but it must be something “positive” – yes, that term is back in vogue again) to Askyourprimeminister@gmail.com – oh yes, very official. Then you have to buy the mass market tabloid Star, which is owned by the Gleaner, to read the most politely phrased questions and the carefully crafted answers thereunto. Really innovative stuff. The Star is well-known for its riveting headlines, such as “Woman burns boy on butt” and many far worse. Yes, the PM is reaching out.

Ask the Prime Minister… Why have you never given a media interview in the last few years, might be my opening question?

Wow! All this emotion! Calm down, everybody!

Unimpressive: Those students selected to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations – the “cohort” – managed only a 65 per cent pass rate in English (a “marginal slippage,” according to the Education Minister, who is always good with words). Mathematics, Information Technology and Agricultural Science improved somewhat. Other sciences slumped quite a bit, prompting the Minister to set up a scholarship program for trainee Math and Science teachers.

WATER: There is so much to say on this topic I would like to reserve it for a separate blog. The National Water Commission has put further restrictions in place in Kingston this week. One uptown residential area (Hope Pastures) has had no water for eight days, and residents have had a raft of excuses. Now in many areas of the city we are “two days off, one day on.” The Ministry With the Long Name has done basically very little since last year’s devastating drought (apart from mull over possible solutions, of course). Now they are talking about cleaning up the highly polluted wells in Kingston, which will cost millions and may not even work. Last year it was de-silting the reservoirs; that idea has been dropped. What next?

Chair of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Richard Byles. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

Mr. Byles of the Economic Program Oversight Committee (and the Sagicor Group) is sounding quite upbeat about the economy – tax revenues, the debt to GDP targets achieved, and so on. The PetroCaribe buyback (I think the Opposition lost the argument on this one) is expected to save us just under US$300 million in debt servicing, so Mr. Byles is happy about this, too. He is also talking up the tourism industry, which he claims is offering a much better quality product than, say, Cuba. Well, perhaps, for now (although tourism numbers dropped 2.5 per cent for the April to June quarter). Mr. Byles is wondering why there are still low levels of investment in the Jamaican economy, given all the positive signs from the IMF, Standard & Poors ratings, etc… Does he know about this thing called “confidence”? I am sure as an astute businessman he knows these things don’t happen overnight, and confidence, like trust, takes a long time to win back.

Oh and what about the g-word? Growth, that elusive creature? Well, a team from our IMF Masters is in the island at the moment. Let’s see what they have to say.

Talking of money, eight out of eleven negotiating entities signed off on public sector wage deals with the government this week (the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions). They have accepted the government’s seven per cent wage offer and will be getting some additional allowances. This is excellent news, but the aforementioned police, nurses and teachers – that’s a lot of public servants – have not come to an agreement. Talks continue…

But listen: If our politicians use the word “sacrifice/s” one more time… What sacrifices are they making, by the way?

Poor St. Thomas: The Governor General met with a delegation from our most neglected parish this week, in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Morant Bay Rebellion, a watershed event in Jamaican history. Sir Patrick said he was reportedly “disheartened” by the poor infrastructure and lack of development, and wants the anniversary to be more than a “rehash” of the event, but more forward-looking. “While we cannot forget our past,” he said, “we cannot be trapped in it.” So true, but this is what has happened in a sense to this beautiful parish, trapped in some kind of time warp. One of its largest employers, the Duckenfield sugar estate, recently announced that it was laying off 500 workers. What’s the answer? Create employment and growth in agriculture and in light industry, one would suggest. But as Mr. Byles said, investment in Jamaica remains low.

Shane Hudson shows off his silver medal at the Para (Photo: Naphtali Junior/Jamaica Observer)

I need to congratulate our Paralympic athletes at the Parapan American Games in Toronto (the regional qualifying event for the Paralympics) who have won five medals so far (two golds, two silvers and one bronze). Media coverage has been fairly scanty as usual, but “big ups” to all six members of the Jamaican team!

In the past four days, these three young Jamaicans have lost their lives to violence. Josephine was a student at Mannings High School, who was shot dead in her bedroom; Akeem was a market vendor; Vinton was driving in a car with three others, all of whom were seriously injured (two of them female foreign nationals) at around 2 o’clock this morning.

Akeem Rose, 21, Cross Roads Market, Kingston

Vinton Campbell, 22, Bitwell, Hanover

Josephine Wolfe, 15, West End, Negril, Westmoreland

I touched on this issue in a recent post, and am happy to say that I now have the complete text of a speech by Commissioner of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) Terrence Williams to the Rotary Club on Mandeville on August 11, 2015. I am sharing this with you, because I feel Mr. Williams makes some very important points affecting our democracy and the human rights situation in Jamaica. Your comments are welcome, of course.

You can contact INDECOM’s new Tip and Incident lines, LIME – 1-888-991-5555 and DIGICEL – 1-888-935-5550.  Its offices are located at: Headquarters & Eastern Regional Office, 1A Dumfries Road, Kingston 10. Western Regional Office: Praise Concourse Plaza, 18 Queens Drive, Montego Bay, St. James. Tel: 940-2310. Central Regional Office: Cobblestone Professional Centre, Unit 10, 1 Brumalia Road, Mandeville, Manchester. Tel: 961-8453, 961-1542, 961- 4171. email: info@indecom.gov.jm or indecom@cwjamaica. 

Commissioner of the Independent Commission of Investigations Terrence Williams addressing Tuesday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Mandeville. (Photo: Gregory Bennett/Jamaica Observer)

Public Trust and Public Support: Making the Connection

To tackle crime, we need a professional police force that enjoys broad public support. This public support can only come where there is a widespread perception that the members of the force are accountable for their actions; and that corrupt and oppressive conduct will be detected and corrected, rather than condoned. We must therefore identify the oppressive conduct and corrupt conduct.

We should not hear any argument or, give any store to any argument, that pointing out possible oppressive and corrupt conduct erodes the morale of the force. It is the misconduct that erodes the morale, not the investigation of the misconduct. Indeed, when we point out the problems in the Constabulary Force we don’t do so to bash them but to seek improvement in their conduct because we know that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is an important organisation. We look to them to solve the problem of crime which has, for many years, been the major problem for Jamaicans.

In 2008 a Strategic Review was done of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. It was done by the Ministry of National Security and they sought international experts, local experts, members of the Force. It had great cooperation. The Report is an official document which you can download from the internet if you so choose. They found that the police in Jamaica was distant from the community because of general distrust and perceptions of corruption; and that this distrust hinders police investigations. That is the connection I am talking about, between public trust and public support. They found that one of the dominant cultures in the JCF was one of corruption. They found that the squad culture reigned in the JCF, where some members would always respond to the needs of someone they were trained with even if it meant violating ethical or legal boundaries. They found uniformly that Jamaicans, no matter their background, wanted a more trusting relationship with their police force. They wanted to be treated with respect for human rights and to see corruption eradicated. They were calling for a change in the culture.

The Strategic Review said that in a democracy, a police service is best able to carry out its functions when the members enjoy the respect and confidence of the population. The Strategic Review opined that the JCF lost much support because of the actions of some of its members. They pointed to certain endemic corrupt acts and practices. This is a sad tale of endemic practices but we have to repeat them so that we can correct them. What they found was endemic corruption, contract killings, engaging with gangs, planting evidence, trafficking in weapons and extortion. They said that these practices will take many years to be eradicated.

That Strategic Review recommended that INDECOM be formed, and formed quickly. They found that the previous investigative bodies were not working properly. They lacked sufficient authority to compel the police to cooperate. They found that there was a conflict of interest with the police investigating their colleagues. This finding of the Strategic Review was consistent with findings of an Inter-American Court of Human Rights case regarding Jamaica. The rights in our constitution are a façade if you do not have a proper independent investigation of allegations of breaches of those rights. It makes no sense that you say that we have the right to life when the investigation of the taking of life is not done by an independent body, a body which will have no conflict of interest. This is the kind of arrangement which builds a perception of fairness.

In the same way you would not want to have a case in court where you have a complaint against John Brown and on the jury you see John Brown’s sister or John Brown’s friend. You would say: “That doesn’t look right, that cannot be fair. I want an impartial jury to try my case.” In the same way if a police officer is involved in a shooting, you need someone separate from the Force to be involved and to run that investigation. I thought I wouldn’t need to have said that after five years of INDECOM being here, but it is good sometimes to repeat this for some to understand why there is an INDECOM. Indeed, on a more trivial note, for a long time now in cricket matches you don’t have umpires from the West Indies umpiring West Indies’ matches because these umpires, I am sure are men of integrity, but if they make a wrong call the first thing that will be said is that they made the wrong call because they are from the West Indies.

So we are set about this work in the last five years, and we realised from the very start that INDECOM was a unique organisation of civilian oversight of the police. There is no civilian oversight body anywhere in the world which investigates the number of homicides that INDECOM investigates. And I am not talking per capita. I am saying there is no investigative body of civilian oversight that investigates the amount of homicides that INDECOM investigates.

Baroness Nuala O’Loan of Kirkinriola in the Country of Antrim was the first Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. She sits on the House of Lords Joint Committee for Human Rights. (Photo: Daniel Morgan Independent Panel website)

A few years ago we had Baroness O’Loan here. She was from the Northern Ireland, a country which for generations was divided in civil strife, had a significant crime problem and lots of arms in the hands of civilians. They have a body like INDECOM; it is called the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland. I asked her: “In your seven year tenure, how many fatalities did you investigate?” You know what she told me? Four in seven years!

In Jamaica, before last year, we averaged 200 police-involved fatalities every single year for a decade. We recognised that this high rate of police-involved homicide required that we investigate these events in a way which was particularly compliant with all of the international principles. It required that we be a 24/7 organisation, that our investigators leave the peace and safety of their homes and go into dangerous areas all hours of the night. I am forever indebted to the investigators of INDECOM who gave the service and continue to give this service without murmur. and I ask you to join me in applauding them.

Last year marked a significant change. The decade long experience of over two hundred killings per year ended last year when it went even below 150. This year, at the mid-year mark, there were 50 killings involving the police. So, if the second half of the year is like the first half, we may see a year of about 100 police involved killings; a significant decline over what had become common over the last decade.

But some persons are saying that this decrease in police shootings is somehow affecting the police in how they do their work. An argument which I am not sure that I understand. Let us consider it. The police in Jamaica have very good and high principles. Their policies record and note all of the proper principles regarding the use of force. Deadly force must be used as a last resort, that is their principle and it’s the international principle. It must be reasonably proportionate in defending yourself or defending others. So if the rate of fatal shootings has declined, it must be that they are organising themselves, that is the JCF, in a better way to limit, as much as is in their power, resort to deadly force. They should be applauded for so doing.

It could not mean that they are not defending themselves or defending others because, if it were so, we would have heard that. It could not be that they are sitting in the station and not leaving when required to do so by the Sergeant or the Inspector. If it were so we would have heard that and there would be, I am sure, disciplinary action against them. It is not clear to me how respect for life, how obeying your own principles of using deadly force can cause you to be ineffective. The police must abide by the law. The law enforcer must first be someone who complies with the law.

In this next five years of INDECOM, we intend to reach out to the good men and women of the JCF, of which there are many, to attempt at reaching understanding about the work of INDECOM and to make this connection as to how fostering public trust in the force will assist them in their jobs. Despite the abundance of truth and understanding, it is troubling that sometimes falsehood and misunderstanding still finds a way to intervene.

We meet with the police high command regularly, in fact today there was one such meeting. We have had meetings with the Police Federation regularly. They know that if they have any complaint, it can be made to us and we will deal with it. In the last five years, how many complaints of instances of improper conduct do you think the police made to INDECOM? The answer is none. In the last five years, there has not been a single complaint of overzealous INDECOM investigators of improper conduct; not a single complaint. When we meet we try to ensure that there is an appreciation of the work of INDECOM. If there is a misunderstanding, we sort it out in our meetings. It is sad that despite this process, you still have falsehoods being uttered.

It is said by some influential police officers that INDECOM takes away the rights of police officers and that we have charged police officers who have exercised their constitutional right not to self-incriminate. Both assertions are false. The INDECOM Act does not currently compel any self-incrimination. When a police officer is asked to give a statement, the document on which we request the statement from him tells him that he cannot be compelled to give any answer which will incriminate him. The document says so. When they come to INDECOM before we question them. the first thing we tell them is – you cannot be compelled to answer any question which incriminates you. Despite this, we hear this falsehood being repeated.

It is further troubling because the issue went before the Constitutional Court here in Jamaica where eight police officers brought a case in court to say that their being asked to give a statement to, and to answer questions from, INDECOM was unconstitutional. Three judges sat on the case and the unanimous decision was there was no breach of their constitutional rights. Why then having this decision now some three years ago, is this falsehood being perpetuated? It must be realised that this kind of falsehood foments dissent in the Force, encourages disregard for the laws of Jamaica and sets back any attempt, which we are valiantly trying to do, to make the relationship between INDECOM and the police better.

Another argument that we often hear is that INDECOM disarms police officers on the street and puts them in danger. This argument was made and even sent in a document to Parliament. We pointed out to Parliament, and it was accepted, that this was a falsehood. Indeed, INDECOM does not disarm police officers. Any police officer would be disarmed by his colleague and any such disarming is always done at a police station.

The trouble is we have a situation where, when the INDECOM Act was being set up, some members of the JCF were not in support of the powers that INDECOM currently has; and they lobbied for INDECOM not to have those powers. After the Act was passed they lobbied for those powers to be taken away. Parliament did not agree with them. They took the matter to court, for the court to say that these powers are unconstitutional or unlawful. The court did not agree with them.

There comes a time when members of the force must realise that they are part of a disciplined organisation, and a disciplined organisation means that you must comply with the laws of the country. After you have taken the steps to lobby for change and the change has not come; you have taken the step to take it to court and you have lost the case in court; the time now comes to comply with the law. You cannot be part of a disciplined organisation and try to encourage your members, who will hear you, to disregard the law or to try to weaken their resolve by falsehood and fearmongering.

Stirring up fear and resentment by polemics and false assertion must cause anxiety.   This more than anything else may lower morale in the force. It is now time to recognise that INDECOM is the law of the land and for there to be compliance.

You may wonder how it is now different from what was there before. INDECOM is not the first organisation that investigates police alleged misconduct. You had the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI); you had the Police Public Complaints Authority (PPCA). There were these bodies doing it before. What is the big difference? Well, a major part of the difference is that we at INDECOM require that the police give prompt statements. Before this the BSI and the PPCA were hobbled in their work by delays by the police in giving statements. Months would pass with no statement from the police.

The case of Michael Gayle, a mentally ill man who was beaten to death by security forces in 1999 in Olympic Gardens, was one of the first taken up by the newly-formed Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ). In this Gleaner file photo, Dr Carolyn Gomes (right), executive director of JFJ and Edward Hamm, brother of Michael Gayle, address a press conference.

In the Michael Gayle case, one week passed before a statement was collected in the death of that young man. When it went to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights they said one week was far too long to be collecting statements from the police and soldiers involved. Jamaica had breached the right to life. In a case from Holland, they took three days to collect the statements and the European court said three days was far too long. INDECOM could not be organised in a way where we did what we knew was wrong. We could not accept that we were going to wait three days. We had to organise a regime where statements were prompt.

Prompt statements reduce the chance for collusion. Prompt statements mean that the case can be ended with some expedition and persons will not have long delays for their case to be completed. The members of the force have to get used to that, because that is what the law of Jamaica is, when we are talking about the right to life of the citizen.

I am asking influential members of the force to put aside falsehood and fear-mongering. If you have a genuine complaint against INDECOM or its members, make it formally. That is why you are there; to keep an eye on us to make sure that we act properly. But do not make false claims.

We hope that they will commit themselves to proper conduct, the kind of conduct which led many of them to join the force. That members of the force will feel that they can report their colleagues when their colleagues have acted improperly. Do not think of yourself as having a bond of secrecy where I cover for you and you cover for me. At the end of the day you will end up with police force that will not have public trust.

You must feel no compulsion to cover up or to lie. Let the public regard you as a service to Jamaica. Let the public have pride in the police force, and with that confidence the public will support the force.

The vast majority of Jamaicans want a society of peace and order and with the JCF being a proud and disciplined organisation, they will fall behind you. The vast majority will. This is achieved by detecting and correcting improper conduct, and by improving policies and practices. INDECOM seeks to enforce the laws of Jamaica and the rules of the JCF. We don’t make up any laws, so when we investigate and seek to enforce these laws, there is no need for you, who seek to obey the laws and abide by the policies of the force, to feel any anxiety.

You join to serve and uphold the law. A full investigation of your actions should not deter you. Be proud of your service and of the noble reasons why you joined the force. Let no one distract you from it. It is the members who engage in improper conduct who can lower morale. Speak out against them. It is falsehood that can lower morale. Propagate truth.

In the next five years we are going to reach out to these good men and women to replace misinformation with the truth, and to encourage understanding and cooperation. We want to have good relations with the police. We want those who utter falsehood, those who try to create division and to foster fear to check what they are doing. No longer promote disregard for the laws of Jamaica and discourage cooperation. This cannot be permitted to happen.

Public support comes from public trust; make the connection.

New recruits graduating from the Jamaica Police Academy in December, 2013. (Photo: Norman Grindley/Gleaner)

First off… The rain has been glorious. We almost feel human again. It is cooler, and we are hoping that some of the rain will have fallen in our watershed areas and made its way down to one of Kingston’s two reservoirs.

Water: This word crops up in almost every news item, and in every Kingston conversation: “You have water?” is a popular opening line. Whether we have more rain or not, many Jamaicans will still have no water in their pipes. Some areas of Kingston have had none for several days; others, especially outside Kingston, may not have had water for weeks. Meanwhile, there are concerns that trucks may be selling untreated water (even river water – although I haven’t seen a river with much water in it for a while) and this poses health concerns. I am very surprised that the Health Ministry has not issued any directions regarding clean water, hygiene tips etc., considering that our most densely-populated area is now under water restrictions.

Norman Allen (right) accepts the gavel from outgoing JTA president Doran Dixon last night. Looking on is the JTA’s Dr Polly Bowes Howell. (Photo: Claudia Gardner/Gleaner)

After all that…the teachers accept: After much defiant posturing over the last few weeks, 150 delegates of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, a powerful union, voted at their annual conference today to accept the Government’s seven per cent wage offer, by a reasonably large margin. Although they have accepted, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are happy, one gets the feeling; there are unresolved issues. They will have some improved benefits. This leaves the medical doctors, nurses and police still to be resolved. I suspect they will come into the fold, however reluctantly.

Uncomfortable: Having lost some of their officers to violence in recent times, the Jamaica Constabulary Force now has to deal with the high-profile arrests of two officers, who were apparently committing crimes, in the past two days. A policeman allegedly on leave was caught by two security guards as he tried to rob a business in St. Elizabeth, wearing one of those tams with fake dreadlocks! Another was caught in a sting operation while extorting money from a motorist in St. Catherine. A senior policeman says that the JCF is working on an ongoing basis to weed out dishonest policemen. The corruption seems never-ending and the police continue to struggle with a lack of co-operation and distrust from the citizenry. I urge the police to continue along this difficult and arduous road.

The Savannah-la-Mar Public General Hospital. (Photo: JIS)

And then there was a riot: One example of this distrust was the anger of residents in Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland immediately following the deaths of a man and his son. Local people allege they were killed by the police, judging from their actions immediately after the shootings, which took place close to the hospital. The police categorically deny that they were involved and have a suspect in custody for the murders. Residents set fire to an ambulance that was out of commission, and a couple of buildings on the hospital compound. The parish of Westmoreland seems to be constantly on edge. Why is this? Is it the continuous under-development and lack of opportunities in rural areas? Or do we put it all down to lotto scamming activities, as National Security Minister Peter Bunting suggests?

I beg your pardon? Member of Parliament Damion Crawford went completely over the top at a political rally at the weekend and called a Commission of Parliament (yes, you’ve guessed it, INDECOM) an “enemy of the state.” I understand he retracted the statement later on. But what is this all about? What motivates Mr. Crawford to castigate INDECOM almost daily? Is he pandering to the police or to a certain segment of the electorate? And I wonder what Minister Bunting thinks about his “comrade’s” utterances?

Raise those clenched fists: People’s National Party candidate for Clarendon South Eastern Patricia Duncan Sutherland (centre) is flanked by her sister Senator Imani Duncan Price (left) and minister with responsibility for sports Natalie Neita Headley at Sunday’s party conference on the grounds of the Old Hayes School. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

The Duncan Dynasty: Hanover Member of Parliament Ian Hayles dared to challenge veteran politician D.K. Duncan for a regional chairmanship in the People’s National Party (PNP). Isn’t that the cut and thrust of politics, though? Now, the sister of Senator Imani Duncan Price is a candidate to run against Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) veteran Ruddy Spencer. Mr. Spencer should be taking a back seat anyway; it’s about time, although the older ones seem very reluctant to step down, on both sides of the political fence. Anyway, Ms. Patricia Duncan Sutherland calls herself a “facilitator” and is seeking to bring a fresh approach to politics. It’s going to be a hard sell.

Hanover battle: Ian Hayles (left) and D.K. Duncan (Photo: Loop Jamaica)

So elections are just around the corner, it seems – I think they might take place in the last quarter of this calendar year. Peter Phillips told a gathering at the weekend to “get ready.” The Opposition JLP is, in its usual manner, trying to get its act together as best it can (and it’s not good enough, in my view). The PNP is busy having arguments and patching them up again as quickly as possible, to present a “united front.” Both parties have severe credibility issues – especially the JLP. Some followers appear restive; PNP supporters in Central Kingston, for example, are expressing dissatisfaction with their MP, Education Minister Ronald Thwaites. Has he not been giving out enough freebies, lately? I wonder, though: Will anyone feel inclined to vote for any of this lot, apart from the diehards that is? What do they have to offer?

Back to school worries: Talking of education, the new school year looms, with the usual pressures for parents who can barely afford the ever-growing costs of sending their children to school. I would like to put in a special plea for the vulnerable children of the young women (most living with HIV) who are supported by the non-governmental organization Eve for Life. Eve is collecting and purchasing books, uniform and stationery for the children in Kingston, Montego Bay and in northern Jamaica. The children are greatly in need. If you would like to make a donation in cash or kind, you can call Eve for Life at (876) 342-6107 or 754-3954, or email eflwellwishers@gmail.com. This would be greatly appreciated.

This bus ended up in a gully in Grants Pen recently. (Photo: Jamaica Gleaner)

JUTC breakdown: Something is going wrong at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (and just when I thought Mr. Colin Campbell was doing a pretty good job as Managing Director of the state-owned bus company, which has had a checkered career). There were two awful accidents downtown (caused by reckless driving) that resulted in the deaths of two vendors; another bus ended up in a gully – thankfully no injuries there. There seem to be maintenance issues – a bus filled up with smoke a couple of days ago. As for the drivers, someone commented on tweeter that they saw one texting while driving, recently. Pull yourselves together! Fire some people! Do whatever it takes!

Notes on our National Heroes: Columnist and lecturer Dr. Carolyn Cooper made some wry comments on the 150th anniversary of Paul Bogle’s march from the village of Stony Gut to Kingston (which was August 12) to plead for ethe rights of the people of St. Thomas. Dr. Cooper comments: “Paul Bogle died for the cause of black empowerment. So did George William Gordon. How many of our politicians today, whether PNP or JLP, would put their lives on the line for their constituency? How many would walk 45 miles to make a case on our behalf? How many of them could walk 45 miles? Or even 4.5 miles?” Because of our politicians’ large girth, she doubts any of them would make it. Oh dear!

There’s a really nice Marcus Garvey reading room in the St. Ann’s Bay Public Library, painted in UNIA colors. It was opened on August 17, 2012. Thanks to Professor Rupert Lewis for this information and for the photo.

Then Monday, August 17 was the anniversary of Marcus Mosiah Garvey’s birth in St. Ann’s Bay in 1887. At least every two or three years someone raises the issue of his birthplace being refurbished and made into a national heritage site. Now it’s Youth and Culture Minister Lisa Hanna’s turn to make this grand announcement. Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding broke ground for this in 2011, I do recall. I am not holding my breath; but I think this is long overdue. Perhaps the veteran roots reggae singer (and my favorite) Winston “Burning Spear” Rodney, who was born in the town, could make it happen. Just a thought; his Garvey songs are true classics.

And a note on the donkey: You may recall my recent blog post, mourning the deaths of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe, and of a humble donkey at the hands of a Chinese worker in St. Ann, closer to home. I understand that a senior Jamaican veterinarian, who watched the video, has opined that the donkey was killed quite humanely, and would not have suffered. This might make us feel a little better, I suppose. Only a little, in my case.

UWI Leads members pose for their picture.

“Big ups” and thank you’s to: UWI Leads, the University of the West Indies’ leadership program (“not a club”), which held its Student Leadership Conference last week and invited me to speak about “Finding your activist voice on social media.” We had a great discussion and I was impressed by the bright young people I met (special mention to members of the UWI Actuarial Society). I tried to tie in my thoughts on activism (and how social media can be used as a tool for that purpose) with reflections on key elements of leadership. I hope it all made sense.

The old lock-up in Alley, Clarendon – one of several fascinating historical sites I visited with C-CAM. (My photo)

Also to Ingrid Parchment of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM), who took me on a fascinating tour of some parts of the Portland Bight Protected Area a few days ago. I learned a great deal and discovered what I think are often called “hidden gems”  – both the cultural and the environmental heritage of the area. I will be writing much more about this trip.

And huge congratulations to nine young Jamaicans, who have received Chevening Scholarships to study for one year in the UK: Oroyo Eubanks, Assistant Superintendent Gordon Ellison, Adley Duncan, Lavere Henry, Jerome Cowan, Sherika Whitelock Ballingsingh, Grace Lindo, Melissa Townsend and Rashawn Thompson. As posted earlier on this blog, applications are now open for the 2016/2017 and details are available at http://www.chevening.org/apply

The last few days have been terrible in the parish of Clarendon. Unfortunately I have not found the names of all the victims there, but will try to find them and post them next time. I do not want our Jamaican citizens, who have lost their lives in tragic circumstances, to be unnamed. My deepest condolences to all those who mourn their passing.

Romario Dixon, 21, Plantation Heights, St. Andrew

Daniel Thomas, 20,Plantation Heights, St. Andrew

Unidentified man, Halse Hall, Clarendon (body found by a passer by off the main road, concealed in an illegal garbage dump)

Glendon Rose, 51, Sandy Bay, Clarendon

Unidentified man, Frankfield, Clarendon (shot dead in a community called Railway)

Unidentified man, Osbourne Store, Clarendon (among a group of men playing dominoes)

Leon Cooper, 43, Old Harbour, St. Catherine

Unidentified man, Central Village, St. Catherine

Ricardo Sinclair, 43, Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland (alleged police killing)

Ajani Sinclair, 18, Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland (alleged police killing)

18-year-old Ajani Sinclair and his father Ricardo were shot dead outside the Savannah-la-Mar Hospital under somewhat controversial circumstances.

Our Education Minister, Rev. Ronald Thwaites, has an interesting style of public speaking. When he wants to make an important point, he folds his hands, raises his eyes to the ceiling and holds forth, in beautiful English, with the occasional Jamaican patois word or phrase thrown in, for effect. Minister Thwaites is a lawyer and a “man of the cloth,” so it is not surprising that this is his style. He sometimes uses words that have many of us running to a dictionary. It’s all very impressive.

Education Minister Rev. Ronald Thwaites.

As the new school year approaches, Minister Thwaites has had a lot to say. He attended the annual Jamaica Teachers’ Association meeting, which most Education Ministers must enter with some feelings of trepidation. Perhaps in an effort to empathize with the teachers, Minister Thwaites made the comment that parents should not send their “leggo beast” children to school and expect the teaching staff to act as social workers to correct their behavior. Well, I agree with him; teachers are there to educate, not to spend their whole time trying to control a hot, cramped classroom (over)crowded with children. Children are there to learn.

There is no argument there. However, the Minister’s use of the term “leggo beast” (articulated with emotion and almost repressed anger) to describe students with learning and behavioral problems startled me. There is no doubt that parental responsibility is key; but does Rev. Thwaites really think it appropriate or helpful to describe children who may well have suffered from all kinds of abuse, neglect and carelessness in this way?

Now, I am not one for necessarily being “politically correct” – but how does this contribute in a positive way to any dialogue around the issue of our children? The expression, basically meaning an animal (a street dog, perhaps) that is out of control, is not appropriate for a Minister of Education to use in describing our most vulnerable children.

Joy Crawford (far left) Programs Director and Patricia Watson (far right), Executive Director, Eve for Life, with Ruth Weller Jankee of World Learning and Sheldon Shepherd of No-Maddz at a “Nuh Guh Deh” event. Eve works with teenage mothers, most living with HIV, and their children. (My photo)

Joy Crawford of Eve for Life expressed her concern thus on Facebook: “As a mother, as an Adolescent Health and Development Practitioner, as a Child Rights Advocate, as a mentor for young girls abused who manifest many ‘inappropriate behaviors’, as a Jamaican who believes that we are better than we are demonstrating, and as a human being who hates hate…I have been recalling the use of that term by the adults around me in the 1960’s and 1970’s – it was used in relation to a wild ‘loose’ girl/woman with nuff man in the community, especially if she seduced a married man. Also used to describe children at play who were loud, noisy and running around the yard wildly, not stopping when the adult beg for some peace and quiet.”

As Joy notes, many Jamaicans appear quite comfortable with this name-calling; this particular phrase is rather an old-fashioned one that many young people would not be familiar with; Minister Thwaites has reintroduced it. Of course, there are more current hurtful and condemnatory terms that we can throw at our children. We don’t have to look far. If you Google the term “leggo beast,” you will find numerous references to the lyrics of several reggae songs. We have been living in a patriarchy and the expression was often applied to young women who behaved in a “wild” and promiscuous way (as in Steel Pulse’s damning little ditty of the same name).

So did we all give birth to little beasts? Well, we know the answer. As Wilmot Perkins used to say on his radio talk show, when those children are lying in their cribs in the maternity hospital, they are innocent babies – a blank slate, if you will. It is up to us – the parents, society, teachers, everyone – to show them the right way, with love. Not to slap and hit and shout and call them names. Those kids are just bad kids, let’s label them and let them live with that label, and then dismiss them.

The position of “Dean of Discipline” was only introduced in 2009 in Jamaican high schools. Schools have Guidance Counselors; but I recall some time ago in a discussion I joined on television, a teacher told me his school had one guidance counselor to serve some 600 children. All these people can do is out fires. A comprehensive counseling and behavior modification program is almost impossible. These children need help, not curses, and a ten-minute dressing down in the Dean’s office can do more harm than good. If you show love you will not get hate in return. But these school staff members hardly have the time to show love.

The Horizon Adult Remand Centre was built on the site of the state-owned artisanship initiative Things Jamaican during the 1990s. A productive place, turned into a prison.

The mindset behind the “leggo beast” comment reminds me of Minister Thwaites’ colleague Peter Bunting’s recent remark that Jamaica has a “culture of violence.” If that is not an insult to the Jamaican people, I don’t know what is, especially coming from the Minister of National Security. How does this help us to move forward, Minister Bunting? As if to reinforce that point, the Minister was reported by at least one media house as saying there are plans to spend J$10 billion on a new prison. Minister Bunting later denied this report, saying that he was just responding to a question by noting that in general, in the longer term, Jamaica needs a new, modern prison facility. Nevertheless, is this what we look forward to? Culturally violent Jamaicans and assorted leggo beasts sent off to a new, bigger, better prison?

Meanwhile, more metal detectors have been ordered for schools and I believe the National School Security Policy manual is now complete and available for distribution.

So, what are the options, the solutions? I wonder what the Education Minister proposes – apart from keeping these beasts out of schools (where are they to go, by the way?) Of course there is an alternative. It is a long, hard road requiring considerable research, planning, deep thought and careful implementation. It is a long, hard road to healing. As Joy Crawford notes,“I believe the homes ‘these children’ live in are broken and need repair (by various levels of intervention, prosecution if needed).” Let’s focus on repairing the family (even though it may not be the kind of perfect “nuclear” family that those of the Minister’s generation grew up in). In a Gleaner column, Shanica Blair suggests that if leggo beasts are not allowed in schools, they should be taught in a “structured and disciplined environment” (a separate institution?) She adds, “Positive reinforcement can’t be underestimated. Many say this won’t work, but these children see themselves as bad and not intelligent, thus why should they bother to behave or even try?” Indeed. If we continue with the negative, the vicious cycle we are now trapped in will repeat itself, endlessly.

But our leaders are not particularly interested in working on these kinds of complex and time-consuming solutions. After all, elections are just round the corner, and they are busy name-calling, finger-pointing and insulting each other, journalists – and the Jamaican people into the bargain. We have excellent role models!

As I have said before in this blog, and I quote Winston “Burning Spear” Rodney: Where is your love, Jamaica?

Winston Rodney – Burning Spear. (Photo: BBC Music)

A small and rather weak tropical storm named Danny is trundling its way into the Caribbean. We might get some rain, and we do need more – much more, to ease the drought. But Kingstonians generally seem less miserable than they did last week (or perhaps it’s just me, as I am feeling better physically and mentally!). The fearful heat has abated and Kingston is enjoying a quiet, cool, rainy Sunday.

Digicel tweeted this happy photo of Jamaican supporters at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing today.

Remember broadcaster Cliff Hughes said the athletics was the only thing we have to look forward to? Well, the World Championships are here, and indeed they do provide a pleasant distraction. This morning our wonder boy Usain Bolt beat the despised Justin Gatlin, and there was joy unbounded – as well as many nasty comments on social media about his American competition, which I think we could do without. Meanwhile, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce made her appearance in a huge (and heavy?) green braided hairstyle adorned with yellow flowers. It looked pretty, if over the top. She is, however, an absolute dynamo on the track, and that is what counts!

Here comes Mr. Bolt… (Photo: Ricardo Makyn/Gleaner)

DK Duncan backs down: DK Duncan has withdrawn from competing with Ian Hayles for chairmanship of the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Region Six. In a radio interview, Dr. Duncan seemed unhappy that his age and health were given as factors (I don’t like to be unkind, but politicians must know when to retire, and in his case I believe health is a factor). Duncan said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, and earlier this year had a bout of shingles (which I have had – it is miserable, and painful) – but that he is now well and has been very active in the past three or four months.  The veteran politician declared his endless devotion to the PNP but added that he “does not want to give the impression he is indispensable.” Meanwhile, his daughter, who accused a young journalist of hacking her Facebook page and threatened to sue him on Twitter, has issued a formal apology and settled out of court. And so, with Patricia Duncan Sutherland throwing her hat into the race, the Duncans march off under the party banner, and we can get back to some really important news…

The expressive Senior Superintendent Cornwall “Bigga” Ford said he was going to retire in 2013, I recall. But he seems to have his hands full now in West Kingston. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

…such as crime: The situation in West Kingston remains extremely worrying. In his usual colorful style, Cornwall “Bigga” Ford (who took over from the redoubtable Steve McGregor as police chief for the inner city area) says the ongoing violence is due to gangs fighting over extortion opportunities – Upper Denham Town vs Tivoli Gardens. He also reminded us that the youth need opportunities! Don’t we know it.

…and such as people living in filth, for years: Kudos (once again) to the excellent Live at Seven program on CVM Television, which continues to provide excellent investigative stories and sharp-edged discussions. The report on the sewage and wastewater problem in Central Kingston made me feel nauseous. Waste water from a chicken factory gushes into the gully that runs through the area – bloody water, feathers and more – and from there into the harbor. One can imagine the stench. Sewage continues to flow on the streets; and this has been the situation for five years. Yes, five years. Member of Parliament Ronnie Thwaites had nothing meaningful to say about the situation, except that uptown and downtown are different environments. You bet they are.

Talking of the Reverend Thwaites, I fail to see the logic in the Education Minister’s suggestion that school principals should have term limits. Why? The Association of Principals says there is already an ongoing, yearly appraisal system in place as well as re-training, etc. How about term limits for politicians, instead?

Minister Anthony Hylton, is the logistics hub a mere pipe dream or is it just really hard to explain? (Photo: Philip Lemonte/Jamaica Observer)

I have a question: Is the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce going to pursue the Krauck/Anchor Finance possible involvement in the logistics hub? Or is this now officially dead in the water? The word from Cabinet back in June was that Minister Anthony Hylton could continue engaging with these firms, despite the Cabinet’s disapproval; a strange state of affairs. The logistics hub itself is becoming a chimera – a mirage on the horizon. The closer one gets to it, the further away it seems to move. Although the  head of the Port Authority of Jamaica Gordon Shirley says the Transport Ministry is “negotiating” with China Harbour Engineering Company over the proposed transshipment port at Goat Islands, it seems strange to me that a whole year has passed since CHEC conducted test drilling in the area. Nothing since. However, Shirley told the press this week the project is “is not dead. It’s still very much alive.”  He then went on to talk, rather confusingly, about the Kingston Container Terminal (which is to be divested soon, one is told) and Kingston Wharves. One is really none the wiser, is one?

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (left) speaking at the launch of the National Export Strategy, Phase II at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston on Thursday August 20. Listening intently are from left, Trade Administrator/CEO of the Trade Board, Mr. Victor Cummings; Advisor (Trade Competitiveness) Trade Division Commonwealth Secretariat Ms. Yinka Bandele; and Dr. Rashmi Banga, Adviser and Head of Trade Competitiveness Section, Commonwealth Secretariat. (Photo: Jamaica Information Service)

The Prime Minister made a speech this week, to launch the National Export Strategy Phase II. I don’t have much more to say than that. Portia Simpson Miller said “we must become competitive in trade” and export “Brand Jamaica”  stuff. Anyway, it’s nice to see that our PM is still around. I thought we’d lost her for a minute, there.

Minister of Finance Peter Phillips (left) and IMF resident representative Bert Van Selm (right) listen while IMF mission head Uma Ramakrishnan addresses journalists at the Ministry of Finance on Friday. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) team was here, held its usual polite press conference, and left its usual upbeat-ish press release on the table behind it, on Friday. The team endorsed the PetroCaribe buyback deal as an “important step” in lightening our debt burden; noted the “historic low” of four per cent inflation in July; and looked forward to a “continued strong implementation of the country’s growth strategy.” Aha! Dear old growth. Just one thing, though. As I anticipated months ago, the public sector wage deals recently signed are a bit of an issue. The wage target of nine per cent imposed by the IMF is in danger of not being reached – and will not be, if those who have not yet signed up with the government do so for the same percentage increase already agreed with other public sector groups. Ouch. Finance Minister Peter Phillips spent some time noting, in a very roundabout way, that the Government “will have to look at the arrangements within the public sector with respect to our hiring of additional staff, the filling of posts…” and you know the rest. He hastened to add that this would not happen right away, however. No, Minister Phillips, I suspect it will be put on one side for now, until after the election that you expect to win. The pain can wait.

PetroCaribe 10th Anniversary.

• Ah, here’s something to look forward to! At least, I am sure the politicians are going to enjoy it. The Summit to Commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the PetroCaribe Agreement will take place in Montego Bay from September 5-6. I believe Cuban President Raul Castro will attend, and possibly the Venezuelan President, if he is not too busy with plans to annex two-thirds of Guyana. Anyway this will be a great opportunity for more speeches! Oh, joy!

Throwing big bouquets to…

Sports reporter Kayon Raynor with bronze medal-winning O’dayne Richards at the World Championships in Beijing earlier today. (Photo: Twitter)

• In addition to Mr. Bolt’s stunning win, Mr. O’dayne Richards came up trumps and won a bronze in the Men’s Shot Put! This was a first for Jamaica in this event and he faced huge competition (no pun intended). Congratulations! We need more athletes to engage in the field events.

Black Bodies

• The ever-creative and envelope-pushing Fabian M. Thomas and his Tribe Sankofa, whose theater production “Black Bodies” opens in Kingston next Wednesday August 26 for a short run. The play will address several cases of human rights abuse – such as the 1999 death of Michael Gayle at the hands of security forces, and last year’s tragic death of Mario Deane in Montego Bay, among others. Lest we forget. Today, by the way, is the anniversary of Gayle’s death.

And big ups to ALL the Jamaican athletes, who worked so hard to get to Beijing. Here’s Salcia Slack in action in the 100 metres hurdles, the opening event of the heptathlon, at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing yesterday.

The past few days have held their share of tragedy. A fifteen-year-old girl was shot dead in downtown Kingston; and a couple were involved in an apparent murder/suicide – once again, a young policeman who allegedly shot his partner dead and killed himself. The grieving parents of Leroy White on television this evening brought me to tears. My deepest condolences to all those who are mourning the loss of loved ones.

Jazianne Cole, 15, Tulip Lane, Kingston

Kayden Hunter, 23, Duhaney Park, Kingston

Unidentified man, Oxford Street, Kingston

Leroy Hutchinson, 22, Howard Avenue, May Pen, Clarendon

Leroy White, 21, Howard Avenue, May Pen, Clarendon

Elderly street sweeper (no name), Montego Bay, St. James

Taxi operator (no name), Granville, St. James

Kenroy Grant, Bethel Town, Westmoreland

Unidentified man, Falmouth, Trelawny (police killing)

Leroy “Buju” White was shot dead in May Pen yesterday. A very moving report on CVM Television this evening had me in tears, along with his grieving father. What a waste of a young life. (Contributed photo/Gleaner)

Detective Constable Stephens is suspected to have shot his girlfriend Kayden Hunter dead in Kingston, before traveling to his home in St. Mary, where he shot himself. (Photo: Gleaner)

Angella Smith weeps as she holds a picture of her murdered daughter, 15-year-old Jazianne Cole. (Photo: Ian Allen/Gleaner)

It was a humid, windless Saturday morning. As we drove onto the beach, there was the sharp scent of freshly caught fish. The boats were mostly in, and from the market on the beach voices rose above the quieter conversations at water’s edge. Business was starting to pick up. On the sidelines, boys played in and out of the water. Egrets, pelicans and a pair of circling frigate birds kept them company.

Passing the time of day at Old Harbour Bay beach.

I was taking a tour of the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA), with Ingrid Parchment, Executive Director of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) at the wheel. As I expected, Ingrid was an amazingly knowledgeable guide. Old Harbour Bay in St. Catherine was our first stop. I am sharing a few of my photographs, but if you want to take a look at all of them, please visit my Facebook page where I posted three albums full.

The vendors of Old Harbour Bay had sales on their minds. There was a large pot of homemade soup on the beach, and under the market roof it was business all the way. Large igloos were open and half-filled with fish; a man tipped a large quantity of fish we did not recognize onto a metal table. A Facebook friend identified them as Shad, another as Mangrove Snapper; the vendor called them “Makka Back.”

The mystery fish.

We noted with concern that there were large parrotfish for sale, resplendent in their rich blues and scarlets. This is a concern because this fish (albeit delicious to eat, but I will never eat one again!) performs valuable services for our environment. The fish clean coral reefs by eating the algae that grows on them, and excrete the substance that creates our fine (and endangered) white sand beaches. One large parrotfish can engender hundreds of pounds of sand in its lifetime. Environmentalists have been lobbying for a ban on parrotfish for some time; but local fishermen strongly object to the idea. Ingrid surmised that these large parrots may have been fished further away, perhaps at the Pedro Cays; a scientific assessment of the PBPA’s coral reefs last year noted very few large fish in the area.

Here I must give a quick “shout out” to the island of Barbuda in the eastern Caribbean, where the government passed legislation a year ago giving complete protection to parrotfish, and establishing one third of its coastal area as marine reserves. It’s now illegal there to catch parrotfish. Jamaican Government, it’s not too late…

An egret meditates, while Brown Pelicans ponder their next move at Old Harbour Bay. Beyond the mangroves in the background is the fish sanctuary adjoining Goat Islands – still threatened by the development of a mega shipping port.

We drove into the fishing village to visit the home of community activist Paulette Coley (I am not sure if she would describe herself that way). There were no paved roads here; only tracks that become muddy and flood easily when it rains. This area is very low-lying. Ms. Coley came and sat on the verandah; we were afraid we were interrupting her breakfast preparations, but she didn’t seem to mind. A man in the yard was mending a fishing net, his hands moving swiftly. Tiny kittens played and hid behind Ms. Coley’s chair, and a small, wide-eyed boy came out to see us.

Ms. Coley was planning a children’s treat, before the start of the school year; but, she lamented, no one had any money or goods to contribute to it, as they were all trying to find money for “back to school.” Ingrid suggested going into the town and asking businesspeople for contributions for food and drinks.

How was the community doing? Ms. Coley explained that it was somewhat divided politically, with a Jamaica Labour Party Member of Parliament (Everald Warmington) and a People’s National Party local councilor, who lives in Old Harbour. “We are not united,” she said. “Politics plays a dominant role, and some people are left out.” 

Paulette Coley (left) discussing community matters with environmentalist Ingrid Parchment of C-CAM, who conducts a great deal of this kind of outreach as part of her work.

Was this a slight exaggeration, though? When the conversation turned to the African tradition of burru drumming, which takes place at Christmas time in the community, it seemed to me from Ms. Coley’s description of the excitement surrounding the event that it brought the community together in a meaningful and positive way. “It is followed by a big party,” said Ms. Coley, “Everyone gets together.” In Old Harbour Bay, the event moves from house to house; the drummers, accompanied by a large crowd of residents, will come to your gate and call out your name. The group will likely mention certain things about the occupants of the house – whether positive or negative – that have taken place during the year. Some people consider burru drumming “demonic,” noted Ms. Coley, because of its association with spirit possession. But it is as popular as ever in the community.

This wonderful photograph shows Count Ossie (left) playing the tall burru drums, while the legendary American jazz musician/composer Duke Ellington (far right, in white) enjoys the music. The Rastafarian movement adopted the burru drum into their nyabinghi rhythms and practices. (Photo from Paul Bradshaw’s blog Ancient to Future).

Fishing is a complex business these days. I lost track of a conversation about Hondurans and Jamaicans, illegal activities, court cases, boat registration and more. I recalled an unpleasant incident in 2011 when the captain of a Honduran fishing boat was shot dead. From time to time, accusations fly. Nothing is quite what it seems, in Jamaica – but one thing is certain: Jamaica’s laws need to be tightened to deal with this state of affairs. A bill to amend the 1976 Fisheries Act is still dawdling in the Jamaican Parliament, I understand.

We said goodbye to Paulette Coley after buying cold drinks and crackers from her tiny corner shop; but not before admiring her husband’s mobile sound system, built on bicycle wheels. It’s hard to describe the complex design, but it even boasted a small solar panel for extra power. I would love to see and hear it in action. Perhaps at the burru celebrations, come Christmas time…

The sound system has a gear stick, side mirror and several impressive sets of speakers. As well as a lot of wires!

By the way, the Old Harbour Bay fish market is not more than about a half hour’s drive outside Kingston, if you take the highway. If you go down there at around eight or nine in the morning, you can take your pick of fresh fish! It’s recommended.

For more information on the work of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) in the PBPA, please visit their website at http://www.ccam.org.jm. You can also find them on Facebook and on Twitter @ccamfngo. 

This is the second time I have felt nauseous during Jamaica Environment Trust’s (JET) launch of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day, which this year will take place on September 19. The global effort is supported by the Ocean Conservancy; in Jamaica, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has been a major sponsor of the cleanup since 2008. This year’s theme is “Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica” – reflecting its nicely focused public awareness campaign, which was launched six months ago in support of the Ministry of Tourism’s Clean Coasts Project. In 2014, Jamaica’s cleanup was ranked twelfth largest out of 100 participating countries worldwide, with 7,400 volunteers cleaning up over 85,000 pounds of garbage at 113 sites. This year JET aims to break into the global “Top Ten,” hoping to bring 10,000 volunteers on board.

Kingston Harbour, sparkling and blue in the morning sunshine. The bright reflection in the distance is the sun shining on an aircraft that had just arrived at Norman Manley International Airport. (My photo)

Now, let me clarify: JET’s events do not make me feel sick – far from it. JET’s programs are always carefully thought out and relevant. This was just a physical reaction to the disgusting state of our gullies. Yes, we went on a gully tour, after JET Director Diana McCaulay welcomed us in the Jamaica Conference Centre’s Harbour Lounge. The lounge is  a fine spot on a sunny morning,  with a nice view across Kingston Harbour; it always looks pretty on the outside, but not so attractive when you get closer. Last year’s ICC launch included a tour of the harbor – and that was when I felt nauseous, at the sight and smell of the filth that we are putting into the seventh largest natural harbor in the world.

Jason Lindo sings about the St. George’s College Tourism Action Club’s explorations in McGregor Gully (pictured on screen). (My photo)

Two members of the St. George’s College Tourism Action Club told us about their project to find out “where the waste goes,” following the McGregor Gully from uptown, through Grants Pen to downtown. Actually, Jason Lindo sang about it, and his colleague Calvin Wright (a former head boy at George’s) told us about what they found down in the gully. Amongst the usual debris, they noticed many mosquitoes – and “black toads.” The students surmised they were this unusual color because of the pollution, although I am not at all sure about that. Oh, and of course there was the “strong stench.” The students intend to do more research in this area.

Felicia Won (standing, right) engages passengers on the bus. (Photo: JET/Facebook)

Well, we all climbed on the bus, and set off (by “we all” I mean a number of media representatives and photographers, representatives of government agencies such as the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the National Solid Waste Management Agency (NSWMA) and others). As we moved across downtown, JET’s Felicia Wong talked to us about common Jamaican attitudes to garbage: If we throw it away, a goat will eat it; it’s up to the Government (or someone else) to clean it up. We keep our yards tidy, but not beyond. Many residents consider the gullies “self-cleaning” because whenever it rains, the garbage is taken away; but, of course, where is it taken to? It does not disappear, that is for sure. They often blame another community, further upstream. A survey cited by Diana McCaulay found that Jamaicans are not willing to walk very far at all to find a garbage bin. It has to be really close, otherwise… An animated discussion followed on the need to enforce environmental laws – Diana McCaulay said she would like to see breaches become ticketable offenses, rather than dragging through the courts – and for more local firms to come fully on board and take responsibility for the pollution they help to create. More on this later.

Journalist Kimone Thompson deep in thought as we stopped near a gully off Spanish Town Road. (My photo)

We were talking so much we had soon arrived at a gullyside near the Spanish Town Road, close to the mouth of the Sandy Gully (there are some twenty-odd gullies, intended as storm drains, in Kingston, many intersecting). Several John Crows (Turkey Vultures) circled above, so clearly something in the gully smelled ripe. The gully was lined with garbage, with a channel of stagnant water in the middle. Of course, we are looking at public health issues here: rats, flies, disease-bearing mosquitoes.

The crusty surface of the contents of this gully (it was not water) extending from the bridge to an area where construction work appeared to be taking place. The gully had actually been mostly blocked by earth. (My photo)

We moved on into the inner city community of Seaview Gardens, which lies between the industrial complex of Spanish Town Road and the sea. If you have ever been to this area, you would have noticed the smell immediately. We stopped at a bridge over a smaller, adjoining gully, and looked down. A thick crust covered… something, which we discovered was a dark grey sludge with a strong chemical smell. This was clearly some kind of effluent from a nearby factory that was seeking to make its way into the sea. Beyond, on each side, were seas of plastic bottles.

A sea of plastic bottles in Seaview Gardens. (Photo: JET/Facebook)

Fact: 46 per cent of our non-organic waste is plastic. When it has been in the sea for a while, it starts to break into smaller and smaller pieces, but this does not make it any less dangerous. Smaller pieces can enter the food chain; fish ingest them, and we eat the fish.

So, we threw stones into the crusty soup. Splosh. Up came the sludge. JET captured it in a photograph. The queasiness in my stomach began in earnest. Time to leave!

Splosh! I wonder which of the nearby factories had created this disgusting water, so close to people’s homes… If a child fell in, it would be a disaster. (Photo: JET/Facebook)

After refreshing ourselves back at the Conference Centre, the TEF’s Director of Projects Christopher Miller told us about the several projects the Fund is supporting, besides Clean Coasts. I must confess I was impressed. Among other initiatives, TEF recently signed a J$260 million-plus “All Island Maintenance and Beautification Project” with the NSWMA  (I like the word “maintenance” – it’s something we are not very good at). The Tourism Ministry is also making an effort to regularize planning approvals in tourist areas (“development should happen in a context,” said Mr. Miller, tactfully); and to upgrade public beaches for free access, including Boston Beach in Portland and Burwood Beach in Trelawny, among others. It is also looking at developing heritage tourism.

Young comedians Bella Blair and Russhaine “Dutty Berry” Berry having fun with the “Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica” logo. (My photo)

Bella Blair (actress, singer, vlogger) and social media personality/comedian “Dutty Berry” (or Russhaine as I have known him since he was a teenager!) are enormously bright and engaging. Bella told us she was brought up to be tidy and to recycle; as a child on summer holidays at her grandmother’s home, she would go to the local shop with an “oil bottle from 1910” that was refilled every time, and they would always take their own shopping bag. Those were the good old days..

Francois Chalifour of Recycling Partners: “We are building.” (My photo)

Recycling Partners of Jamaica is also involved, and Chairman François Chalifour (who is based at Wisynco) gave us an update on the progress of this long-term project. It is moving ahead slowly but steadily. “We are creating infrastructure,” said Chalifour. Now, the organization has collection depots at Megamart, the JET office and its Lyndhurst Road headquarters in Kingston, as well as in Portmore, Port Maria and Manchester. It will be opening its Ocho Rios depot this week and a depot in Greenwood, St. James in the next few weeks. Find them on Facebook!

“We already have over 110 sites registered for ICC this year,” said JET’s Suzanne Stanley. “We have been training coordinators from all over Jamaica and encouraging them to recruit as many volunteers as possible so that we can meet our target.” It’s not too late to register your project or to join an ICC cleanup in your parish. A full list of sites can be found online at http://www.jamentrust.org. For more information on Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica and the Clean Coasts Project log on to 

http://www.nuhduttyupjamaica.org.

As summer begins to wane and we enter the hurricane season, I am pausing to send solidarity and good wishes to our friends in Dominica, who have been overwhelmed by Tropical Storm Erika this week. As I write this there have been at least 20 deaths recorded and more are missing. The video footage and photographs of the raging floods are truly frightening.  As for Jamaica, since the storm has dissipated, it is a pleasant blue-skied afternoon…with no rain in sight.

Spare a thought for our brothers and sisters in Dominica, who are suffering in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika. A Recovery and Reconstruction Fund has been launched by the Prime Minister’s Office. Go to: http://www.opm.gov.dm/?p=1058 for details on how to contribute.

Stars in our eyes: As predicted, we are all thrilled to bits by the performances of our athletes at the World Championships in Beijing this week. It is a complete, delirious distraction from the stresses of life. We get up early (or, in my case, struggle out of bed) to watch live action, which buoys us through the day. In a week or two, the memories will be fading rapidly. Meanwhile, we enjoy the moment. But is sports supposed to unite us? I asked this question in my Gleaner blog this week. The link is here: http://gleanerblogs.com/socialimpact/?p=2878

TVJ’s Kayon Raynor interviews Sherone Simpson, Natasha Morrison,, Kerron Stewart and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce after their terrific win in the 4×100 heat. (Photo: Facebook)

West Kingston: A Twitter friend reminded me today that Denham Town in West Kingston is less than a couple of square miles in size, and yet some thirty of its residents have been killed (including women and children) this year. A fifteen-year-old girl was murdered there very recently, and it hardly caused a ripple in the news. What is it about this relatively small corner of our city that garners such indifference among the average Jamaican? I don’t get it. Is it discrimination, class bias or what?

Why do we not care? Angella Smith weeps as she holds a picture of her murdered daughter, 15-year-old Jazianne Cole. (Photo: Ian Allen/Gleaner)

Is Parliament still on holiday? I am wondering why there has not been a post-Cabinet press briefing for at least three or four weeks. Information Minister Senator Sandrea Falconer seems to be missing in action.

Up in the air: What is going on with the air traffic controllers – or rather, their equipment? There was a breakdown this week, just a few days after the ATCs had complained about their aging equipment. The Civil Aviation Authority denied that airspace was closed for 45 minutes on Wednesday, saying that a lightning strike had damaged one of its communication modules and a few flights had to be re-routed.

The Minister does a bit of a “U” turn: Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, whose emphatic rejection of children he described as “leggo beasts”  has thought about it, changed his mind and apologized for using this expression. However, he seems to have gone a step further, claiming he is unaware of any gangs in schools (we have been hearing about this for years now). The man in charge of school security says violence in schools declined last year; he does not recall mentioning “gangs” to the media. The Permanent Secretary has chimed in, saying there are “a few groups of children who behave in a ‘gangsterish’ manner…” but no actual gangs. Don’t these people talk to each other? They are sounding confused.

Our Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller at a People’s National Party conference last year. (Photo: Gleaner)

I am ready. We are ready. Yes, we get the message: Using her best “tracing” voice, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller emphasized: “I am ready. We are ready, and I hope they are as ready as we are. If I say we are ready, then other people going start fret because indeed, we are ready.” OK, Labourites; you had better “start fret” now. Ready for what, you may ask? Have you been living under a rock? P.S. Opposition Leader Andrew Holness also says he’s “ready.”

Coconut water: I have a question. A friend posted an article about a firm in Thailand that produces pure, organically produced coconut water that also has a good shelf life, which has been certified as “fair trade,” by the USDA, etc. Just simple coconut water. As I look around, I see coconut trees everywhere in Jamaica. Why couldn’t we do something like this, for export, perhaps with another natural, plentiful product? It is beautifully packaged and well marketed. Go to:  http://www.harmlessharvest.com to read more about how they did it. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but… We need to stop making excuses. And yes, I know about the coconut yellowing disease…

Student leader O’Shane Reid and girlfriend Shanice Simmonds died Wednesday night in a car crash in St Ann. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

The tragic deaths of two bright young people: O’Shane Reid and Shanice Simmonds died on Wednesday night in St. Ann, after their car crashed into a coaster bus traveling in the opposite direction. Strangely, both newspapers focused entirely on Mr. Reid, and not his girlfriend, about whom very little information was given – except that she was about to graduate from the University of the West Indies, where Mr. Reid was pursuing his Master’s degree. Meanwhile, their fellow students are in shock. My deepest sympathies to the couple’s friends and families. In the midst of life…

Speaking of road deaths, no less than 71 motorbike riders have died this year, as of August 22. This is insane; last year 36 bikers died in the same period. When you are on the road you see very few wearing crash helmets, a legal requirement. When are the police going to actually enforce this law? Don’t these bike riders know that they are unlikely to survive a crash without a helmet – why do they take such risks? Are there proper driving tests or are bike riders regulated in any way? They are now rivaling robot taxi drivers for crazy behavior on the road, overtaking lines of traffic and so on. It’s really sad, and frightening.

In flight fight: A fight broke out between two women when a Jet Blue flight from Kingston arrived at John F Kennedy Airport on Wednesday morning. One woman produced an eyebrow razor and the other pepper spray! A few other passengers were injured. How did these passengers get on the plane with prohibited items in their carry-on luggage? The Norman Manley International Airport is investigating – as well it should.

Frederick “Mickey” Hill was shot dead by the police in Negril on November 4, 2010.

Policemen to be charged with murder: The Coroner’s Court has ruled that two policemen be charged with the murders of Winston Malcolm Senior and son Winston Malcolm Junior in Spanish Town in 2007. The case has been monitored by Jamaicans for Justice. One of the policemen, Constable Malica Reid, is also charged with the murder of a guest house operator in Negril in 2010; that trial has not yet begun. The wheels of justice turn mighty slowly.

Oh! Remember Outameni? It’s going up for sale! More on this anon…

The “Hackathon.”

Hackathon? Well, not quite… The Ministry of Youth and Culture invited young people (entrepreneurs etc) to attend a “hackathon” with Finance Minister Peter Phillips, so that they could understand what was going on in Jamaica’s economy. It turned out to be more of a forum/town hall meeting than anything else. Local tech guru Ingrid Riley gave us her definition of a hackathon:  “A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers, graphic designers, UI designers etc collaborate intensively on a software project.” I don’t think much technological activity of any kind took place, but there was quite a bit of live tweeting going on, if that counts. The basic idea was a good one; a good first try at something interesting.

A section of the audience at the Money Talk Hackathon, from the Jamaican Mommies blog, which provided an excellent overview here: http://www.jamaicanmommies.com/2015/08/youth-money-talk-hackathon-case-for.html

So much praise for:

I think Danielle Williams’ gold medal came as a delightful surprise for us all!

• Our athletes, of course: Medalists Nickel Ashmeade, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell Brown, Nesta Carter, Shericka Jackson, Natasha Morrison, Hansle Parchment, Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, O’dayne Richards, Elaine Thompson and Danielle Williams. And all the amazing, hard-working athletes who competed and gave of their best. Well done, all!

Alia Atkinson celebrates her silver medal during the podium ceremony for the women’s 50m breaststroke at the FINA World Championships. (photo: AFP)

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt crosses the finish line to win for the Jamaican team the final of the men’s 4×100 metres relay athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium in Beijing on August 29, 2015. AFP PHOTO / OLIVIER MORIN

• Just prior to our high-profile sportsmen and women doing so well in Beijing, our amazing Jamaican swimmer Alia Atkinson was chalking up another medal-winning performance. Big ups to her! The Texas-based Alia is doing better and better.

• Then there was Jamaica’s win at the Caribbean Senior Squash Championships. Jamaica fielded a strong men’s team, which came out on top for the first time in a decade! Congratulations, team…

Jamaica’s winning chess players. Congratulations!

• And our young chess players! Jamaica recently won at the Central American and Caribbean Youth Chess Festival in Trinidad and Tobago from August 14 to 19, becoming the first English-speaking country to win this prestigious annual chess tournament.

The Jamaican Senior Squash Team emphatically beat Trinidad & Tobago to win the Caribbean Senior Squash Championships in Cayman Islands recently. (l-r): Ashante Smith, Bruce Burrowes, Lewis Walters, Julian Morrison and Chris Binnie. (Photo: Loop Jamaica/CASA 2015)

• National Bakery Limited, whose contribution to the Crayons Count initiative in Jamaica has been extraordinary over the past three years (going into four). The company just launched its National Baking Company Foundation and I will be writing more about this; but would like to especially “big up” Mr. Gary “Butch” Hendrickson, patron of the Foundation, for his remarkable generosity. This is corporate commitment to education and development at its very best!

I am a PowHERhouse!

• WMW Jamaica, which continues its #IAmaPowHERhouse leadership training with a vibrant group of young women leaders of varying ages.  I am looking forward to talking to this group about blogging and online activism next week.

• Fifty inmates at three of our correctional institutions (Tower Street, St. Catherine and Fort Augusta), who did amazingly well at their CSEC examinations this year with very high pass rates in Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Human and Social Biology. Special kudos to the non-governmental organization Stand Up for Jamaica, which works in the prisons, and the European Union for providing support and funding.

I do not understand why so little attention is being paid to our continually soaring murder rate, and the cause/s or impact it is having in several communities. What is happening in Clarendon? What can we do to make the lives of our citizens better in West Kingston – and in some rural areas as well as the inner city? I am not able to wrap my head around these lists of names once or twice per week. My deepest sympathies are with the families and friends. The hurt and trauma is great. Why haven’t the two bodies found in a car in Duhaney Park been identified, or the two shot dead in Grants Pen? 

Two unidentified men (one a teenager), Duhaney Park, Kingston

Two unidentified men, Fagan Avenue, Grants Pen, Kingston

Unidentified man, Oxford Street, Kingston

Andrea Mundell-Bowen, Golden Spring, St. Andrew

Robert Dickson, 31, Spanish Town, St. Catherine

Levar Hunnington, March Pen Road, St. Catherine

Hugh Nelson, 42, May Pen, Clarendon

Orville Eccleston, 31, Mount Clare, Clarendon

Hugh Brown, New Bowens, Clarendon

Unidentified woman, Salt Spring, St. James

Jameel Scott, 26, Bath, St. Thomas

Andrew Messam, 24, Heathfield, Manchester

Franklin Swaby, 51, Alligator Pond, Manchester

Reports are that businesswoman Andrea Mundell-Bowen was raped and murdered on her coffee farm in Golden Spring, St. Andrew on Thursday night. Her brother, well-known reggae singer Hugh Mundell, was also murdered in 1983.  (Photo: Loop Jamaica)

Just imagine: Your husband goes to work one day, and never returns? Your teenage daughter goes out to visit a friend, saying “See you later!” and that is the last time you ever see her? Your mother is at home and gets a knock on the door, and when you come home, she is gone? You search and make enquiries and telephone calls. Days, weeks, months – years – pass, and you hear nothing. Life goes on around you as if nothing has happened. Can you imagine?

Today (August 30, 2015) is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

In the past, there have been notorious cases of mass disappearances; under dictatorships in Argentina and Chile, for example. During Argentina’s “Dirty War,” (Guerra Sucia) from 1976 to 1983, roughly 30,000 citizens disappeared under the brutal military regime that seized power during a period of instability. The government called it the Process of National Reorganization. They arrested, tortured and murdered thousands of dissidents suspected of left-wing activities. Hundreds of babies of the “Desaparecidos” were kidnapped and illegally adopted. After democracy was restored, Carlos Menem’s government began an investigation, discovering hundreds of secret detention centers.

Mothers marching in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires with cutouts of their “disappeared” sons. The mothers began their protest in front of the Presidential Palace in 1977 and their numbers grew to hundreds of women – week after week. The President apparently called them “Las Locas” (the Crazy Ones), threatened and ridiculed them, but they continued and have been a strong force for human rights.  Photo by Gerardo Dell’Orto, 1990

In Chile, thousands of citizens also disappeared under Augusto Pinochet’s military rule from 1973 to 1990; many more thousands suspected of being political dissidents were also tortured. The Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (the Chilean secret police) took many people to the Villa Grimaldi, on the outskirts of Santiago, for interrogation. Many were never seen again. In the same hemisphere, in Guatemala, Colombia and El Salvador, many, many thousands disappeared during civil wars.

There is a memorial park (Parque por la Paz) at the site of the notorious Villa Grimaldi on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile. (Photo:http://hostalprovidencia.com)

Europe has not fared better. During World War II, the regimes of Josef Stalin in Russia and Adolf Hitler in Germany are now well known for human rights abuses, including disappearances, on a very wide scale. The Balkans conflict of the 1990s has left thousands of civilians unaccounted for and political leaders are very slow to investigate or to provide reparations to their families.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) has been trying to identify thousands of missing people in Bosnia since the civil war. Diggers and bulldozers tore skeletal remains apart in mass graves, destroying evidence. Twenty years after Srebenica, the families are still waiting for  “closure.” (Photo: hmd.org.uk)

Yet if you think enforced disappearances are for the history books, you are wrong. They are as much a feature of life under tyrannical governments across the world as ever; and, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon points out, not only governments are involved. Nowadays, armed extremists and terrorist groups are secretly abducting, imprisoning, torturing and murdering. Under any circumstances, the Secretary General reminds us, enforced disappearance is illegal.

And I say these human rights abusers of the past are well known “now” because yes – at the time when these things happened, society in general may have been cowed, complicit or even ignorant of what was happening. Unless their own son or daughter disappeared, of course; or unless they found themselves alone in a dank, stinking cell with a torturer. But life went on. People may not have talked about it much at all – whether out of fear, ignorance or indifference.

Despite ongoing mass protests, the Mexican government has been very slow to investigate the disappearance of 43 student teachers almost a year ago. The leader of a group searching for the students, who had discovered a mass grave in Iguala, was shot dead in Acapulco on August 10.

So now, have things improved in the 21st century? Hardly.“Governments in every region of the world, from Syria to Mexico and from Sri Lanka to Gambia may be holding hundreds or even thousands in secret detention,” says Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty. There have been over 200 forced disappearances in Bangladesh since 2009; these are only the documented ones. In many cases, men dressed in the uniforms of state security forces come to arrest people. Families seeking assistance through the state justice system have had no success. Human rights defenders are regularly harassed and threatened (and as we know, several Bangladeshi bloggers have been brutally murdered).  Amnesty highlights the tragic situation in Syria, where it estimates almost 85,000 people have been forcibly disappeared between 2011 and 2015. Back in this region, official figures say nearly 25,000 people have disappeared or gone missing in Mexico since 2007. Last year, 43 students of the Ayotzinapa rural teacher-training college in Guerrero State were ambushed and kidnapped on their way to an anti-government protest. Three or four of them were killed; the families of all the others are living in mental agony and fear.

“On July 9th, our loved ones have been disappeared, and they include 17 lawyers, their assistants, and law firm staffers, as well as 6 rights defenders,” wrote a group of relatives to China’s Minister of Public Security Mr. Guo Shenkun in a letter dated today.

In China, there are the so-called “black jails.” These are secret locations where political enemies – disgraced officials accused of corruption – end up, under the rule of “shuanggui,” an internal disciplinary procedure. In this case the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is in charge, operating outside the country’s legal system. Often torture is involved; confessions are needed, and information on other possible enemies of the State (read: Party). This is quite apart from journalists, civil society, non-governmental organizations, feminists and anyone else who might be deemed a threat. On July 9th, 17 lawyers, their assistants, and law firm staffers, as well as six rights defenders were taken away. They appeared on television just nine days later, having already been allegedly tried and found guilty of vague crimes. Since then, their families have heard nothing about them.

The families of the lawyers and human rights defenders wrote a letter to the Minister of Public Security today, noting:

At home we fear even knocks on the door. People at the door who claim to be checking our water meter, delivering a package, fixing water pipes are least likely robbers (if they are we can at least call 110), and most likely someone who is a disguised secret police of the People’s Republic of China, and a 110 call wouldn’t get you help. Such fear and panic do not beset these lawyers and their families only; they beset the entire Chinese society.

Here’s another letter. Way back in 1970, James Baldwin wrote the beautiful and powerful “Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis.” Angela Davis, the fierce civil rights campaigner, was in jail at the time. Apart from expressing thoughts that are incredibly relevant to the situation in the United States today, the eloquent and masterful Mr. Baldwin had this to say – I picked out a few excerpts:

You look exceedingly alone—as alone, say, as the Jewish housewife in the boxcar headed for Dachau, or as any one of our ancestors, chained together in the name of Jesus, headed for a Christian land…We know that democracy does not mean the coercion of all into a deadly—and, finally, wicked—mediocrity but the liberty for all to aspire to the best that is in him, or that has ever been…If we know, then we must fight for your life as though it were our own—which it is—and render impassable with our bodies the corridor to the gas chamber. For, if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.”

James Baldwin. (Photo: Ted Thai/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty)

The Book Industry Association of Jamaica is forging ahead with renewed vigor. With Latoya West-Blackwood as Chair, I am sure it will make an impact on our national life in many positive ways – especially in the area of literacy. Here is their press release dated August, 2015.

Latoya West-Blackwood is the new Chair of the Book Industry Association of Jamaica (BIAJ).

Kingston, Jamaica — The Book Industry Association of Jamaica (BIAJ), founded in 1989 as the umbrella organization for all sectors of the local book industry, re-elected its 9-member board at its Annual General Meeting held in May this year.

The new board is headed by Chairman Latoya West-Blackwood of iPublish Consultancy, with Elizabeth Ramesar of The Jamaica Observer serving as Vice Chairman and Company Secretary. West- Blackwood, the youngest Chairman to date, succeeds Dr Norman Marshall of Sangster’s Book Stores, who will now serve as Treasurer.

The remaining directors have been appointed to serve in the following positions:

Damani Johnson (Kingston Bookshop) – Development Initiatives

Candice Carby (Carlong Publishers) – Marketing and Communications (formerly Promotions)

Nigel Walker (Bookzone Limited) – Recruitment & Membership

Tanya Batson-Savage (Blue Moon Publishing)- Special Projects

Franklin McGibbon (Meto Corporation) – Distribution

Kellie Magnus (Jack Mandora) – Publishing

A pressing area of focus for the new board is the strengthening of the association’s engagement of all stakeholders and partners. Raising public awareness regarding the work of the BIAJ is key in securing support for major initiatives and events such as the Kingston Book Festival which serves to generate opportunities for members while exposing Jamaicans to the local, regional and global literary landscape. In accepting the appointment, Chairman West-Blackwood stressed the importance of the BIAJ’s mandate of promoting literacy as a tool for national development. ‘Knowledge and intellectual property are now formally recognized as major drivers of productivity and economic growth. With this in mind, we plan to further engage communities –especially youth – across the island through key activities and increase our collaboration with the Ministry of Education as we work towards the common goal of full literacy,’ she said.

The new BIAJ website will be launched in September. For more information, please contact our Secretariat at:

iPublish Consultancy

Tel. 1 876 618-2037/527-4042

Email bookindustryja@gmail.com/biajchairman@gmail.com

Address: Mona Technology Park, UWI Mona Campus, Kingston 7

Unless you have been living under a rock (as they say) you would know that general elections are in the air. Three-quarters of last night’s television news broadcasts consisted of political party rallies (we need to watch these; are relevant issues, important to the Jamaican people, addressed at these rallies, or is it just “ray, ray”?) So now seems the best time to share with you a speech made Professor Trevor Munroe, Executive Director of National Integrity Action and Honorary Visiting Professor at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute (SALISES) at the University of the West Indies. The speech was given at Port Antonio High School in Portland on July 23, 2015.

Remember, SPEAKING OUT IS OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT!

Executive Director of National Integrity Action Professor Trevor Munroe. (Photo: Gleaner)

This afternoon I want to talk about your vote not only as your right , your responsibility but as your ‘voice’, as a fundamental part of your democratic right to ‘speak out’. In fact when our forefathers won the right to vote, they used it to win the right to speak out in other ways. This was not always so. A hundred years ago we Jamaicans could not speak out, could not speak our mind for anybody to hear. There was no democracy; one newspaper; no radio station; no talk show; no TV; no social media; no right to speak out. In fact, our National Hero Marcus Garvey did speak out. He said that judges who were not fair and not upholding the constitution should be sent to jail. Instead it was he who was sent to Spanish Town prison for three months– for speaking out.

While campaigning for a seat in the legislature in October 1929, Marcus Garvey suggested judges suspected of corrupt practices be impeached and imprisoned. The colonial government did not like this and sentenced Garvey to three months’ imprisonment for contempt of court. According to the book “Marcus Garvey: Life and Lessons,” this dashed Garvey’s hopes of a political career in Jamaica and influenced his decision to move to England a few years later.

No wonder, because at that time none of us in this room would have had the right to vote in those who would make the law. Then only one out of every ten Jamaicans, the few who owned the big properties and big merchant houses – they were the ones who mainly had the right to vote. And alongside them the English colonial rulers in London and the Governor – they made the laws and they made the laws such that we could be sent to prison if we spoke out.

As you know all that changed 71 years ago, in 1944. All adults, one out of two Jamaicans then and now won the right to vote, the first pre-dominantly black people in the world to achieve that milestone. This allowed us, then and now, to choose and remove our representatives, those who had the right to make the law; and our M.P.s changed the law to give us the right to speak out. And that right was further enshrined in the Jamaican Constitution Charter of Rights four years ago, along with the right to vote.

So today you and I can speak out without suffering Garvey’s fate. We can call Cliff Hughes’ Online, Hotline on RJR, Independent Talk on Power 106; we can text in our views on questions asked after TVJ News; we can do the same on LIVE at 7. We can write letters to the newspapers; we can post online comments; we can have our voice heard on the website of the Office of the Contractor General, the Auditor General or the Public Defender. In fact just as the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) and the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) are highly rated internationally because of how they administer the right to vote, so too the level of freedom of speech and freedom of the media in Jamaica is world class, in many years ranking above freedom of the press in America, in England and in many other democracies.

Some of us don’t know this; don’t appreciate nor realize that there are not many countries where you can can speak your mind, as in Jamaica, without getting locked up. Others of us know that we have the right to speak out and don’t make use of it. We will shoot off our mouths in the bar, at the bus stop, in the barbershop or at the hairdresser. We don’t feel it makes sense to speak out beyond that.

Others of us, thankfully, are and have been speaking out, getting results, showing that it makes sense – and we need to learn from them. It is because many of us spoke out thirty –six years ago that we got the maternity leave law which means now, today, that no woman can lose her job because she gets pregnant and is entitled to two months’ maternity leave pay while on leave to have their baby. Where that doesn’t happen, it is breaking the law.

Christopher “Dudus” Coke. (Photo: Wikipedia)

It is because so many Jamaicans spoke out , and not only because the Americans demanded it, that the self-confessed criminal don – Christopher “Dudus” Coke is no longer in Jamaica but now serving 23 years in prison.

It is because some Jamaicans spoke out that five years ago the Independent Commission of Investigation (INDECOM) was set up to investigate and prosecute police if and when they kill people without proper cause.

It was because so many Jamaicans spoke out that the old Board of the National Solid Waste Management Agency (NSWMA), which stood by and did nothing while the law was being broken for ten years by the agency in not auditing their accounts – that is why the Board was changed.

It is because so many Jamaicans spoke out that there is now a new Chairman of the National Housing Trust.

It is because so many Jamaicans spoke out, including people from Portland, for signing a petition for Local Government Reform that after twenty years these laws are now being passed; and it is because so many Jamaicans spoke out that we now have a Bill before Parliament to set up a Special Prosecutor for Corruption.

The moral of the story is clear: keep silent, say nothing – and nothing happens to change what you don’t like. Speak out; use your democratic right and things will happen. The more we speak out the more the ‘powers that be’ will have to listen.

Take the issue of ‘corruption in politics’ – the reason why 18% of those not voting, according to Don Anderson’s poll, say they are not voting. Keep quiet, and it shall continue. Speak out, and you can get government to pass the law now before Parliament for a Special Prosecutor for the corrupt; speak out to end the foot-dragging on the law to make it harder for big criminals and big money to buy influence in our parties or over our politicians. Remember he who pays the piper calls the tune.

Contractor General Dirk Harrison (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

And what about the 26% of those who are not voting ( according to Don Anderson) because ‘ politicians are for themselves’ and they, the people ‘ have not benefitted from either party’? The only way to change that is to ‘ speak out’ – for example, when you see the politician giving contracts to friend and family and not to those who can do the work. Report it to the Contractor General—that’s what people from Hanover did, and they had to change the Mayor.

And the 22% of those who are not voting because they said ‘ there was no difference between the parties’. How is that to change unless those inside the parties speak up to get the party to change; to make themselves different?

And there is much more to speak out against today:

• Speak out against the wasting of money; for example a billion dollars being spent every year on the NSWMA without any accountability. No wonder Jamaica ranks 109 out of 144 countries in wasteful spending of public money.
• Speak out to get more done about local government. Under the law we were to exercise our vote in Parish Council General Elections seventeen times since independence. We were only able to exercise this fundamental right eleven times, because different governments put off Parish Council elections. No government must be able to do this again. We must speak out to make the positive Constitutional recognition of Local Government more positive – by preventing any government from postponing Local Government Elections and requiring any administration to hold the local government election every four years.
• And talking about the Constitution, nine years ago it was agreed that the Electoral Commission should be entrenched in the Jamaican Constitution. We must speak out so that this is done, so that no government can in the present or the future simply abolish the ECJ.
• And should we not be speaking out to know who are the large tax payers, who according to the Minister are not paying their taxes, making it necessary to cut money spent on clinics, hospitals, schools; yet we publish the names of the students who received loans and are not living up to their obligations to pay back?
• Most of all should we not be speaking out to get the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to lower the Primary Surplus Target from 7.5%, to ease the burden of paying the debt which we must pay – and not leave it up to American Congressmen to ask the IMF to play fair? I cannot accept that they should be speaking out for me, and you and I keep quiet.

And so I urge you – let us use our voice, our democratic right more effectively to speak out for what is right, to change what is wrong now, in between elections, so that when elections come more of us will see that it make sense to vote in who we want and to vote out who we don’t want.

The Mission of National Integrity Action (NIA) is “to combat corruption and build integrity in Jamaica through the persistent promotion of transparency, accountability in the conduct of government, businesses and the wider society.” For more information on NIA, go to their website at http://niajamaica.org, where you may find a video of this presentation followed by questions and answers with the public. Address: 6A Oxford Road, Kingston 5 or P.O. Box 112, Kingston 7; tel: (876) 906-4371.

“Happiness” is always a difficult word. We never stop pursuing it though, do we – however we might define the word to ourselves. I am posting below a wonderful blog post from Damien Williams (I consider him a good friend), who has just started blogging again after a bit of a hiatus. Having suffered from depression myself for almost all my adult life, this resonates greatly with me. But in general, these are incredibly valuable guidelines for anyone, for a life that will fill itself with happiness. “Trial and error,” as Damien notes, is often the best way to find out.

Here is Damien’s article. I hope you find it helpful. The link is at:  http://dmarcuswilliams.blogspot.com/2015/08/10-commandments-of-happiness.html

10 Commandments of Happiness

I have, in the past, spoken openly about my battles with bipolar disorder (BPD)/depression. It is a dark and lonely place to be. The tendency is to try things to fill that void. I have come to realize over the last 17 years or so of dealing with BPD that the responsibility of my happiness was largely my own. Through trial and error; bouts of self-medicating and medication, I realized the power I had to manage BPD as well as to ensure that I cultivate an atmosphere of happiness in my own life. I have come up with 10 commandments of happiness that I believe will find resonance with very many persons:

1. Thou shall remove all clutter from your life. “Clutter” refers to all those things and people who no longer serve your greater good but are simply taking up space and energy in your life. You do not need those. Get rid of them.

2. Thou shall use your “No’s” generously. Do not be afraid to say ‘No’, especially if you find that requests are always being made of you to do something for someone. Over-extending yourself can be taxing on both your psyche and your resources. Interestingly, using your “No” helps to remove some of the “clutter” that is just sitting there.

3. Thou shall take time for you. Don’t be afraid to take a break. Usually, when we make decisions while “going through” we make a mess and add stress to our lives. Take a break: read a book, go sit by the river or beach or do whatever rocks your boat but take sometime away from whatever is bothering you. When you return, it most likely might be gone or at least you will be in a better head space to tackle it.

4. Thou shall have 2 or 3 friends that you can talk to. Nuh badda wid di crowd. The more friendships you have to manage and give yourself to, the more stressed you will be. select your inner circle wisely and keep that circle as small as possible. That circle will be your support system. To them you can vent, cry and celebrate moments together.

5. Thou shall not compare yourself nor compete with others. Listen to me! Stop trying to be a carbon copy of other people. More often than not, you will make a very poor copy and that will add to your frustration. You do not have to dress, speak, have the same job, education etc. like everyone else. Be you.

6. Thou shall have your own life’s motto that guides you. Some time ago I developed my own motto, “I AM worthy”. The meaning behind the motto itself is quite profound but every time I find myself in a situation that seeks to undermine my own happiness or peace of mind, I remind myself that I am worthy… of happiness…to be loved… to be respected… to be treated right.

7. Thou shall seek to do good. There is an inexplicable joy that is derived from doing good. The good that you do, does not have to be recognized or broadcast on Facebook or Instagram. The knowledge that you have made a difference alone will suffice. Looking back for rewards is what is going to stress you.

8. Thou shall forgive yourself and others. You might have heard it said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for someone else to die. That adage is true. The burden of carrying around yourself and others for errant ways is much to heavy. Forgiveness helps to lighten the load. Forgiveness is not forgetting the error, it is remembering that we all are humans (and human err).

9. Thou shall never give up on your dreams. Few things are as debilitating as unfulfilled dreams. So many times, many of us sit and wonder about “shudda, cudda, woulda”. We wonder what life could have been if we did… that is a life of regrets. Pursue your dreams, as crazy and out there as they may seemed but let it never be said that you did not try. There was a little poem we used to say as children that had a line, which said, “try and try again, boy. You will succeed at last.”

10. Take care of your physical body. Bathe. Brush your teeth. Put on some kuskus. Dress up. Exercise. There is a strong correlation between how we look and how we feel. Plus there are numerous studies that show that taking care of our physical bodies through nutrition and exercise and even how we dress helps us to feel happier. When I feel low in spirit, I look for the best thing in my closet (even if I have to wear it twice in one week) or I wear one of my ‘sexy’ underwears (sexy underwear makes me feel bold).

If you obey these commandments, I guarantee you, you will see a difference in your happiness quotient. And, remember, your happiness is a decision that YOU must make.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @DamienMWilliams
Like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/damienmarcuswilliams
Email me for speaking engagements: radicalwalk@hotmail.com
– See more at: http://dmarcuswilliams.blogspot.com

A glimpse of gold this week (not talking about medals this time!): the first “winter visitor” (a female American Redstart) appeared bright and early in our yard on August 31. An early arrival! What’s more, my first glimpse of her was with beautiful yellow butterflies fluttering around her! What a sight.

Register to vote! A Gleaner article (and the excellent diGJamaica blog) spells it out for us, so we have no excuse but to go and register. General elections are round the corner, and Director of Elections Orette Fisher says he will be fully prepared by the end of this month. He needs 18 – 20,000 election workers and says selection and training is under way, but they may need more. The Electoral Office of Jamaica has procured about “80 per cent” of the equipment it needs. Now, the voters’ list will be updated next on November 30. Any election run before that will use the May 31 list. Nevertheless, if there’s a December election they will use the November list, so get registered and vote! The link is here: http://digjamaica.com/blog/2015/09/01/how-do-i-register-to-vote-a-step-by-step-guide/

Talking of elections: Is the parish of St. Thomas going to be a campaign “hot spot”? It’s shaping up that way…

The Monymusk sugar estate was sold to the Chinese Pan Caribbean Sugar Company (My photo)

Sweet and Sour: The Chinese-owned Pan Caribbean Sugar Company, which bought the Monymusk factory in Clarendon some years ago, has laid off over 500 employees over the past two weeks or so; it is not clear whether these are permanent. Recently, almost 600 sugar workers were made redundant in St. Thomas. The negative impact on rural communities will be huge. Pan Caribbean (a subsidiary of the Chinese government-owned COMPLANT) took over the Monymusk, Bernard Lodge and Frome sugar estates in 2011 and has invested around US$180 million in new equipment and training. Despite this, Pan Caribbean’s then CEO admitted last year: “To manage a company in the sugar industry in this country is very difficult.” There was an approximately 20 per cent drop in production last year. The situation is not encouraging, but it might help if we had a full-time Agriculture Minister!

Back to school scramble: The Education Ministry has had the entire summer to prepare for next week’s school opening, but is clearly not ready. A metal detector is to be assigned to each school, and refurbishing, repairs and new furniture are needed in many educational institutions. But now there is a great rush to get organized; quite a few metal detectors have not been purchased yet and will arrive late, I understand. I guess the Ministry just did not have the funds until now.

Police Commissioner Williams, although completely unable to manage our rapidly rising murder rate, seems determined to continue weeding out “bad apples” from the Jamaica Constabulary Force. This is laudable. Now, the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) has arrested one of its own members in a sting operation as he sought a bribe from someone. A few policemen have been caught red-handed lately: this week a District Constable was arrested for forging his superior’s signature on a permit for a dance, and a policeman in Clarendon allegedly tried to break into a home, but was badly beaten by residents.

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson (centre, standing), observes while Principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Archibald McDonald (right), and Deputy General Manager at China Engineering Company (CHEC), Qiwu Yang (left), sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a $60 billion expansion programme at UWI, on August 26, at the UWI Campus. Also pictured is Deputy Principal of the University, Professor Ishenkunba Kahwa (right, standing). Photo: Jamaica Information Service

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) recently signed an agreement with the University of the West Indies for a huge expansion program on the Mona Campus, including a 100-room hotel in place of the Mona Visitors’ Lodge and a sports center. The University Hospital will double in size to 1,000 beds. However, I hope the hospital can be maintained and fully staffed, as well as new equipment, beds etc purchased. Is CHEC going to pay for all this, too?

But please, I beg you, CHEC! No more ugly Chinese Gardens, thanks! 

The Prime Minister, in party colors, stands up in Parliament to congratulate our successful athletes. (Photo: Jamaica Information Service)

As a certain radio talk show host pointed out this week, we know… The Prime Minister continues to sidestep all the tough issues. She has now set up a committee to decide how our glorious athletes from the World Athletics Championships should be honored, when they return to Jamaica with their medals. Of course, this will be a lovely distraction from the rampant crime, unemployment and the fact that the Jamaica Dollar is now valued at US$117.58. But I don’t want to be churlish; the athletes deserve every accolade and kudos – but not to be used as political pawns in the election campaign. They ran the races, not the People’s National Party!

Ms. Galina Sotirova is the new Country Manager for the World Bank in Jamaica. (Photo: World Bank)

New people: Galina Sotirova is now in Kingston as the new Country Manager for the World Bank office here. We wish her a fruitful and rewarding posting.

We also have a new Deputy Public Defender, and his name is Herbert McKenzie. He follows in the footsteps of the rather effective and popular Matondo Mukulu, who resigned on July 2. Wishing Mr. McKenzie well!

The debris containment boom at the mouth of the South Gully in Montego Bay. It has been collecting 50 – 70 pounds of plastic per week throughout the summer. (Photo courtesy of JET/Jamaica Observer)

Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica! I meant to mention this in my post on the launch of International Coastal Cleanup Day a week ago. The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) has a project under way, in collaboration with the Montego Bay Marine Park, to capture garbage carried down the South Gully into the sea. It has been there since the end of May but has not been tested by any major storms or downpours, so JET is not yet declaring it a success; but it has been collecting 50 – 70 pounds of plastic bottles per week for the past three months that would otherwise have ended up on a beach or coral reef. I remember hearing about this method being used in Cuba some years ago now. I really hope this project works and can be expanded.

St Catherine Chamber of Commerce president, Dennis Robotham. (Gleaner photo)

St. Catherine businessman Dennis Robotham says gang-riddled St. Catherine “has the potential” to do well business-wise, but business has been trending down recently because of the general economy. No mention of the rampant gang activity, extortion, etc!

Dr. Damien King. (Photo: Twitter)

Rainfall and the GDP: I have to quote a tweet from head of the Economics Department at the University of the West Indies Dr. Damien King: “So ‘GDP will be below expectations this year because of the drought.’ We should have been long past the era when GDP depends on rainfall.”

Students from Kingston, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth received scholarships from J. Wray & Nephew. (Photo: Loop Jamaica)

J. Wray & Nephew is 190 years old, and as part of its celebrations it has awarded 37 scholarships valued at over $7.6 million dollars to children of members of staff and families from surrounding communities for the upcoming school year. I hope they can continue with this. In another example of ongoing corporate generosity, Restaurant Associates Limited (Burger King) awarded over J$3.6 million in educational grants to worthy children – including two swimming scholarships – at their annual award ceremony. Their theme was “Dream to Change the World” – I like that.

Some of the students at the annual Burger King educational awards ceremony. (Photo: Loop Jamaica)

It deeply disturbs me that the murder rate is soaring, but many murders are hardly being reported, if at all. I know this, for a fact. Case in point: Damion Davis, AKA “D” – shot and killed by the police in Waltham Park, Kingston some time last week. Case in point: “Pitbull” and “Parky,” from the new housing complex at the top of Denham Town known as “Scheme,” shot and killed by gunmen around the same time. Has anyone seen any reports on these deaths? I sure haven’t.

Why is this? Yes, it’s election season so politics are going to grab headlines. But why is the local media seemingly reticent to report these murders? Is it because these are “only” gang-related? Is it only “uptown” or “high profile” murders that are followed up? Why are there no investigative reports, to find out who these sad victims were, why they had to die? Young Shanice Watts’ body was found in a shallow grave near the main road. How did her young life end like this?

And what about those who are not even identified, or their names are not even published in the media? Are their lives (and deaths) of no importance? A report came out that FIVE Jamaicans were murdered in St. Catherine overnight – none of them identified and the same brief report repeated by two or three media houses, with no names given. See the list below. And this is, by my count, eleven murders in four days since I last posted, not including the three mentioned above.

Ricardo Williams, 14, Olympic Gardens, Kingston (Canadian citizen)

Two men, one woman killed in Lakes Pen, St. Catherine

One man killed, LOJ Shopping Centre, Spanish Town, St. Catherine

One man killed, Old Market Street,Spanish Town, St. Catherine

Lumsden Tucker, 45, Winters Pen Road, Spanish Town, St. Catherine

Unidentified man, Frankfield, Clarendon

Shanice Watt, 20, Salt Spring, St. James (now identified)

Leo Hanlan, 40, May Day, Manchester

André McLeod, 22, Bus Park, Mandeville, Manchester

Koran Blair, 24, Bus Park, Mandeville, Manchester

This is the second part of my recent “day trip” with Ingrid Parchment, Executive Director of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM), across the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA). May I remind you, first of all, that the PBPA is Jamaica’s largest protected area, comprising 1,876 sq km of coastal land and sea, and cays such as Little Goat Island. The PBPA is home to birds, iguanas, crocodiles, manatees, marine turtles, and fish, many of which are endemic to the area. In 2010, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries gave C-CAM the mandate of managing three fish sanctuaries – but with limited resources.

We left Old Harbour Bay, and drove along the coast, a little further inland, along the dry and dusty Salt River Road. We drove around Freetown, past Longville Park, then through the district of Cockpit (not to be confused with Cockpit Country, of course – perhaps named for cock-fighting that took place there) and noticed white scars on the low, green hillsides from a limestone quarry.

If anywhere in Jamaica is indicative of the impact of climate change on the landscape, the parish of Clarendon is probably right up there. Always one of the drier parishes, Clarendon has suffered from extraordinarily low rainfall levels in the past year or two; this summer, according to the Meteorological Office of Jamaica, it has received around nine per cent of its normal 30-year cycle. El Niño is likely to continue at least until the end of the year. The rivers are dry. Serious beach erosion is another huge problem, all along the south coast. This part of the PBPA also suffered considerable damage during the Category Four Hurricane Ivan, which arrived on September 11, 2004, and has struggled to recover. As a part of an adaptation strategy, C-CAM and its partners plan to develop community-based tourism as an alternative to traditional livelihoods that are struggling.

An idyllic spot: a mineral spring along the Salt River Road in the Cockpit area.

We stopped at a refreshing spot along the road – a mineral spring, at the side of the river. The water was clear as a looking glass, and a couple were enjoying a dip. We turned off and came to a beach that Ingrid called “Welcome Beach,” right where the Salt River moves slowly to the sea. It’s a “local beach,” where residents come to relax, get a little sea air, splash in the water. It was sad to see, however, that it was submerged with piles of seaweed; the landscape had changed. Clouds of seaweed floated in the water, ready to add to the piles. I spotted two Ruddy Turnstones, busy feeding in the seaweed.

The seaweed carved by the incoming waves at Welcome Beach. The air was humid; the beach smelt unpleasant.

An important part of C-CAM’s work, as I have noted before, is community outreach. As we know, sargassum seaweed has become a problem right across the Caribbean, from east to west; Ingrid noted that the loss of the beach would have a negative impact on the lives of local people who used to enjoy it. “Livelihood is about more than earning money,” she pointed out. “It’s about peace of mind, the quality of your life.” This is just as important for rural residents as for city dwellers.

The Salt Harbour Fish Sanctuary sign at Welcome Beach, spelling it out.

Sargassum seaweed: the scourge of Caribbean beaches.

Just a short distance away, however, a man and two children, visiting from overseas, were enjoying themselves by the side of the Salt River. I spent a lot of time scanning the water for crocodiles, but did not see any. Not this time. I did photograph some Common Gallinules, looking as usual like small toys on the water. Turning back up the river, we stopped at a fishing boat post. There lay in the water the skeletons of sugar barges, left where they were last moored perhaps a hundred years ago, rotting and silent. I was irritated to find that the fishermen just threw their old oil containers and water bottles down on the edge of the water. Why couldn’t they keep this small area clean? “Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica!” 

Looking inland along the Salt River.

The next stop was at C-CAM’s Field Office on Salt River, situated on land belonging to the Monymusk Gun Rod and Tiller Club. As we arrived, a family was about to go out  for a fishing trip. If this sounds a little odd, I should explain that C-CAM works hard to maintain healthy and co-operative relationships with all stakeholders in the PBPA – and that includes bird shooters and sports fishers, who also have an interest in environmental sustainability. It’s all “a question of balance,” as they say.

The Field Office at Salt River is manned around the clock, with daily patrols of the area by C-CAM officers.

Field officers work hard, monitoring the area on a daily basis and collecting data on the fish – checking and moving fish pots around, measuring and weighing the fish and returning them to the water. I attended the opening of the Field Office, which received support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the California-based NGO Seacology and the local bauxite company WINDALCO.

We moved on to another very important site: C-CAM’s Wetland Interpretive Centre, which had a soft launch recently. And that is for Part Three of this account… Stay tuned!

For more information on the work of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) in the PBPA, please visit their website at http://www.ccam.org.jm. You can also find them on Facebook and on Twitter @ccamfngo. You can also visit my Flickr account (Bananakatie) for photographs of the opening of the Field Office in August 2013, which I attended, here: http://flickriver-lb-1710691658.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com/photos/bananakatie/sets/72157629863199887/

A Common Gallinule on Salt River.

There have been one or two surprises in the past few days: a big rain shower in Kingston, for example, and the Reggae Boyz’ 3-2 loss at home to Nicaragua in a World Cup qualifier. But it has been mostly an “I told you so” week. Predictability rules.

As if we didn’t know things were bad: Following numerous complaints, newspaper exposés and credible reports from all and sundry, the Ministry of Health decided to conduct an audit (or rather, a review) of the public health system. As if the Ministry didn’t know or suspect it, it found the allegations (and the actual facts) to be true – including the revelations by the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) not long ago about the awful conditions they work under in public hospitals.

Senator Marlene Malahoo Forte.

Good going: Meanwhile, Senator Marlene Malahoo Forte (Jamaica’s only Yale World Fellow, by the way) is showing her mettle. She’s Opposition Spokesperson on Health and did a good job this week, both at a press briefing called after the health audit was announced; and at a party meeting in St. Thomas (the Health Minister’s constituency), where she stood her ground while severely heckled by a group of People’s National Party (PNP) supporters. The meeting ended amicably. Senator Malahoo Forte is proposing a National Health Insurance scheme (not sure about this).

The Education Minister announces it has provided 200 water tanks for schools but is there any water to fill them? And these two photographs tell a story, I think… “Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health says schools experiencing great difficulty accessing water may have to be closed until the situation is normalized” – quoting Irie FM News. What?

A “Soakin’ Wett” water party in Negril sponsored by JB Overproof Rums. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

Lining up for water from a truck in Annotto Bay, St. Mary. (Photo: Everard Owen/Jamaica Observer)

Political tensions: Local media houses are very much focused on one or two tussles taking place in some constituencies, ahead of the elections. This is rather to be expected, and since I don’t know the internal affairs of the political parties (nor am I that interested) I don’t want to comment. What I would like to say is that I hope the Members of Parliament have time not just to discuss all the wonderful things they have done (fix up a clinic, etc) but talk about issues affecting their constituencies, honestly and openly: infrastructure, health, unemployment. And they need to be working with all their constituents, not just party supporters and diehards!

What is happening at the National Workers’ Union? Can a trade union go bust? Or is it just a bit of power play going on? Perhaps the PNP, to which it is affiliated, can sort things out.

An attempt at a selfie? Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (left) greets Venezuelan President Nocolas Maduro at the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on Saturday. (Photo: Paul Clarke/Gleaner)

Bolívar gets wheeled out again: During the PJ Patterson era, the Jamaican Government fell in love with Venezuela. At one point I was concerned that our Prime Minister was going to start wearing a red beret à la Chavista. Nicolás Maduro is not enjoying as much popularity as his predecessor, and is not holding it together very well at home; the Venezuelan economy is crumbling and crime is rising rapidly. However, the Latin American hero Simón Bolívar remains a rallying point for the country. Mr. Maduro (who rules by decree and has the Opposition Leader locked up in jail) has been having a nice time at China’s recent display of military might and is now enjoying the PetroCaribe Summit in Montego Bay, where the agreement was first signed. Everyone will make a speech.

Now, Bolívar happened to write a letter while in exile in Kingston, Jamaica – exactly 200 years ago – in response to an Englishman, Henry Cullen, a friend of his living in Falmouth at the time. It was what we would now call an “open letter.” Bolívar spent less than a year in Jamaica, during which time he survived an assassination attempt and made fairly unsuccessful efforts to get the support of the British Government for his military campaign. We already have a nice statue of El Libertador near National Heroes Park, and with a fitting sense of history, the Simón Bolívar Cultural Centre will be opened in downtown Kingston (close to where Bolívar stayed on Princess Street) with much pomp and ceremony (and no doubt, more speeches). Oh, if you want to know what Bolívar wrote, here is an English version of the Carta de Jamaica of September 6, 1815: http://faculty.smu.edu/bakewell/BAKEWELL/texts/jamaica-letter.html He was just 32 years old at the time, by the way, and already learning that liberating a continent doesn’t come easy.

Bloggers in the making: Women participating in WMW Jamaica’s PowHERhouse workshop actually drafted outlines of their first blog and wrote an opening paragraph. (My photo)

Women bloggers in the making: It was a real pleasure to talk to a vibrant group of around thirty women at another session in WMW Jamaica’s PowHERhouse workshops. My intention was to inspire them to start blogging and to use a blog as a platform for advocacy! I urged them to find their passion, their special focus – and get started, reminding them that a blog post does not have to be a 2,000 word essay! Just recently, long-time tech blogger Ingrid Riley commented on the need for “more Caribbean blogs of substance,” and I support her 100% on that. See this link:  http://www.siliconcaribe.com/2015/08/18/call-to-action-the-need-for-more-caribbean-blogs-of-substance/ Another veteran Jamaican blogger, Jamaipanese, is planning a Caribbean Blog Carnival; if you are a blogger, look it up and register on the Facebook page.

I am pleased to see the Press Association of Jamaica has included a Blog category in its annual awards this year. Is this the sign of greater recognition? I do hope so.

Fourth Digicel Run: Digicel Foundation will hold its fourth annual Night Run/Walk on Saturday, October 10  starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Digicel headquarters downtown. Participants in the race can complete their registration online at http://www.runningeventsja.com and enjoy an early bird rate of $1000 until September 10, 2015, or pay $1500 thereafter. Registration will close on September 28. Beneficiaries this year include a number of special needs organizations, as well as the Special Olympics team. Last year’s event raised J$6.9 million.

Opposition Spokesman on National Security, Derrick Smith, says there has been a 20% increase in the murder rate, when compared to the same period last year. Some 800 people were murdered up to the end of August. Smith says the parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Hanover, and Westmoreland are responsible for 257 of them. So far as I know, National Security Minister Peter Bunting has not commented on the matter, much. He must be distracted. Meanwhile, in the four days since I last wrote this commentary, twelve Jamaicans have been murdered. Three per day on this little island. My condolences to all those who are mourning, this Sunday.

Naraine Waugh, 34, Pine Street/Maiden Road, Kingston

Unidentified man, Haywood Street, Kingston

Pastor David Roper, 39, Mud Town/Papine, St. Andrew

Tyrique Hall, 32, Linstead, St. Catherine

Joseph Taylor, 24, Bypass Savannah, Newmarket, St. Elizabeth

Jason Daley, 24, Bypass Savannah, Newmarket, St. Elizabeth

Unidentified man, May Pen, Clarendon

Jerome Malcolm, 24, Glendevon, St. James

Unidentified man, Cornwall Court, St. James

David Folkes, 39, Greenwich Acres/Mammee Bay, St. Ann (on August 24)

Sean Clarke, 37, Newton Street, Falmouth, Trelawny

Lebert Campbell, 56, Port Antonio Market, Portland

Jason Daley (left) and Joseph Taylor were shot dead while playing dominoes with a group of people in St. Elizabeth on Wednesday. Three others were injured in the gun attack. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

A police officer points to bloodstains on the step of the Greater Work Revival Mission Church in Mud Town, St. Andrew, where Pastor David Roper was shot dead on Wednesday night. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

They are leaving us, one by one. Like migrating birds.

These are not sad departures however, even though there is a certain amount of nervousness involved. The eleven Jamaican Chevening Scholars received official blessings on a humid Sunday afternoon on the lawns of the British High Commission, after a pre-departure session two days earlier.

The Chevening Scholarship is the UK Government’s global scholarship program, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and partner organizations. Scholars are selected for their potential as future leaders, decision-makers and opinion-shapers, on their return to their various countries. There were over 1,500 scholarships globally in 2015/16. The number of Jamaicans has increased dramatically due to increased funding. There were just three Jamaicans last year; one of them, Alicia Maragh, is featured on the Chevening banner worldwide. This year’s group will all be pursuing Master’s degrees in the UK for one year.

With her bright smile, Jamaican Chevening Scholar Alicia Maragh, who is just completing her Master’s degree at London School of Economics and Political Science, is the “poster girl” for the program worldwide. (My photo)

The Chevening Eleven (six men, five women) are, of course, heading in the wrong direction at this time of year. Now is the time when northern nights grow chilly, and days grow shorter. A large part of the discussion at the pre-departure briefing last Friday was about the English weather, keeping warm, always carrying an umbrella, and staying healthy; take lots of Vitamin C all the time, I would advise! A past scholar who addressed the group, Edgar Bennett (who attended the University of South Wales in Cardiff) said he “never really adjusted to the weather.” It takes much longer than a year to adjust, I would say. The soft-spoken Mr. Bennett, who studied forensic science in 2013/14, said he was often surprised by interactions with people from different cultures in the UK. “I had unexpected moments of kindness,” he said. He learned to be more respectful, more tolerant, and to appreciate the diverse society, and enjoyed the variety of experience and the friendships he made.

British High Commissioner David Fitton emphasized this important aspect of the Chevening program when he addressed the scholars. “It is an opportunity to network,” he pointed out, “to get to know others, develop friendships and partnerships.” We all know networking is more important than ever these days; but it should be with a purpose and, eventually, to create impact. One often does not recognize the (mutual) benefits at the time, but developing such relationships very often turns into something valuable. HC Fitton also reminded the scholars:“Think about the impact you want to make on  your return.”  

Well, we know tea is important in the UK, don’t we? It is more than a ritual, it is a way of life. The Chevening Scholars were duly indoctrinated on Sunday afternoon. (My photo)

The Sunday afternoon tea party was a celebration, with family, friends and supporters of the outgoing scholars – who all looked very stylish. A great deal of tea was sipped (at least, by me) – the Indian Chai was superb. The High Commission’s best china was out. Tables were spread on the expansive lawns, and after short speeches from the High Commissioner and Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, certificates were handed out. Then, more tea, and a great deal of nibbling.

Chevening Scholar Tenesha Myrie (second left) with her parents and sister Ameka, who is also starting her Master’s in Environmental Studies at the University of the West Indies. (My photo)

I sat down with Tenesha Myrie and her family – her sister and parents from the cool hills of Christiana, Manchester. An attorney at law with a special interest in human rights and women’s issues, Tenesha will be studying for a Master’s in Public Policy at Oxford University’s newest college,  Green Templeton College – right in the heart of the city. I felt a strong twinge of both envy and nostalgia, Oxford being my alma mater. I know it will be a richly rewarding experience for Tenesha.

The entrance to Green Templeton College, University of Oxford. (Photo from the college website)

After we had sipped our tea, guests began to mingle a little. I visited a few tables, including one where Chevening Scholar Chadine Allen sat next to a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Damion McIntosh (Damion, I do recall, was selected by the Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the United States as the Most Outstanding MBA student for the academic year 2007/2008 and went on to complete his Ph.D. there). Chadine, for her part, will be attending the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London to pursue a Master’s in Migration, Mobility and Development – an interesting field that is becoming increasingly relevant.

Chevening Scholar Chadine Allen (in teal blue) and Fulbright Scholar Dr. Damion McIntosh (in pink shirt) with friends and family at the Chevening tea party. (My photo)

What are the others doing? Let me list the names of the wonderful people whom I have not named above…

Radio reporter Rashawn Thompson and his rather serious young brother (aged six) at the tea party. (My photo)

• Apart from Oroyo Eubanks, there is another media person, whose warm voice is very familiar to me on the radio. Rashawn Thompson of Nationwide News Network will be pursuing a Master’s of Arts Degree in International Media Business at the University of Westminster. Oroyo will also be at Westminster, studying for a Master’s in Media and Development.

(Top) Grace Lindo, Tenesha Myrie and (Below) Melissa Townsend and Adley Duncan squeeze into a frame. (My photo)

• Attorney-at-law Grace Lindo, who practices intellectual property and commercial law at Nunes Scholefield DeLeon & Co. in Kingston, will pursue a Masters of Law in Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Chevening Scholars at their pre-departure session. Somehow, Adley Duncan seems to be in the front and middle of every group photograph! (My photo)

• Another attorney-at-law who is employed by the Jamaican Government, the inimitable Adley Duncan, will be reading for a Master of Laws in Human Rights Law at University College, London.

• Assistant Superintendent of Police Gordon Ellison will pursue a Master’s in Organized Crime, Terrorism and Security at the University of Essex.

Lavare Henry and Sherika Whitelocke-Ballingsingh enjoy a joke at the pre-departure briefing. (My photo)

• Melissa Townsend is a Project Engineer at the National Water Commission; she will pursue a Master’s in Civil Engineering with a focus on Environmental Engineering and Engineering Management at the University of Southampton (what could be more important than water, for Jamaica?)

Framed: Chevening Scholar Jerome Cowans and his parents at the tea party. (Photo: Facebook)

• Jerome Cowans, an internationally known development advocate, will pursue a Master’s in Management at the University of Birmingham.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Gordon Ellison receives his certificate from High Commissioner David Fitton. (My photo)

• Sherika Whitelocke-Ballingsingh is a licensed Public Health Inspector with the Western Regional Health Authority; she will pursue a Master’s in Public Health International at the University of Leeds (and yes, Sherika, it does get rather cold up there!)

• Lavare Henry, who teaches at Campion College, wants to research how to effectively lead and manage change in educational institutions. He will be pursing an MSc. in Education (Leadership and Policy) at the excellent “red brick” University of Bristol.

What more is there to say, except to wish all the Chevening Scholars well? Jamaica will miss you; but make the most of all your opportunities. Then again, I know you will!

The brilliant youth activist and beautiful St. Ann girl Kemesha Kelly was at the tea party to lend support. (Photo: Sleek)

In a snazzy mint jacket, Oroyo Eubanks of the Jamaica Information Service receives his certificate. Education Minister Ronald Thwaites was telling the High Commissioner that Oroyo used to produce his program when Minister Thwaites was a talk show host on Power 106 FM – in another life… (My photo)