STAGGERING JAMAICA
In Kingston, Jamaica, inside the high walls of Admiral Town police station, tired women
and children, refugees of Kingston's latest gang wars, begged for food from visitors and
wondered when they could go home. Hundreds of people have fled escalating violence in poor
neighborhoods of Jamaica's capital in recent weeks, taking refuge with friends and
relatives and creating makeshift camps inside police stations. Some 500 people have been
killed in Jamaica so far this year, including 71 in the past three weeks alone, prompting
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to declare war on what he called "a spate of criminal
madness."
The Prime Minister has launched a sweeping Crime Reduction Plan, which gives the military
wide authority to crack down on crime, saying soldiers would become a permanent fixture in
the most troubled inner-city neighborhoods of Kingston.
Outposts
The purpose of these joint police military outposts is to reduce crime, keep
warring parties apart, and find the guns and ammunition which have caused a steady stream
of blood in these poor neighborhoods. Operational features of these outposts include,
cordon and search, spot checks, and multiple mobile and foot patrols.
For instance, the Franklyn Town Center post will be manned by 4 police officers and 79
soldiers of all ranks. They will work in three 8-hour shifts with small foot patrols and 2
mobile patrols. Patrols' size increase at night to provide a stronger presence. Other
outposts include some very unlikely sites such as the St Richard's Catholic Church on Red
Hills Rd, and the Seaview Gardens Primary School. These are desperate times and "desperate
times call for desperate measures" or maybe "desperate crimes
call for desperate measures."
PM's plea
PM Patterson has asked for increased citizen's vigilance, community policing, and
full co-operation with security forces while they conduct their searches. Not only the
extreme poverty has played a role in this escalation, but the large numbers of deportees
from the US, who have no real ties to Jamaica and have been well trained in criminal
activities here in the US.
Statesman -Antigua's Vere C. Bird
Sir Vere C. Bird, who brought independence to Antigua and founded a political
dynasty that continues to rule, died recently. He was 89. He was pronounced dead at St.
John's Holberton Hospital, where he had been in intensive care for three weeks. Bird rose
from poverty and overcame a lack of formal education. He became a union leader who defied
British colonizers in the 1950's to demand higher wages for sugar cane cutters. Bird led
his country to independence from Britain in 1981 and still is revered by many for that.
Prime Minister Lester Bird, paid movipublic funeral ceremony. Similar tributes came from
many dignitaries including Sir Shridath Rampal, CARICOM's chief negotiator, Sir James
Carlisle, the Governor General of Antigua and opposition leader Sir Baldwin Spencer.
He was laid to rest with a 19-gun salute in Heroes Park, an honor richly deserved as he is
Antigua's only national hero.
Jamaica's Crown Prince of Reggae - Dennis Brown
Jamaica's crown prince of reggae has left this mortal earth to join fellow reggae
pioneers such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Just before his death, he was reported to be
in the midst of planning a new reggae project, when he came down with what seemed like a
mild flu attack. To everyone's surprise, he never recovered and died suddenly and
unexpectedly, plunging Jamaica into mourning.
His career spanned thirty years as he begun when he was only 12. He produced 60 albums,
countless singles, and had carved out a permanent spot in the hearts of millions of fans
in Jamaica and across the world. He was buried in Heroes Park, an honor reserved for
national heroes. In his funeral service, witnessed by thousands at the National Arena,
glowing tributes were paid to him by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition
as well as many others. The musical tributes from fellow musicians transformed what could
have been a somber event into a real celebration of his music filled life and was indeed a
fitting tribute.
The nurses at the Barbados state-run Queen Elizabeth hospital went on strike in mid-June for 7 days. They demanded improved working conditions. Consequently, non-emergency services were canceled. Hospital officials had to appeal to citizens to tend to their bed-ridden relatives in the hospital. In the end, after a long discussions with the Health Minister and the nurses union, the nurses agreed to resume work in exchange for a meeting the next month in order to address the need for more staff, and other grievances.
First the gas tax riots forced the Jamaica police to put down menacing crowds and mayhem all over Jamaica. As mentioned in this issue's headline story they are on the frontlines in the battle to retrieve certain poor neighborhoods from armed and vicious gangs. In recent months, they have witnessed the brutal and deliberate killing of an alarming number of their fellow officers.
Sick-out
But on July 2nd it was their time to show their dissatisfaction. By midday that
Thursday, about 800 officers out of a total of 7,000 called in sick and did not show up
for work. This sick-out affected police stations all over the country, but the Police
Commissioner reported the force was able to maintain their duties.
More confrontation
Despite the alarming crime rate, the very same citizens that police are trying to
protect, turn into angry mobs and continue to confront police as they undertake their
duties of apprehending criminals. The most famous case of "Zekes" who was
arrested for murder, but was released from jail because of the mobs. They defended him as
a "civic community leader". Several similar incidents where the police's
"dangerous criminal" is the crowds "innocent victim of police
brutality". This is a clear path to anarchy and breakdown of law and order.
In one of the most recenh took place in John's Heights in St. Catherine, one man was
killed, 1 woman shot, there was a massive anti-police demonstration in which 26 people
were arrested, 2 police vehicles burnt and 2 others badly damaged.
Part of the police problem in their battle is also a battle against their reputation for
police brutality. About 10 years ago, I, myself witnessed flagrant police brutality.
Despite my complaints, verbal and written, to many media, politicians, police officials,
and even a human rights organisation, they were completely ignored. Thankfully times have
changed. Commissioner Forbes reacted this time immediately by
Barbados should be proud. It is rated the number one country in the Caribbean and the developing world in its efforts to reduce poverty. According to a Human Development Report 1999 commissioned by the United Nations Development Program, Barbados rated a 2.6 on the Human Poverty Index (HPI).The sometimes surprising rankings for the other Caribbean countries in order are:
Other Caribbean countries were not ranked owing to insufficient data.
According to an AP report, recently A U.S. firm looking to set up a satellite launching site in Guyana has run into a snag, with Venezuelan officials claiming the land belongs to them. Beal Aerospace Technologies of Frisco, Texas, is considering locating the pad in Guyana because of delays in winning permits to build on Anguilla's Sombrero Island in the Caribbean. Guyanese officials saare concerned by reports in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional quoting Foreign Minister Jose Vincente Rangel as saying his government objects to the project because it is in Essequibo County, claimed by Venezuela since the 1940s.
Hail to the new champions! Perennial champions Trinidad and Tobago dethroned Jamaica, the Reggae Boys, in the Copa Caribe Soccer Tournament. T&T went undefeated in the tournament, including a 1-0 defeat of Jamaica in the 1st round. In the final, they defeated Cuba in sudden death overtime 1-0. Cuba had eliminated Jamaica 2-0 in the semi-finals.
In Netball Jamaica's national netball team, the Reggae Girls are ranked number 5 in the world. England has the superior ranking of no 4. But, the Reggae girls ignored the ranking when they toured England and defeated them in all three games. Congrats!
Guyana and West Indies cricket star batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, got sucked into the atmosphere of tension, unrest and violence that has permeated Guyana. Chanderpaul was on the Atlantic sea wall where people often jog and couples spend time. He thought that he was being attacked by thieves. He pulled his licensed revolver and fired. The man he hit turned out to be a policeman instead of a thief. Fortunately it was not fatal, but the policeman was hospitalized.
"Reggae boy" Robbie Earle, who created history when he scored Jamaica's first World Cup Final goal against Croatia in France in 1998, was among this years awardees at the queen of England's birthday ceremony. The 32 year-old English based Earle was awarded the MBE, Member of the British Empire.
The total amount owed to the UN by delinquent members over the past 10 years is estimated to be $2.3 billion dollars. Of that amount, $1.6 billion is owed by the US. Actually the US debt should no longer be considered overdue dues, but should be considered ransom. The Republican controlled Congress, is demanding unilateral UN policy and procedural change as hostage for payment.
According to UNESCO only 15 countries in the world showed economic growth from 1980 to 1996.
I attended Carnival 1998 in Baltimore, Maryland, and Carnival 1999 in Washington DC. Both Carnivals were hailed as great successes and they were. However, I think some objective criticism designed to make it better is needed.
First of all the interval between the bands in the street parade is too long. Waiting for over half an hour or more between each band in ninety odd degree heat is almost unbearable. It is bad enough for onlookers but must be murder for the carnival participants. Such waiting around is ridiculous and is probably expensive too as it ties up the road, police, and traffic for those long periods of time with nothing happening. To participate in the parade is to risk heatstroke under those dragged-out conditions. Do something about that. Please make the parade continuos.
The other problem is the onlookers who join in the parade. The costumed participants have obviously gone to tremendous trouble to produce these bright beautiful and creative costumes and these costumed bands together depict a theme. This is disrupted by onlookers joining in, mixing with the costumed revelers and thereby, disrupt and diminish the costumed band effect, if not block out many of the members completely. It is not fair to those who have devoted time, money and resources to "play mask". I can understand the need to want to join in the merriment, but they should join in behind the masked bands, not among them.
Congrats to the organisers. These carnivals require tremendous logistics and coordination. It is a magnificent achievement of which the organisers should be very proud. However, in future, I hope some attention is paid to these two points.
Reversing earlier denials, the U.S. Navy confirmed it used napalm on the island training ground that has become the focus of an escalating feud between Puerto Rico and the United States. The Navy said in a report that it dropped 24 bombs of the intensely flammable chemical on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in 1993. Activists say the admission bolsters claims by the Puerto Rican government that military exercises contaminated the island with explosives residue and chemicals. The government estimates the cancer rate among the island's 9,400 residents is 2o Rican average.
Prison
Fifty correctional officers recently graduated from training in conflict
resolution. The graduates underwent an intense 6-week training program aimed at minimizing
conflicts in prison, improving prison relationships, and equipping both wardens and
inmates with critical skills. This enlightened program is designed to foster " a
culture of peace through education, rehabilitation and empowerment". It is a joint
project of the department of Correctional Services and UNESCO. Its pilot phase will run
for 2 years and will target some 200 inmates.
Environmental
In the past, loading of alumina on ships at the dock involved huge white clouds
of dust, coughing and sneezing. But, not anymore at the Alcan port. A new shiploading
system has gone into effect which eliminates that problem so effectively that no one can
tell that a ship is being loaded. The cost of this new system was about US$8 million and
was installed by local engineers and contractors. This brings the operation in compliance
with the Natural Resources Act which was passed in 1991. Nearby communities, plagued by
dust problems in the past not only can breathe a sigh of relief, but can now breathe.
Cuban officials have filed a lawsuit demanding $181 billion from the U.S. government for damages that Cuba says it has suffered in U.S. attacks over the last four decades. The lawsuit filed on behalf of women's, small farmers and other groups was in response to a U.S. federal court judge's demand the Cuban government pay the families of three of four civilian pilots killed in a shootdown off the island's coast. The tribunal said the U.S. government had caused far more with incursions into Cuban territory and attacks on diplomatic missions and aircraft in the last 40 years.
Guyana Air 2000, the private sector reincarnation of government-owned Guyana Airways, has flown its inaugural flight to New York. The airline toocapital Georgetown for New York, after the U.S. government approved the route earlier this month. The Department of Transportation had been refusing to approve the airline until the Guyanese government agreed to allow U.S. carrier North American Airlines to fly to Guyana. North American has since made its first flight from New York to the South American country. For two months, the Guyanese government balked at approving North American, and the U.S. government barred Guyana Air in return. The former Guyana Airways collapsed in February.
For the first time, Canada has given permission for the cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes. The Health Minister of Canada special exemptions from federal drug laws to two AIDS patients. "This is about showing compassion to people, often dying, suffering from grave debillitating illness," he said. He further invited bids to supply marijuana for use in coming clinical trials. People with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS claim marijuana relieves pain and stimulates appetite.
The good news is that imports for the first quarter of 1999 declined by J$59 million approximately 8%. The imports were valued at J$647 million. However exports for the same period also fell. These exports totaled J$293 million, down from J$370 million during the same period in 1998. The trade deficit stands at J$354 million, which is greater than total exports.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a delegation to Cuba recently to try to boost private enterprise in that country. The Clinton administration opposes trade with Cuba under President Fidel Castro but gave the Chamber a license for the trip.
Jamaican farmers have triumphed in acheiving a massive increase in agricultural produce. So many places in the world, people face starvation from drought and other scourges both natural and manmade. But, this fertile island came through this time. So much for the good news, now for the bad.
It seems like these dilligent farmers have been victimized by a law, a law of economics, the law of supply and demand. So, now that they have produced this bounteous harvest, the price for their produce has dropped like a stone. The price of eskallion plunged more than 81% in the first quarter of this year, moving from J$95.41 last year to J$17.60! Tomato, similarly, fell from J$45.78 to J$25.35. Cabbage , although not as bad, also fell from J$23.63 to J$19.53, a drop of 17%.
Although the report did not mention it, I am sure imports played a role in this price depression. Farmers in Jamaica and all over the Caribbean labour under many adverse conditions, such as praedial larceny, irregular weather conditions, bad roads for transportation etc.. They perform a vital role and need support, instead of having to fend off globalization and so called "free trade" policies taking away their market at home. Remember the words of an old Jamaican saying, "Parson christen him pickney fust."
The National Association of Jamaican Supportive Associations (NAJASO) have called for member organisations to hold discussions on a series of topics aimed at focussing on the problems and how member organisations can help Jamaica in the coming millenium. On Saturday June 7, Jamaica Association of Maryland (JAM), held their first forum on this selecting agriculture, health issues and womens issues as the topics.
It was Great!
Even though the meeting started over an hour late, and even though the expert on
agriculture did not show up, it was great. So much so that I think the experience gained
from this meeting could serve as a model for other associations. The meeting was scheduled
that Saturday for 11 am to 4 pm. Although it started late the forum chairman, Dorothy
Richards, who did such an excellent job at organising everything, was resolute that it
would end promptly at 4 and it did.
Although over 150 invitations had been sent out by mail as well as radio publicity, there
was a low turn-out. So once again as I've done many time before (see Hot Calaloo Vol 8#1 -
Caribbean Apathy and Priorities), I had to ask myself "Whe dem deh?" The
discussion started with a mere 6 persons, including a member who had come to Baltimore all
the way from Philadelphia, but grew in numbers.
The Nuts and Bolts
I think a crucial part to the success was the seating, which was re-arranged into
one growing circle, growing as new persons arrived. A facilitator made sure the
discussion:
Persons with expertise and knowledge shared that with the group. Others responded to that information, gave their opinions, their own personal experiences, their misgivings, their praise, etc.
Outcome
There was strong feeling that environmental concerns deserved a more
prominent position on the set agenda of forum topics. Another great concern was the
difficulty of donating goods and services and ensuring they reach their destination in
Jamaica. Customs, Government red tape, insensitivity and inefficiency were seen as major
stumbling blocks. This is a big problem. However, it had to be acknowledged that there are
unscrupulous persons who use donations as a pretext to smuggle duty free goods for resale
in Jamaica. Prevention of these abuses makes it bad for everyone and results in the
Government red tape and custom problems. But, the good news is that NAJASO and JAM have
made prior arrangements with Government officials to provide a smooth frustration-free
transfer of these donations. Unfortunately, this information is not widely known and both
NAJASO and JAM representatives promised to make this information
more available.
Hats off
Hats off to the previously-mentioned organiser and JAM vice president,
Dorothy Richards, JAM President Ricardo Nugent and of course Maryland Delegate Shirley
Nathan-Pulliam. Shirley always seem to make time for JAM functions
despite her jam-packed Maryland State House duties and schedule. Hats off also to the
others who helped set it up and every participant for making the discussion so lively and
interesting. But, best of all was the warm comfortable feeling the meeting generated,
instead of the typical superficial aloof atmosphere, that is typical for so many meetings
especially for new members.
Can you imagine post offices in Jamaica where
there is no theft of letters, standard next day delivery, and good counter service?. Maybe
not an impossible dream!
The dynamic Minister of Commerce and Technology, Phillip Paulwell, continues to show more
vision and innovation, this time in the reorganisation of the postal service. A completely
new government corporation, the Postal Corporation of Jamaica (Postcorp), will not only
carry out all the existing functions, but undertake new ones. He is committed to very bold
ambitious plans to modernize and extend core mail services, telecommunications, and create
related new commercial enterprises in joint venture partnerships with blue chip, local and
overseas business partners.
Specific objectives include:
Comments
What a great idea! Minister Paulwell is really on the ball! "Bravo Mr. Phillip
"On-the-Ballwell"! Sounds like these new postal centers will be similar to Mail
Boxes, franchise operation with branches all over the US. It also sounds perfect for PWP, Partnership With People type operation.
For 5 years Trinidad and Tobago did not have a
single hanging. Then, within 5 days the government carried out 9. After years of
wrangling, the last court of appeal, the Privy Council in England, gave their approval
finally. Furthermore, the Prime Minister has promised that about 20 more on death row will
follow soon. The nine consisted of notorious drug lord, Dole Chadee, and 8 members of his
gang. They had been convicted of murdering a family of 4 five years ago.
Jamaica and other Caribbean countries plan to expedite hangings too now that the obstacles
presented by the Privy Council seems to be removed. Although there is sentiment against
these hangings on human rights bases, there is strong public sentiment for the hangings,
fed by a growing rate of vicious crimes.
Hail to the new champions! Perennial champions Trinidad and Tobago dethroned Jamaica, the Reggae Boys, in the Copa Caribe Soccer Tournament. T&T went undefeated in the tournament, including a 1-0 defeat of Jamaica in the 1st round. In the final, they defeated Cuba in sudden death overtime 2-1. Cuba had eliminated Jamaica 2-0 in the semi-finals.However, Jamaica as defending champs will join T&T in the Gold Cup competition next year.