Catch-Up Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Forgive me, dear readers, if I don’t capture all the ups and downs of the past week or so – I have been absent, have undoubtedly missed some things and am just updating myself (and you) on all the current happenings. Henceforth, I will return to normal transmission…

The scene of a protest this week at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, over the sacking of Professor Brendan Bain. They have a fondness for duct tape, which means of course that it’s rather a quiet demonstration. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

Rumbling and ranting on: The arguments to and fro related to the dismissal of Professor Brendan Bain from his position as head of CHART (the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network) are rumbling on in the media. The chorus of Christian fundamentalists (including the raucous Betty-Ann Blaine, who quickly jumped on board) continues to reverberate, as they protest on the University of the West Indies campus. This has all been amplified by the media, who have generally (with one or two notable exceptions) encouraged a “them vs. us” stance – quite unnecessary. The ill-informed commentary on the radio talk shows continues unabated, with some hosts seemingly in the dark on the real issue – which was, simply put, conflict of interest. One talk show host even remarked, “I wonder who the stakeholders are” on the issue. Really.

Why so much upset? Of course, the real reason why there is still so much heat around this issue is that it involves the gay community. Otherwise, I expect Jamaicans in general would have continued to pretty much ignore the fight against HIV and AIDS. (The fight isn’t over yet!) I applaud all those across the Caribbean working in the field – and to reduce stigma and discrimination. They are doing wonderful work.

Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for Manchester Southern Michael Peart.

Apologies all round: Two prominent People’s National Party Members of Parliament (MPs) made major faux pas in the past few days. I am not quite sure if I have entirely forgiven them and think they got off rather lightly. Michael Peart, his face wet with emotion and perspiration, spoke at the funeral of a mother and her two children, who were murdered recently near Porus, Manchester. Mr. Peart – who is also Speaker of the House of Representatives – said,“… Sometimes things happen in our communities and we take it too simple. That man shouldn’t have reached police station,” to some applause from the congregation. In other words, the alleged murderer should have been killed by a vengeful mob? He apologized in a radio interview and said he was upset. (Another Manchester MP, Audley Shaw, used the occasion to advocate for the return of capital punishment).

Cassandra Carridice and her sons Roshan and Jovan were stabbed to death on April 29, allegedly by a man with whom Ms. Caridice had a relationship.

Then Junior Tourism Minister and MP Damion Crawford put his foot in it (not for the first time) at a party meeting last weekend. He ruffled so many feathers  that it’s hard to know where to start. One remark that he subsequently apologized for – on radio and on Twitter – referred to “dutty Laborites” – an insulting phrase describing Jamaica Labour Party supporters. Lost in his rambling speech were a few quite relevant and truthful comments about challenges faced by MPs in serving their constituents. Many of his comments seem sadly divisive, coming from a young politician. If you care to, you can listen to his speech here: https://soundcloud.com/nationwide-newsnet/damion-crawford-speech-may27-2014 

Just quieten down a bit please, Mr. Crawford. And stay off Twitter for a while…

Do I have to remind these two that they are leaders, and therefore should set an example? Mr. Crawford apologized, vowing: “I pledge to never allow this kind of utterance to escape my lips in the future as I try to make a positive difference in my country.” Yes, please try. Meanwhile, I would suggest he stops tweeting about “revolution” etc and move on… Too much is escaping his lips (or his keyboard) these days!

A storm in a Twitter cup? Well, one night – when the Jamaican Twittersphere starts warming up – we learnt that the Jamaica Meteorological Service had suspended its Twitter account. Why? Apparently someone was using the account inappropriately, with the occasional rather personal and unofficial remarks. Then on Monday, that person deactivated the account without permission, instead of “suspending” it. The Met Service says it has to work on establishing “guidelines and protocols” on the use of Twitter (oh, so they didn’t have any before?) I must say I followed them and found their tweets informative and enjoyable! But…

And all this is happening just a few days before the start of the hurricane season on Sunday, June 1.

Can someone please give ALL government employees, MPs and agencies a crash course on the “do”s and “don’t”s of Twitter? No, MP Julian Robinson does not need to do this. He is almost the only one who “gets it” !

Professor Anthony Harriott.

A good choice: The Governor General has appointed Professor Anthony Harriott of the University of the West Indies’ Institute of Criminal Justice and Security as the third commissioner for the upcoming enquiry into the Tivoli Gardens massacre. He will join Barbadian Sir David Simmons and former appeals court judge Hazel Harris. This seems to me a good choice; Professor Harriott has many years of research and expertise in the field. I am glad he has replaced the controversial Velma Hylton, QC, who was indeed a most inappropriate selection.

The condition at the Montego Bay Yacht Club, showing some of the garbage that is washed into the harbor, most of which will get caught up on reefs or end up on beaches downstream. This was the scene at Montego Bay’s harbor, May 19. – Photo by Janet Silvera/Gleaner

Travails in Montego Bay: A Series of Unfortunate Events (to coin a phrase) has affected Montego Bay in the past week or so. Last week, tremendously heavy rains caused flooding and chaos, especially downtown. During the floods, two little boys, eight-year-old twins Brandon and Brayden Jones, were swept away by floodwaters after they fell into a gutter in Cornwall Courts. The coastline was overwhelmed with plastic bottles and other debris washed down from the gullies.

Twins Brandon and Brayden Jones drowned in the floods in Montego Bay last week. Two lovely little boys…

Then there has been a homicidal outbreak of dramatic proportions, since the “high-profile” murder of a People’s National Party activist, Kenrick “Bebe” Stephenson on Sunday night. Curiously, Stephenson had been arrested several times in the past on suspicion of involvement in the “lotto scam” but released without charge. He lived in “upscale” Coral Gardens.

Kenrick “Bebe” Stephenson riding a horse during Labour Day celebrations just a few days ago in West Central St James. Stephenson was murdered two days later. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

Our eroding coastline: The Office of Disaster Preparedness & Disaster Management (ODPEM) says it is worried about coastal erosion in St. Thomas. Along the south coast where the sea is strong it’s hardly surprising; especially since places like Colonel’s Cove near Morant Bay – an entertainment venue – were built almost on top of the sea. The retaining embankment at Colonel’s Cove is now crashing into the sea.

And talking of disaster preparedness, why are we hearing so little from ODPEM or any other government agency on preparedness for the 2014 hurricane season? We had no storms last season, so are we assuming that there is no need to prepare for this one? What is happening with ODPEM’s Twitter account? Are they afraid to use it? They could be tweeting preparedness tips, etc.  No mention of the word “hurricane” on their home page, either. How odd.

Former Prime Minister PJ Patterson addresses a Rotary Club of Spanish Town weekly meeting, held at the Police Officers’ Club in St Andrew on Tuesday night. – Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

“Elderly woman stabs mate in fight over sex”: This headline in the Jamaica Observer was not only sensational but also inaccurate. The physically challenged woman, who had suffered a stroke, was a victim of domestic and sexual abuse by her husband. Was this the right way to report this story? Including that people in court somehow found the proceedings funny? This trivialization of violence is deeply disturbing.

A reality check? Former Prime Minister PJ Patterson had some interesting things to say on Tuesday evening. I liked this: “…we have to find a way of moving away from polarized positions into one that accepts that differences of race or colour, differences of class, [and] differences even in terms of sexual preferences may have to be addressed in conformity with the prevailing global environment in which we live.” Makes sense to me. OK, so he did not do much to this end during his long stint as Prime Minister from 1992 to 2006; but times have changed since then. Twenty years ago, Patterson launched the “Values and Attitudes” campaign, and there have been one or two feeble attempts to revive it since then; because it never really got off the ground. In his speech, he observed: “There is a growing sense of alienation and greater distrust of leadership in politics, in our legal system, our national institutions, corporate business, and in the church.” Don’t we know it. But what to do is the question? And some are asking: What did you do about all this during your long leadership stint?

P.S. Is it still Child Month? What has been happening? It seems that the month of May has been extraordinarily low key. Where is Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna? (I expect she is busy choosing her outfit for the Calabash Literary Festival this weekend, now)… At least UNICEF Jamaica has continued to keep up the pressure, besides Talk Up Yout’s Empress Golding. Kudos to them.

Showers of kudos to…

(l-r) Education USA Specialist Eva Barnes and Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy Christopher Degnan chat with Principal Dr. Michele Pinnock during a visit to Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in Montego Bay to discuss books for teaching autistic children.  (Photo: U.S. Embassy/Twitter)

• The Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy (my former place of work) which has seen the value of Twitter and is now sharing interesting snippets and information. Follow them at @USEmbassyJA.

Tajaun Gibbison of Mandeville, Jamaica spells his word during round two of the preliminaries at the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee at National Harbor, Maryland May 28, 2014. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

• Young Jamaican Tajaun Gibbison, Speller No. 87, who has today just reached the finals of the Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. He must be a bundle of nerves now ahead of the finals this evening! Good luck, Tajaun!

• The Jamaica Tourist Board and all the other sponsors of The Drawing Room Project’s Writers’ Retreat in Highgate, St. Mary, which I participated in last weekend. I single out the JTB in appreciation of their apparent recognition that, yes – the literary arts are “creative industries,” too!

JN Foundation’s General Manager Saffrey Brown, and Dawnette Pryce-Thompson, Programme Administrator, pose for our lens during Labour Day activities at Ranny Williams Entertainment Complex in Kingston. (Photo: JN Foundation Facebook page)

• All those who labored on Labour Day (May 23) – especially my fellow JN Foundation volunteers, who were involved in no less than thirty projects that day! A veritable army (but a peaceful one). Huge pat on the back to General Manager Saffrey Brown, who works so hard.

I mentioned an upsurge in murders, so brace yourself for this list, which covers (as closely as possible) the period from May 18 – 28). My deepest condolences to all those who mourn at this time. The police just released figures showing that during the period January 2013 to May this year, 60 children were murdered and 99 were shot and injured. It’s a tragedy, and a crisis.

Leroy Lee, 61, Lease Land, St. Elizabeth

Marvia Thomas, 24, Luana, St. Elizabeth

Kenrick “Bebe” Stephenson, Coral Gardens/Montego Bay, St. James

Joseph Plummer, Montego Bay, St. James

Roy James, 48, Paradise/Norwood, St. James

Jody Phillips, 27, Paradise/Norwood, St. James

Ashley Morris, 14, Granville, St. James

Romaine Burnett, 21, Anchovy, St. James

Romain Robinson, 9, Plantation Heights/Cambridge, St. James

Anthony McFarlane, 23, Flankers/Montego Bay, St. James

O’Neill Graham, St. John’s Road/Spanish Town, St. Catherine

Samantha Thomas, 19, Portmore Lane/Portmore, St. Catherine

Xavier James, 18, Buckfield, St. Ann

John Cross, 23, Dover, St. Mary

Kenworth Bailey, 39, Canaan Heights, Clarendon

Tyrone Brady, Dublin Castle, St. Andrew

Killed by police: Dwayne Brown, 23, Rose Heights, St. James; unidentified man, Anchovy/Port Antonio, Portland

On the road: Among other incidents, three people died and several were injured when a car crashed into a taxi cab in Montego Bay last Friday. They were 13-year-old Prince Robinson, 22-year-old Fabian Ralph, and 23-year-old Rohan Senior. The crash appeared to be due to speeding by the taxi cab.

The body of Marvia Thomas was found with stab wounds at the Luana pump house in St. Elizabeth.

 

Steven Plummer was stabbed to death as he left work in the early hours of the morning in Montego Bay. He was an entertainment manager at Riu Hotels and Resorts. (Photo: On The Ground News Reports)