A weekend of drama: July 14, 2013

Well, today was Bastille Day (“félicitations” to all my friends at the Alliance française de Jamaïque and beyond!) Indeed there has been quite a lot of storming going on over the weekend, which has been not without drama.

Poor judgment? The National Security Minister’s enthusiastic participation in a Biography Channel documentary on the convicted organized crime overlord Christopher “Dudus” Coke is creating some ripples (but not a tidal wave). And this is not only in the ranks of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party, which one would really expect anyway. Minister Bunting was a prominent interviewee on the program – one of those crime documentaries with a husky-voiced narrator and dramatic camera angles that I usually carefully avoid as too sensational. Some political analysts believe the Minister’s appearance on the show may have damaged his political future. Others feel he dragged Jamaica’s reputation through the mire, while trying to score political points at home. My view? I think Minister Bunting could have exercised more caution. It made me uncomfortable.

Change of heart: I was relieved to hear Leader of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Andrew Holness announce that his party will participate in the pending Commission of Enquiry into the Tivoli Gardens incursion, after all. He has been issuing mixed messages on this, drawing quite a bit of criticism. As I have noted before, the Enquiry must make the strongest attempt possible to arrive at the truth of what happened before, during and after the massacre of close to eighty Jamaicans in May, 2010. It’s going to be painful for the JLP, but they must just bite the bullet (pardon the expression). I agree with Sunday Gleaner columnist Daniel Thwaites’ advice to young Mr. Holness: “Confound your critics and embrace the Tivoli enquiry.” At twenty-six, Andrew Holness became Jamaica’s youngest ever Member of Parliament in 1997. A good leader does not have to be gray (or in the case of many in our Parliament) white-haired. Go forth, young man!

Meetings will help: As Tropical Storm Chantal hovered in our neighborhood, CVM Television’s “Direct” program addressed the issue of Jamaica‘s disaster preparedness, and the lack of available resources. The Local Government Minister seemed rather laid-back about the whole thing. Perhaps our Prime Minister heard my urgings in a recent blog post about the curious silence of the government on the topic. When asked by a CVM reporter about preparedness, she insisted that whenever a storm is approaching, she and government officials “have meetings.” Well, that’s reassuring.

I have a question: Did we forget about hurricane season this year?

Child suicides: How many teens and children have taken their own lives this year? A few days ago, an eleven-year-old girl hanged herself, throwing her family and friends into unbelievable shock and grief. Suicide is an agonizing thing (and for those left behind) at any age. What pain these children are going through. We should all nurture and love our children, pay attention to their moods and their behavior.

I still don’t know what an agro park is. Does it have a pond with ducks in it, and benches, and flowerbeds? Does a band play in the bandstand on Sundays?

Going, going, gone: Simon Crosskill’s always excellent “Live at Seven” program on Friday began with a report on the state of Hellshire Beach, a once-lovely spot on the coast of St. Catherine, a forty-five minute drive from Kingston. Having not visited the beach for about ten years, I was utterly shocked. We used to take our small son to Hellshire every Saturday; it was beautiful, clean and wide – with a scattering of shacks selling the most delicious fried fish and festival which made the beach famous. Now it is a scrap of dirty yellow sand covered in wooden shacks that are almost standing in the water. On the program, the Member of Parliament for the area talked about “vested interests” and the effort to “brand” the beach by a certain telecoms firm. Branding? Don’t make me laugh. My blood pressure rose steadily throughout the program while the panelists talked about studies and reports and meetings. It made me feel like crying, not laughing. And as for the “world famous seven-mile beach” in the tourism resort of Negril, that is no longer anywhere near seven miles long – and shrinking.

Racism, classism and more: Emotions ran high last night among my Twitter friends as news broke of the Trayvon Martin verdict. Jamaicans were extremely upset, railing against the evils of racism in America. It was a real shocker; I was expecting a manslaughter verdict. But I (and others) asked why Jamaicans don’t get even half as distressed over similar travesties of justice in Jamaica, which happen almost daily. I think my question is well answered by journalist Dionne Jackson Miller in her excellent blog – see link below. She asks the question, “Would we care if Trayvon Martin had died in Jamaica?” Once we had cooled down a bit, the Trayvon case sparked some interesting discussions on racism in the United States; and classism in Jamaica (the equivalent?) – as well as the role of the media. We got to know Trayvon and George Zimmerman personally – every detail of the case, their families – through the extensive U.S. media coverage. This is not generally the Jamaican media experience.

I still maintain that most Jamaicans do not really care about in/justice in Jamaica. Not unless or until it affects them personally and they become entangled in the justice system. Just look at the general disdain for human rights groups, who do care about what happens to poor, black Jamaicans – young men just like Trayvon, born on the “wrong side of the tracks.” Then again, the privileged Jamaican middle-class really does not have to worry about suffering injustice. Someone said she is so glad this would never happen to her son in Jamaica; but of course not. He is a privileged middle-class young man. He wouldn’t even be walking, he would be driving around town. But it would happen to a young man in Denham Town or Arnett Gardens. It’s the aforesaid poor, young, black…

Then the sports shockerooni: It’s been quite a weekend. Today we learnt (from the UK press initially) that five Jamaican athletes have tested positive for banned substances. Three of them are Olympic medal-winners Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson; and national record holder in discus Allison Randal. Usain Bolt‘s arch-rival Tyson Gay also tested positive. What a great shame. Following the shock of Veronica Campbell Brown‘s positive test, Jamaicans feel rather deflated. We don’t have the other two Jamaican names yet. It’s depressing though. I don’t know much about athletics, but is the list of banned substances simply too long and complex? Each athlete will soon have to surround him/herself with a phalanx of chemists, in future. So much for sports…

Enormous hugs to:

Twelve-year-old Latonya Clayton, who is Jamaica’s top Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) student. Latonya attends St. Jude’s Primary School and plans to go to the excellent St. Andrew’s High School for Girls. She is from Olympic Court in Waltham Gardens, not a “posh” part of town. I love the photo below of Latonya and her loving family…
And another Jamaican lady who is one hundred and twelve – probably the oldest living Jamaican – Jane Young, who lives in a Kingston old age home. She is very fond of Guinness and that favorite beverage of Jamaicans, Malta – which is non-alcoholic. She is a very good advertisement for these drinks!
Jamaicans for Justice for all the work they do. As they continue their campaign on behalf of our children in conflict with the law, they have started a petition. Please do take a look at the page, read, sign and share, if you can. Thank you. http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/stop-the-abuse-of-jamaica-s-children-by-the-government.
Digicel Volunteerism Club, who donated toys and other supplies last week to Eve for Life Jamaica, which works with and empowers teen and young mothers living with HIV and AIDS, and their children. Jamaica Observer reporter Kimmo Matthews also focused on Eve’s ongoing campaign “Nuh Go Deh,” which targets adult men who pursue sexual relationships with under-age girls, and who often infect them with HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Thanks to all! And please support Eve for Life in any way you can. Donations in kind for the mothers and children (food, clothing etc) as well as funding are badly needed and will be put to very good use.
Jean Lowrie-Chin – businesswoman, newspaper columnist, poet, Chair of the awesome Stella Maris Foundation (and more): just for being who she is…and for being the “voice of reason” in our little Jamaican “Twitterland” when the discussions get overly passionate!

Among other violent deaths in the latter half of this week, the police killed an eighteen-year-old in West Kingston. Was there an outcry? Is anyone “heartbroken” – as one of my Jamaican friends was over poor Trayvon’s death? How many Jamaicans wept and wrung their hands when the killer of 13-year-old Janice Allen was acquitted?

Randel Ricketts, 32, George’s Plain, Westmoreland

Nicola Green, 36, Montego Bay, St. James

Odane Mendez, 23, Elim District, St. Elizabeth

Matthew Darby, Lacovia, St. Elizabeth

Unidentified man, Content/York Town, Clarendon

Killed by the police:

Damaro Lewis, 18, Denham Town, Kingston

Related links and articles (local blogs in purple):

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130711/lead/lead1.html “Bad move, Bunting”: JLP angered by security minister’s role in “Dudus” documentary: Gleaner

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/letters/Bunting–did-divine-intervention-tell-you-to-do-the-documentary- Bunting, did divine intervention tell you to do the documentary? Letter to Jamaica Observer

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/The-Jamaica-Labour-Party—A-liberating-force-for-70-years_14676592 The Jamaica Labour Party: A liberating force for 70 years: edited version of former Prime Minister Edward Seaga’s speech: Sunday Observer

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=46428 JLP to participate in Tivoli enquiry: Gleaner

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130714/cleisure/cleisure4.html Mop up JLP with enquiry, Holness: Daniel Thwaites column/Sunday Gleaner

http://jabajanas.blogspot.com/2011/09/am-i-troy-davis-or-am-i-khajeel-mais-am.html Am I Troy Davis? Or am I Khajeel Mais? Am I even significant? jabajanas.com

https://newsandviewsbydjmillerja.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/would-we-care-if-trayvon-martin-had-died-in-jamaica/ Would we care if Trayvon Martin had died in Jamaica? newsandviewsbydjmillerja

http://redforgender.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/reactions-to-the-zimmerman-verdict-from-the-caribbean/ Reactions to the Zimmerman verdict from the Caribbean: Feminist Conversations on Caribbean Life

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130713/cleisure/cleisure1.html Time to fix jury system: Gleaner editorial

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Chinese-under-siege—Criminals–cops-extort–rob-businessmen-at-will Chinese under siege: Criminals, cops extort, rob businessmen at will: Sunday Observer

http://www.jis.gov.jm/news/leads-100/34530 JFLL undergoes renaissance: Jamaica Information Service

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Senate-passes-Defamation-Bill_14678553 Senate passes Defamation Bill: Jamaica Observer

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130711/lead/lead5.html Teenage pregnancy still a concern for Jamaica: Gleaner