Looking for Good News: Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Starting with bad news. I’m sorry, but will have to tell it like it is…

It seems that the jet ski is as dangerous a machine as a motor car in Jamaica – but largely unregulated. (Photo: Gleaner)

Deaths, injuries, talk, no action: On Tuesday, a jet ski rider hit an American tourist in the head and did not stop.  Tomas Torres Castillo of Las Vegas, Nevada, who was vacationing at Travellers Beach Hotel in Negril, died later in hospital. Hoteliers said there was no ambulance and the police took a long time to arrive. Other tourists tried to perform CPR on the beach. The police held someone for questioning but had to release him, and are still searching for the jet ski operator; someone must be hiding him. I have written about this issue several times in this blog. My favorite television current affairs program, “Live at Seven” discussed it at length. This was about six months ago, after the death of a seven-year-old Jamaican girl, who was killed by a tourist operating a jet ski in St. Ann last summer. There have been many other serious incidents over the years. Stakeholders have been discussing this for twenty-five years! Promises were made to ban the importation of jet skis and regulate the (mostly illegal) operators last year. What was done? There are so many issues here, but it appears that lawlessness has won the day. The Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament for the area Dr. Wykeham McNeill has a lot of questions to answer. Why hasn’t he visited Negril yet to meet with stakeholders? The town is in shock. Does he ever walk along the beach and see what is happening there? It’s chaos.

What is left of Negril’s once-famous beach. I am not sure whether NEPA’s efforts will help to redress the damage done over the years. (Photo: Gleaner)

And in Negril, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will be “clamping down” on poor environmental practices in what I consider to be a seriously degraded tourist resort, with a once-famous, now-eroded, no-longer-seven-mile beach. Once again, better late than never – but too little, too late.

One more question on this: How can this tourist town (or any other town of this size) not have an ambulance? Can anyone who lives there confirm that this is true? Again, this has been discussed ad nauseam in the past…

Are we looking into the issue of dangerous pit bulls, which are becoming increasingly popular in Jamaica?

Same thing… Pit bulls have reportedly injured several Jamaicans (mostly children) in recent years. Is this another disaster waiting to happen? They are not regulated and are allegedly being illegally smuggled into Jamaica. Veterinarian St. Aubyn Bartlett has raised concerns and CVM Television’s Kerlyn Brown ran a series of reports. Nothing doing? I guess we are waiting for a death. Grace Virtue notes in her Jamaica Observer column (her pieces are always an excellent read): “The Ministry of Agriculture, which has direct responsibility for animal control, is moving with the speed of a century-old turtle as far as addressing the issue is concerned, or the broader reality of the outdated laws governing animal importation in Jamaica in general.”

Lapsing into the third person (as is a habit of hers) in a short video on the Jamaica Observer website, our Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller re-emphasized her love for “the poor.” She added, “It suit us to live loving and good.” She reiterated the “Out of Many One People” motto. She also pointed out that history cannot be reversed. How true. We’d better believe it.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (right), addresses the first plenary session of the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in Havana, Cuba, on January 28. (Photo: JIS)

And, while dozens of dissidents were arrested before the Summit in Havana, Cuba, our PM made a nice speech over there. Here is the text of it: http://jis.gov.jm/prime-ministers-message-2nd-celac-summit/

Andrew Holness (left) and former senator Christopher Tufton – the latter has now withdrawn from active politics. (Photo: Gleaner)

The eloquent former Agriculture Minister Christopher Tufton has bowed out of representational politics (at least for now) but will remain a member of the Jamaica Labour Party. Dr. Tufton has had his ups and downs (mainly downs) in the last couple of years. I think it’s a pity – he is an intelligent and clear-sighted individual – but he was badly bruised by the recent leadership contest (and perhaps, he could have handled things better). But he is relatively young and may return. Maybe.

SHAW… initially refused to take up the position of opposition spokesperson on finance following his unsucessful challenge for leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

And former leadership contender Mr. Audley Shaw has moved straight back into his former position as Opposition Spokesman on Finance. Phew! Glad to see him back, I must say. He has asked questions in the Lower House about the current state of finances at the National Housing Trust; and is on the warpath about the exorbitant charges that Jamaican banks torment their customers with – which is an absolute disgrace.

Presenting large and sweet-smelling bouquets to:

The awesome Digicel Foundation, which is currently handing out cheques to the various institutions that support Jamaicans with special needs, from the proceeds of last year’s downtown walk/run. Today, they presented a cheque to the STEP Centre. Read more about this wonderful school, which offers therapy, education and parenting for children with multiple disabilities, here: http://www.thestepcentre.com.

Kingston City Run!

There’s another run coming up… The Kingston City Run – half marathon and 5K – find them on Facebook! This will take place on March 9. The Alpha Boys’ Home will be one of the charities to benefit. Sign up now at http://www.kingstoncityrun.com

Tessanne Chin (left) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are joint winners of the Gleaner’s Person of the Year Award. Two wonderful Jamaican women! (Photo: Gleaner)

The Gleaner Company, who have finally – finally! – ditched their “Man of the Year Award” and replaced it with a “Person of the Year.” The joint winners this year are singer Tessanne Chin and sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Congratulations to these two fabulous ladies and thanks to the Gleaner for doing the right thing!

Digital Jam 3.0 Caribbean Edition.

Digital Jam 3.0 is an exciting youth/IT partnership among the the Government of Jamaica, The World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the OECS Secretariat, Microsoft, other partners from the Caribbean private sector and the  international development community. Read more on their Facebook page.  The program includes includes apps competitions, awareness workshops on micro-work and e-lancing opportunities and a final Caribbean that will include key notes from Inspirational Speakers, Networking opportunities and the final phase of the Apps Competition. I listened to the mentors’ inspiring (and down to earth) presentations yesterday and spoke with some of the young competitors. More to follow! Final event is March 1 – 2.

The National Forum on Youth-Violence Prevention took place in downtown Kingston today. (Photo: Jamaica Observer)

As a major youth/crime conference takes place in downtown Kingston today, the death toll continues to rise. A father of seven was shot dead in his car outside Tarrant Primary School in Kingston, while doing his school run. Thankfully two of his children in the car were unhurt. 

Rohan Newman, 36, Molynes Road, Kingston

“Rantis,” Jones Town, Kingston

Janice Atkinson-Reid, 32, Portsmouth, St. Catherine

Robert Piliner, 46, Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland

Rosemarie Wilson, 34, Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland

Kevin Coombs, 41, Tucker/Irwin, St. James

Killed by the police:

Shaquielle Stephens, 18, Grants Pen, Kingston

Crime scene investigators look at the motorcar in which Rohan Newman was shot and killed at Molynes Road yesterday. (Photo: Michael Gordon/Jamaica Observer)

The blood-stained floor of the ransacked house where 18-year-old Shaquielle Stephens was fatally shot by police yesterday. He was the son of reputed “don” in Kingston’s Grant Pen “Andrew Phang,” (Andrew Stephens), who was killed by the police in 2001. (Photo: Michael Gordon/Jamaica Observer)