The last few days have been full of drama…and rain. Quite a few Jamaicans have various flu-like bugs, and we all live in fear of chikungunya (a name which has had all kinds of weird and crazy pronunciations here – but the virus is really no joke). With the persistent rains (which we are glad for) one expects “chik v” cases to increase.
An unresponsive plane: Out of the blue (literally) Jamaica was the focus of a drama reported widely in the international news. An out-of-control small plane crashed on Friday into the ocean fourteen miles east of the island. One theory is that there was a loss of cabin pressure – the pilot was seen apparently unconscious from U.S. jet fighters escorting the plane. The U.S. Coast Guard have been helping out in the search for the wreckage, but reportedly pulled out last night. The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) actually officially ended operations at 4:00 p.m. today and says the search and recovery operation is now at an end. It is a very sad story, indeed, but it seems the JDF did its very best, given fairly limited resources.
How secure are our schools? Last year, violent incidents in schools were reported with alarming regularity in the media. The term has just started, but already jamaicablogz.com is reporting a knife attack on an eleven-year-old student at Grange Hill Primary School in Westmoreland; Shavoy Taylor’s attacker, a classmate, has reportedly disappeared. Shavoy has several stitches in a cut on his face.
Amendments to the INDECOM Act: A Parliamentary Joint Select Committee has proposed and the Independent Commission of Investigation (INDECOM) accepted amendments to the INDECOM Act that would require members of the security forces to give information on shootings, or face disciplinary action or dismissal.
Talking about accountability… Why are our politicians not held more accountable? Why do the media not conduct more investigations into political corruption? There are several answers to this question. The status quo remains the same; the patriarchy of the “old boys’ club” remains firmly in place; and some benefit. At what cost?
I am tired of the shenanigans by our two competing telecoms providers, Digicel and LIME, over the blocking of Voice Over Internet Protocol services such as Viber. They are constantly bickering and complaining, and their customers don’t seem to be benefiting at all in any way. If we are paying for a data service, we should be able to use it however we want. Customers are plain fed up!
“Slow boat to Goat Islands”: A Sunday Gleaner report is suggesting things may be slightly less “gung-ho” on what it erroneously calls the logistics hub at Goat Islands, which China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) is proposing to build. No, it’s a transshipment port they want to build. There is a lot of talk about CHEC doing “due diligence,” etc and making sure it’s all feasible. Hmm. Feasibility? I thought we had been told this was the perfect – the only – location for a megaport, in a protected area. (This part of the report amused me: “But [Jennifer] Armond [CHEC spokesperson] is not worried that the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will find the project an environmental hazard, as she argued the CHEC has taken specific steps to ensure that the integrity of the environment is protected.” OK, then. Pull the other leg, to use a British expression). Orville Taylor nails it in his column in the same newspaper: “In this present scenario, don’t blame CHEC; they will take as much as government allows them to; they have no loyalty to us.” Right.
Anyway, thanks to the Gleaner’s Gary Spaulding for managing to squeeze out some information for us from CHEC, who have finally decided they should speak to the press. We have been in the dark for long enough…
Cardiac center on hold: It appears that work on a major addition to the Bustamante Hospital for Children – a pediatric cardiac center, to which several donors have contributed – has been halted because of a disagreement between the South East Regional Health Authority and one of the donors. The Sunday Gleaner report is confusing and puzzling, but refers to unnecessary delays by the Government that resulted in cost overruns. Ugh. Fix it, fix it please! The health of hundreds of Jamaican children hangs in the balance because of this nonsense.
E-cigarettes: I understand that e-cigarettes are widely available in Jamaica, even on sale in pharmacies. It seems that the World Health Organization (WHO) hasn’t quite made up its mind over these things, which apparently deliver vaporized nicotine (and perhaps other toxic substances) to your system. The New England Journal of Medicine is now reporting e-cigarettes may even be “gateway drugs.” As Jamaica is a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, I hope our Health Minister will keep an eye on this situation. The WHO is going to make some kind of statement later in the year.
I’m a bit fuzzy about the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Firearm and Tactical Training Unit (FTTU). Opposition Security Spokesman Derrick Smith says he wants his counterpart Peter Bunting to explain whether the FTTU is to be disbanded, because of pressure from the United States related to the Leahy Act (but wasn’t the FTTU funded by the British Government?) Mr. Smith asks also whether this has anything to do with the role played by the JCF in the Tivoli Gardens incursion of 2010 (this may be just a little dig to muddy the waters ahead of the Tivoli Commission of Enquiry – who knows). The JCF put out a somewhat ambivalent statement saying that the FTTU is under “review” but that its “mandate will continue.” We wait to hear more on this.
And will we hear who the new Police Commissioner will be, this week? All the interviews have been done, one understands.
Why aren’t we talking about constitutional reform like Trinidad and Tobago? Dionne Jackson Miller’s article on the RJR website is worth a read: http://www.rjrnewsonline.com/opinion/tt-is-talking-constitutional-reform-why-not-jamaica
Now…Major kudos to:
New (prize-winning) novelist A-dziko Simba Gegele and her publisher BluMoon Books, who inspired at least one guest at our pop-up book club last night to start writing again! A-dziko’s novel, “All Over Again,” is a terrific, lively read and is available in local bookstores.
A blog to follow: Get to know Onyka Barrett, a dedicated Guyanese child rights activist and writer currently based in Jamaica. Her blog is at http://islandscribbler.wordpress.com
And if you don’t read susumba.com… Why not? This great website offers insightful reviews of the Jamaican arts scene, and you can also contribute your short stories and poems to Susumba’s Book Bag, a quarterly digital magazine for Caribbean writers. Check it out!
Sorry I missed the 40th anniversary celebrations of the National Gallery of Jamaica last weekend. But you can see their excellent In Retrospect exhibition, up until November 15.
Among those who lost their lives in the past four days are a guidance counselor/teacher at the Oracabessa Primary School in St. Mary, who was shot dead; and another woman who was allegedly stabbed to death by the father of her child in the bus park in May Pen. Witnesses seized and attacked the man. The report on CVM Television was simply heart-rending. In fact, three women have been murdered in the past four days. My condolences to all those who are grieving.
Unidentified man, March Pen, St. Catherine (killed by police)
Unidentified man, Lauriston, St. Catherine (killed by police)
Sean Kameka, Georges Valley, Manchester
Lorene Francis, May Pen, Clarendon
Ena Murphy, 52, Wentworth/Galina, St. Mary
Kenisha Sudan, 34, Buckfield, St. Ann
Wilson Brown, 53, Lyssons, St. Thomas
Petchary's Blog 
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 05:14:52 +0000 To: grubsdior@hotmail.com
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Flu? Have you had a ChikV test?
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No, I haven’t. It felt exactly like regular flu to me, but has taken longer than usual to go away… It’s all very confusing.
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Can’t agree enough about the need for accountability. So much in society can improve with that necessary ingredient. Everyday my heart bleeds for the many children losing their childhood way too often. Emma, I’m very grateful for the mention and link to my blog. Sending lots of energy your way today.
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Thanks so much for your comments Onyka! I feel as if the flu that I thought I had conquered a week or so ago is trying to make a comeback today, so I need all the energy you can send me! I would love to sit down and talk to you more about the plight of our children… All the best and thank you!
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Though you don’t say it, it would be a useful thing for schools to report systematically on all acts of violence that occur within their walls. Maybe, they do. That way we could sift what’s happening, which now we cannot be sure of, if reports are random.
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Yes – you are right Dennis, it would really be a good thing. I am thinking there must be a reporting system back to the Ministry. But schools are not comfortable with these incidents being reported in the press (and press don’t always report the name of the school, do they?). Sometimes you just hear through word of mouth about them.
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Please take care my friend.
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Thank you so much, and good to hear from you!
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