Jamaica Times October 2014

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OCTOBER 2014

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RESTINPEACE

JOHN KENNETH HOLT1947 - 2014


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Jamaica

TimesThe newspaper of choice for Jamaicans in the UK

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www.jamaicatimesuk.comOctober, 2014 FOLLOW US ONFACEBOOKandTWITTER

ANDREW HOLNESSWhy Im Fighting For My Jamaica Pgs 18-19

THE LONGWAIT FORJUSTICEA group of demonstrators

converged on the Jamai-

can High Commission in

London recently in sup-

port of Audrey Budal who

is seeking justice for her

husband who was killed

in Jamaica in 2009.

Mrs Budal, who is seek-

ing answers from the Gov-

ernment of Jamaica over

the death of her husband

broke into tears as she

told Jamaica Times the

harrowing story of her

husbands death and how

her life has come to a

standstill since.

When my husband was

taken from me, I was in a

daze. Not a day goes by

that I dont think about the

justice my husband de-

serves. I am struggling to

get answers from the po-

lice, the prosecution and I

have gone to Jamaica and

been treated like a crimi-

nal. There is no record of

any evidence gathered

and I cannot even get the

Coroners Report. I have

come to the High Com-

mission today to seek

help. I need justice; some-

one needs to hear my cry.

Anthony Budal was shot

multiple times on a farm in

St. Mary in October 2009.

The demonstrators, who

campaign on behalf of

Britons murdered over-seas say they will keep up

the fight for justice on be-

half of Mrs Budal. We will

not stop. We will ensure

that the Jamaican authori-

ties conduct themselves

professionally. Audrey

needs closure in this mat-

ter. Her suffering has been

immense, said a spokes-

woman.Audrey Budal


4/28

NEWS4 October 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com

Attorney-at-Law

ALL ASPECTS OF JAMAICAN LAW

Barbara J. Ledgister

Tenancy Agreements . Purchasing Property in Jamaica

Selling Property in Jamaica

Obtaining Registered Title for Land in Jamaica

Obtaining Surveyors Report . Surveying PropertyMaking A Will . Probating/Administrating of an Estate

Divorce and Other Related Matters . Matrimonial Settlement

Serving Notices . Registering a Company

Obtaining Marriage, Birth & Death Certificates

Litigation in both Magistrates & Supreme Court

Personal Injury Claims/Fatal Accident Claims

Including

Your link with legal Jamaica

Shakespeare Business Centre, 245A Coldharbour Lane, BrixtonLondon, SW9 8RR England

Tel: 020 3617 8845 Fax: 020 7738 4549Email: [email protected] Website: www.barbarajledgister.com

AGENTS ROBERTSON SMITH LEDGISTER & CO. ATTORNEYS -AT-LAW

Holness Simpson Miller

ENTREPRENEUR and singer, Levi

Roots, legendary sprinter Mer-

lene Ottey, Baroness Doreen

Lawrence and Community Stal-wart, Delores Cooper , are among

the Champions appointed as

part of the campaign to promote

the Mapping the Jamaican Dias-

pora Project.

High Commissioner, Her Ex-

cellency, Aloun Ndombet-

Assamba, said the support of

high profile Jamaicans will give

a boost to the project and en-

courage others to participate.She reiterated that information

shared will be safe as it will

only be used by authorised

persons.

The Diaspora Mapping Pro-

ject was officially launched in

the United Kingdom by Hon.

Arnaldo Brown, Minister of

State in the Ministry of For-

eign Affairs and Foreign Trade

of Jamaica, when he visited

for the 4th Biennial DiasporaConference in June 2014.

The aim of the project is todetermine the location, inter-

est and skills of members of

the Diaspora, while building

the Jamaican Governments

capacity to more effectively

and strategically engage its

Diaspora. The High Commis-

sioner said the database will

allow the Government to be

in a better position to engage

Jamaicans in the Diaspora

and to utilise their skills in ar-eas that are critical to the de-

velopment of the country.

Members of the Diaspora

with special skills and experi-

ences that can be used to fill

jobs in Jamaica will be more

easily identified.

The project is scheduled

to last for 18 months and the

High Commission encour-

ages the participation of every

member of the Jamaican Di-

aspora in the survey.

The website for the survey

is: www.mapjadiaspora.iom.

int

You can begin the survey by

clicking on the Take the Sur-

vey button.

Do participate and encour-

age your family and friends to

do so as well.

If you are having problems

logging on to the website,

contact the High Commission

at: [email protected]

Offline Survey Forms are

also available which you can

complete . They will be sealed

and sent confidentially to the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and

Foreign Trade in Jamaica.

CHAMPIONS APPOINTED FOR DIASPORA MAPPING PROJECT

By Marsha Jones

MARY SEACOLE was a Jamai-

can nurse born in 1805 to a

Scottish military father and

a Creole mother who ran a

boarding house in Kingston.

She was also admired for heruse of Creole herbal remedies

to relieve the symptoms of

infectious illnesses such as

cholera in Jamaica and Pana-

ma.

Mary travelled to London

after the war broke out to

offer her services alongside

Florence Nightingale whohad just left for Scutari. De-

spite her glowing referencesfrom senior medical profes-sionals in Jamaica, her of-

fer of help was rejected five

times. Refusing to succumb

to discrimination Mary raisedthe funds for her passage

to the Crimea. She was a

celebrated Victorian heroinedue to her bravery in nursing

soldiers in the Crimean War.

In celebrating the true

spirit of Mary Seacole, thefundraising to erect a statue

in the gardens of St Thomas

Hospital Westminster duringthe Summer of 2015 needs

your support. This will be the

first statue of a named black

woman in the UK. This stat-ue will remind the public of

Britains greatest black hero-

ine who gave her lifes workin support of others.

As a Jamaican Nurse/

Midwife and a Mary SeacoleScholar 2012, it is befitting

that I am encouraging each

one of you to contribute to

the Mary Seacole Statue Ap-peal. Jamaicans in the Dias-

pora and friends of Jamaica,

I am imploring you all to geton board. Approximately

90,000 is needed for the

completion of the statue.

You can donate online viawww.justgiving.com/mary-

seacolememorial/donate.

Please also remember to tickthe GiftAid box if you are eli-

gible, as this will increase the

amount we receive. You can

also donate anything from1 by text. Lets say you

wanted to donate 5-just

text MARY11 5 to: 70070.

A cheque can be made out

to MSMSA to: Mary SeacoleMemorial Statue Appeal c/o

Royal College of Nursing, 20

Cavendish Square, LondonW1G 0RN.

You can even buy a small

scale replica, or maquette,of the statue cast in bronzeat either one-tenth or one-

quarter scale! These will be

produced in a limited editionand, given the high repu-

tation of the famous artist

Martin Jennings, are certain

to appreciate in value. Theprice of the one-tenth scale

maquette is 2,950 + VAT

and the one-quarter scale

9,950 + VAT. One third ofthe cost will be donated to

MSMSA. Email contact@

maryseacoleappeal.org.ukfor details.

You can follow the statue

appeal at http://www.mary-seacoleappeal.org.uk/help.

htm via Facebook-Mary

Seacole Memorial Statue

Appeal, via Twitter @sea-colestatue.

Marsha Jones is Lead Midwife-

Maternity Inpatient, ANC, MDU,

Mary Seacole Scholar 2012, Pre-

cious Leadership Award, 2012,

Jamaica Times Nurse of the year

2014. Credits to Mary Seacole

Memorial Statue Appeal website.

90,000 NEEDED FOR SEACOLE STATUE

Merlene Ottey

Levi Roots Doreen Lawrence


5/28

NEWSMay 2014 NEWS 5October 2014 www.jamaicatimesuk.com

PRODUCER, Director and Writer

J.D. Douglas recently gave a

spell binding lecture talk at the

British House of Commons to anenthralled standing room only

audience.

The cross Whitehall Black His-

tory Month celebration was

attended by Ministry of De-

fence Staff and a host of MPs

including The Rt Honourable

John Bercow, Speaker of the

House of Commons, Diane

Abbot MP and Rushanara Ali,

who also sits in the House.The welcome address was

delivered by Lt General An-

drew Gregory CB, Chief of

Defence Personnel.

J.D. Douglas better known

as the script writer and co-

producer of Black Heroes in

the Hall of Fame and Com-

poser of J.A. Story The

History of Jamaica Musical,

opened by pointing out that

his lecture on the contribution

of Black and Asian Soldiers to

the First World War, was enti-

tled Unsung but Not Forgotten

Heroes. The Lecture takes its

title from his latest play of the

same name.

The power point Lecture

Talk demonstrated that al-

though the First World War is

seen as a European War, one

third of the combatants wereindeed from Britain non white

Empire subjects. Jamaicas

contribution was substantial

not only in the provision of

fighting men but in resources

and financial aid.

When in May 1915 the Brit-

ish Government accepted

King George the Fifths sug-

gestion for the formation of the

British West Indian Regiment

some 15,601 men enlistedfrom the Caribbean. Over

60 percent were Jamaicans,

numbering 10,000.

Other Jamaicans includ-

ing Norman Manley who was

studying at Oxford and his

brother Douglas joined up in

Britain. They were members

of the Deptford Royal Field

Artillery. Manley was soon

made a corporal, within four

months, but the reluctance

of the white soldiers to take

orders from him, led to him re-

turning his stripes. His brother

would not survive the War and

it had a profound effect on him

for many years as he felt his

brother had so much to give

to Jamaica.

Another noted Jamaican

featured in the lecture was

the only black pilot flying with

the British William Robinson

Clarke. Clarke survived the

war and returned to Jamaica.

When he died the Gleaner car-ried an article on his exploits.

Douglas reminded his au-

dience that beyond the first

World War and before, Mary

Seacole also from Jamaica

assisted the British War effort

in the Crimea War.

Special invited guest Count

Prince Miller remarked the re-

action of the audience shows

this is a story that we should

all know. I recommend as

many people as possible to

see the huge contribution ofJamaicans to the First World

War. Should you get to you

would be amazed of this un-

told story of courage and emi-

nent sacrifice.

UNSUNG BUT NOT FORGOTTEN HEROES JAMAICA TOURIST BOARDEMPLOYEE WINSUNFAIR DISMISSAL CLAIMA GRIEVING daughter, fired for

an outburst on social media

about the murder of her father,

has won her case for unfair dis-

missal.

Zoe Bennett, whose dad Errol

from Preston was hacked to

death during a holiday in the

Caribbean in 2011, has been

awarded a five-figure sum in

compensation from the Ja-

maica Tourist Board.

The hearing in London ruled

the Board, where Zoe worked

as a marketing rep in the UK,

had been wrong to sack her

for remarks she made on Fa-

cebook and in the Lancashire

Evening Post in the days after

her father was killed.

Im delighted to win the

case because I can now put

it behind me and concentrate

on getting justice for my dad,

she said. It was ludicrous

right from the word go.

Zoe posted three separate

messages on the social me-

dia site - the first of them on

the day she learned her dad

had been hacked to death in

a bungled robbery at his holi-

day home in Portland. In it shepledged to avenge his death

and said: My heartbeat, my

life, is gone.

In the second she criticised

the Jamaican police for being

slow in their uptake on the

investigation. And in the third

she announced she was flying

out to Jamaica, even though

her own life had been threat-

ened.

She was later sacked forgross misconduct.

I still cant believe what I did

was seen as misconduct, she

added. I suppose they felt

what I said was detrimental to

Jamaica.

JD Douglas (left) with Lt General Andrew Gregory CB, Chief of DefencePersonnel (centre) and Count Prince Miller

Zoe Bennett (centre) with her latedad Errol Bennett (left) and brotherErrol Bennett Jr.


6/28

NEWS6 October 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com

HAMMERSMITH TOWN HALL

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Buffet & Show 45More on the door

Buffet 8pm, Show 9pm

Performance by Chromatic DanceGroup

In tribute to Peter Flip Fraser, creator of Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame

CHERELLE PATTERSON

MISS JAMAICA UK 2013-2014

AN 18-YEAR-OLD has been sen-

tenced to life in prison for mur-

dering a 20-year-old man in the

street.

Daniel Campbell of the Nye

Bevan Estate in Hackney will

serve at least 17 years for the

attack on Lamarni Hylton-

Reid.

Campbell stabbed his vic-tim once outside a shop on

Homerton High Street, caus-

ing him to fall to the ground

and then stabbed him again in

the chest.

Lamarni Hylton-Reid, 20,

was taken to hospital but pro-

nounced dead shortly after the

attack on 21 August 2013.

Lamarni Hylton-Reid died

later in hospital. Campbell and

his victim were known to have

links to local rival gangs, said

the Metropolitan Police.

Despite the gang connec-

tions, police said they believed

the attack was opportunist

rather than planned.

In a statement, Lamarni

Hytlon-Reids family said: Our

lives have changed forever.

There is not a day goes by

without us thinking of Lamarni

and wondering why his life is

over before he had a chance

to start.

LIFE IN PRISON FOR TEENAGE KILLER

By Deon P. Green

Operating primarily from her

little cottage in Harrow, northLondon, Andrea Drysdale-Rose

and her charity, Friends of the

Princess Margaret Hospital is

now on a drive to raise at least

$18,000 USD to provide a Colpo-

scope unit for the Princess Mar-

garet Hospital in St. Thomas, the

parish of her origin.

The equipment will assist in

detecting early signs of cervi-

cal cancer for prompt treat-ment, thus reducing deaths

among women in St Thomas.

The little known Friends of

the Princess Margaret Hospi-

tal, a UK-based charity was

co-founded in 1992 and has

made significant contribution

to the hospital over the years.

In January, the charity handed

the hospital administrators,

emergency folding beds and

boxes for medical supplies.In recognition of the char-

itys generosity over the years,

the South Eastern Regional

Health Authority Senior Medi-

cal Officer Dr Cecil Batchelorpenned, I can record without

fear of contradiction that the

Friends of Princess Margaret

Hospital (UK) has over the

years been our most consist-

ent friend group, whether local

or foreign. Kindly be reminded

that the state of the art elec-

tronic surgical table that you

provided some years ago is

still working and is in excellent

condition. It is the pride and joyof the operating theatre with

its motorised movements and

sturdy electronics. We look

forward to the Colposcope

unit that you are assiduously

working towards and which

will go a far way in decreasing

female deaths in St Thomas

from cervical cancer.

The electronic surgical table

with full body Imaging in Ja-

maica costing US$25,000 isthe first of its kind in a Jamai-

can hospital.

Last month the charity host-

ed its 22nd annual anniversary

dinner and dance in order to

raise more funds to purchase

the unit. It has a built in VCRand other equipment, ena-

bling the transmission of in-

formation electronically rather

than manually. It is more than

a scanner for the detection

of cervical cancer in the early

stages. Drysdale-Rose from

Sunning Hill in St Thomas as-

sures that the unit will be deliv-

ered soon. We have got about

4,550, not counting the anni-

versary dinner and dance, aswe are still calculating the fig-

ures; we expect the machine

to be delivered to the hospital

next spring; Grace Kennedy

and Company UK, and other

entities who were at our an-

niversary dinner and dance

have Indicated their interest

in assisting us in securing the

machine. We have a long list

of things that we intend to

donate to Princess MargaretHospital, Drysdale-Rose said.

She told Jamaica Times that

she is backed up by others

including Monica Coke who is

Vice Chair. Mrs Glenora Coke,Ms. Olivia Gayle, Mrs. Jean

Kirby, Mrs. Glenora Thomas,

Junior McLeod and Andrew

Reid, all part of her executive

body. We (Andrea Drysdale-

Rose and Monica Coke) had

a dance in May 1991 which

was successful for ourselves;

then Monicas step-mother

got sick in Portland and went

to Princess Margaret Hospital

for an operation, there wassome difficulty as the lift was

broken. We decided to help

with a 250 donation but the

MoH (Ministry of Health) pur-

chased one, it was then that

we requested a list of the

things they need so we could

help. Thats how our char-

ity started Andrea Drysdale-

Rose emphasised.

The charitys primary ob-

jective is: To Relieve Poverty,Preserve And Protect Good

Health In Particular But Not Ex-

clusively At The Princess Mar-

garet Hospital In St. Thomas,

Jamaica West Indies. To fulfilsuch goals Andrea Drysdale-

Rose has even hosted dinner

parties at her home in Harrow

to raise funds to provide the

financial assistance to sup-

port her varying projects for

the Hospital. Over the years

The Friends of Princess Mar-

garet Hospital has launched

a website for the charity to

garner more financial support

to enhance her charity workfor the parish she migrated

from to the UK 53 years ago.

In their plea for assistance the

charity noted, Please help us

to save women less fortunate

than ourselves, by donating to

this cervical cancer machine.

The Colposcope Unit Appeal

was launched in September

2009.The charity is accessi-

ble at www.friendsofpmhosp.

com or phone 020 7912 9260

Charity Seeks US$18,000 To Fight Cervical Cancer in St Thomas

IN A BID to reverse the summer

blues, former Miss Jamaica Uni-

verse, April Jackson is introduc-

ing CaribBe TV to UK audiences.

Available to consumers from

the 29th September, CaribBe

TV offers an exciting new de-

velopment in programming.

By launching the premier mul-

ti-media platform, viewers will

be offered a wide variety of TV

channels, streaming live and

on-demand, direct from the

Caribbean.

Speaking at the launch ofCaribBe TV, April said: The

timing for CaribBe TV is per-

fect as Caribbean culture

continues to affect the world,

be it through music, sports,

entertainment and food. The

opportunity to be a part of an

organisation that connects

the UK with the Caribbean

through televised program-

ming from various islands in

the region is one that excites

me.

The Caribbean/West In-

dian community accounts for

12% of the overall population,

in particular in metropolitan

areas in the South East and

Northern England, and is oneof the longest settled commu-

nities in the UK. Despite the

high number of first, second

and third generation West In-

dians who call the UK home,

there is still a distinct lack of

quality TV programming from

the Caribbean, unlike pro-

gramming on offer for African

and Asian communities.

April Adds A Slice Of The Caribbean To The UK

Andrea Rose (l) and Monica Coke

April Jackson

Daniel Campbell


7/28

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8/28

FEATURE8 October 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com

HEALTH MATTERSEBOLA AND YOU: THE FACTS With Dr Emmanuel AkoEBOLA OUTBREAK:

Facts

The Ebola virus has been mak-

ing the headlines recently with

distressing stories and much

anxiety mainly due to misinfor-

mation. This article spells out of

the facts and provides the infor-

mation needed to confront the

spread of this deadly virus.

Background:

Ebola has been around since

1976 with previous outbreaks

in Central Africa. The recent

outbreak in West Africa has

affected thousands and killed

almost 70% of those affected.

The rate of spread and high

death toll associated with this

outbreak has not been helped

by the weak infrastructure in

affected countries.

The Ebola virus gets its

name from the Ebola River

in the northern Democratic

Republic of the Congo. It is

thought to be present in thefruit bat, which acts as a natu-

ral host for the virus. It is then

transmitted into the human

population following close

contact with the bodily fluids

of infected animals such as

gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys

and antelope. Spread then oc-

curs between humans by di-

rect contact with bodily fluids

such as blood, excrement or

materials contaminated with

these fluids.

Symptoms:

Once infected, there is a pe-

riod of 2 to 21 days when an

individual does not show any

symptoms or signs of the dis-

ease. This is referred to as the

Incubation period. Following

this, there is an acute illness

with symptoms of fever, fa-

tigue, muscle pain, headache

and sore throat. Diarrhoea,

vomiting and rash then follow

this. By the time there is inter-

nal and external bleeding the

condition is highly fatal.

The key to containing the

spread is an awareness ofsigns, symptoms and most

importantly undertaking pro-

tective measures to reduce

human transmission. This

disease is different to other

self-limiting viral illness that re-

solves without treatment and

relies on care from close ones.

Due to the spread via direct

contact with an infected indi-

vidual, care with barrier nurs-

ing is important. Health care

worker with specialist training

and protective equipment are

best placed to achieve this.

Close contacts of the infect-

ed individual then need to be

traced, monitored for signs

and symptoms and isolated if

needed.

The UK is well placed due

to its health and human infra-

structure to cope with an out-

break. The ability to support

patients with intravenous flu-

ids, blood products and kid-

ney replacement therapy give

infected individuals more of a

chance of survival than they

would otherwise have.

Treatment:

There is no known cure and

vaccines are undergoing clini-

cal trials after showing prom-

ise in animal studies. This

however does not provide all

the answers, as the first pri-

ority must be to contain the

spread. The only way to suc-

cessfully do this is by provid-

ing the information and infra-

structure needed.

What can you do?

Avoid contact with anyone

who has symptoms and is

at risk (such as recent travel

to an area with an outbreak),

wash hands frequently using

soap and water and contact a

healthcare provider if you have

any concerns.

As we approach the winter

season which is usually domi-

nated with flu-like illnesses,

the symptoms will be almost

indistinguishable but calm andcommon sense is required not

to fuel the hysteria surround-

ing Ebola. If you are returning

from a high risk area or been

in contact with someone who

has, and have these symp-

toms, please do contact a

health care provider immedi-

ately.

Reliable sources for further

information include the World

Health Organisation, National

Health Service, British Broad-

casting Co-operation and De-

partment of Health websites.

Dr Emmanuel Ako Bsc MBBS MD

MRCP. Physician at the Univer-

sity College Hospital Foundation

NHS Trust, London. UK

Disclaimer: This article is for

information only and should

not be used for the diagnosis

or treatment of medical con-

ditions. Consult a doctor or

other health care professional

for diagnosis and treatment of

medical conditions.

IMMIGRATION MATTERSwith CAROL SIMPSON

Brett asks the following ques-

tion:

I have five children, three of

whom were born in the UK.

Two were born in Jamaica to

different mothers. I got one

of them to join me here at 16

with her mothers consent.

The other mother refused to

send the other child. She is

now struggling to care for him

and has now decided that she

wants him to join me. He is

now 19 years old. Is there any

way that I can get him to join

me in the UK?

Under the Immigration Rulesyou could apply for your son to

join you as an adult dependent

relative. He cannot be subject

to a deportation order or have

been excluded previously or

have been sentenced to pe-

riods of imprisonment on the

basis of which the Secretary

of State have concluded that

his presence in the UK is not

welcomed. No false informa-

tion should have been used in

his application and, assuming

from your question that he has

never been in the UK before or

that he is not considered un-

suitable to enter the UK, then

the second part of the test is

that he is your son and you

must be settled in the UK or

be a British citizen. The test

is quite complicated but not

impossible. In addition, theaccommodation and mainte-

nance criteria still have to be

met without public funds be-

ing used. He

must show that

he is unable to

care for himself

due to illness or

disability, that

he requires long

term personal

care to perform daily activities

and cannot do so in Jamaica

even with your financial and

or practical help from the UK.

The test, as you can see, is

much more difficult than that

for someone under 18 years

old who is considered a child.

Assuming that these extraor-

dinary circumstances exist,

you would have to bring theseto the attention of the Immi-

gration authorities who would

be assessing the application

made on your sons

behalf.

Alternatively, you could

apply for your son to

visit you for a holiday

which is limited to six

months. For this, he

needs to convince the authori-

ties that he is coming only for

a holiday and will return to

Jamaica after his holiday. If

on a holiday visa, he cannot

take employment or study or

marry. He will have to be ac-

commodated and maintained

by yourself for the period dur-

ing which he is here. Having

indicated in your question that

his mother wants him to comefor settlement, I assume, he

might have difficulty in con-

vincing the Immigration Officer

that his true intention is to re-

turn to Jamaica.

You may also want to con-

sider the student route as

an alternative to settlement.

He would, as above, have to

show that he intends to return

at the end of his studies. As a

student, he would get an edu-

cation and be able to spend

time with his family. Obviously

there is a cost to this as he

would have to pay the school

fees and would not be entitled

to things such as healthcare

or any form of benefits. He

would, however, be able to

do a limited amount of hours

work per week and get somework experience at the same

time as he is completing his

studies.

The government is making

concerted effort to ensure that

many former categories which

previously led or had the po-

tential to lead to settlement are

closed to migrants. Therefore,

the reality is that at the end of

his studies he will more than

likely have to return home,

subject to further applications

being made, of course.

Consider all the options care-

fully before making your appli-

cation as the tests under each

category are different. Good

luck.

Award-winning Barrister Car-

ol Simpson is here to answer

all your immigration queries.

Please send questions to info@

jamaicatimesuk.com

Consider all the op-tions carefully beforemaking your applica-tion as the tests undereach category are dif-ferent.


9/28

FEATURE 9October 2014 www.jamaicatimesuk.com

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JOE

ALDRED Jesus is Black and...

JESUS IS BLACK was the bold

and controversial assertion of

African American theologian

James Cone in his book Black

Theology and Black Power pub-

lished in 1969 - at the height

of the Civil Rights struggle for

equality in America.

Cone wrote these words coun-

tering the prevailing wisdom

that had remained largely un-

challenged for centuries since

Europe colonised much of the

world and superimposed upon

their peoples its self-portrait of

Jesus as a blond haired blue

eyed European. Of course it

was not always thus as this

Wikipedia reference points

out: The conventional image

of a fully bearded Jesus with

long hair did not become es-tablished until the 6th century

in Eastern Christianity, and

much later in the West. Ear-

lier images were much more

varied. Images of Jesus tend

to show ethnic characteristics

similar to those of the culture

in which the image has been

created. Unsurprisingly, for

centuries the predominant im-

age in Africa and elsewhere

was of the Black Madonnaand Child. Some say it was

Michael Angelo who devel-

oped the Europeanized depic-

tion that we colonized people

have come to know, and in the

case of many, love. As indi-

cated above, the truth may be

more complex than that.

Cones reasoning for saying

Jesus is black had more

to do with the struggle for

equality than ethnicity or pig-

mentation of skin, although

he gave it theological reason-

ing. In an American society

where white was might but

if you black step back, Cone

knew that white imagery of

Jesus; imbibed, believed in,prayed to as God, hung on

walls at home and church;

compounded and sanctified

the inferiority of blackness

and the superiority of white-

ness. And in a demonic irony

incarnated the image of God

in the source of black oppres-

sion. When your oppressor

is also your God there is lit-

tle hope for you. And Cone

was aware of the way whitechurches had oppressed and

supported the oppression of

black people with impunity

They had all the time in the

world to theologise from their

ivory towers about how many

angels could dance on the

head of a pin, but cared lit-

tle about a black child whose

humanity was denied by a

system that had legally and

socially dehumanised him andher. Cone insisted that since

God demonstrably through-

out scripture is on the side of

the oppressed, marginalised

and poor, it stands to reason

that if in the Incarnation God

in Jesus has become human,

it was inconceivable that God

would come as a white man;

the image and colour of black

oppression. God in Jesus

therefore could not be white,

he had to be black. Or as

Cain Hope Felder puts it in his

extra biblical narrative of the

Original African Heritage Bi-

ble, the sweet little Jesus boy

of the Negro Spiritual is really

quite black.

There is of course the compel-

ling narrative that the historical

Jesus was not a European -

he was a first century Pales-

tinian Jew. Some years ago,

a television programme ran a

series about Jesus that con-

cluded with a computerised

image of what a first century

Palestinian Jew might have

looked like. The result didnot support a distinctly black

or white Jesus, but some-

thing between. And the his-

torical Jesus would have been

whatever colour his people

were. And he was born at a

specific place and time. The

problem we have and con-

tinue to wrestle however, is

what do you do when a race

of people that have used its

economic and political powerto dominate others perpetrate

the further evil of forcing upon

them an image of Jesus as

Saviour and Lord that looks

not like the oppressed, but like

the oppressor. For that peo-

ple to liberate themselves it

becomes necessary to throw

off the yoke of this contrived

image and to reimagine the in-

carnated God in Jesus in their

own image. If this does not

happen, mental slavery con-

tinues as whiteness is seen

as superior and attached to

God and those who look like

God, and blackness is seen

as the colour of the Devil, evil

and things and people who re-

mains what Frantz Fanon calls

the wretched of the earth.

One of the benefits of Black

History month has to be that

it provides a framework with-in which we can restate the

equality of humanity made in

Gods image. To do this well,

we have to speak truth to the

power of white western he-

gemony, and tear down the

principalities and powers that

misappropriate the image

and likeness of God and use

it to subjugate and inferiorise.

To say that Jesus is black is

simply to assert black human-

ity made in Gods image and

realised in the Incarnation. It

is not to deny the image of

God in the Caucasian, the

Indian, the Chinese or any of

Gods diverse humanity. It

says never again should oneset of people, no matter how

powerful, deny the image of

God in another. This surely is

blasphemy!

Malcolm X mocked Christians

in his day because he believed

they gave up their earthly

rights and privileges believing

that a white God had allocated

earthly privileges to white peo-

ple alone. He believed blacks

accepted that here we have

no abiding city, we seek one

to come where they would at

last walk on streets of gold.

But he observed that whites

played no such waiting game.X wondered if black people

were so blind they couldnt

see the contradiction, duplic-

ity, and brainwashing. Indeed

one wonders why blacks

thought things would change

when they got to heaven.

Why should not a white God

not continue to favour white-

ness in heaven too and con-

tinue the subjugation of blacks

there as on earth? If God was

just, then justice started on

earth. So the colour of Je-

sus is symbolic in pointing to

equality, justice and peace

here and now as a prelude to

a heaven where there will beno first and second class citi-

zens. Jesus is black, but he is

also white. He is every colour,

equally!

Bishop Dr Joe Aldred is an Ecu-

menist, Broadcaster and Author


10/28

NEWS July 2014FEATURE 7February 2014


11/28

FEATURE 11October 2014 www.jamaicatimesuk.com

MUSING WITH LOVELOCKTHIS MAY come as a surprise

to many, but London has beennamed the most desirable place

to work in the whole wide world.

And who says so, Jamaicans

mostly.

Yes, Jamaicans like London,

for work, and presumably

for rest and play too. One in

six people surveyed say they

would prefer to work in the

nations capital. I say this may

come as a surprise especiallybecause London being the fi-

nancial capital of the UK has

long been associated with

work-related stress issues,

like burn-out, and long work-

ing hours. On the other hand

London has much to offer in

terms of employment benefits,

like London weighting for in-

stance. Many years ago I relo-

cated from the north to live in

London for family reasons. At

first everyone discouraged me

from doing this, with the usual

people arent friendly in Lon-

don. Or I couldnt live in Lon-

don, its too fast. Soon after I

arrived in London, one person

even advised me to return to

the north as I would not make

it in London. Well, I survived

the unfriendliness and fast

living and made the most of

available opportunities. And

after being shouted at a cou-ple of times I soon learnt to

stand on the right of escala-

tors. I wasnt approached

to take part in this survey

but had I been my response

would be likewise. But so as

not to make the rest of nation

feel left out, the survey also re-

veals that the UK as a whole

is the worlds second favourite

place to work, just behind the

United States of America. Butwe wont talk about that.

Take Michelle Christie. Take

her, please. Mrs Christie is a

widow-woman whose hus-

band recently passed away af-

ter losing his fight with cancer.

She has written an open letter

(published in a national daily

paper) berating the friends

and family who had botheredto take the time to visit her and

her dying husband whilst bear-

ing grapes and sympathy. Mrs

Christie asserts that she did

not appreciate all this good-

will, as it robbed her of pre-

cious time with her husband.

She says that when her hus-

band became ill it seemed he

became public property. She

is having a right go at these

kind-hearted and thoughtful

people. What an ungrateful so

and so. Lots of people fall se-

riously ill and have not a kith

or kin to drop by with a bowl

of chicken soup. Her actions

will undoubtedly put people

off from showing up at such

future occurrences for fear of

being shown the door. Can

you imagine it? This could

be end of nine-nights as

we know it. The free-flowing

Wray & Nephew and fried fish

and chicken that are custom-

ary on these occasions could

soon become a distant mem-

ory. However, on the other

hand bereaved relatives have

been known to bemoan the

fact that after such initial out-

pouring of support and sym-

pathy, folk tend to fall away

soon after the funeral. And Im

afraid after her open letter to

family, friends, and acquaint-

ances, well everybody, Mrs

Christie might be wishing her

visitors consisted of more than

just the postman.

I suppose this could only hap-

pen in America. Or could it?

After a bit of a mix-up at the

baby-making lab a white les-

bian gave birth to a mixed-

raced child. And she is far

from pleased. She is suing the

lab for wrongful birth implying

she considers black babies

defective and sorry she was

born. The mother says sheis suing because she needs

money for the counselling she

will have to undergo for rais-

ing a black child. Silly woman.

Never heard of Halle Berry or

Alicia Keys? As for the child,

I bet shell turn out to be a

well-adjusted and balanced

member of society, knowing

she was a much wanted and

loved child.

I along with a good friend at-

tended the final performance

of Rudys Rare Records at

Hackney Empire. And what

a hoot that was. Belly laughs

all round. The whole cast was

certainly the

dream team

but for me the

divine Doreen

was the star of

the show. When she busted

her moves, the audience

couldnt help but chant Go

Doreen!

Joyanna Lovelock

How do you rate

Joyanna as a col-

umnist? Send your

thoughts and score

from 1-10 to info@

jamaicatimesuk.

com

VIEWS12 S t b 2014


12/28

NEWS July 2013

VIEWS12 September 2014

- 23 NOVEMBER - 2014

OPINION 13October 2014 www jamaicatimesuk com


13/28

Jamaica


COMMENT

This newspaper joins in paying tribute to the late Mr John Holt,

the veteran reggae singer who passed away in London recently.

His passing is of great significance and this is evident in the

many tributes that have flowed since.

John Holt represented an era that gave Jamaica its greatest

promise. It was the decade of the 1960s that saw the blooming of

a Jamaicas music industry that had blossomed from the 1950s.

Most of the notables gained prominence at the time that the na-

tion was only taking baby steps as an independent country. The

fruits have been very tasty and the world has picked and con-

sumed with great satisfaction.

People like John Holt are never given their full due and many

never will be. The fact that many of these artists continue to tour

well into their advancing years is often one of necessity rather

than pleasure. Some do it out of habit while others simply do not

have a pension to go on. We do not know nor do we or assume

that such was the case with Mr. Holt. But the music business can

be cruel and many stories have been told of exploitation by many

record producers and music publishers.

Successive governments of Jamaica have failed miserably at

trying to understand the music business. They have failed to mar-

shall and organise it such a way that it would have become the

industry that would have solved the countrys economic prob-

lems. There is no coherent entertainment industry policy in place

and while some ministers of culture have made valiant efforts

over the years, the lack of continuity in governance has meantthat there is never completion.

Who would believe that the country that gave the world John

Holt, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Alton

Ellis, Dennis Brown, Beres Hammond, Sean Paul, Shabba Ranks,

Shaggy and many others does not have a single purpose-built

music performance venue?

Surely, if the governments had appreciated the true value of

Jamaicas music culture, that would have been an investment

that would have been given priority in any budget composition.

The current Minister of Culture, Ms. Lisa Hanna is locked in

a war of words with young artist Chronixx because he dared to

suggest that the current governments policies were not gearedtowards the development of the music industry. The language

used might not have been appropriate but the message was on

point. People like Lisa Hanna should get out of their glass shell

and see what is happening in the world where Jamaican music is

concerned. Almost every country has reggae bands and Jamai-

cas veterans are dying. There will soon be a time where reggae

is of no premium value in Jamaica and the world will not need

reggae artists, simply because they are from Jamaica.

It is refreshing that a young artist like Chronixx is observing

government policy around the industry that he operates in. That

can only be a good thing. While our veterans exit the stage, there

is a fresh new crop of potential world stars coming through. There

are people like Etana and Duane Stephenson, who is featured in

this paper, and many others who are equipped with the talent to

continue reggaes great journey. But the time has come that they

should not be doing it alone. They provide the ingredients; gov-

ernment should make the stew. Minister Lisa Hanna or the Prime

Minister should heed the words. Reggae has been the social and

economic gateway for Jamaicas deprived youth.

The government should move at pace to establish a perfor-

mance centre in the name of Mr. John Holt and others.

WELL DONEJOHN HOLT!

Editor-in-chief

Andrew Clunis - [email protected]

Contributors

Bishop Dr Joe Aldred, Evette Roper, Dr. Ammanuel Ako, Marsha Jones,

Kamesha Skeen, David Sortie, Alphanso Clue

We want to hear from you. Please send your views, comments,

suggestions and stories to [email protected]

The views expressed by contributors to this newspaper are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Advertisements in Jamaica Times should not be taken as endorsement

by the publisher of any product or serviceThe Editor reserves the right to decide the content of the publication

For Sales Tel 0778 741 3635

email [email protected]

www.jamaicatimesuk.com

Jamaica


OPINION 13October 2014 www.jamaicatimesuk.com

By

Deon Green

A SILLY FIGHT: WEST INDIES V GOLIATH

The poor performance of theWest Indies cricket team in

recent times has left many fans

at home and abroad bewildered

and dejected, to the point that it

is arguable whether or not they

should be paid.

Yet, despite the disappoint-

ment surrounding the teams

performance, it is once again

embroiled in controversy over

salaries for their lack lustrecompetitiveness and very

poor record. This time they

have landed the West Indies

Cricket Board into a very hot

bath; a winless battle against

the Goliath of cricket, India.

The team has returned

home to the Caribbean aban-

doning the tour of India with

less than half the series played.

Their contention is that their

union, the West Indies Play-

ers Association (WIPA) has

negotiated their terms of work

with the WICB, without their

consent. That is quite hard

to believe given the history

of heel-clipping by WIPA at

the WICB over players terms

and conditions. Still, the mat-ter has escalated to a serious

point and the truth has to be

revealed sooner than later.

The fact is that the deci-

sion of the senior players has

big financial ramifications for

the WICB. The Indian Board

has said it intends to launch

legal proceedings to recover

at least US$65m in losses in-

curred after the West Indies

team pulled out with a one-

day international, a Twenty20

and three Tests to play.

This is not the first time

the West Indies players have

walked off the job. Former

Captain, Trinidadian Brian

Lara led a walkout and now

his fellow Trinidadian Dwayne

Bravo has done the same.

This however must be one

of the deepest crises West In-

dies cricket has found itself in,

It threatens financial ruin of the

game in the Caribbean as the

Indian Cricket Board has an-

nounced that it was suspend-ing all future bilateral series

This is no David and Goliath

era so a poor and subpar per-

forming West Indies team en-

gaging in a battle with India - a

power house in international

cricket with its rich premier

league - a host of emerging

players and other cricketing

nations seeing India as more

competitive, attracting more

and more revenue, it seems

foolhardy to me to caught in

such a situation in these times.

Interestingly, the West In-

dian Cricket Board was US$5

million in debt last year. One

is left to wonder if the current

scenario is not the final nail

in West Indies cricket due to

the fact that all Test-playing

nations, including the West

Indies cricket rely heavily on

broadcasting deals, perimeter

advertising and sponsorship

generated from tours by the

Indian team, which is due to

visit in 2016 and 2017, and

four times in total over the nexteight years.

The players might not have

known this fact or it might

have paled in significance for

them as they thought about

their salaries.

Far more crucial is that the

West Indies and Indian recent

arrangement is likely to be

governed by Indian law and

it is the courts there that will

handle any claim for damages.The BCCI should realise that

it is futile suing an entity that

has no assets and sources are

instead predicting it is likely to

renegotiate the Future Tours

Programme, with India can-

celling the 2016 tour of three

Tests, five one-day interna-

tionals and a Twenty20. Such

a move would cost the West

Indies around US$50 million.

The West Indies perfor-mance has been dismal for

some time leading to empty

grounds in their own backyard

when they play at home. It is

logical to conclude that they

will not be able to afford the

looming legal battle as gate

receipts to watch them is

nothing of consequence while

their ability to attract TV rights

and other sources of revenue

is almost minuscule. This is in-

dicating that not only has the

final nail been sunk but the

rope is being lowered on West

Indies cricket.

POOR SHOT, POOR DECISION

April 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com

JAMAICA14 October 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com


14/28

NEWS

April 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com

NEWS FROM THE ROCK

NEWS July 2013

JAMAICA14 October 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com

EXPRESSIONS of gratitude

and humility best epitomise

the recipients attitude at this

years National Honours and

Awards ceremony, held on the

lawns of Kings House in St.

Andrew,recently

The highest award that was

bestowed at this years func-

tion was the Order of Jamaica

(OJ), with eight persons get-

ting the award.

Speaking to JIS News after

being presented with the OJ,

for distinguished service in

the legal profession and poli-

tics, Senator Keith Desmond

Knight, Q.C., said its a great

honour.

He vowed to continue serv-

ing the people of Jamaica inwhatever sphere he can, but

particularly in the areas of law

and politics, which he said will

ultimately redound to national

development.

My approach to this is to

do far more than has been

done to this point, health and

strength permitting, so that

I can feel within myself that I

deserve it, he said.

At the ceremony, a total of233 Jamaicans were recog-

nised for their outstanding

contributions to nation build-

ing through service in various

fields. The function was pre-

sided over by Governor-Gen-

eral, His Excellency the Most

Hon. Sir Patrick Allen.

Another recipient, Glen

Mills, CD, was invested with

the Order of Jamaica, for out-

standing contribution to Trackand Field, through the coach-

ing of Jamaican athletes.

He told JIS News that he is

humbled by the award. It is

good to know that I am be-

ing recognised while I am still

alive. I am very appreciative to

the people and Government of

Jamaica for this recognition,

he said.

Mr. Mills said he was sur-

prised that he was once again

selected to be honoured. I

wasnt really looking for more,

so to be upgraded or given a

higher award, I was really elat-

ed, he said.

He pledged to continue

working with the islands

young athletes, while inculcat-

ing good values and attitudes.

The other six persons who

received the OJ were Dennis

Daly, Q.C., for his contribution

to law and Human Rights Ad-

vocacy (posthumously); The

Most Rev. Charles Dufour, CD,

DD, for distinguished contri-

bution to Religion and Com-

munity Development; Profes-

sor Joseph Frederick, CD, fordistinguished service to the

Faculty of Medical Sciences,

University of the West Indies

and the University Hospital of

the West Indies, in particular

for research conducted in as-

sisted reproduction.

Also awarded the OJ were

Florizelle Flo OConnor, for

distinguished contribution

to Human Rights Advocacy;

Dr. Karl Wellington, CD, forexceptional and exemplary

service to Agriculture, in par-

ticular Animal Genetics; and

Professor Sir Fitzroy Augier,

KT (Honorary), for over 50

years of distinguished service

to Academia, in particular Car-

ibbean History.

Awards were also present-

ed in the categories of Order

of Distinction, Commander

and Officer Ranks; the Medalof Honour for Meritorious Ser-

vice; and Badge of Honour

for Meritorious, and Long and

Faithful Service.

Thirty-six persons were

conferred with the Order of

Distinction in the Commander

Class (CD), while 50 persons

received the Order of Distinc-

tion in the Officer Class (OD).

Noted reggae singer, Marcia

Griffiths was among the recipi-ents conferred with the Order

of Distinction in the rank of

Commander. She was award-

ed for her outstanding contri-

bution to the development of

Jamaican music.

Being awarded here today

means a whole lot to me, be-

cause very few women in the

industry is recognized and

honoured. I am very happy

and overwhelmed that the

Government once again has

recognized my work and I am

truly thankful, she told JIS

News.

She urged females in the

music industry to keep send-

ing out positive works and

messages to teach, educate

and uplift young people.

Minister without Portfolio in

the Ministry of Finance and

Planning, Hon. Horace Dalley,

was also invested with the Or-

der of Distinction in the Com-

mander Class (CD) for over 20

years of distinguished service

to politics.He urged Jamaicans, par-

ticularly in public life, to remain

focused and committed to ful-

filling the task at hand.

In the meantime, Alphanso

Cunningham was one of the

recipients of the Order of Dis-

tinction in the Officer Class

(OD).

Mr. Cunningham, who

was awarded for outstand-

ing contribution to sport, toldJIS News that his award may

be used as a motivator to

others who are also physi-

cally challenged to believe in

themselves and pursue their

dreams.

He noted that being award-

ed for the work they have

done as athletes is rewarding

and thanked the Government

of Jamaica for recognizing

other athletes and himself.

Some of the other recipients

in the rank of Officer were:

Desmond Allen, for sterling

contribution to the field of

journalism; Dr. Glenda Simms

for outstanding work in gender

and development; Ernest Hoo

for distinguished contribution

to nation building in the areas

of Health Services and Secu-

rity Forces; and Barrington

Dawes for outstanding con-

tribution to the Jamaica Mari-

time Sector.

Eleven year-old Toni-Ann

Miller was conferred with the

Badge of Honour for Gallantry,for displaying an act of hero-

ism and bravery in rendering

assistance to two brothers

who were trapped in a burning

house on May 15, 2013.

Forty other Jamaicans re-

ceived the Badge of Honour

for Meritorious Service, while

53 persons received the

Badge of Honour for Long and

Faithful Service.

Lance Corporal OctaviaBrooks of the Jamaica De-

fence Force (JDF) and Corpo-

ral Everton Henry and Woman

Constable Sherene Bailey,

both of the Jamaica Constab-

ulary Force (JCF), received the

Medal of Honour for Gallantry.

The Medal of Honour is

awarded to members of the

uniformed services who have

performed acts of gallantry or

acts of heroism or have shown

great courage in circumstanc-

es of extreme danger.

Meanwhile, 42 members of

the uniformed service, includ-

ing the JDF, JCF, the Depart-

ment of Correctional Services

and the Jamaica Fire Brigade

received the Medal of Honour

for Meritorious Service.

HUNDREDS OF JAMAICANS GET NATIONAL HONOURS

Veteran reggae singer Marcia Griffiths (above) Toni -Ann Miller (below) re-ceive their awards from Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen at the NationalHeroes Day Awards Ceremony

15October 2014 www.jamaicatimesuk.com JAMAICA


15/28

j JAMAICA

NEWS FROM THE ROCK

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JAMAICAS preparedness

against the Ebola virus will be

further boosted with the acqui-

sition of a state-of-the-art ther-

mal scanning machine, at a cost

of approximately $4.3 million

(US$30,000).

Capable of detecting elevated

body temperature, the ma-chine is being acquired by the

Passport Immigration and Citi-

zenship Agency (PICA), with

funds provided by Sagicor Life

Jamaica Limited.

The scanner, to be placed

at the Sangster International

Airport in Montego Bay, which

is recording the largest num-

ber of incoming passengers, is

being sourced from Canada.

It is expected to be acquired

and installed within four to

eight weeks.

Sagicors President and

Chief Executive Officer, Rich-

ard Byles, made the symbolic

presentation of the cheque

to National Security Minister,

Hon. Peter Bunting, and PICA

Chief Executive Officer, Jen-

nifer McDonald, during a me-

dia briefing at Sagicors New

Kingston Corporate Office.

Mr. Byles indicated thatSagicors gesture results from

its concern about the possible

threat Ebola poses to Jamai-

cas economy and citizens

welfare.

Not only must we be alert

and sensitive to the threat,

as I think we are now, but we

must be practically prepared

to manage it, should it reach

our shores. Therefore, Sagi-

cor wants to take a practicalstep towards making us more

prepared by funding the pur-

chase of the machinede-

signed for mass screening in

public areas, like our airports

and seaports, he said.

Mr. Byles said the machine

should augment the hand-

held fever temperature ma-

chines, four of which have

already been acquired by the

Government, through the Min-istry of Health.

He appealed to fellow pri-

vate sector corporate enti-

ties and business interests to

step up and make a contribu-

tion to this effort.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bunting

welcomed Sagicors donation,

pointing out that Jamaicas

defence against Ebola and

other infectious diseases is

growing and expanding ourpartnerships and our prepar-

edness, as the fight is not (one)

for the Government alone.

This move by Sagicor

shows their enlightened ap-

proach to corporate respon-

sibility and governance. This

machine will go a significant

way in supporting the immi-

gration and health officials,

who are working very hard to

protect our borders and toprevent Ebola from being in-

troduced to our shores, the

Minister said.

He also indicated that the

Government will be moving

to see how quickly additional

thermal scanners can be ac-

quired, adding that their ability

to record the temperature of

a stream of persons, will be

much less of an obstacle to

the free-flow of passengers

through the airport terminal.

Health Minister, Hon. Dr.Fenton Ferguson, in welcom-

ing the contribution, said the

Ministry is very happy that

Sagicor, as a corporate entity,

is able to respond in this man-ner.

Dr. Ferguson said as a re-

sult of resource constraints,

we are going to have to de-

pend on the corporate com-

munity and others to supply

these (much) needed pieces

of equipment.

For her part, Mrs. McDonald

said the contribution shows

not only the relationship with

the private sector, but high-

lights some of the work that

(the) officers at PICA have

done.

She also commended the

initiative of the officers who

made representation for the

thermal scanners acquisition,

and sourced background data

on it, after seeing it in opera-

tion while on training overseas

recently.

EBOLA SCANNING MACHINE FOR MONTEGO BAY AIRPORT

HEALTH MINISTER Dr Fenton Fer-

guson has said that he would

like to be infected with the chi-

kungunya virus currently ravish-

ing the population.

The minister explained to

reporters that he is doing eve-

rything not to catch the virus

but at the same time said as

a leader he would like to ex-

perience what the people areexperiencing.

Ferguson made the com-

ment while speaking to re-

porters after a meeting of

Government and Opposition

MPs, along with health officials

and others at Jamaica House

Tuesday afternoon.

The meeting was to address

the Governments response to

the ChikV and plans to com-

bat the threatening Ebola vi-

rus.

The minister said when

you hear about the different

symptoms that people tell you

about as a leader he would

like to experience what they

are going through.

Health Minister says he wants to contract Chick V

Minister of National Security Peter Bunting receives the cheque fromRichard Byles of Sagicor.

REGIONAL16 October 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.com


16/28

NEWS July 2013

REGIONAL

AROUND

THE CARIBBEAN

HAVANA (Reuters) - The world

must confront Ebola in West

Africa to prevent what could

become one of the worst pan-

demics in human history, Cuban

President Raul Castro said re-

cently.

I am convinced that if this

threat is not stopped in West

Africa with an immediate inter-

national response ... it couldbecome one of the grav-

est pandemics in human his-

tory, Castro told a summit

of the leftist ALBA bloc of

Latin American and Caribbean

countries in Havana.

Cuba is sending 461 doc-

tors and nurses to West Af-

rica, the largest medical con-

tingent of any single country to

fight the worst Ebola outbreak

on record.The virus has killed more

than 4,500 people since

March, mostly in Sierra Leone,

Guinea and Liberia. Among

the dead are 239 healthcare

workers, the World Health Or-

ganization said.

Castro reiterated Cubas

willingness to set aside 55

years of hostility with the Unit-

ed States to stand together

against Ebola. Washington is

sending up to 4,000 military

engineers, medical person-

nel and other troops to West

Africa.

Cuba is willing to work

side-by-side with all countries,

including the United States,

said Castro, who took over as

president from his older broth-

er Fidel Castro in 2008.

The United States has wel-

comed Cubas aid, with U.S.

Secretary of State John Kerryhighlighting the size of Cubas

contribution in relation to its

population of 11 million.

With 83,000 doctors, Cuba

says it has 7.2 physicians

per 1,000 people, one of the

highest rates in the world, al-

though many are sent over-

seas in exchange for cash or

goods such as Venezuelan oil.

Although there have been

no Ebola cases reported inLatin America or the Caribbe-

an, it has reached the United

States and Spain.

Labeling the worlds re-

sponse to date insufficient,

the ALBA countries promised

to reinforce detection and

prevention, and share train-

ing and education for public

health workers. They said at

the end of their meeting that

they might send more doctors

and nurses to West Africa,

though none made a spe-

cific commitment. They also

praised Cuba for its record of

medical diplomacy.

Havana has dispatched

medical brigades to disas-

ter sites around the world

since the 1959 revolution that

brought Fidel Castro to power.

The ALBA summit came to-

gether quickly after a Liberian

man, the first person diag-

nosed with Ebola in the United

States, died from the virus inDallas on Oct. 8.

The presidents of Cuba,

Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua

and Haiti attended along with

the prime ministers of Saint

Lucia and Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines.

ALBA members Ecuador,

Dominica, and Antigua and

Barbuda sent senior officials,

as did the United Nations, the

World Health Organization

and the Pan American Health

Organization.

CUBA LEADING EBOLA FIGHT IN WEST AFRICA BARBADOS business leaders andeconomists say the Caribbean

island should seek an accord

with the International Monetary

Fund as the government strug-

gles to spur an economy with

one of the worlds heaviest debt

burdens.

Efforts by the government to

trim the public sector by fir-

ing 3,000 workers and rein-ing in spending failed to spark

growth in the first half of the

year in a country with a debt

load equal to 96 percent of

gross domestic product.

That prompted the Barbados

Chamber of Commerce to say

the government should con-

sider talks with the IMF.

We have all the costs of

an IMF program already, with-

out the benefits of a loan or

stand-by agreement to pro-

vide financing for any tempo-

rary shortfalls, said Avinash

Persaud, a Barbados-born

economist and chairman of

London-based investment

bank Elara Capital.

Barbadoss government is

using more than 15 percent

of tax revenue to pay interest

on its debt, Standard & Poors

said in a July report in which

it predicted no growth for the

$4.2 billion economy. While lo-

cal banks have cash to lend,there is a reluctance on the

part of investors that is stifling

growth, said Persaud.

The absence of a long-

term growth plan that has the

confidence of business is part

of the short-term problem as

businesses seek to hoard for-

eign exchange and delay in-

vestment, Persaud said.

Finance Minister Chris Sin-

ckler declined to comment

when contacted by Bloomb-

erg News.

Debt Profile

Yields on Barbadoss 2022

dollar bonds have tumbled to

about 8.2 percent this monthafter spiking to nearly 10 per-

cent in February, when the IMF

said the countrys debt burden

posed a significant risk to

the economy. The yield rose 3

basis points to 8.26 percent at

10:06 a.m. New York time.

Most of Barbadoss debt

is local, and the amortization

profile of its external debt is

manageable and relatively

smooth over next two years,

according to Richard Fran-

cis, a Caribbean analyst with

Standard & Poors. The com-

pany rates Barbados BB-,

three levels below investment

grade and in the same cat-

egory as Nigeria and Jordan.

Lisa Gale, executive director

of the Chamber of Commerce,

said it would be better to start

talks on an IMF plan now rath-

er than wait for things possibly

to worsen. She added that

she doesnt believe the coun-

try of 280,000 people needs abailout from the Washington-

based lender.

Were not necessarily say-

ing go to the IMF, but look

at it, Gale said in an Oct. 6

phone interview. Now is the

time for discussion.

Raul Castro

BARBADOS URGED TO SEEK IMF HELP

www.jamaicatimesuk.com

REGIONAL 17October 2014 www.jamaicatimesuk.com


17/28

AROUND

THE CARIBBEAN

THE Government of Jamaica

was forced to foot the hefty

US$36,000 (Ja$4,050,000) bill

to fly radical Trinidad Muslim

leader Yasin Abu Bakr to Port of

Spain after he was refused land-

ing rights at the Norman Manley

International Airport.

This, after the twin-island de-

nied a request from Jamaica

to pay the cost to hire a private

jet to transport home the con-

troversial Trinidadian, who led

an attempted coup against his

government in the 1990s and

whose name has been called

in alleged terrorism plots

against the United States.

The confirmation came from

Jamaicas Ministry of National

Security.

Abu Bakr had initially been

placed on a Caribbean Airlines

flight for return to Trinidad;

however, he became unruly

and refused to take instruc-

tions and had to be removed

from the flight, the ministry

said in a release, disclosing

that preliminary discussions

were held with Trinidad and

Tobago High Commissioner

to Jamaica Dr Iva Gloudon re-

garding Abu Bakrs return.However, under the cir-

cumstances, it is the country

(in this case, Jamaica) which

refuses to land a passenger

that is required to pay for the

return flight, the press release

stated.

The press release was is-

sued after news emerged

that Port of Spain had turned

down the request from King-

ston to foot the bill.

I was very clear that Trini-dad and Tobago will not bear

the costs of that private flight,

Trinidads Minister of National

Security Gary Griffith was

quoted as saying following a

Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

According to Jamaicas Pass-

port Immigration and Citizen-

ship Agency (PICA), Bakr, who

leads the Jamaat al Musli-

meen group, was refused

leave to land under Section

4 (1) h of the Immigration Re-

striction (Commonwealth Citi-

zens) Act.

The section defines prohib-

ited immigrants as any per-

son who, from information or

advice which in the opinion of

the Minister is reliable informa-

tion or advice, is deemed by

the Minister to be an undesir-

able inhabitant of or visitor to

the island.

PICA said the decision to

refuse Abu Bakr leave to land

was in the interest of national

security, given the present

threat posed to public safety.

Bakr, has denied being any

threat.Griffith, meanwhile, said the

Trinidad and Tobago govern-

ment had no involvement in

the decision taken by Jamaica

in deporting Bakr, denying

also that the Ministry of Na-

tional Security had supplied

information to Kingston.

Griffith said that he sup-

ported the actions of the Ja-

maican authorities, reiterating

they were far from muddying

waters -- an apparent refer-

ence to a statement made by

Jamaicas Foreign Affairs Min-

ister AJ Nicholson that Griffith

should refrain from continu-

ing to muddy the integration

waters as he responded to

comments that the influx of

thousands of illegal Jamaicans

into the oil-rich twin-island re-

public is putting a strain on its

resources.Griffith said that notwith-

standing the Caribbean Com-

munity Single Market and

Economy that allows for free

movement of certain catego-

ries of Caribbean nationals

across the 15-member re-

gional grouping, it must be

clearly understood that mat-

ters of national security must

take precedence for the safety

and security of all.

Meanwhile, the hefty depor-

tation bill has been described

as scandalous by advocacy

group Citizens Action for Prin-

ciples and Integrity (CAPI).

In a statement yesterday,

CAPI said that while it sup-

ports the decision taken by

the Government to deport to

controversial Muslim leader,

the necessity of flying him

home on a private jet shouldbe questioned.

EXPENSIVE PRIVATE JET RIDE HOME FOR MUSLIM LEADER

Beverley Crichlow (right) is comforted by June Daley at the funeral for her husband NevilleCrichlow. Hundreds of people turned out at St Margarets Church in Leytonstone to say farewell

to Neville who was described as a loving husband and father and a valued member of thecommunity.

Yasin Abu Bakr

18 October 2014www.jamaicatimesuk.comFEATURE


18/28

NINJA MAN

1. You are here in the UK as a guest of Prime

Minister David Cameron and the Conserva-

tive Party and you attended the party confer-

ence in Birmingham. How was that for you?

What was the experience like?

It was an excellent experience. It was

chance to see how our sister party, the

Conservatives do their business. I have

learnt a lot; many things I can take back

home and use for our conference in No-

vember. I found that the policy positions

here were quite similar to our policy po-

sitions certainly on growth and rebuild-

ing the economy; ensuring that educa-

tion is front and centre and there will be

training and apprenticeships. Those are

all very good policies which we be pur-

suing in Jamaica as well.

2. When you get back home you will be pre-

paring for your own party conference. Last

year you faced a challenge from you finance

spokesman...no challenges this year. Are you

comfortable and what are your expectations

from the conference.

Challenges are part of the political

landscape. It is important in settling

down the party. We are preparing and

getting ourselves on an election foot-ing. Unity, strength and a robust po-

litical organisation is what we should

expect to see at conference this year.

3. You are a former Prime Minister and you

know the challeng es that atten d that offi ce.

Should you be elected at the next general elec-

tions, what is your short, medium and long

term vision for the country.

Simple: Growth in the short term,

growth in the medium term, growth

in the long term. For too many years

Jamaica has just stagnated. We have

not moved; we have not demonstrated

that we are capable of taking advan-

tage of the tremendous possibilities

that exist in our country. It is now time

for the post-independence genera-

tion to take charge of the country, take

charge of the opportunity to expand

our influence on the world scene. It is

important that when a Jamaican goes

to other countries and see how they

are growing and there is prosperity,

they too can feel that their own coun-

try is growing and prosperous. We

have too much to be a poor country.

It requires leadership; a prospecting

agenda; it requires us to be progres-

sive in our thinking. My agenda is to

grow Jamaica.

4. You speak about the post-independence

generation taking charge. You have the dis-

tinction of being the youngest Jamaican

Prime Minister and political leader in the

region. How is your party seeking to engage

young people in the political process?

The political party I represent em-

braces youth. We have made our

party open to youth. Generation 2000

is the most successful youth political

movement in Jamaica and the Carib-

bean. I am happy with what we have

accomplished politically with youth.

But it is important that we give youth

a mission. We want you to stay in your

country and take advantage of the

vast resources we have. We need to

get this generation onto the mission of

building Jamaica.

5. Given the ravages of the financial c risis and

other events do you think Jamaica can still

achieve the Millennium Goals? Is Vision 2030

now just a pipe dream? Should the forecast berecalibrated?

We never give up the hope, dreams

and aspirations of Jamaicans that Ja-

maica will be a developed country. The

time lines may shift a little but I believe

we can make up good ground with

good government, strong leadership

and innovation. Yes, will miss some

of the critical millennium goals. One

of those that I am disappointed with

which we had set locally is universalliteracy by 2015. The current minis-

ter of education has admitted that he

will not make the goal. I had placed

the nation on good footing to do that.

It means that we have to work harder

and the Jamaica Labour Party govern-

ment will do that.

WHO IS ANDREW HOLNESS?

A

NDREW HOLNESS was

first elected to represent

the constituency of WestCentral St. Andrew in 1997 at the

age of 25. He is currently in his

third consecutive term.

Prior to entering representation-al politics, Holness gave up pri-vate sector opportunities to work as

the executive director of one of Ja-

maicas oldest NGOs, the Voluntary

Organization for Upliing Children

(VOUCH) and in that capacity led

extensive social work in several in-ner city communities of Kingston.

In 1995 he was invited by the then

Leader of the Opposition, Edward

Seaga, to assume duties as personal

assistant in his offi ce and was as-

signed the responsibility of devel-

oping poverty reduction and social

investment policies for the Jamaica

Labour Party.

S

oon thereaer representational

politics beckoned. e knowl-

edge, exposure and experience

gained from working in the social

sector, combined with his youth

and natural political savvy, placed

Holness in a position to take ad-

vantage of an opening in the St.

Andrew constituency he now rep-

resents, only three months before

the December 1997 General Elec-

tions. Holness election was a land-

mark case in Jamaican electoral

law, a watershed in the dismantling

of garrison politics and a positivestep in establishing free, fair and

free from fear elections in Jamaica.

For the first time in Jamaicas gritty

electoral history, an opposing party,

against the national swing, won a

constituency characterized as a gar-

rison safe seat for the ruling party.

is was due mainly to the determi-

nation and political goodwill devel-

oped by Holness, in addition to the

enforcement of new electoral lawsthat allowed that goodwill to be

freely and fairly expressed.

Since his formal entry onto Ja-maicas political landscape,Holness has carried the hopes and

dreams of many Jamaicans that a

new, inclusive, prospective politics

will emerge in Jamaican society.

He has worked at all levels of the

political system, and has patiently

amassed significant knowledge andpolitical capital with the people of

Jamaica. Holness strength is that he

chose from early in his life to work

from within the political system.

He therefore has demonstrated a

deep and genuine understanding

of the hopes and challenges of the

Jamaican people and has developed

a strong and direct link with the Ja-

maican masses. He is seen as a man

of the people, empathetic and de-

voted to the peoples interest.

During his years in the Op-position he shadowed sev-eral portfolios in the areas of social

welfare, community development

and housing. In 2005 Holness was

asked by the new leader of the JLP,

Bruce Golding to take on the topi-

cal issue of education. It is in this

area that Holness found his passion

and distinguished himself both as

the Opposition Spokesperson on

Education and in the Cabinet asMinister of Education. Consist-

ently he has topped national polls

as the best performing and the most

popular minister of government.

Holness preserved and advanced a

bi-partisan approach to the Educa-

tion Transformation and Moderni-

zation process. He brought national

Hon. Andrew Holness in

parliament (left) with

wife Juliet (centre) and

on the political hustings

(right)

Jamaicas Leader of the Opposition Andrew Holness visited the UK recently and satdown with Andrew Clunis of Jamaica Times and Jam TV to talk about Jamaica and hispolitical career and future.

I would want to be remem-

bered as the Prime who brings

full employment to Jamaica.

Most of all I would want to

be remembered as the Prime

Minister who ended abject

poverty in Jamaica.

FEATURE 19October 2014 www.jamaicatimesuk.c

Documents

Jamaica Times October 2014