Jamaica Observer column
for MON 28 March 2016
by Jean Lowrie-Chin
This Easter Monday, we are called to think
very carefully about our own path to “resurrection”, as we note the continuing
unrest in certain inner city and rural areas in our country. It is puzzling
that a country as small as Jamaica cannot get a handle on crime even with the
unstinting support of many international agencies. It will therefore fall to the media, and the
National Integrity Alliance to turn up the searchlights.
It is not fair for some so-called leaders
to consort with negative elements and then expect the police force to clean up
after them. We have heard past stories
of policemen being threatened if they do not cooperate – we hope the media will
be able to ferret out any such actions before they become dangerous.
Social media posts indicate that some
politicians feel that achievements during their term of office belong to party
and not to country, despite the oath taken to serve, “so help me God”. This
proprietary approach to our national assets by successive administrations
breeds bitterness and disunity. They
forget that they are paid by hard-working taxpayers and that programmes and
projects are implemented by a public service manned by over 100,000 Jamaicans.
As I wrote in this column some years ago, “politicians
are no Santa Claus” – they use our money, as well as borrowed funds which
become the people’s debt. They campaign
hard to win our employment, with our expectation that they will work diligently
and honestly to keep our country safe and viable. As we observe our many social, economic and
environmental shortcomings, it is clear that neither of the two major political
parties have done enough towards these important objectives.
It is our hope that as they contemplate the
true message of Easter, they will ‘resurrect’ their higher calling to service,
and act accordingly.
Sterling
work of EOJ and ECJ
Jamaica is blessed with a dedicated,
hardworking Electoral Office (EOJ) and Electoral Commission (ECJ). They put in
long days, even nights, towards delivering free and fair elections. Indeed, for over 30 years, representatives of
the EOJ and ECJ (formerly EAC) are called upon by countries worldwide to assist
in the running of their elections.
We were surprised therefore, to see recent criticisms
of the performance of the Electoral Office of Jamaica and the Electoral
Commission of Jamaica over the conduct of the recent General Elections. A release alleged that there was not enough
pre-election information and that there were delays and ‘high-handed’
utterances. I find this puzzling as, despite the limited time between the
announcement and the date of the General Election, there was a steady stream of
information on all media, traditional and social regarding voter identification,
location of polling stations and voter instruction. The Director of Elections made himself
available for myriad interviews and, with the ECJ held press briefings. How do I know this? Our company has had the privilege of working
along with both organisations for the past 20 years, and I am willing to share
the schedule of the various advertisements and press activities with the
critics.
The release also referred to low voter
turnout, a concern for every well-thinking Jamaican. Once again, this column is
appealing to Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE), to step up
their activities by creating a website where we can see more objective
information on the candidates who offer themselves to serve in public
office. This will assist the many
disillusioned electors in finding candidates worthy of their attention, and may
also encourage more sterling Jamaicans to enter politics.
Food
for the Poor Easter Prison Release
Last week, Food for the Poor paid fines for
the release of 256 non-violent inmates of prisons in Guyana, Haiti, Honduras
and Jamaica. In observation of the Year
of Mercy, this was the largest number for a single prison release which Food
for the Poor organises every Easter and Christmas. Food for the Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood
has pointed to the dangerous environment created by overcrowding in many
prisons in the region. He noted that the recent fires at the Camp Street Prison
in Georgetown Guyana, in which 17 inmates perished, had been set by prisoners
protesting the crowded and unsanitary conditions.
"I understand if a
person commits a crime they must face the consequences of their actions,” noted
Robin Mahfood, “but the majority of these first-time offenders are being locked
up with hard-core criminals for weeks, months and even years at a time because
they cannot afford to pay the minimal fines for their freedom.”
Cuba
opens up
Well do we recall our visit to Cuba about
20 years ago, when we followed our travel agent’s instructions to say to the
immigration officer, “Please don’t stamp my passport”. Such a stamp would have
been frowned upon by US immigration. Now, the United States has re-opened its
embassy in Cuba after fifty years, and President Obama and his family were welcomed
by President Raul Castro and his people last week. On Friday, the iconic Rolling Stones rock
band performed in a free concert for the Cuban people, in celebration of this
new era.
There is no need to be nervous,
Jamaica. Instead, let us sharpen up on
our Spanish and get ready to create a stronger alliance with a country which
has reached out to us, especially in support of our health system. We should also be practising our French to
partner with Haiti, offering tourists a multi-lingual Jamaica-Cuba-Haiti
trifecta!
PEPA 28 Years Strong
We headed to Portland
last Sunday for the celebration of the 28th Anniversary of the
Portland Environmental Protection Association (PEPA). The evergreen media maven Marguerite Gauron
organised an afternoon of great food and entertainment. We enjoyed the graceful dances – tango, waltz
and Charleston with Marguerite doing some daring dips and as well as the lively
local band. Artist Phillip Ambokele
Henry was the engaging emcee and the silent auction had many takers for his
excellent drawing and paintings by his talented wife Marcia.
