Sunday, December 24, 2017

Congratulations Allison Peart - FCPA, Ontario

Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 18 Dec 2017 - by Jean Lowrie-Chin

EY Jamaica has announced that their Country Manager Allison Peart was named a Fellow by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, recognizing her career achievements to date with the profession's highest mark of distinction. Fellows are outstanding members of the profession who, through their careers and community work, embody the designation's high standards of professional excellence and integrity.

Her achievement was celebrated at a presentation ceremony and dinner hosted by CPA Ontario earlier this month in Toronto. A dynamic patriot, Allison Peart was recently elected President of the American Chamber of Commerce Jamaica, and is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Downtown Kingston.

Photo Caption

Allison Peart at the Toronto celebration after being named a Fellow by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.

 

 

 



Monday, December 18, 2017

Press Association of Jamaica Mourns Veteran Journalist Ian Boyne

December 18, 2017: The Press Association of Jamaica joins the rest of Jamaica in expressing shock and sadness at the passing of veteran journalist, Ian Boyne, C.D. who died this morning in the University Hospital of the West Indies, following a brief illness.

Ian's contribution to the field of journalism as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Information Service, a columnist with the Jamaica Gleaner and host of Television Jamaica's programmes, "Religious Hardtalk" and "Profile", is well documented.

The iconic "Profile" achieved a record as one of the country's longest running programmes when it recently celebrated 30 years on air. It gave hope to, and motivated thousands of young people to believe that they too could achieve their dreams, regardless of their circumstances.

Ian served the journalistic fraternity with pride, passion and consummate professionalism. He was respected by politicians on both sides of the aisle, being recognized as fair and balanced even as he told his truth.

His meticulously-researched columns for the Sunday Gleaner were required reading for many Jamaicans, whether they agreed with him or not, and garnered for him on several occasions  the Press Association of Jamaica's Morris Cargill Award for Opinion Journalism, which he won in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009. He had strong opinions on a wide range of issues, and was never afraid to turn the spotlight on his beloved profession, and critique us strongly, if he felt it was warranted.

At the same time, Ian will also be remembered by young journalists as one who was quick to give advice and encouragement, and his ready laughter would put others at ease as they benefited from his wealth of experience.

The Press Association of Jamaica extends its deepest condolences to Mr Boyne's family, friends and colleagues on the loss of a giant of our profession.

-30-

Contact: Dionne Jackson Miller, PAJ President

792-3550


-- 
"A Free Press, Oxygen of Democracy

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Timely advice from JCF’s Supt Lindsay for security of elderly at CCRP AGM

As founder and Executive Chair of CCRP (Caribbean Community of Retired Persons) I am distressed at reports of attacks on Seniors. I am posting this release on Address on security for seniors by Sr Supt Stephanie Lindsay at our AGM in May.

Monday, 29 May 2017, Kingston, Jamaica:  Supt Stephanie Lindsay expressed deep concern about increasing attacks on Jamaica's elderly at today's Annual General Meeting of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) held at the Phoenix Central Complex in St. Andrew.  The Guest Speaker noted that the problem of lonely elderly was compounded because many were afraid to venture out, depriving them of the social interaction so important for their well-being.  

She noted that burglars have been targeting seniors and that members should be extremely careful.  She warned that there were persons posing as representatives of utility companies, so it was important to check their ID cards.  

She also noted that identity theft was a growing problem and that seniors should ensure that records of financial transactions must be secured as the information on receipts can be used to commit fraud.  She reminded members that they may receive calls asking for banking and credit card information, and that no bank would be requesting this on the phone.  "No need to be polite – say NO," she urged. "In this case to be rude is to be shrewd!"

She reminded the CCRP members to check their bank statements carefully and immediately report any strange activity.  She recommended doing this in writing, to have a record of these queries.  She said any suspicion of fraud should be reported to the JCF fraud squad at 948-5906, 948-5943 or email fraudsquad@jcf.gov.jm

Supt Lindsay said it was important to keep a close check on incapacitated elderly as there have been incidents of abusive caregivers.  She said that some persons may be reluctant to speak out so friends and relatives should be very observant, checking for injuries and bedsores.

In the case of motor vehicle accidents, she recommended that members take a photo of the vehicle, ensuring that the car registration number is clear.  They may give their name, but not their address; instead they could give the person the address of their insurance company and say they will meet them at the police station.

When out and about, she recommended:

  • Go out with friends and family, not alone

  • Walk purposely

  • Walk down the middle of the sidewalk

  • Keep purses close to the body and wallets in front pants-pocket or jacket pocket

  • Carry only cash, credit cards and ID that will be needed.

She advised that if there is a hold-up, throw your wallet or handbag a distance away and run, screaming in the opposite direction.  Under no circumstances should you resist giving up your valuables.

She suggested that seniors should:

  • Use sturdy metal or solid wood doors and install deadbolt locks

  • Light up entry doors, and use motion detectors or floodlights

  • Trim shrubbery around doors and windows and make sure your address is displayed for emergency purposes

  • Give an extra key to a trusted neighbour

She said that sometimes police had difficulty responding to a call because of lack of street signs and asked that citizens ensure that these are in place.

CCRP Board Director Mrs Vilma McDonald thanked Supt Lindsay for her timely and practical advice. Executive Chairman Jean Lowrie-Chin noted that the organisation was deeply concerned about the issue of elder abuse, and that CCRP would be advocating for the passing of laws similar to those in the Child Care Protection Act to ensure the well-being of Jamaica's elderly.

CCRP's membership has grown to 1,940, with 91 discount partners, since its inception in 2010.  The special Major Medical Health insurance plan offered by Sagicor has saved members millions in health costs.  Board Directors of CCRP are Professor Denise Eldemire Shearer, Honorary Chairman; Jean Lowrie-Chin, Founder and Executive Chairman; Prof. Sir Kenneth Hall, Honorary Director; Mr. J. Lester Spaulding, Ambassador Aloun Assamba; Mrs Vilma McDonald, Mrs Carmen Chen, Mrs Karen Gauntlett, Dr. Owen James, Mr Michael Fraser, Mr Dennis Jones, Mr Peter Mais, and recently appointed Mr Sethuraman Kumaraswamy.

_________________________________________________

Monday, December 4, 2017

WHY WE MUST HONOUR OUR HISTORY

By Wayne Chen - address to Chinese Cultural Association - Nov 29 2017


"History is a set of lies agreed upon."


-  Napoleon Bonaparte


It is difficult to grasp history as it unfolds.


History is being made as even we speak.


But history is important; it is a powerful tool, especially useful to craft a national narrative.


History, properly deployed can create a shared sense of nation.


It can inspire, unite, and mobilise a people around a common vision.


Just recently, the New York Times columnist David Brooks noted:


"History is full of examples of nations that built new national narratives, revived family life, restored community bonds and shared moral culture: Britain in the early 19th century, Germany after World War II, America in the Progressive Era."


Jamaica has had a difficult birth. We are the descendants of slaves, indentures, and outcasts. Many of us were deliberately stripped of our history, and now have the challenge and opportunity to write it to best suit ourselves.


Jamaica's first nation was the Taino, and they thrived here for about 2,000 years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans.


They did not survive the encounter, and for the next 400 years, Jamaica was not really a Nation, but merely a piece of real estate to be exploited first by Spain, then by England.


In 1915 Marcus Garvey proclaimed:


"Jamaica has a lesson to teach the world and it is this - that people of different races can live together within one country as brothers and friends, on the best of terms, without prejudice, upholding one Government, ready to die for one flag, enjoying the same liberty of constitution and looking to one destiny."


A few years later, in 1924, on the other side of the world, Sun Yat-sen, regarded by many as 'The Father of Modern China', lamented:


"The Chinese people have only family and clan solidarity; they do not have national spirit...they are just a heap of loose sand...Other men are the carving knife and serving dish; we are the fish and the meat."


From 'China as a Heap of Loose Sand'


China has had the blessing, or curse, of a long history as a people, and its current incarnation as a nation-state can trace its roots over four millennia.


It may not be obvious today but the challenges facing China and Jamaica at the beginning of the twentieth century were quite similar.


It's notable that China's rediscovery of its nationhood roughly coincides with Jamaica's struggle to find its own.


Both were underdeveloped and poor after centuries of colonial exploitation and conflict.


Jamaica attained universal adult suffrage on 20 November 1944.


The People's Republic of China (PRC) came into being just five years later on 1 October 1949, ending a long and divisive civil war.


Both were searching for a sense of 'nation' to inspire, unite, and build upon for future generations.


Tonight, I will be discussing our shared past, present, and future; how China has shaped, and continues to shape Jamaica.


China's first impact was from the inside, starting in 1854 with the arrival of the first indentures from Hong Kong on the Epsom, and henceforth by successive waves of immigrants.


In more recent times Jamaica has been influenced from the outside by a newly resurgent China, flexing its economic power and influence.


The Chinese have been embedded in the deepest recesses of Jamaican society since first arriving on these shores 163 years ago.


They have toiled shoulder to shoulder with the majority Black working class and peasantry, and their impact has been far greater than the numbers of Chinese in Jamaica relative to the overall population would suggest.


China has written records dating back over 4,000 years and is considered with Egypt, Babylon, and India, one of the four great civilizations of the ancient world.


However after centuries of civil war, depredation by colonial powers, a once great civilization was on its knees.


My paternal grandfather, my 'ah gung', told me many years ago that China would rise to take its rightful place in the forefront of nations. Back in the 1960s that seemed fanciful, but he was firm in his belief that the past few hundred years were merely a brief dip in fortune for a nation that measured its history in millennia.


In 1962, independent Jamaica boldly declared itself to be "Out of many, one people."


From the time of its own independence in 1776, the United States has the same motto, 'E pluribus unum', and has built its national narrative on this, its sense of self as a 'nation of immigrants.'


Although Jamaica is touted as a multicultural society, it is actually more homogenous than the USA.


In the 2011 Census 92.1 % of Jamaicans identified as 'Black', 6.1% as mixed, only 0.8% as Asian, which includes those of Indian and Chinese descent.


The USA is 73.6% White, 12.6% Black or African-American, 5.1% Asian - more heterogenous than Jamaica


China is relatively homogenous with 91.5 % being Han people.


But despite the small number, Jamaicans of Chinese descent have made a lasting contribution to Jamaican culture, even more profound than the proportionately larger number of Chinese have made to American culture.


A good example is the critical role in the development of Jamaica's popular music


For example, the first sound system was built by Thomas Wong.


Byron Lee introduced the solid bodied bass and built the most modern recording studio.


Many other Jamaicans of Chinese descent were pioneers in Jamaica's music, our greatest cultural export.


Many of Jamaica's greatest dancers trained at Madame May Soohih's School of Ballet. Her students include Monica McGowan, Clive Thompson, Bert Rose, Melanie Graham and other great Jamaican dancers and choreographers.


But there is the downside:


Jamaica inherited from the British a social hierarchy determined by complexion and wealth.


The Chinese notion of class and status squared with the British rulers', and the local reality that class and complexion walked hand in hand put the Chinese a rung above the majority Black Jamaicans.


It fit neatly with the Chinese notions of class and complexion where a lighter skin was desirable and a sign of high status. Working in the sun as a labourer or peasant would leave one tanned, darker skinned and of lower status.

The term 'Gwei', Hakka for foreigner, or 'barbarian', was commonly used to describe non-Chinese.


Jamaica was very upwardly mobile society if you had money, so the Chinese talent for the accumulating wealth pushed them up the social ladder.


But there is a thin line between national and ethnic pride and chauvinism and racism.


Amy Chua, an American of Chinese-Filipina descent, in 'World On Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability' (2011) notes:


"In the Philippines, the Chinese community comprise 1% of the population but control 60% of the private economy, with the result being resentment on the part of the Filipino majority against the Chinese minority creating an ethnic conflict. Similarly, in Indonesia the Chinese Indonesian community make up 3% of the population but control 75% of the economy with similar patterns occurring throughout other Southeast Asian economies."


"Constituting just 1 percent of Vietnam's population, the Chinese controlled an estimated 90 percent of non-European private capital in the mid-1950s and dominated Vietnam's retail trade, its financial, manufacturing, and transportation sectors, and all aspects of the country's rice economy…. Today in Vietnam, both markets and the Chinese are back. The government's post-1988 shift to market liberalization, or doi moi ("renovation"), has led to an astounding resurgence of Chinese commercial dominance in the country's urban areas. Vietnam's 3 percent Chinese minority cluster in Ho Chi Minh City (still Saigon to most Vietnamese), where they control roughly 50 percent of that city's market activity and overwhelmingly dominate light industry, import-export, shopping malls, and private banking. Once again, resentment among the indigenous Vietnamese is building…."


"....of Thailand's roughly seventy most powerful business groups...all but three were owned by Thai Chinese…."


"In Malaysia...despite extensive affirmative action policies for the indigenous Malay majority, which have been in place ever since bloody anti-Chinese riots in 1969 left nearly a thousand dead in Kuala Lumpur...the Malaysian Chinese...account for 70 percent of the country's market capitalization."


Chua notes the entrepreneurial dynamism of the Chinese - underpinned by frugality, hard work, co-operation, willingness to delay gratification, and an intense desire to accumulate wealth almost as an end in itself, have reaped economic success, even as it has garnered resentment from the majority population.


Sounds familiar? We see it here in Jamaica.


In Jamaica, the Chinese are most visible, living shoulder to shoulder with the Black masses.


As Chua argues, rich and powerful minorities attract resentment everywhere: but when those minorities are ethnically different, and highly visible, then that resentment can erupt into violence.


Jamaica has a notable difference - in the Asian countries there is very little social intermixing and virtually no intermarriage.


In Jamaica, there have been significant anti-Chinese protests of 1918, 1938,  and 1965. They were rooted in resentment by poor Jamaicans of relative economic success and anti-foreigner sentiment in times of economic difficulty.


Chinese assimilation into Jamaica was never easy, starting with the racist nature of the plantation society.


At the beginning of the 20th century anti-Chinese sentiment was fueled in the ruling classes by the feeling that they were responsible for the opium trade, and consequent impact on the wider society.


A newspaper editorial of 10 June 1913 lamented the difference between earlier Chinese immigrants and the recent wave of "poverty stricken, ignorant fellow countrymen" responsible for the "opium scare" in Jamaica where "natives are succumbing to the vile and deadly habit".


In this xenophobic atmosphere, the seeds were sown for the anti-Chinese riots of 1918.


It began in Ewarton and spread to other parts of St Catherine, and into St Mary, St Ann and Clarendon as Chinese shops were looted and burnt.


Fake news is not a new phenomenon, and it was wild rumours, mostly untrue, that sparked the riot.


During the harsh economic conditions of the 1930s, culminating in widespread labour uprisings of 1938, Chinese shops were often targeted.


The 1965 anti-Chinese riots, rumours and fake news again played a role, and culminated in a week of arson and looting against Chinese shops.


The mass exodus of Chinese in the 1970s, was not a paranoid over-reaction. It was a real fear sparked by socialist rhetoric, fear of communism and its impact on businesspersons including relatives in China who had been persecuted by the communists, and the fresh memory of pogroms in Indonesia and Malaysia.


Today, anti-Chinese sentiment has been resurfacing against the new arrivants.


The newest wave of Chinese immigrants have transformed the grocery and restaurant business in Jamaica, often in areas that were neglected and derelict.


To ease potential friction Chinese immigrant businesses must of course, observe labour laws, business regulations, and pay taxes.


This is necessary, but may not be sufficient.


Jamaican businesses have a long history of what is now termed 'Corporate Social Responsibility.' The longer-established Chinese businesses have been in the forefront of community-building and the new ones, need only to take a cue from this.


Jamaica can learn, and has learnt much from the Chinese in its presence.


On the global stage, as countries grow in confidence there is a tendency to become hubristic and arrogant.


Action in other countries may be wrapped in good intentions, but often morph into exploitation and narrow self-interest.


Aid and assistance can easily be perceived as imperialism.


Jamaica declared a 'One China' policy in 1972 and established diplomatic relations on November 21.


Around the same time, in the communist spirit of universal solidarity China built the Tanzam railway, linking Zambia's copper belt with the Tanzanian coast 1,100 miles away.


It was its first major showcase project in Africa. It put up $400 million, to be repaid over 30 years, interest-free. It was the largest loan ever made in the Third World by a Communist country.


Over the ensuing six years of the rail line's construction, China deployed more than 50,000 engineers and technicians.


In July 1976, the railroad was completed and handed over to the two African countries.


This aid project by China served two goals. First was boosting the economic development of the two host countries.


Second was breaking the economic blockade imposed by South Africa by opening up a route to Zambia and supporting the independence movement in southern Africa.


China's recent spate of successes in Africa is not accidental. There is much good will among the leaders who were supported during the liberation struggles.


History is not forgotten.


Jamaica's deep involvement in Jamaica's development  today is not accidental.


The memory of Jamaica breaking ranks with the West in 1972 to recognise the PRC is not forgotten.


Today China is rebuilding the historic Silk Road as "One Belt, One Road". This is just the biggest of the ambitious infrastructure projects China is implementing, mostly in developing countries.


It is the hallmark of its use of 'soft power' to garner influence and enhance trade.


We see China's global plan manifested strongly here in Jamaica where it has bankrolled and built our biggest infrastructure projects, and are shaping the very landscape of our island.


Amy Chua notes:


"Americans and the United States can also be seen as a global market-dominant minority, in particular when combined with their use of cultural soft power, military strength, economic might, and flaunting political hegemony, thereby causing resentment throughout the world and by the various countries of the international community."


China, as it rises to the top must be careful to avoid the same fate, and consequent backlash.


Jamaica can learn much from China, but China can also learn from Jamaica.


Interestingly, China's president Xi Jinping, with echoes of Marcus Garvey, has declared:


"During the long process of history, by relying on our own diligence, courage and wisdom, Chinese people have opened up a good and beautiful home where all ethnic groups live in harmony and fostered an excellent culture that never fades."


Our histories have been significantly different, but our aspirations are the same.


To refer back to Napoleon's view of history, or even the Rastafarian concept of 'His-story', what is the narrative that we can agree on, to use the past as a foundation for the future?


We have two histories to honour.


And to integrate.


The mix has been at times volatile, but more often beneficial.

A new nation/culture can learn from an old, and an old homogenous culture can learn from the new one seeking to make one out of many.


Jamaica is still a work in progress.


But so is China in many ways.


I find it interesting that in my frequent travel in the Eastern Caribbean, that Jamaican immigrants there are described in many same ways that we describe Chinese immigrants here. "Entrepreneurial, diligent, clannish..."


Is it the Chinese influence in Jamaica, or is it that immigrants, being a self-selecting minority, share many traits in common?


Jamaicans are entrepreneurial by nature, in a way that say Barbadians are not.


What are the lessons from our shared history?


We don't have to "lie", as Napoleon cynically noted, to create a positive and inspiring national narrative.


The truth is compelling.


The history of the Chinese in Jamaica can be seen as a story of perseverance and success in a strange and foreign land, ultimately forming an integral part of a culture that demonstrates to the world that peoples of different language, faith, and complexion can live in harmony, and together create a culture that is the envy of the world.


The Chinese experience in Jamaica, offers a lesson to China itself.


It is important to understand and be sensitive to different cultures and nations, even as economic power and self-confidence mushrooms. Pride walks hand in hand with hubris.


Xi Jinping, a leader steeped in history, often quotes 'The Han Fei Tzu, central text of Legalism' by Master Han Fei (280-233 BC)


"No country is permanently strong. Nor is any country permanently weak."


Or Marcus Garvey, paraphrasing George Santayana:


"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."


Wayne Chen

29 November 2017










Sunday, December 3, 2017

POKAR CHANDIRAM… A Giant Of A Knight Passes on….


Tribute from Dr Lloyd Tenn
St George's College.

Mr. Pokar Chandiram, STGC Class of 1951 passed on after a brief illness on December 1. He was 83.
He was a giant in many spheres. A successful businessman, he gleaned from early that he had a real responsibility to serve. Serve he did!!
He had a special place for his alma mater, St. George's College. He felt that his Jesuit education was special and gave him real insight into his approach to life. He was instrumental in recent time in the refurbishing of the school chapel and in getting equipment for the chemistry lab through the Food For The Poor, an institution in which he was a founding member. He was inducted to the St. George's College Hall Of Fame in 2015.
He was a constant donor. I remember when we were restarting the STGC Photography Club in 2013, a general request was sent out for used cameras. A day later he e-mailed me, giving me specific instructions to go to one of his stores on King Street. Two brand new Vivitar cameras were there waiting for me!!
He was also concerned about happenings in the Church that affected the spiritual lives of the flock. A few years ago, when the Jesuits were seriously contemplating relinquishing their association with St. George's College, he went on serious lobbying to make it known that this would be an abdication of the Jesuit's moral responsibility to the school. He felt that the power that be in Boston or wherever were out of touch with the reality on the ground. In the end, the association was preserved.
He contributed to many institutions: The Salvation Army, Campion College, The Law Street Training Center, Mustard Seed, Missionary of The Poor and many others.
We are not meant to live here forever but we are expected to put in a good shift while we are here. Well done Pokar. You have been a faithful servant.
May the Lord welcome you into paradise good and faithful servant!!!
We pray for his family at this time of bereavement.
STGC Photography
AMDG



Saturday, November 25, 2017

Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls ​

Message from Sharon Coburn Robinson 

Dear Gender Advocates
                                                               
Warm greetings. As you are aware, each year, NOVEMBER 25 IS OBSERVED AS INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (IDEVAW). 

On this day, women and girls all over the world who are, or have been victims of violence are remembered. 

As a symbolic gesture to mark this year's unique observation of IDEVAW and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign, we kindly request that you wear the purple ribbon throughout the 16 days of scheduled activities beginning November 25 to December 10.

WEAR THE PURPLE RIBBON TO COMMEMORATE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (IDEVAW) AND THE 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN.

THEME: "Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and

​​
Girls"
​ 

Sharon Coburn Robinson
Director, Policy & Research
Bureau of Gender Affairs
(Consistent with Cabinet Decision No. 8/16 on March 21, 2016)
A Division of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport (MCGES)
5-9 South Odeon Avenue, Kingston 10
Jamaica, West Indies
 
"Humility, unquenchable optimism and a deep sense of integrity are wisdom keys for success."

Friday, November 24, 2017

Workforce diversity brings boom not gloom

by Jean Lowrie-Chin


Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published Monday 20 October 2017


The longer you are in business the more you value your human resource personnel. With their expertise in recruitment, evaluation, mediation and counselling, they can take a great deal of credit for the smooth running of organizations. Therefore, I was honoured to have been asked to make a presentation to the 37th Conference of the Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica last week. Their theme was "Align people and processes for growth" while my topic focused on the stereotypes surrounding mature-age workers also known as "baby boomers". 


As our agency PROComm celebrates its 39th anniversary this year, we can look back and say that the mix of Boomer, Gen X, Y and Z in our personnel has been to our benefit. We should bear in mind that the foundations of this digital age were created by Boomers and we are still seeing these pioneers guiding the younger generation in the best use of this education, information and marketing windfall.


We should note that with the 60+ age cohort showing significant increase between 2013 and 2016, there are now over 350,000 Jamaicans over the age of 60. It is noteworthy that of the 1,216,200 employed persons, 66,100 are over the age of 65, described as the most significant increase per capita since 2016. With organizations taking a closer look at their budgets, outsourcing has become a great alternative to hiring of full-time staff.  This provides new opportunities for retirees.


We have found that our more mature team members bring to the table:

- a deeper understanding of business processes

- solid ethics based on a more traditional, spiritual upbringing

- discipline and social ethics

- networking having been involved in various organizations, e.g.

    educational, church and civic organizations.


Our younger team members bring

- energy and enthusiasm

- because they have grown up in the digital age, they have a very strong grasp of the

   programmes and are quick studies

- they are independent thinkers

- because schools and universities require community service as part of the students'

   development, they are willing volunteers in our outreach programmes.


Having served two of Jamaica's oldest companies, the Gleaner and J. Wray and Nephew Limited, we have seen first-hand the magic that can happen when diverse team members have strong and visionary leadership.


In 1984 we were co-creators and producers of Flair magazine for the first three years of its existence. We worked closely with Senator Hector Wynter, then the Editor-in-Chief and the young members of the team in Editorial and Production.  We observed that under the leadership of Chairman Oliver Clarke the newspaper embraced the digital revolution.  We created the content for Flair on floppy discs in our office, took them down to the Gleaner to have them uploaded.


The Gleaner Company then merged with the RJR Group, another company for which we worked and so we saw two brilliant executives, Oliver Clarke and Lester Spaulding, whose passing we mourn, joining forces to create this powerful media group. Their inspired succession planning saw the emergence of two outstanding senior executives, Christopher Barnes and Gary Allen.


Wray & Nephew, led by William McConnell for several decades was already revolutionising its processes in the 80s and we remember senior executive Rooney Chambers as a tech whiz. With their shining Appleton brand and cutting-edge systems, they attracted the Italian multi-national Campari and their respected senior executive Clement 'Jimmy' Lawrence, now Chairs the company. We see the posts from their young managers, commuting regularly between Jamaica and Italy.


Clearly the collaboration of more mature and younger employees is the recipe for boom, not gloom. In these times mentorship is a two-way street and the only people who will face gloom are those "know it alls" who feel that they have arrived and that there is nothing more that they can learn. To manage this combination of team members requires strong and informed leadership. 

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

CCRP mourns passing of Lester Spaulding CD, founding Board Director

Governor General Most Hon Sir Patrick Allen presents the CCRP Jamaica50  Living Legacy Award to Lester Spaulding in 2012
Kingston, Jamaica – 21 November 2017: The Board, Management and staff of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) mourn the passing of our beloved Founding Board Director, J.A. Lester Spaulding CD, who contributed greatly to the establishment and growth of our organization.

It showed the measure of the man, holder of prestigious chairmanships and directorships, that he accepted our invitation to serve a fledgeling entity and made himself available to oversee our financial management and give wise guidance. 

During his 43 years of service to the RJR Group, culminating with his Chairmanship, we saw the transformation of RJR under the brilliant leadership of Lester Spaulding. We will never understand how he did so much for so many, how he could see so far into the future of media to make the RJR Group and subsequently the RJR-Gleaner Group the Caribbean giant it is today. 

Lester also served on the executive of St. Andrew JPs for years and was a great mentor to younger members. 

It is difficult to face a world with no Lester Spaulding to call, meet and greet, but we are grateful that God blessed the CCRP with such a generous leader whose guidance will help us stay the course. 

Thank you, Lester Spaulding. Rest in Peace, Friend and Brother. Our deepest sympathy to his dear wife Lindamarie, children, other relatives and close friends.


- Jean Lowrie-Chin
Founder/Executive Chairman
CCRP

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Minna Israel has made Jamaica proud

Observer column for Monday October 30, 2017 - updated

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Last Friday, ten outstanding women leaders strode onto the stage of the international women's Forum annual conference held in Houston. The leader who was inducted in the IWF Hall of Fame was former US Secretary of State and the first ever woman US presidential candidate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Jamaica's first woman Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller is also an IWF Hall of Famer.

The other nine were honored as "women who make a difference", and Jamaicans should be proud that among them was none other than our own Minna Israel, the second Jamaican to be thus honoured.  The first was the IWF Jamaica Founding President the dynamic Pat Ramsay, who received the award five years ago at the San Francisco IWF Conference.

Minna was recognized as the first Caribbean woman to be the country manager of a major Bank and a leader in many other spheres of national life. In 2011 Minna Israel was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of the West Indies and the citation noted that the "fracture which Minna Israel has generated in the proverbial glass ceiling may very well have terminally compromised its structural integrity". 

Thirty years ago, banking was a male-dominated field; it must have taken tremendous competence and professionalism for Minna Israel to have moved up the ranks to become Scotiabank's country manager for the Bahamas and later the first woman president of the Jamaica Bankers Association.

This was a quantum leap not only for women in banking, but also for those in other areas of Jamaica's private and public sectors. From Minna, her fellow Jamaican women learned that they could be leaders while still embracing the fine qualities of their gender – dedication, compassion, and resilience. It is no wonder then that in a recent survey, Jamaica was found to have more women managers per capita than any other country in the world.

The photographs out of Houston last Friday showed the tremendous support that Minna received from her Jamaican IWF sisters, led by president Camille Facey, founding president Pat Ramsay and fellow members Patsy Atterbury-Latchman, Valerie Facey, Jeanne Robinson-Foster, Anya Schnoor, Jackie Sharp, Marcia Forbes, Allison Peart, Therese Turner-Jones, Scarlette Gillings, Corinne McLarty and Peta-Rose Hall. The bonds are strong as we celebrate and support each other, checking in ego at the door and stepping into a space of positivity and affirmation.

Jamaica is ahead of the curve in acknowledging gender equality, though lagging in our representation in the highest offices. We in the IWF and other women's organizations such as the St Andrew Business and Professional Women's Club, the Women's Leadership Initiative, Women Business Owners and WMW Jamaica, are not seeking dominance, but rather equality. If more decision-makers were aware that organizations which strive for gender balance are more profitable and successful, we would be leaps ahead.


Tuesday, November 7, 2017

CCRP Honours some of Jamaica's finest




For Seniors Week last month, and the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) held their Living Legacy Awards event where Jamaicans of many walks of life were honoured.  

They are St John’s Ambulance Head of Nursing Marie Clemetson, lecturer/composer Noel Dexter, international sports organizer Michael Fennell, broadcaster and actress Leonie Forbes, volunteers and educators Cecile and Norman Jarrett, lecturer and human rights activist Horace Levy, lecturer and former Poet Laureate Professor Mervyn Morris, retired JDF Chief of Staff Major General Robert Neish, St John’s Ambulance volunteer and instructor Clembert Powell and NDTC founding member and dance instructor Patricia ‘Patsy’ Ricketts.


We were bowled over by the untiring efforts of these excellent Jamaicans. In his reply on behalf of the awardees, Mike Fennell also paid tribute to the many other generous Jamaicans who may never gain similar recognition.   

CAFFE celebrates 20 Years

CAFFE 20th:  Founding member of Citizens’ Action for Free & Fair Elections (CAFFE) Archbishop Emeritus Edgerton Clarke (centre) with Founding Chairman Dr Alfred Sangster (left) and current Chairman Dr Lloyd Barnett, after the presentation of a Citation to mark his 50th Anniversary as a Bishop. Occasion was the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the local election monitoring organisation held recently at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Cross Roads, Kingston.

Director Grace Baston led the Litany of Thanksgiving at St Luke’s Church recently for the 20th Anniversary of Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) founded by the late Father Jim Webb SJ. The priest resolved to start CAFFE after he arrived at a polling station in Kingston’s inner city, and was told, ‘Fadah, yu vote already.’ 

Father Jim called up a group of us for a meeting at the Roman Catholic Chancery, hosted by then Archbishop Edgerton Clarke. It was great to get together with fellow founding members Archbishop Emeritus Clarke, founding chairman Dr Alfred Sangster, Dr O’Meally-Nelson and Anton Thompson who still serves as a Director and Treasurer. Other members of the hard-working civic organisation are Nancy Anderson, Director and Secretary and Mario Samms, Supervisor.

Being a consultant to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), I recused myself from CAFFE, but had the pleasure of organizing a meeting between Dr Sangster and then Director of Elections Danville Walker who heartily welcomed the formation of the election monitoring body. Chairman of the ECJ, Dorothy Pine-McLarty has also praised the work of CAFFE, and participated in the Anniversary celebrations.

CAFFE Chairman Dr Lloyd Barnett used the occasion to pay tribute to Archbishop Clarke, who was celebrating his 50th Anniversary as a Bishop.  In his response, Archbishop Clarke reminded us that ‘Jamaicans are a people of dignity’ and called for respect to ‘be given from the cradle’. He said it was respect that helps people ‘to become fully human … so make that a priority in your lives.’  He said that respect can only come from honesty. “We must learn to be truthful to selves and truthful to each other,” he declared.

Friday, November 3, 2017

EXCITING LINE-UP OF ACTIVITIES FOR 2017 NATIONAL JOURNALISM WEEK

Dear Readers

So grateful to the Press Association of Jamaica to be included among their veteran honourees! Thank you!

 

The Press Association of Jamaica continues to engage the public on topical and controversial issues involving the role of the media in society, with the theme for National Journalism Week this year being "Media Accountability in the Digital Age."  National Journalism Week is  being celebrated from Sunday, November 26 - Saturday, December 2, 2017, and promises to be another interesting and engaging series of activities and events.

 

"The theme acknowledges the current discussions taking place locally about the accountability of the media," says PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller.

 

The week kicks off with the traditional church service, which is being held this year at the Temple of Light Centre for Spiritual Living, 4-6 Fairway Avenue, Kingston 10 on Sunday, November 26 at 9 am.  

 

The PAJ will be hosting a special event at PAJ headquarters at midday after the church service, a Pinning Ceremony & Members Lyme, to welcome new members to the organisation.

 

"We've had quite a few new members joining the organisation, as we continue to reach out to the media community to revitalise and renew the PAJ," says Jackson Miller. "We thought it would be a nice touch to carve out a space within Journalism Week to welcome our new members and provide an opportunity for them to meet and greet our existing members."

 

On Monday the PAJ hosts its popular Issues Forum, focusing on a topic of interest to the profession and the country. This year's topic "Who Watches the Watchdog" will focus on the very current and topical issue of holding the media accountable. The PAJ is again partnering with the US Embassy for this event, which will take place on Monday, November 27, at the Jamaica Pegasus, starting at 6 pm.

 

"We believe this topic is important at this time, given all the controversy and discussions recently about whether there is need for a type of Media Complaints Council to hold the media accountable," says PAJ Secretary Archibald Gordon, who is coordinating the event.

 

Seminars with the same topic will also be held in Montego Bay, at the Western Jamaica campus of the University of the West Indies, at 9 am on Tuesday, November 28; and in Mandeville, at Northern Caribbean University, at 2pm on Wednesday November 29.  

 

"The PAJ regards these seminars as an important aspect of our efforts to broaden the PAJ's work and outreach to students and media workers all across Jamaica," Jackson Miller explained.

 

The PAJ's annual Veterans' luncheon will this year be held on Wednesday, November 29. The PAJ is pleased to announce that this year's honourees will be Clinton McGregor, Senior Reporter and Producer at the RJR Gleaner Group; Garfield Myers, Editor-at-Large at the Jamaica Observer;  Jean Lowrie Chin, Observer columnist and Executive Chairman of PROComm; and Phillip Green, photographer at the Western Mirror. The event is once again being hosted by J. Wray and Nephew.  

 

On Thursday at 9 am, the PAJ Executive will pay a courtesy call on Information Minister Senator Ruel Reid.

 

The week's culminating activity will once again be the National Journalism Awards at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on Saturday, December 2.  Cocktails, sponsored by Flow and the Victoria Mutual Building Society start at 6.30 pm, with the Awards Show starting at 8 am, and the hugely popular and well-attended After-Party sponsored by Sagicor.

 

One of the exciting changes this year is the introduction of a new award for Best Breaking News Coverage, as the Awards Show continues to evolve to better reflect the work of our media organisations. Another change includes the creation, for the first time, of an Award solely for Radio, in the Best Radio Feature category, and which has attracted significant interest.

 "We want to put on another great show this year, as we celebrate the best in journalism," says PAJ President Dionne Jackson Miller.  "Overall, we're looking forward to a fantastic week."

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Contact: Dionne Jackson Miller, President

            792-3550

 


-- 
"A Free Press, Oxygen of Democracy"


Jean Lowrie-Chin