Pope Francis' letter on child sex abuse and cover-ups

Reproduced from www.bbc.com

Today, August 20, 2018, Pope Francis has issued a 2,000 word letter following a new report into clerical child sex abuse in the Catholic Church - here it is in full.

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis To the People of God

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it" (1 Cor 12:26). These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons. Crimes that inflict deep wounds of pain and powerlessness, primarily among the victims, but also in their family members and in the larger community of believers and nonbelievers alike.

Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated. The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.

1. If one member suffers…

In recent days, a report was made public which detailed the experiences of at least a thousand survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately seventy years. Even though it can be said that most of these cases belong to the past, nonetheless as time goes on we have come to know the pain of many of the victims. We have realized that these wounds never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death; these wounds never go away.

The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced. But their outcry was more powerful than all the measures meant to silence it, or sought even to resolve it by decisions that increased its gravity by falling into complicity. The Lord heard that cry and once again showed us on which side he stands. Mary's song is not mistaken and continues quietly to echo throughout history. For the Lord remembers the promise he made to our fathers: "he has scattered the proud in their conceit; he has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty" (Lk 1:51-53).

We feel shame when we realize that our style of life has denied, and continues to deny, the words we recite. With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.

I make my own the words of the then Cardinal Ratzinger when, during the Way of the Cross composed for Good Friday 2005, he identified with the cry of pain of so many victims and exclaimed: "How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to [Christ]! How much pride, how much self-complacency! Christ's betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his body and blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart. We can only call to him from the depths of our hearts: Kyrie eleison - Lord, save us! (cf. Mt 8:25)" (Ninth Station).

2. …all suffer together with it

The extent and the gravity of all that has happened requires coming to grips with this reality in a comprehensive and communal way. While it is important and necessary on every journey of conversion to acknowledge the truth of what has happened, in itself this is not enough. Today we are challenged as the People of God to take on the pain of our brothers and sisters wounded in their flesh and in their spirit. If, in the past, the response was one of omission, today we want solidarity, in the deepest and most challenging sense, to become our way of forging present and future history.

And this in an environment where conflicts, tensions and above all the victims of every type of abuse can encounter an outstretched hand to protect them and rescue them from their pain (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 228). Such solidarity demands that we in turn condemn whatever endangers the integrity of any person. A solidarity that summons us to fight all forms of corruption, especially spiritual corruption. The latter is "a comfortable and self-satisfied form of blindness. Everything then appears acceptable: deception, slander, egotism and other subtle forms of self-centeredness, for 'even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light' (2 Cor 11:14)" (Gaudete et Exsultate, 165). Saint Paul's exhortation to suffer with those who suffer is the best antidote against all our attempts to repeat the words of Cain: "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9).

I am conscious of the effort and work being carried out in various parts of the world to come up with the necessary means to ensure the safety and protection of the integrity of children and of vulnerable adults, as well as implementing zero tolerance and ways of making all those who perpetrate or cover up these crimes accountable. We have delayed in applying these actions and sanctions that are so necessary, yet I am confident that they will help to guarantee a greater culture of care in the present and future.

Together with those efforts, every one of the baptized should feel involved in the ecclesial and social change that we so greatly need. This change calls for a personal and communal conversion that makes us see things as the Lord does. For as Saint John Paul II liked to say: "If we have truly started out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he wished to be identified" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 49). To see things as the Lord does, to be where the Lord wants us to be, to experience a conversion of heart in his presence. To do so, prayer and penance will help.

I invite the entire holy faithful People of God to a penitential exercise of prayer and fasting, following the Lord's command.[1] This can awaken our conscience and arouse our solidarity and commitment to a culture of care that says "never again" to every form of abuse.

It is impossible to think of a conversion of our activity as a Church that does not include the active participation of all the members of God's People. Indeed, whenever we have tried to replace, or silence, or ignore, or reduce the People of God to small elites, we end up creating communities, projects, theological approaches, spiritualities and structures without roots, without memory, without faces, without bodies and ultimately, without lives.[2]

This is clearly seen in a peculiar way of understanding the Church's authority, one common in many communities where sexual abuse and the abuse of power and conscience have occurred. Such is the case with clericalism, an approach that "not only nullifies the character of Christians, but also tends to diminish and undervalue the baptismal grace that the Holy Spirit has placed in the heart of our people".[3] Clericalism, whether fostered by priests themselves or by lay persons, leads to an excision in the ecclesial body that supports and helps to perpetuate many of the evils that we are condemning today. To say "no" to abuse is to say an emphatic "no" to all forms of clericalism.

It is always helpful to remember that "in salvation history, the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong to a people. That is why no-one is saved alone, as an isolated individual. Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complex fabric of interpersonal relationships present in the human community. God wanted to enter into the life and history of a people" (Gaudete et Exsultate, 6). Consequently, the only way that we have to respond to this evil that has darkened so many lives is to experience it as a task regarding all of us as the People of God. This awareness of being part of a people and a shared history will enable us to acknowledge our past sins and mistakes with a penitential openness that can allow us to be renewed from within.

Without the active participation of all the Church's members, everything being done to uproot the culture of abuse in our communities will not be successful in generating the necessary dynamics for sound and realistic change. The penitential dimension of fasting and prayer will help us as God's People to come before the Lord and our wounded brothers and sisters as sinners imploring forgiveness and the grace of shame and conversion. In this way, we will come up with actions that can generate resources attuned to the Gospel. For "whenever we make the effort to return to the source and to recover the original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expression, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today's world" (Evangelii Gaudium, 11).

It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others. An awareness of sin helps us to acknowledge the errors, the crimes and the wounds caused in the past and allows us, in the present, to be more open and committed along a journey of renewed conversion.

Likewise, penance and prayer will help us to open our eyes and our hearts to other people's sufferings and to overcome the thirst for power and possessions that are so often the root of those evils. May fasting and prayer open our ears to the hushed pain felt by children, young people and the disabled. A fasting that can make us hunger and thirst for justice and impel us to walk in the truth, supporting all the judicial measures that may be necessary. A fasting that shakes us up and leads us to be committed in truth and charity with all men and women of good will, and with society in general, to combatting all forms of the abuse of power, sexual abuse and the abuse of conscience.

In this way, we can show clearly our calling to be "a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race" (Lumen Gentium, 1).

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it", said Saint Paul. By an attitude of prayer and penance, we will become attuned as individuals and as a community to this exhortation, so that we may grow in the gift of compassion, in justice, prevention and reparation. Mary chose to stand at the foot of her Son's cross. She did so unhesitatingly, standing firmly by Jesus' side. In this way, she reveals the way she lived her entire life.

When we experience the desolation caused by these ecclesial wounds, we will do well, with Mary, "to insist more upon prayer", seeking to grow all the more in love and fidelity to the Church (SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, Spiritual Exercises, 319). She, the first of the disciples, teaches all of us as disciples how we are to halt before the sufferings of the innocent, without excuses or cowardice. To look to Mary is to discover the model of a true follower of Christ.

May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace of conversion and the interior anointing needed to express before these crimes of abuse our compunction and our resolve courageously to combat them.

Vatican City, 20 August 2018

GG Sir Patrick Allen: “The centre will and must be made to hold.”

His Excellency The Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen delivering the 60th Anniversary Distinguished Public Lecture at the University of Technology Jamaica, Papine Campus on July 12, 2018.

Jamaica Observer column published 16 July 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

As we arrived at UTECH for the institution’s 60^th Anniversary Lecture by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, Hubie and I reminisced on our first formal date.  It was several decades before at his CAST (now UTECH) graduation, and here we were almost at the same spot, marveling at the expansion of this great university.

It was a rich Lecture, tracing the history of tertiary education in Jamaica, and the emergence of the digital age. Sir Patrick noted that UTECH “has not only cemented its place on the landscape of the nation, but is producing work-ready graduates, and is the first and only university in the English-speaking Caribbean to

·       have a world-renowned School of Architecture.

·       Is the university with the largest and oldest School of Pharmacy in the region.   

·       Is the only university known anecdotally to be ‘The Home of World Class Athletes’. This makes Jamaica, arguably, the country per capita that produces the best runners in the world.

“Your 60th anniversary theme, ‘Pioneering Past; Bright Future’ aptly summarises and describes your history,” he declared. As he reflected on the benefits as well as the dangers of our digital age, and Vision 2030, Sir Patrick noted, “Having right values is an important component of development.”

Those of us who are concerned about poor governance in our public-sector agencies would do well to consider the Governor General’s resolve that we can overcome these challenges. “We have seen signs of the shaking of the moral foundations which belonged to an earlier time,” he stated. “The combination of easy access to information, the challenge to institutional authority, and the growing acceptance of a post-modern philosophy, when combined, call to mind the book title of the late Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart.”

“We may indeed begin to think that ‘the centre cannot hold’. But it must,” he urged. “Civilization has been through perilous times before, and the human spirit has overcome them. The philosophers speak of a perfection of civilization as we will come to know it …. For us, our obligation must center on the promotion and preservation of quality and excellence. The centre will, and must be made to hold.”

This significant Lecture, posted on the King’s House website (see link below) is well worth a good study.

https://kingshouse.gov.jm/speech/the-university-of-technologys-60th-anniversary-distinguished-lecture-promoting-excellence-to-enhance-development-pioneering-past-bright-future-thursday-july-12-2018/

GoldenEye Beach Huts

Must share info on these lovely beach huts from Cathy Snipper at Island Outpost.

GoldenEye's Beach Huts

GoldenEye in Oracabessa, Jamaica, was once the home of renowned author Ian Fleming. In 2011, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell re-opened the property as a resort and today it's considered among the most luxurious and lush in the Caribbean.

In February 2016, Blackwell expanded upon his vision for GoldenEye with additions that include 26 Beach Huts, a seaside restaurant and rooftop terrace, pool area, snorkeling cove and bay-side beach, bar and grill.

The new Beach Huts, designed by Jamaican architect Ann Hodges, are freestanding one- and two-bedroom octagonal structures built in varying heights. Each is designed with a private veranda, oversized louvered windows and high ceiling, eradicating the need for air conditioning. The layout for the huts was conceived to blend the indoors and out; the sexy sounds of the tropics with the feel of a hut on the beach.

Custom-designed Jamaican furniture, crisp, white linens and African fabrics are featured in each of the rooms. Interior showers—designed as walk-in wet rooms—and bamboo-enclosed outdoor showers and tubs (available in some of the huts) add a sensual vibe to the contemporary interior design by Marika Kessler.

Activities in the newly built Beach Hut area focus around Sha'been—a seafront restaurant with rooftop lounge and games room—and a whimsically designed freshwater pool. Steps away is Snorkeler's Cove, the spot where guests swim out to sea to explore GoldenEye's coral reef and the Oracabessa Fish Sanctuary.

Some Beach Huts are snuggled against Snorkeler's Cove. Others are positioned for best views of the Caribbean Sea, Oracabessa Bay and Button Beach. A protected and shallow part of Oracabessa Bay, Button Beach is the spot for a grill shack serving Jamaican jerk favorites, a drink stand and a naturalistic Jungle Gym area for kids.

Bookings for the Beach Huts can be made at. www.islandoutpost.com

It’s our turn to make history

Column published in the Jamaica Observer

 Independence Day August 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Happy Independence Day!

We are so taken up with news here and abroad, so deep in discussions and accusations that we forget that we are the ones who make the news and indeed, we can make history. Last week, Emancipation Day reminded us that had it not been for our heroic history-makers, we would not be celebrating either of these two Jamaican August holidays.

Besides our National Heroes, the history makers keep emerging and impressing the world. Bob Marley and Usain Bolt bring us kudos wherever we travel. Gordon 'Butch' Stewart's 'Sandals' brand graces multiple cable channels. Jamaican-born Claudia L. Gordon, who was the first deaf Black woman attorney in the US, headed the Disabilities Division in the Obama White House, and recently gave a stirring Ted Talk about her determination to excel, whatever the environment.

So how will our current political leaders make history, as did the founding fathers of the two major political parties, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley? The ruling party and the opposition are in that "one moment in time", when they too can become icons of a new Jamaica. 

The governance issues leading to a series of resignation at two agencies attached to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Energy are a call to create a serious new era of leadership. The lingering Trafigura case reminds us that there are questions of integrity on both sides of the House.

Yet, we have reason to believe that there are enough solid political representatives, individuals who could have successful professions outside of politics, who genuinely want to make a reality out of our Vision 2030: "Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business." I spoke with one concerned representative recently and urged the individual not to lose heart as Jamaica needs strong patriots.

The inglorious beginnings of political 'tribal war' and the continued divide in certain garrison areas can be phased out and a proud new era can begin for Jamaica. We need to observe which politicians are willing to engage their opposite numbers for community and constituency activities and which keep resisting.  The dividers are signaling that they are putting party above country, and do not deserve support.

We also need to look at ourselves, those who do not choose a political path, but have done well in our country, and ask if we have contributed enough to affirm the good people who have stepped up to take the brickbats aimed at politicians in general. Have we shunned them, leaving them vulnerable to less positive influences?

Here we are, the third largest English-speaking country in the Americas, perfectly mapped between North and South America, with one of the best God-given harbours in the world, and a landscape that Christopher Columbus described on landing in 1494, as "the fairest isle that eyes ever beheld". The three centuries of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade left our emancipated sisters and brothers weak and traumatized – their 'reward' was the least arable land and tough terms to 'pay back' their ruthless 'owners' who received handsome settlements after Emancipation. The matter of reparation cannot be simply dropped, so let us be courageous in our negotiations as there are great humanitarians of every creed and colour. 

It was wonderful to read the many quotes from the late revolutionary writer James Baldwin as we observed his 94^th birthday last Friday.  This is one that should move us: "I'm not interested in anybody's guilt. Guilt is a luxury that we can no longer afford. I know you didn't do it, and I didn't do it either, but I am responsible for it because I am a man and a citizen of this country and you are responsible for it, too, for the very same reason... Anyone who is trying to be conscious must begin to dismiss the vocabulary which we've used so long to cover it up, to lie about the way things are."

Beautiful Flag Circle in Downtown Kingston

Flag Circle Opening: Minister Senator Kamina Johnson-Smith with
KSAMC CEO Robert Hill and Mayor Senator Delroy Williams
Photo - @its_loven

 Heather Moyston, Digicel Admin. Manager 
 initiated the beautification of 'Flag Circle' in 2012  

The roundabout near Breezy Castle was leased from the UDC by Digicel in 2012, an initiative of Group Administrative Manager Heather Moyston who believed that this should be a beautiful gateway to Downtown Kingston.  One of my first duties as Chair of the Digicel Foundation, was the unveiling of the sculpture at the centre, symbolizing unity.

Now Senator Delroy Williams, Mayor of Kingston and Robert Hill, CEO of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) have spearheaded the renaming of the area as ‘Flag Circle’, raising the flags of Jamaica and of the KSAMC at a colourful ceremony last Thursday.  It is the perfect location for a flag display as they dance around in breezes from the waterfront.  The Mayor’s dedication and faith in Kingston becoming “the pearl of the Caribbean” is inspiring – he has us “still believing”, as he hashtags on social media.

Staying safe and well in retirement

Members of the CCRP Central Jamaica Executive: (l-r) Dr Owen James (also a member of the CCRP Board), Mrs Sadie Johnson, Mrs Sonja Allen, Jean Lowrie-chin, Founder & Executive Chair, CCRP, Mrs Patricia ‘Pesh’ Blackwood (volunteer coordinator), Mr Leighton Ritch. 

The Central Jamaica Chapter of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) is now in full swing with a great turnout for our first members meeting recently, chaired by CCRP Board Director Dr Owen James and held at the St. Mark’s Anglican Church Hall in Mandeville. The chapter is fully powered by volunteers: executive members Dr James, Coordinator Mrs Patricia ‘Pesh’ Blackwood, Mrs Sonja Allen, Mrs Sadie Johnson, and Mr Leighton Ritch. Mrs Jean Seaga Anderson has kindly given CCRP a part time desk at Global Travel Service in the Mandeville Plaza.

Members from St. Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon turned out to meet each other and to hear details of the Sagicor major medical insurance offered to members, from their helpful representatives Clive Ebanks and Errol Morris. It is a welcome relief for those who have had to exit other health plans after retirement. The organisation has also been promoting good money management and at our Kingston meeting last Monday, Karen Mullings, senior executive at VM Wealth urged members to invest wisely so they can maximise their savings.

We also shared the encouraging news that old-age pension benefits payable through the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has been increased from $2,800 to $3,400 per week, while effective August 1, funeral benefits will increase to $90,000. We appreciate the keen interest that Minister of Labour and Social Security Shanine Robinson has been taking in the welfare of Jamaica’s elderly.

Now we have to look to their personal safety and security. CCRP issued a statement last week, condemning the murders of several senior citizens including two couples who had returned from abroad to retire in Jamaica.  The organisation asked for urgent measures to keep seniors safe.  They recommend that seniors create more neighbourhood watch groups, and that families of the elderly equip them with safety devices being offered by various security companies.

Safety and Security: A Growing Concern for Senior Citizens

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Lieutenant Commander George Overton of the Guardsman Group talks safety and security with members of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons at the group’s Wellness and Lifestyle Evening held on Tuesday, July 24 at Phoenix Central, 2 Phoenix Avenue, Kingston 10

Kingston, Jamaica. (25 July 2018) – With the high level of crime and violence in the island, personal safety has been a growing concern for senior citizens. The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) invited the Guardsman Group to make a presentation on ‘Security for Seniors’ at its Wellness and Lifestyle Evening held on Tuesday, July 24 at Phoenix Central, 2 Phoenix Avenue in St. Andrew. Lieutenant Commander George Overton of Guardsman gave an enlightening talk on the vulnerabilities of senior citizens, and others, and the safety measures to be taken in addressing these vulnerabilities. 

Lieutenant Commander Overton welcomed the opportunity to address the group of senior citizens: “Any one incident that I can help people avoid is a plus for Jamaica and that is where I put my heart and my soul - in ensuring that people who live in this country can live safely and not have to worry about various threats that are around them.” He said that contrary to the belief held by many, “We all have vulnerabilities that must be acknowledged if we are to plan and decide how we are going to mitigate against those vulnerabilities.”

The three vulnerable areas highlighted by Lieutenant Commander Overton are as follows:

1. At home

Vulnerabilities increase with age. Engaging in set patterns of activity makes it easier for persons to become targets. For example, do you like to go jogging early in the mornings? What time do you go to the supermarket? What time do you go to bed?  If the answers to these questions are the same each day, then it becomes quite easy for predators to study your routine as to when best they can attack you. He recommended the use of security devices.

2. In transit 

When moving from place to place, persons, especially the elderly, are vulnerable to criminals and accidents. Having the right security system in place makes it easier for security companies to know your whereabouts and send help in an emergency.

3. Who do you open your doors to?

A common issue discussed at the meeting was the aspect of letting persons inside your home without knowing enough about them. As such, much effort should be made to gather adequate background information on those who have been contracted to work in your home. Sufficient information can be gathered by creating contact forms with simple need-to-know questions, followed by proof of identification. 

Founder and Executive Chairman of CCRP, Jean Lowrie-Chin, urged attendees to share the security information with others as she, too, is concerned about the safety of senior citizens. “There are simple things we do not think about that could really make the difference for your safety.” 

The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons continues to tackle the growing issues that affect retired persons or those preparing for retirement. The CCRP Wellness and Lifestyle Evening is held monthly with presentations on various subjects of interest after which members socialize and play board games.

BPW Woman of Excellence - Dr Jennifer Mamby-Alexander

Mrs Gloria Langrin, Founding Member of BPW St Andrew presents the Mavis Watts Award
 to the phenomenal Dr Jennifer Mamby-Alexander.

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Observer column published for MON 2 July 2018

When the youthful Dr Jennifer Mamby-Alexander stood up to accept the 2018 Mavis Watts Award from the Business & Professional Women’s Club (BPW) of St. Andrew a week ago, no one would guess that she had been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer 32 years ago.  Dr Mamby-Alexander has used her experience and triumph to encourage others in their fight against the disease. 

One story she shared in her acceptance speech, shows you the resolve and grit of this woman.  Accepting an invitation to be guest speaker at a function in Nigeria, she packed three suitcases with copies her book, “A Practical Guide to Coping with Cancer” to donate to ladies who had invited her.  When she arrived at the British Airways check-out counter she was told that her bags were too heavy and would not be accepted.  She proceeded to show the representative the book and to explain why she wanted to share them with the Nigerian women she had been invited to address.

“When I was finished explaining,” she told us, “They checked in the three bags and upgraded me to first class without charging me one cent extra!”

Dr Mamby-Alexander, a graduate of St. Hugh’s High and the UWI, has used her cancer experience to help others to fight the disease. The BPW citation notes: “She is owner and founder of Surgipath & Cytology Lab Service, the first non-hospital-based cytopathology laboratory in Jamaica, where fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) are performed.”  She has even gone even further, qualifying herself in trichology, and establishing The Hair Loss Clinic of Jamaica, “” the first clinic of its kind in the country where patients receive hair transplants and other non-surgical methods of treating hair loss.”

The relentless Dr Mamby-Anderson reminded us that “with challenges come responsibilities”, and dedicated her Award to her Mother, healthy centenarian Isola Mamby and family who supported her “through my darkest days”. BPW St. Andrew could not have chosen a more deserving recipient, aligned with their own mission to work for “equal opportunity and status for women in economic, civil and political life.”

So much to gain from CARICOM unity

New CARICOM Chairman - Most Hon Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Observer column published MON 9 July 2018

It was really hard on CARICOM to be holding its 39th Heads of Government Conference during the World Cup.  There they were, discussing and signing off on life-changing issues, and there we were, glued to 'the greatest show on earth'. Lucky for them, but to the sorrow of many, the great Brazil lost to a powerful Belgium on Friday, and so folks could drown their sorrows in some positive news out of the conference which ended the same day.

Were it not for 'the big dance' in Russia, we would have been all over the arrival of newly elected Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, especially as Jherane Patmore of WE-Change pointed out on Twitter, she was the lone woman among her colleague prime ministers.  No shrinking violet is this landslide winner, and so she stood up for the many brothers and sisters of CARICOM who have felt unwelcome in certain countries.

There would have been a buzz also around Prime Minister Andrew Holness' assuming the Chairmanship of CARICOM.  He stepped up well-prepared, as our brilliant former Prime Minister Bruce Golding had chaired the Commission to review Jamaica's CARICOM relationship, which produced a substantial report including 33 recommendations for strengthening CARICOM. JIS notes:

 "Among them is that member states should facilitate the full, free movement of people within CARICOM, except in cases of security and public-health risks. They should also push for the harmonization of customs laws, regulations and procedures, among other things.
"Another key recommendation is for Jamaica to seek a clear, definite commitment from all member states to a specific, time-bound, measurable and verifiable programme of action to fulfil all their obligations and complete other requirements for the CSME to be fully established and operational within the next five years."
For too long we have overlooked the many opportunities and underestimated the value of synergizing our efforts for the greater good of the region. Thankfully, our PM signed three Instruments relating to education and security on the last day of the Conference as follows:

1.     Protocol Amending the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas to incorporate the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement as an organ of the community and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security as an institution of the Community.

2. Revised Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Examinations Council.

3. CARICOM Arrest Warrant Treaty.
We cannot begin to measure the gains of families, communities and countries created by our coming together to establish the University of the West Indies.  Imagine if we were to take this to the grassroots level, how much more we could be learning from each other.  I am happy to hear that the citizens of Haiti, a member of CARICOM, will now have the right to stay in member countries for up to six months.  In Jamaica's case, I believe we should welcome them to stay as long as they wish so we could pattern their gentility and have them instruct us in creating exquisite craftwork.

Comments published on Observer website:

• 

  John DePass2 days ago

  So very true. There is far more to gain from being united rather than this unproductive "my island is better than yours" competitive nonsense. It is way pass time to grow up and focus on the important issues like having a true single market, a complete freedom of movement within each island and economic cooperation rather than needless fighting and import protectionism. It makes no economic sense to continue like this and unable to move on from past generational disputes. The Caribbean people, especially the younger generation have moved on and can see the benefits of integration but for these old fogies currently controlling things and hindering all progress. Gentlemen the game is over you have done your time, the gig is up, please move over and allow the next generation to run things. Thank God for Motley and Holness the new generation of Caribbean leaders.

  •  
  • Reply
• • −

  

  Chad Chen2 days ago

  It is increasingly hard to understand why West Indians keep clinging to the unworkable idea of "regional unity".
  The economies of the individual islands are NOT COMPATIBLE. Listen and learn, folks! Jamaica needs a cheap currency. Barbados would be ruined by a cheap currency. Jamaica's manufacturing sector suffers at the hands of Trinidadian manufacturers. 
  Even worse, Jamaica and Trinidad are crime-infested hell-holes that have abandoned the pursuit of decency and high ethics in government. But Barbados and the Windward Islands are frantically trying to avoid the slide into pervasive corruption.
  Guyana and Trinidad have aggressive emerging Hindu majorities that despise the Negro. The remainder of the region would be wise to limit the influx of Hindus into their territories, unless they want to be trampled underfoot and returned to the serfdom they once suffered at the hands of Europeans.
  CARICOM is bad news.

ATL’S Golden Gifts to Jamaica

Hon Gordon 'Butch' Stewart is congratulated by admirers at the ATL 50th Anniversary celebrations.

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 18 June 2018)

We were part of the happy buzz at Hope Gardens last Tuesday, when hundreds converged on Hope Gardens to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Appliance Traders Group.  The Gordon 'Butch' Stewart organisation's ascent from a fledging supplier of air conditioning units in 1968 to the creation of the world-renowned Sandals brand reminds their fellow Jamaicans of our unlimited possibilities. 

Little did Butch Stewart dream that his early talent at salesmanship would have sky-rocketed him to the pinnacle of the tourism world. Long before branding became a buzz word, Mr. Stewart understood its power. When he was finally able to afford a Mercedes Benz, gained from his success with the sale of Fedders air conditioners in Jamaica, he emblazoned the Fedders logo on the doors of his Benz!  He told his critics that Fedders enabled him to buy his Benz, and so he was proud to promote it. ATL branding was big and bold on his ubiquitous fleet – making unfamiliar names like Hoshizaki a part of our lexicon.

In 2008, on the 40^th Anniversary of ATL, this column celebrated Mr. Stewart's achievements.  We noted that in his book "All That's Good", we could see the synergy of the three basic Christian principles, faith, hope and love:   Only a person of faith would have invested in the run-down Bay Roc Hotel in 1981, rapidly rolling out a gold-standard hotel chain that would cop the most coveted international tourism awards.

Hope: The classy, meticulous Betty Jo Desnoes remembers the devastating blow dealt by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 to the three Sandals properties in Montego Bay as well as two others being built in Ocho Rios and Negril. She said on hearing the news, "Mr Stewart…began galvanizing. He dispatched every truck he had and bought up every piece of lumber and nails." 
Hailed by travel writers as "a miracle", the resorts were rebuilt and reopened three months after Gilbert in time for the beginning of the 88/89 winter tourist season.

Love: Butch Stewart's fatherly, love for his team was reflected in the many tributes featured in the 50^thAnniversary video from his long serving employees. He is probably the only boss that calls man and woman alike "darling' – and it sounds perfectly natural! They spoke of his concern for their family members and his keen interest in their professional development.

The ATL/Sandals/Jamaica Observer/ATL Motors teams reflect our National Motto, "Out of Many One People", and so it was disturbing to hear the unjust accusations levelled at the hotel chain regarding their choice of entertainment, when the only artistes I have ever enjoyed in my many years visiting Sandals are local or Caribbean. 

Some criticisms descended into downright racist remarks. We have to be very careful that we do not develop a one-sided view of racism. Racism is the act of pre-judging people based on their ethnic origin, whether African, Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern or European. While everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, it is never alright to be racist. We see hurtful comments flying about on social media, and a friend of European roots who was subject to this said she dared not respond as she risked being torn to bits. This is unacceptable and we in Jamaica who are miles ahead of other countries in respect of racial harmony, should protect and nurture this important aspect of our country.

Indeed the Stewart family has been exemplary: the children who were not allowed to rest on their parents' laurels but had to forge their own paths to success. The eldest, Brian Jardim has made giant steps with his Caribbean-wide business, Rainforest Seafoods, a company which contributes extensively to education and housing for the poor. Adam Stewart has earned his place as CEO of the Sandals Group and ATL Motors, introducing their award-winning eco-friendly practices to their properties and launching the philanthropic Sandals Foundation. Daughter, Jaime Stewart-McConnell is driving the "Orijins" line of natural juices as well as other innovative endeavours.

The fireworks finale was a fitting metaphor for the star-powered ATL Group, the largest private sector company in the Caribbean. Congratulations to Butch Stewart, dedicated veterans and the entire ATL Team – may you celebrate many more milestones in the years to come.

Calabash Well Lit

Excerpt from Observer column published 11 June 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

When we told members of our seniors group, CCRP, that we were having a bus trip to Calabash, we had to lay on a second bus.  Such is the magic of this Caribbean Literary Festival in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, founded by Colin Channer in 2001 with the support of two stalwarts, Kwame Dawes and producer Justine Henzell.

With CCRP members Poet Cecile Jarrett and Dramatist Dr Jean Small

Linton Kwesi Johnson engages

Always fun to capture one of  my
favourite photographers, Collin Reid

Happy buck-up with Susan Pitter - now making waves in Leeds!

Four well-chosen readers started the Sunday, final day of Calabash, with excerpts from The Arrivants by Kamau Brathwaite – Isis Semaj-Hall, Winsome Hudson, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Alwyn Scott. The open mike session had great hits and a few misses – emcee Carolyn Cooper managed to control the long-winded ones with good humour and offered to post poems on her new blog.  I am looking forward to that as I would love to revisit some excellent pieces.

The grand finale of the Tribute to Don Drummond has us on our feet – the Calabash Ensemble, featuring Wayne Armond, Ibo Cooper and Steve Golding hit all the right notes with a treasury of Drummond and Bob Marley mixed in for good measure. Great going Team Calabash!

Law Enforcement Torch Run - Doing good on the Sabbath

Observer column published MON 11 June 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

It was a lovely morning last Saturday when scores gathered at the entrance of the Police Officers Club on Hope Road for the Law Enforcement Torch Run.  This event is held worldwide by members of the security forces to raise funds for their countries’ Special Olympians. One of my favourite people in the world, Lorna Bell, organized her Special Olympians to pass the Torch to our Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson.

Hubie and I enjoyed catching up with 
Jamaica Constabulary Force Commissioner Antony Anderson and ACP Steve McGregor 
at the #LawEnforcementTorchRun. 
Photo by Justine Henzell.

We can be proud that Jamaica was the first country outside of the US to start the Torch Run several decades ago.  It was also great to catch up with Assistant Commissioner Steve McGregor who has been lauded by this column for his leadership in community policing, and to learn that Deputy Superintendent Cosford Cole continues to farm watermelons each year, donating his sales to the Torch Run.

If only all our police officers could follow their example. On arriving near the Hope Road/Kingsway intersection, journalist Kemesha Kelly crossed over to us to explain that she had been parked on Kingsway for over half an hour because a police officer said he could not move the barrier for her to cross over to turn on Phoenix Avenue. 

Further, there was a nurse whose car had also been stopped at the barrier, who needed to just literally cross the street to start her workday at Andrews Memorial Hospital.  Gordon Swaby of EduFocal was also stuck in the line and I learned that his request was met with an insult from the said young officer.

At this point, I figured only God could help us, so I made my case.

Me: Sir, God blessed you with the power of discretion, would you please just use it allow these good people to go their way?

Young Officer: I have my orders and I must stick to the rules.

Me: But Sir, Jesus Himself taught us that sometimes you have to bend the rules. Don’t you remember when Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath and answered his critics? And actually, today is the Sabbath.

This stirred something in him because he, who had been talking non-stop, paused thoughtfully and then finally signaled that the barriers be moved. This is the type of attitude that gives the JCF a bad name.

Meanwhile, heartiest congratulations go out to those caring police officers who, year after year, volunteer their time and other resources to raise funds for our Special Olympians.

This Jamaica train is rolling

Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 4 June 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

“The traffic!” is a common complaint here in Kingston. My theory is that, with our efficient ports and infrastructure, Kingston became a hub after the passing of hurricanes Irma and Maria.  Within a week after the storms, I noticed busy hotel lobbies and a deluge of traffic. It follows that with the damage to ports and infrastructure in neighbouring islands, there was dislocation and some relocation to Jamaica.

I believe these newcomers discovered that we were not as bad as the headlines make us out to be, and have been quietly investing.  When your press is rated in the top ten in the world, it helps to make leaders honest. The fact that we have parliamentary discussions that pull no punches is testimony to our durable democratic system.

Our first real estate development project:
Phoenix Central 

Construction is buzzing, and our own company’s modest initiative showed us that this is a promising industry. The units we had put for sale at our Phoenix Central complex went before the building was completed and the rentals are all taken up. Our humble lot was bought in 1988 and has turned out to be one of our best investments.

Life can be challenging for our young professionals, so I want them to remember that Jamaica has always been and continues to be a land of opportunity. If we had not tightened our belts in those early days and invested when the chance came up, we would have missed out.  Business gurus remind us to invest in what appreciates, for example real estate and shares in blue-chip companies. 

Jamaica is becoming even more attractive to foreign investors and we welcome them - so we should be motivated by their enthusiasm to stake our claim in this land we love. You can start small – the NHT offers great rates for that first home or apartment – but start you must. Read the business pages, watch the business interviews and remember that some of our most successful entrepreneurs had very humble beginnings and failures, but they persevered. This Jamaica train is rolling – get on board now.

Australia was amazing!

Australia – the can-do country - excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 4 June 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin 

Veteran broadcaster Jean Meserve leads the discussion
"Tidal Wave: Changing Ocean"

With colleagues from Jamaica - Peta-Rose Hall
Chair, Jamaica Forum of IWF and the
legendary Valerie Facey

Lively discussion on "Evolution or Devolution:
Fake News, Opinion, and media bias" 

On a recent visit to Australia, we enjoyed the energy and good humour of its people. With colleagues Peta-Rose Hall, Chairman of the Jamaica chapter of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) and Valerie Facey, we attended the IWF Annual Cornerstone Conference entitled ‘Evolution – Revolution’.  Thought leaders explored critical global issues including shifting geopolitical alliances, fake news, artificial intelligence, genetics, human origins and the #MeToo movement. We were addressed by Australia Defence Minister Marise Payne and Kelly O’Dwyer, Minister for Revenue & Financial Services and Minister for Women.

At Dine-Around chez Sophia Beboff

We always look forward to ‘Dine Arounds’ where we get to know a little more about each other – at the home of Sophia Bobeff, we heard stories of courage and realised how much we had in common.

 Education in Australia must be at a high standard – regardless of position, service personnel were courteous and articulate.  Patriotism was in evidence, as the ‘Proudly Made in Australia’ label was like a badge of honour on myriad products. When we asked for directions, people stopped and took their time to explain exactly what routes to take.

With hosts Daniel and Elaine Mulcahy

Touring the Great Ocean Road with guide
Shane Maloney

So there we were, walking around unafraid in a strange country, enjoying the free tram that circled downtown Melbourne, which, for the seventh year in a row, has been rated as the best city in the world, and then to Sydney, more diverse but equally hospitable country. We enjoyed a magical cruise to Manly Beach to meet gracious Irish-Australians Daniel and Elaine Mulcahy.

In Australia, you are bound by law to vote – perhaps this accounts for the engagement of its people.  The Australian model is worth a good study – it has a successful superannuation retirement scheme and is now in its 27th consecutive year of economic growth.