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     The Typical Jamaican Family

By Margaret Bailey

Published

Oct 1, 2002

 

If you are one of the fortunate people to be born in Jamaica, or are from Jamaican heritage, then you will be able to relate to the special bond that exists between families.

Jamaican parents are by nature very strict. From early childhood they urge their children to excel academically and athletically, they also encourage them to be discerning in regards to the company they keep. Although Jamaican parents are very stern, there is also another side to them. They are usually fun loving and very involved in all phases of their children's lives.

They believe in rewarding their offspring for their accomplishments and endeavours.

Unlike some cultures where parents tend to sever the connection with their children, once they have acquired their legal age. Jamaican families remain a constant guiding force in their children's lives well beyond adulthood. You are never too old to be scolded or be given advice. As far as they are concerned you are always their child and they take that responsibility seriously.

Part of the Jamaican family life consists of siblings being taught togetherness and looking out for each other. Sometimes the children are taken care of by nannies or "helpers". This is a very enlightening experience because they develop a wealth of knowledge about life and other Jamaicans living in different parishes. The "helpers" tell them stories about Jamaican folklore, they teach them to cook and comb their hair. Families and helpers urge the children to be well groomed and organized at all times. A big part of Jamaican life is, that Jamaican girls and women enjoy having their hair done on a regular basis, and pay keen attention to their appearance.

Although there is help in the home, a Jamaican child is expected to do chores, such as; making his/her bed, setting the dinner table, making a beverage for dinner or washing the dinner plates. During the week when school is in session they are not allowed to watch television or cavort around town. As a rule, Jamaican parents do not condone their children idly "hanging-out".

When born into a Jamaican family, the whole family becomes involved in your upbringing. It is not just mother and father. It is grandparents, aunts and uncles.

Everyone contributes "their say" at some point or another. Religion and going to church is also a very important part of Jamaican life. I remember going to church on Saturday evenings, and having to be formally dressed for the occasion. It was also a great honor for parents to have their children serve as altar boys or girls in the church. As children growing up in Jamaica we never really experienced boredom, because our families made certain that our time was well spent. Whether in sporting activities or visiting with relatives that were close to our ages, we always had something to do. It was also very popular to spend holidays on the North coast of Jamaica(Negril, Ocho Rios), or help our parents at their place of business.

Our holidays and summers were always well planned. Easter, Christmas and Independence are prominent holidays in Jamaica. Families celebrate by wearing festive clothing, making a beverage called sorrel and baking Jamaican bun. It is a time when everyone celebrates, relatives come by, and very elaborate meals are prepared. Meals such as ham, curry goat, stew peas and rice, and an all time favorite beverage, sour sop juice. The most enjoyable things families do at Christmas is to watch the street dances and floats, and also play with starlights. Starlights look like incense sticks, however, when lit they sparkle like stars in the sky.

In Jamaica, not only do parents keep an eye on their children, but also neighbors and friends always seem to take great interest in each other's children.

Once out of school parents monitor their children's career and encourage them to soar to greater heights.

Jamaicans do not give their children a "sowing your oats time". It is expected that after one has decided on a vocation, that one will choose a suitable life partner, marry and build a life together. Family members are normally part of this process. Jamaican fathers are mindful of their daughters. They want their daughters to marry someone who will protect and provide for them very well. When it comes to their male children, parents want their sons to marry women who are smart, personable, good cooks and home keepers.

Jamaican families believe in lavish weddings. The weddings are filled with pomp and circumstance, including all the social graces and etiquette. Jamaicans are very loyal to tradition. Most Jamaican marriages last because they believe in creating a solid foundation, building a life together and enduring the difficult times.

A father teaches his daughter not to "quibble" over petty matters and sons are taught to appease their wives. Jamaican women are groomed to handle their households in an effective manner.

This may seem like a very simple solution. However, It has been successful and has worked for many centuries.

Jamaican families are tightly woven together like a knit. If you are unkind to one member of the family, the rest of the family empathizes. Even though a child may embark on a new life as a wife or husband, the families still preside over their interests and well-being.

In conclusion, I believe it is a fair assumption to say that Jamaican families are like the Musketeers, "One for all and all for one."

   CURRENT EVENTS 

  New from Jamaica

Dec 7, 2009

Cops shut Bolt charity event

 

KINGSTON (Jamaica) - POLICE pulled the plug on a benefit dance promoted and emceed by world champion Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt in rural St Ann parish.

 

Deputy commissioner Glenmore Hinds says Bolt's show was halted after it ran two hours past the legal shutoff time. Under Jamaica s Noise Abatement Act, live events should be halted at 2am.

 

Mr Hinds says that the parish police stopped the event early Sunday because there was no indication it was coming to an end. The show took place at Richmond Estate, 100km north of the capital.

 

The dance helped raise funds to build a community centre in Bolt's hometown. It attracted top dancehall acts including Vybz Kartel and Beenie Man. -- AP

 

 

 More News from Jamaica

 

Nearly 1,600 murders in 2009

AP

Monday, December 07, 2009

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A recent spate of killings has driven Jamaica's homicide rate to nearly 1,600 people this year — more than in all 2008 and approaching a record set four years ago.

 

Assistant police chief Glenmore Hinds said today that in response to rising crime, authorities are launching an anti-gang effort in the capital, Kingston, and Clarendon and St James parishes. He did not elaborate.

Police say 1,574 people were slain in 2008. A record 1,674 were killed in 2005.

The island is still seeking a replacement for ex-Police Chief Hardley Lewin, who resigned last month after the prime minister voiced concerns about spiraling crime.

The Caribbean island of 2.8 million people has one of the world's highest murder rates.

 

On This Day In History: December 7

John Barnes was always the entertainer – on and off the field


1963

John Barnes is born in Kingston, Jamaica. John first made his name playing for Watford and signed for Liverpool for £900,000 in June 1987 before going on to help the Reds win two League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and two FA Charity Shields during an Anfield career in which he scored 108 goals in 407 appearances.

John was twice voted Football Writers’ Player of the Year, as well as Players’ Player of the Year by his fellow PFA members. He was no slouch in the recording studios either, first featuring on the ‘Anfield Rap’, a song released by Liverpool players before the 1988 FA Cup final against Wimbledon which reached number 3 in the UK singles chart.

He followed this by starring in New Order’s ‘Three Lions’ England single - often mist-titled ‘The John Barnes Rap’ due to his routine towards the end when he intones:

‘They'll always hit you and hurt you

Defend and attack

There’s only one way to beat them

Get round the back’

So popular was his performance that John is rumoured to be in line to reprise his famous 1990 ‘rap’ for a 2010 England World Cup record.

1965

Scotland are eliminated from the 1966 World Cup Finals as Italy defeat them 3-0 with goals from Pascutti, Facchetti and Mora.

1972

Clive Toye, general manager of the North American League champions Cosmos wants to sign George Best.

He says: “We have talked to the other seven league clubs for the purpose of getting them to join in putting up the £350,000 fee. There is no doubt that Best’s appearances would boost attendances throughout the league.”

1973

Portsmouth sign Paul Went of Fulham for £155,000 and he'll link up with Malcolm Manley, who joined Pompey from Leicester City for a £45,000.

1911

Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace record goal-scorer Ronnie Rooke is born in Guildford.

 


Have guts! - Unmask accusers or refuse extradition requests, some lawyers say

Published: Monday | December 7, 2009

Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter


 

Local legal eagles believe Jamaica should be bold enough to deny an extradition request from its powerful northern neighbour, the United States of America, when the accusers are not named.

Veteran attorney-at-law Barry Frankson, who was called to the Bar more than 30 years ago, said fears of a diplomatic fallout should not suffice in preventing Kingston from just saying no to Washington.

"Once properly tested and established that under our law such a person would not get a fair trial or no offence has been made out under our law, Jamaica should be bold enough to say no."

He added: "We have total confidence in our judicial system to do the right thing ... if the evidence is not sufficient for the extradition order to be made, then our judges should stand up to that.

"Where there are border-line cases, our citizens should get the benefit of it ... in many other jurisdictions the courts have stood up to the US.

"Certainly in the case of Louis Timoll, in my respectful view, the court erred in sending him back after 20 years and (him) being a respectful citizen."

Frankson believes that Jamaicans should be concerned about proceedings that are not open to scrutiny, particularly cases that have anonymous witnesses.

"(It's like) fighting in the dark. The witnesses cannot be cross-examined to examine the veracity of the statements made. You are not able to put them under the searchlight of truth," he said.

However, Dr Paul Ashley, another attorney-at-law, disagreed with his colleague. "In today's world ... where you have transnational organised crime, it would be foolhardy to expose potential witnesses to severe risks, in fact, highly prejudicial risks."

Ashley argued further that a requesting state is not bound to disclose the identities of its witnesses before the accused appears in their jurisdiction.

"In other words, they won't remain anonymous in the trial ... in the requesting state. The witnesses would be subject to cross-examination and everything else," he said.

Tom Tavares-Finson, legal counsel for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is at the centre of what is arguably the mother of all extradition requests dealt with in Jamaica, does not believe the disclosure at trial is enough.

"For example, this notion that they can come here and extradite people, which our Court of Appeal has agreed using anonymous witnesses; not even their names they are prepared to tell you.

"They can take you to America out of your country of birth on a piece of paper that say witness 'AB' and witness 'CB' say that on 'X' date you did call and say 'XY'. You think you could have sent that and give to America? You couldn't do that," argued Tavares-Finson, a criminal lawyer for some three decades.

Tavares-Finson interjected that he has no problem with an extradition treaty but argued that it should be operated in a manner that is fair to all concerned.

Renowned Queen's Counsel Frank Phipps believes the practice of using anonymous witnesses to successfully gain the extradition of a Jamaican national is a constitutional breach. "Our law says each person who is charged with a criminal offence has the right to cross-examine the witnesses against him. That is our Constitution. Now, you can't cross-examine a piece of paper," quipped the noted litigator.

Section 20(6)(d) of the the Jamaica (Constitution) Order in Council 1962 states that "every person who is charged with a criminal offence" shall, among other things, "be afforded facilities to examine in person or by his legal representative the witnesses called by the prosecution before any court and to obtain the attendance of witnesses, subject to the payment of their reasonable expenses, and carry out the examination of such witnesses to testify on his behalf before the court on the same conditions as those applying to witnesses called by the prosecution".

Phipps said requests have been made for witnesses to attend the proceedings in Jamaica but they have fallen on deaf ears. "That can't be right. As much as we are concerned about the security of people ... you don't throw out the baby with the bath water."

Phipps, who was called to the Bar in 1957, argued that when legislators are passing laws that will infringe the fundamental rights of citizens, it must be passed by special legislation. "If not, Parliament can take away all your rights; they are no longer fundamental."

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com

Will Bruce Golding yield to the Obama administration?


Jamaicans have for decades complained about the state of our country - its poor economic performance, its poverty, its poor management, its crime, its violence. Many people have become fed up with the seeming inaction on the part of those we elect and the bureaucracy we pay to put things right.

Things cannot continue as they are; certainly not in these exceptional times. In this the second of a series of four editorials, The Gleaner is calling Jamaicans to action, to engage in a debate on the kind of country we want to live in, and to hold to account those who have abrogated their responsibility to manage, and to insist on a radical overhaul in the way we conduct our affairs. It can't continue!

 

 

Water truck supplying drinking water to the Kingston Public Hospital last week. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Some view them as enter-prising, others as unscru-pulous, but the upshot is that private truck operators are enjoying the demand for water, investigations carried out by The Gleaner have unearthed.

The probe found that some private truck operators purchase the critically scarce commodity dirt cheap and, in turn, sell it to residents for big bucks.

The Gleaner tracked down a private truck operator who demanded $5,000 to fill a 600-gallon water tank, and $8,000 for a 1,000-gallon container.

As it was during the Prohibition era in the United States when liquor was banned and the resulting scarcity sent prices skyrocketing, so it is with the cost of water, which is rising above the affordable levels of many.

The Gleaner also found that the price of the commodity is dependent on the location of purchaser. If you live in an upper middle-class neighbourhood, or above, chances are you will have to dig deeper into your pockets than if you reside in other areas.

A woman who lives in Barbican, in upscale St Andrew, told The Gleaner that the fetching price is $10,000 to load up the 1,000-gallon water tank.

Another man who resides in another upscale area disclosed that he purchased a 1,000-gallon tank of water for $15,000.

When The Gleaner contacted the operator under a disguised name and gave an address in a lower middle-class community, the asking price was $8,000.

"You have to have the cash in hand before the truck drop off water; is only drinking water," the operator declared in defence when questions were raised about the cost.

"And we have to spend money to buy fuel," he added.

The prices charged by the private truck operator, in most cases, were much higher than residential water bills for an entire month.

But the National Water Commission (NWC) says while it monitors truckers it contracts, and delivers that water free of cost to customers, it is unable to flush out private operators.

Charles Buchanan, corporate relations manager at the NWC, told The Gleaner the product was sold to private truck operators under the new tariff structure.

The NWC charges $225 per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,000 gallons; $390 per 1,000 gallons for the next 3,000 gallons; $430 per 1,000 gallons for an additional 3,000 gallons; and $548 per 1,000 gallons for the next 3,000 gallons.

Private operators would, therefore, be spending a mere $775 to fill three 1,000-gallon water tanks, for which they would rake in between $24,000 and $45,000, depending on the area.

Buchanan told The Gleaner that in some instances, because there is a shortage of trucks, the NWC makes arrangements with institutions, such as schools and hospitals, to provide water free of cost, if they are able to find transportation.

According to Buchanan, selling water so expensively might not be illegal, and one of the challenges the NWC was confronted with during severe drought was that some truck operators had always made and continued to make a killing.

"There is no price control that we have in how they do it," Buchanan asserted. "In some cases, they may very well be involved in corruption."

He explained that the NWC, at times, engages private truck operators to deliver water on its behalf at its expense.

"If these persons sell the water, they would actually be paid twice, and that is where the corruption comes in."

Buchanan added: "In those cases, we are very clear: We would take action against persons who sell water when they are delivering on our behalf, or extract bribes."

He said challenges surfaced as, occasionally, privately owned trucks provided services on the NWC's behalf, but also carried out legitimate operations privately with the commission.

Buchanan said persons who are unclear about the functions of these persons may contact the NWC's security department, which is part of its corporate office, to determine whether the water is being trucked on its behalf.

 


 

Lead the change - Renew private sector for a renewed Jamaica

Published: Tuesday | December 8, 2009

Except for a handful of institutions and a few individuals, Jamaica's civil-society and private-sector leadership has, for too long, been accommodating of incompetent management of the country's affairs.

If our nation is to be rescued from its long and worsening economic and social crises, that will have to change. Private-sector institutions and leaders must find their voice, assert their influence and demand an environment that is conducive to growth and prosperity. Civic leadership must help liberate Government from its entrapments by outmoded economic policies which are supposedly good for the poor, but which really keep Jamaica in poverty.

This will require the willingness of business/civic leaders to identify weak political leadership, bad public-sector management, and to offer the private sector's skill, insights and support to an often well-meaning, but mostly inefficient bureaucracy.

Corruption unacceptable

Politicians and bureaucrats, in this regard, must be told that corruption is just not acceptable in any form, and that our untrust-worthy police force and creaky justice systems have to be fixed. They must know, too, that civil society, broadly, but more specifically the private sector, will not tolerate the relationship, residual or otherwise, between political parties and community enforcers, which perpetuates garrison politics.

At the same time, the private sector must insist on a rebalanced economic environment. Undue tilt needs shifting in favour of margin gatherers to an even keel where real sectors, with a capacity to create jobs, can find a sustainable space.

Flexibility in fiscal reform

Economic reform must also include greater flexibility on the part of firms to reorganise, including making positions redundant, without risking staff's existence, which is now often the case.

Existing laws require companies to meet the high cost of severance, especially when stressed firms can least afford to pay.

It is sort of like the private sector flip side to the near, if not absolute, security of tenure enjoyed by civil servants.

The private sector is not without history of leading change. It certainly has the leverage to demand it.

In the 1970s, a period of deep ideological schism, many Jamai-cans feared for their democratic freedoms. The late Carlton Alexander, CEO of Grace-Kennedy, and others, spoke out forcefully. In the process, they created the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica as an effective counterbalance to government policy. They helped win the ideological battle of the day.

With appropriate mobilisation and support, a similar victory is possible over today's decidedly different, and perhaps even more profound, problems.

 

 

News from Trinidad & Tobago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News from the Cayman Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, through the Community Development Fund (CDF) commissioned and handed over a new tractor to the Fishing Pond Farmers’ Association today. The Commissioning Ceremony took place at 9:00 am at a site on Genda Road, Fishing Pond, where officials of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs joined executives of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago as well as members of the Inter- American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture for the historic event.

At the ceremony, President of the Fishing Pond Farmers’ Association David Thomas, with much excitement and enthusiasm, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the CDF, the Ministry and applauded the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for this ‘timely’ intervention to the farmers. He assured that through this new equipment, the Fishing Pond Farmers were positioned to benefit from an improved standard of living and called on his fellow Association members to bind together. The tractor has an estimated market value of $170,000.  


 

 

As part of its Vision 2020 strategic plan, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is seeking to create a highly skilled, well educated people aspiring to a local culture of excellence that is driven by equal access to learning opportunities. In its Vision 2020 National Strategic Plan, Government noted that people acknowledge and actively pursue the development of self and country by being socially responsible and contributing to economic development.

Context for Innovative People

To achieve this vision, Government must create conditions suitable for individual analysis, excellence and convergence of ideas. It must encourage healthy, free-thinking, risk-taking, critical analysis and entrepreneurial behaviours. In this environment, each individual becomes a source of ideas and challenges the status quo while embracing different perspectives.

The power of a person’s innovative capacity lies in the gift of our diversity which allows every individual to bring his or her own unique perspective to solve important national and corporate problems. Innovation thrives on the free and confident input of every citizen and stimulates new human capital energy and productivity at a national level.

Increasingly, globalising economies are recognizing the importance of developing the creativity and innovation of their people and nurturing a society in which opportunities for life-long learning exist. Having a highly skilled, competent, innovative workforce gives businesses a competitive advantage.

Three global trends influence the development of innovative human capital:

• A change in focus and relevance of the education system.

• The development of a capacity for research and development.

• Increased investment in worker education and training.

Educational reform is a feature of globalizing economies as many countries continuously seek to adapt to change. Some benefits of these educational reform initiatives are: an increase in primary, secondary and tertiary enrollment rates; school systems that recognise and cater for multiple learning abilities in students and provide different paths for educational attainment; increased investments of capital and other resources in the education sector.

The second trend is the increasing attention given to research and development (R&D) and technological innovation.

Finally, there is increasing investment by companies involved in human resource development. Enterprises provide avenues for continuous employee training and retraining. Some companies even have their own corporate universities.

Company leaders, employees and trade unions recognise the economic and social value of a trained, skilled labour force for increasing employee productivity, morale and job mobility.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CREDITS:

- Story by Nicola Joseph using data from Government’s Vision 2020 National Strategic Plan.

- Photo by Vothi

 

 

 

 

 New from Cayman Island

 

 

Capital hit with crime

Published on Monday, December 7, 2009 


Marlon Bodden, Detective
Superintendent RCIPS.

By Kevin Shereves
Kevin@caymannetnews.com  

In a wave of criminal activity in George Town, the Island Pot Restaurant & Lounge and Champion House Restaurant were burglarised during the early hours of Friday 4 December 2009. On the previous night, a 22-year-old woman was held up at gunpoint in an armed robbery on Boilers Road. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) say that they are taking a zero tolerance approach when dealing with crime.

Detective superintendent Marlon Bodden (RCIPS) said “You will see an increase in police operations at every district level. We will increase our police operations as the festive season comes closer and we are taking a zero tolerance approach in dealing with criminal matters.”

Superintendent Bodden also affirmed that the RCIPS is increasing their presence island-wide: “We have been increasing our high visibility patrols and have set up road blocks and we are educating the public regarding preventative measures.”

A spokesperson for the RCIPS said, “Sometime between 2.00 a.m. and 8.00 a.m. on Friday 4 December 2009, the Island Pot restaurant and lounge in Mary Street, George Town, was broken into.” The spokesperson said that entry was gained by forcing a door and that a quantity of alcohol was stolen from the property.

The spokesperson also indicated that at around 8.00 a.m. Friday morning a break-in was discovered at Champion House on Eastern Avenue. “This time entry was gained through a window, but nothing was stolen,” said the RCIPS spokesperson.

The RCIPS also reported that a 22-year-old woman has been left shaken following an armed robbery in Boilers Road, George Town on Thursday 3 December 2009. A police spokesperson said, “About 11.10 p.m. Thursday night the woman was working within the Meringue Town Mini Mart on Boilers Road when a man entered the store, presented what appeared to be a handgun and demanded cash.”

The RCIPS have confirmed that the suspect made off with a sum of cash and was last seen running towards Walkers Road. “No one was injured as a result of the incident, and no shots were discharged. However, the 22- year-old woman was left shaken by the ordeal,” said the RCIPS spokesperson.

Superintendent Bodden has advised the public not to be fearful and to be more aware. “The incidents that we are seeing now appear to be increasing in frequency leading up to the holidays. We encourage people to revisit their security products and we are advising the public to be aware and vigilant,” he said.

“We are advising businesses not to keep a lot of money on the premises, especially at night,” he added.

He said that thieves are also targeting large consignments of major goods, such as alcohol. He also noted that businesses should employ security systems to act as a deterrent to criminals.

“To mitigate the situation businesses can have a present guardian in place such as closed circuit television (CCTV) or a security guard to monitor their place of business,” he suggested.

Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.

 

 


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News from Guyana

 

 

FIERY DEATH
Man dies in fire that destroys two houses
- he was trapped inside heavily grilled garage
By Michel Outridge
OVERSEAS-based Guyanese Sundar Singh called ‘Moti’, 57, of Lot 31 Second Street, Success, East Coast Demerara, met a fiery death Sunday night when his house was destroyed by fire.

Reports said he was trapped inside and was found dead in his heavily grilled garage.

His father, Johnny Singh, 88, of Mora Point, Mahaicony Creek, also on East Coast Demerara, said he received the dreadful news late Sunday night and went to the scene yesterday.

He said he was told that his son perished in the blaze and his body was at a city funeral home.

The victim lived alone in the building and his family resides abroad but he is survived by six siblings.

Singh said the tragedy is a real shock to the family.

Pandit Bissoondyal Maraj, 43, also of Second Street, Success, who lived next door and whose house was also consumed by the disaster, said it was about 23:30 h when he, his wife and daughter were alerted to the flames.

He said he tried to save all his worldly possessions but was unsuccessful and managed to only rescue his cows and is now staying at another neighbour’s house.

Maraj told the Guyana Chronicle the conflagration reportedly started in the upper flat of Singh’s residence and quickly spread to his.

 


Maraj said, as soon as it was spotted, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was summoned but responded an hour after with no water.

Maintaining that, if the fire tender had water, his house would have been saved, he criticised the GFS for the way it tried to douse the flames.

His wife was too distraught to speak yesterday and has taken ill.

One other neighbour, Shaheed Hamid, 42, said he was at home, with his aunt and two children, but was unable to save anything from his house.

He was trying to salvage some property from the water-soaked premises yesterday, with the help of relatives and others in the neighbourhood.

The windows on one side of his house were destroyed by the fire which he confirmed originated in Singh’s and quickly engulfed his neighbour’s which was destroyed within minutes.

Meanwhile, the police said that they have launched an investigation into the fire of unknown origin.

The Police said based on investigations so far, Pandit Bissoondyal was awakened by the heat coming from a fire that had engulfed his neighbour Sundar Singh’s home. The Police said an alarm was raised and units of the Guyana Fire Service responded and extinguished the fire.

 

However, both Bissoondyal’s and Sundar Singh’s homes were destroyed and the burnt body of Sundar Singh found among the debris,” the Police added.

The Police also stated that Sundar Singh, a re-migrant from the United States, lived alone and was known to be a heavy consumer of alcohol. The two-storey concrete building which he occupied was completely grilled and it is suspected that he may have been trapped inside, the Police said.

 

 More News from Guyana

 

Supreme Court frees cocaine in fish glue case accused
- a magistrate had sentenced him to jail; imposed a $254.4M fine
By George Barclay
THE full sitting of the Supreme Court last Friday freed 45-year old Vishnu Bridgelall called ‘Halfa’ of trafficking in narcotics and set aside a conviction by a magistrate who had jailed the convicted man for 10 years and fined him $254.4M which represented the value of the cocaine allegedly found in fish glue.
 

But the court found that the magistrate erred in finding the accused guilty of possession.

Bridgelall and three others were charged with the offence of having 20 kilogrammes of cocaine in their possession for the purpose of trafficking which was said to have been committed on Wednesday May 16, 2007, at Charlotte Street, Enterprise, East Coast Demerara.

The two charges had accused them firstly of having a narcotic in their possession, that is to say 20 kilogrammes of cocaine, for the purpose of trafficking.

The other charge had accused them of having 86.5 kilogrammes of cocaine, for the purpose of trafficking.

Bridgelall who normally buys and sells fish glue for export, had in a statement said he heard that a man at Enterprise had some glue to sell so he hired Thakoor and Khan and they went to enterprise.

He added, “We arrived there about 11.30 a.m. We met the fella who selling the glue. His name is Percy.

“As we were discussing price in the yard, I see two minibuses pull up and some men jump out and said that they are CANU (Customs Anti Narcotics Unit) officers and Percy asked me to open the gate for them. They said to us they come to look for drugs and I said I don’t know anything about any drugs. I told the officer I only just come a few minutes ago to buy glue.”

After allegedly finding cocaine in the glue, the officer charged Bridgelall, Chandrika Chattergoon c/d Percy, Thakoor Persaud and Azad Khan with having cocaine in their possession.

The Magistrate dismissed the charge against Persaud and Khan but found Bridgelall and Chattergoon guilty.

Bridgelall was fined $48,000,000 in one charge and $206, 400,000 plus five years on each charge, with an order that the sentences should run consecutively.

Chattergoon was fined $10,000 together with 4 years imprisonment.
Chattergoon did not appeal.
Senior Counsel Mr. Bernard DeSantos had argued the appeal on behalf of Bridgelall and got the judges, Chief Justice Ian Chang, S.C. and Justice Rishi Persaud to agree that the magistrate erred in finding that Bridgelall was in possession of cocaine. The appeal against the appellant Bridgelall was allowed. Conviction and sentences were set aside. Bridgelall was awarded costs in the sum of $2,000.

Lawyers who appeared for the appellant and the other defendant in the magistrate court were Mr. Anil Nandlall, Mr. Vic Puran and Mr. Sanjeev Datadin. Mr. De Santos did not appear in the small Court.

 

Burrowes refutes insinuation in erroneous Prime News report
- makes it clear he has ‘no misunderstanding’ with Minister Ramsammy

EXECUTIVE Director of the Health Sector Development Unit (HSDU) within the Ministry of Health, Mr. Keith Burrowes, has vehemently refuted an erroneous report aired last evening on the television newscast, Prime News, which stated that he had resigned his post, and that his resignation stemmed from a misunderstanding with Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy.

But without confirming or denying whether he has actually resigned, Burrowes, in a telephone comment to this newspaper shortly after the television newscast, made it clear the Prime News report was not true.

Burrowes also said contrary to what was reported on the newscast, he has “no issue with Minister Ramsammy”.

“This is not true,” Burrowes said, adding that, like any other organisation, there will be disagreements and just supposing there were disagreements between himself and the health minister, those would have been strictly on ‘Projects’.

Burrowes even went as far as saying that he shares a “very cordial” working relationship with the Health Minister.

According to Burrowes, he will not resign at the behest of anybody but when, and if he does decide to resign as Executive Director of HSDU, it would be because he wants to move on and certainly at his own calling.

“I will not allow any personality to provoke me into resigning; I am not easily influenced into giving up anything…and I want to make that clear,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.

 

City Hall still in the dark
By Telesha Persaud
TOWN Clerk (Ag), Ms Yonnette Pluck, yesterday said that she was seeking to formulate new proposals to submit to the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) in an effort to remedy the current disconnection issues.

Speaking with this newspaper in a telephone interview, Pluck said she was about to meet with several members of the Council to come up with such proposals because any new suggestions “would have to be based on directives of the Council.”

Ever since GPL disconnected electricity from all the departments at City Hall, Pluck said there has been no new development and that they are still using stand-by generators.

She pointed out that “everything is the same” except that the Council has been unofficially informed that GPL will be adding interest to the sum owed by the municipality.

Pluck expressed concern over the fact that a Day Care Centre in East Ruimveldt and a Health Centre in Charlestown are also without electricity.

She said the Health Centre encountered many difficulties due to the blackout, including the storage of vaccines.

In a press release recently, GPL claimed that it does not owe the M&CC $700M as the Council claims.

“According to GPL’s records, it indeed has an outstanding balance for rates and taxes to-date of $113M. Our annual rates and taxes is $22M, while the annual electricity bill for the M&CC is approximately $180M,” GPL said.

The release said numerous meetings were held between the parties since 2005, at which several agreements were reached to have the Council reduce its indebtedness, but these were repeatedly breached by the Council.

Correspondence from the Company to the Council indicating its willingness to settle all outstanding debts by way of an exchange of cheques have been ignored, GPL said.

“GPL pointed out to City Hall on countless occasions, in writing, that interest on outstanding taxes should be waived as GPL was always willing to pay, but needed to have this done through an exchange of cheques,” the release added.

It further said that their correspondence has received no response to date and, in light of this, GPL made the decision not to pay interest on any rates and taxes due to City Hall until the matter is resolved.

M&CC’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Royston King, told this newspaper last November 17 that the Council does not have the money to pay its outstanding GPL bills.

“As it stands now, we just don’t have the money to pay according to reports from the Treasury Department. We don’t have that kind of money to pay, given the fact that we have to honour our responsibilities to our garbage collectors, drainage contractors, other utilities, and to employees,” King said.

He opined that, should GPL be willing to pay its outstanding amount at City Hall, then the Council would be in a better position to pay GPL.

“We’ve been saying repeatedly that we’re working on a very narrow revenue base, 80% of which is the collection of taxes; and when we don’t get big businesses paying their rates, it puts us on a spot.”

“When companies such as GPL do not pay their general rates or honour their civic responsibilities, it affects our ability to honour our financial obligations, including paying GPL,” he continued.

King offered that since City Hall, as well as GPL, is responsible for providing critical services to the city, a good partnership should be established so that workable solutions may be reached.

The departments currently without electricity include the City Engineer’s Department which covers the areas where applications for building plans are processed, the Mayor’s Office, which houses that of the PRO, and the Personnel and Information Technology departments.


GDF, relatives working on retrieving pork-knocker’s body from Kaieteur gorge
By Michel Outridge
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) team, accompanied by relatives of the city pork-knocker whose body was seen at the bottom of the Kaieteur gorge has reached the area and are making arrangements to get the body out.



Reports are that this operation is difficult for the soldiers since the body is among some rocks some 600 feet away from the bottom of the Falls.

It entails going through secondary jungle, unforgiving falls and rapids.

Rennie Michael Lesile, 36, of 328 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was last seen on November 29, 2009 in the Potaro area in a canoe on his way to his mining camp.

He reportedly encountered difficulties and it is believed that he may have drowned although he was a relatively good swimmer.

He had reportedly left his camp to take out someone to the airstrip and was on his way back accompanied by his dog when tragedy struck.

His body was spotted between some rocks and there was no sign of the dog.

On November 9 last, 23-year-old Aliya Bulkan during a tour of Kaieteur National Park, jumped to her death from the Kaieteur escarpment. Her body was recovered by the GDF days later.

 

Father and son remanded for procuring and running a bawdy house
By Nathalene deFreitas
A man and his son were yesterday remanded to prison for allegedly procuring a female to become a prostitute and for managing and keeping a bawdy house.

Joseph Baker, 58, of 98 Narine Street, Better Hope, and his son Carlos Baker, 35, of the same address, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson and both pleaded not guilty to the joint charges, which stated that between January 1 and April 27, 2009, they procured a female to become a prostitute, and between the said dates they managed and kept a bawdy house.

Defence Counsel Mr. Vic Puran represented the defendants and stated that the case is an embarrassment to his clients. He said his clients operate a beer garden and the virtual complainant worked as a cleaner.

The lawyer argued that it is a neighbour who is trying to create problems for his clients. He said the neighbour always complains about a noise nuisance coming from the beer garden. He added that his clients are respectable people and are both married.

Puran said the virtual complainant was hired to clean around the business place, and whenever it gets late she would normally spend the night there.

He stated that his clients are not responsible if the virtual complainant chooses to take someone in her room.

However, the investigating officer stated that the defendants hired five Amerindian girls as cleaners. The officer said after the girls began to work they were approached by customers to have sexual intercourse for money; and after they refused, the defendants insisted that they entertain the customers.

The officer stated that the defendants threatened not to pay the girls if they did not do as they were told. The officer further reported that the defendants took $3,000 for a room from the customers.

Police Inspector Stephen Telford, objected to bail and stated that one of the girls reported the matter.
The men were refused bail and the case will be called again on December 9.

Girl, seven, plunges overboard to escape marabuntas
A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD pupil of Abrams Creek Primary School, in Upper Pomeroon, jumped into the Pomeroon River to escape an attack by black marabuntas.

Titian Ramdat was going home from classes in a little canoe, which she and her brother were paddling Thursday afternoon when the swarm pounced on them from in a clump of bushes on the river bank.

The girl said she was stung on the head, face, arms, back and feet and had to jump overboard and duck below the water surface to avoid further stings.

She held on to the boat while under water after her brother advised her to make the leap.

Their mother, Sharon Farose said she is very worried about her daughter’s serious condition although she was treated at Abrams Creek Health Centre. (Rajendra Prabhulall)

Police arrest GDF Lance Corporal, two others, in Essequibo Coast robbery
Three men, including a Guyana Defence Force Lance Corporal, are in police custody following a robbery at Lima, Essequibo Coast yesterday.

Police reported that at about 00:35h, vendor Clairmonte Scott, 55, of Lima, Essequibo Coast, was at home with the front door open when three men entered the building. Two of them were masked while the other wore a toque and they were all armed with handguns.

The three armed men tied up Scott and took him outside during which time an alarm was raised by a relative inside the house. This aroused neighbouring residents who responded and the men escaped.

A report was made to the Anna Regina Police Station, and based on descriptions of the men, ranks of a mobile police patrol who had been alerted observed three men walking along the Reliance Public Road, Essequibo Coast. As the police approached, the men scattered in different directions. One of them was caught.

He was subsequently identified by the victim as the assailant who was wearing the toque and was later found to be a Lance Corporal of the GDF, based at Maria’s Lodge, Essequibo Coast. The toque was found in his pocket.

Later, ranks of the mobile police patrol challenged two men who were walking along the Columbia Public Road and who attempted to escape on seeing the police. They were arrested. One of them was seen hiding an object by a fence. This proved to be a black jersey, inside of which were an unlicensed .32 Ruger revolver with four live rounds and a mask.

Ex-cop remanded on attempted rape, indecent assault charges
A former policeman was yesterday remanded to prison for allegedly attempting to rape a Brazilian national and indecently assaulting her.

Lenox King (no address given) appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson and pleaded not guilty to the charges which stated that on November 22, he attempted to rape a Brazilian woman, and on November 6, he indecently assaulted the same person.

Attorney-at-law Mr. Patrice Henry represented the defendant and requested reasonable bail. He said his client was recently dismissed from the force and is presently in a financial crisis.

The lawyer said the least the court can do is grant his client bail so that he can defend himself at the trial.

However, Police Inspector Mr. Stephen Telford objected to bail and stated that the ex-cop misused his powers as a police officer. He said facts relating to the case stated that the virtual complainant and the defendant were friends and he took the virtual complainant at a building on Church Street where he indecently assaulted her.

The prosecutor said the defendant also attempted to rape the virtual complainant. He said the file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the prosecution is ready to commence an early trial.
King was refused bail and the case will be called again on December 8.

 

 

  

 

                       News from Dominica

Dominica

  

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Daughter of former PM Rosie Douglas denounces ruling Dominica Labour Party

Debbie Douglas

I agree that we should not allow politics to divide us and we should spread the Christmas cheer. But, it was not me who called an election during Christmas season, it was Mr. Skeritt.

Christmas is a time for family and friends getting together and celebrating. It is not a good time to call an election, because, politics is very divisive.

   

  

  

Mr. Skeritt had a few months left in his mandate, there was no need to call a rush election. The decision to call the election now, was a sinister move on his part.

And, it was meant to use the Christmas season, to buy votes from the poor by giving them, free gas, stoves, food, clothing, galvanize etc. It is quite unfortunate that he would play on people's poverty, in fact it is quite shameful.

With respect to the dual nationality issue, it not a question of "everyone has dual nationality", the point is the law. We have a constitution that makes it very clear that persons who acquire foreign citizenship after age 21 are not eligible to run for office.

Mr. Skeritt is not above the law, if in fact, he has acquired French citizenship, the public has the right to know. If that citizenship was acquired after age 21, then, he is not eligible to seek office and, he must resign forthwith.

If in fact, Mr. Skeritt has acquired his French citizenship at birth, as he is claiming, then, he has not broken any laws. All he has to do is to go to the Electoral Commission and show them his documents, so that, they can ascertain how and when, he became a French citizen.

Ron Green acquired his American citizenship as a child, when, his parents filed for him to come to join them in the U.S. The same is true for Bernard Wiltshire who went to England as a young boy, so his British citizenship was obtained before the age of 21 years old.

These men are operating within the gamut of the law of the land, i.e. Dominica's constitution. It is flawed logic to argue that because, they have dual citizenship, it is o.k. for Skeritt to have it. I am afraid the legal system does not operate based on flawed and bias arguments. And, I will repeat no one is above the law.

The Prime Minister has been guilty of breaking the laws of Dominica too often, he is setting a bad example for the youth. The message he is sending is that I don't have to obey the laws and neither should you.

This is why, the young people are getting into all this crime, Dominica is becoming a lawless society. This is a trend that must stop a.s.a.p. The example must start at the top, and the Prime Minister must set an example and obey the laws of the land.

We had in Jamaica a situation where last election in that country, there were six MPs who ran as dual citizens, contrary to the constitution of the country. After the elections, the matter was taken up in court and they were all disqualified from seating in parliament.

Their seats were vacated and bye elections were called in those constituencies. If Mr. Skeritt fails to be honest with the Dominican people, then, the issue of his citizenship will be settled by the court.

And no amount of political maneuvering will save him. The Privy Council is still the highest appellate court in the Caribbean, so he will not even be able to use his political contacts, to circumvent the judicial process.

I know you might think that we (Gabriel) et al should stay loyal to the Labour Party. I can understand your loyalty to the party, we all grew up in the party.

I recall fond memories playing in Bells at the home of the late Jojo Karam, a Labour Party Stalwart, while he and my Uncle Mike Douglas discussed politics.

But, that Labour Party of yesteryear is no more. What we have in place is a very, very, very corrupt regime and a leadership that has lost its way. Nothing about Mr. Skeritt's leadership resembles that of my father former Prime Minister Rosie Douglas.

In fact, Mr. Skeritt's values are the anti-thesis to that of my dad and Uncle Mike. I am afraid, I cannot support a party that has departed from the values of the founding fathers.

This present DLP government is nothing, but a bunch of thugs masquerading as government. They have brought nothing, but shame and ridicule to our country. They have nothing to offer Dominica, and I say it is time for them to go.

We need a progressive alternative to the current regime. Dominica is at a critical stage, where, if we don't bring back some order and respectability to our government, we will become a failed state.

I certainly do not want Dominica to become a failed state like Haiti or Zimbabwe. I am afraid that is where we are heading under Mr. Skeritt. In 2000, when, my father was alive, we called for accountability and good governance.

This current regime has not lived up to that promise. We have secret land deals, unjust enrichment by Mr. Skeritt, passport sales to rogue individuals, bin bobol, etc. I cannot support a DLP that is engaged in this kind of behaviour.

It is time to put a stop to these criminal activities, otherwise, we can say goodbye to Dominica and welcome to anarchy.

Recently, I was talking to a friend, who is the Consul General to a Caribbean country in Toronto; he told me that he just returned from Dominica.

He said that he was shocked to see that our country was so backward and underdeveloped. I felt quite embarrassed by his statement. He told me Debbie, you got to go back home and help your country.

I told him that my father spent his entire life in the struggle and I really felt that my family made enough sacrifices, so I am giving up the cause. I told him, I was going to be neutral during the next election.

He told me that you cannot give up on your country, that would be betraying your father's principles. After learning of all the corrupt activities that Skeritt and his government were involved in, I felt compel to come out and take a stand.

I have a lot of friends and family in the DLP, so I felt really sad to have to condemn the party. But, my loyalty is to Dominica not my relations.

My father taught me to always put country first, above self interest. I do not like the direction that my country is heading under the Skeritt regime, and I make no apologies for condemning the regime.

I am tired of other Caribbean people laughing at us, saying, we are a backward country. Surely a country that has produce the likes of Eugenia Charles, Patricia Scotland, Rosie Douglas, Archbishop Kevin Felix et al can do better than that.

It is time for Dominica's best and brightest to step forward and build a Dominica that we can all be proud of. We are twenty years behind our Caribbean neighbours in terms of our development, so we have to catch up to them.

We can only do so with a progressive government, one of national unity. My father felt, we can do it and so do I; in fact, he felt that we had the capacity to surpass our Caribbean neighbours.

We Dominicans are too talented and our country too rich in resources, to accept last place in the English speaking Caribbean. Are we not ashamed of this dismal record?

It is time for us to get serious and work together to build a progressive and prosperous Dominica. We owe it to ourselves, to our country and our children.
 

        

   

                   News from Puerto Rico

 

               

 

Sotomayor delivers first court opinion of new term

By CB Online Staff


 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court's newest member, got to deliver the Supreme Court's first opinion of the new term.

 

It was also Sotomayor's first opinion as a Supreme Court justice. She joined the court in August.

 

Sotomayor read aloud the opinion she wrote at the beginning of Tuesday's court session.

 

The case was Mohawk Industries v. Carpenter. The case involved a question of whether a lower court's decision on attorney-client privilege can be appealed to a higher court.

 

The Supreme Court agreed that the federal judge's decision releasing documents created by Mohawk Industries' lawyer could not be appealed. The judgment of the court was unanimous.

 

P.R. among worst in U.S. drunk-driving fatalities

By CB Online Staff

Puerto Rico continues to have one of the highest drunk-driving fatality rates in the U.S., trailing only four states and remaining well ahead of the U.S. average, according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Puerto Rico’s overall traffic fatalities and drunk-driving fatalities decreased between 2007 and 2008. Of the 452 total fatalities on island roads in 2007, 142 involved alcohol-impaired drivers for a rate of 0.74 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT). In 2008, 132 of the 399 crash fatalities involved alcohol-impaired drivers for a .069 rate.

The 6.8% decrease in alcohol-impaired crash fatalities was still well ahead of the U.S. average rate of .40 in 2008, which was down 7% from the .43 posted in 2007. Puerto Rico trailed only Montana, Wyoming, Louisiana and South Carolina as the states with the highest rate of alcohol-involved crash fatalities. In Montana, 91 of the 229 traffic fatalities registered in 2008 involved alcohol-impaired drivers, for a rate of .84 per 100 million VMT.

The NHTSA, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, defines alcohol-impaired crashes as accidents involving at least one driver/motorcycle rider with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) above the legal limit of .08%.

In 2008, the overall national fatality rate declined from 1.36 to 1.25 fatalities per 100 million VMT and the alcohol-impaired driving fatality rate declined from 0.43 to 0.40 per 100 million VMT. From 2007 to 2008, the alcohol-impaired fatality rate declined in 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico remained the same or increased in 10 states.

 

 

 

FBI: P.R. man who threatened feds arrested

By CB Online Staff

An island man turned himself in after being charged with threatening federal officials, allegedly making several threatening calls against the chief U.S. prosecutor and a federal judge in Puerto Rico, the FBI said Monday.

Héctor Luis Colón is accused of calling a federal office to say there was a $15,000 contract to kill U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez and calling 911 a day later to report a car bomb targeting Rodríguez.

FBI spokesman Harry Rodríguez, who is not related to the prosecutor, said the 34-year-old Colón also called the U.S. Marshals Service to report a plot to kill Chief U.S. District Judge José Fusté.

Rodríguez said the three calls were traced to several public pay phones.

Attorney Víctor González, who was appointed to represent Colón, said he is receiving help for mental health problems.

The charges Colón faces carry a maximum penalty of six years in prison.

 

 

 

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