Who Pays The Piper?

"The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) set off a firestorm on Tuesday with the headline grabbing allegation that the PNP had accepted a donation of more than $30 million from the oil trading company Trafigura."

Source: www.radiojamaica.com


So this whole thing is really about party campaign financing. How the politicians get their money to launch lavish political campaigns and even more lavish political conferences and thus ultimately gain power.

In the Jamaican political financing game, the ruling PNP seem to be a ways ahead what with $30 million ($441,176 US) from the oil company that also has an oil trading arrangement with the Government!

Imagine if every company that has a contract with Jamaica gives $30 million to the PNP...damn that would probably make the PNP the single richest entity in the country!

And well that would make the JLP certain of yet another election loss. Remember that four and six record we spoke of yesterday? Well that would quickly become five and seven!

So the JLP has blown the whistle! And the PNP's response is basically "'bite me' we've done nothing wrong."


And unfortunately, they're not wrong!

You see J.A has been discussing campaign financing since independence. It came to a head in the tumultuos '70's, when the JLP accused the PNP of going communist and getting help from communist countries. While the PNP accused the JLP of getting assistance from the U.S.

The then leaders of the parties, Michael Manley (PNP) and Edward Seaga (JLP) never came to any decision on the matter. The former is dead and the latter has retired from active politics.

And today, almost 30 years later we're still discussing this!

The issues are quite simply:
1) who is allowed to give money to a political party?
2) should political party financing be a strict responsibility of the state?
3) is it time for a decided on code of ethics for political parties?

Three questions with a variety of opinions, and opinions which change depending on who's in power!

If this were a JLP government with Bruce Golding at the helm, would he turn down 30 million dollars from a company that does business with his government? And how would the PNP react?

Rumble in the Jungle

I love a good fight! I really do! I like it when both fighters are equally matched in brawn, skill and wit. Like the 'Rumble in the Jungle' that was Muhammad Ali and George Foreman (October 30, 1974). Love it! Love it! Love it!

So some 32 years later, we have 'Rumble in the Jungle: Part Deux'
raging in JA.

Over in the orange corner: we have the PNP with a record of six wins (the last four of which were consecutive knockouts) and four losses at the National polls since independence...they are fighting to retain power and head towards their 25th anniversary of being in power.

And over in the green corner: we have the JLP whose four wins and six loss streak has made them the constant loser of an electoral battle. The last time, they saw Jamaica House, the Berlin Wall was still standing, the Cold War hadn't ended, and Osama was fighting the Russians in Afghanistan! So for them this is a must win battle!

Sounds like the makings of a good fight on paper right?

So why does it suck so much in reality?

The JLP leader, Bruce Golding, was shooting off at the mouth again yesterday that he has proof that members of cabinet, most notably Ministers Phillip Paulwell and Colin Campbell were getting kickbacks from a Nigerian oil company.

Well, as Mr. Golding has done before, he put the cart before the horse or mule (since they can't really afford a horse) and called a wrong name! Ahhh, he has been there before hasn't he. He's made erroneous statements about former P.M. P.J. Patterson and he did implicate, well, name another high ranking civil servant in some shady shenanigans, last year September. He had to back pedal on that one quickly!

And now Minister Paulwell, says enough!!!

"He has besmirched my character, impugned my integrity and blighted my good name! I am suing the bastard."

( Despite seeing the above in quotes, Anansi cannot verify that this is actually what the Minister said, since we weren't there and well he didn't talk to us!!! You get the drift)

But anyway, Paulwell is serious, he says he'll see Golding in court!!! The irony here of course is, a good many people would say, Paulwell has no good name to blight, no integrity to impugne and certainly no high character to besmirch!

And for reference look at the ongoing Carib Cement saga, the Netserv debackle and oh the fact that a former wife of his had to cut and run after four months of wedded bliss (please note sarcasm) and a five million dollar lavish nuptial!!!

But, unfortunately, Mssr. Golding is known for shooting off at the mouth or rather cumming too quick!!! Don't they have drugs for that? And, now if this matter does go to court, he just could lose and lose badly!!!

Looks like the PNP gets this one again!!!! And to think, Anansi had the Red Stripe well chilled, and the pop-corn popped, and the phone in hand to call Pizza Hut (all the necessities for fight night)!

MAN OH MAN!!!!

"Yes now Spanish Town" Remember that from Primary school days (big up to Shortwood)!

Anyway it seems that the ruling PNP are in a spot of trouble this evening. This after Opposition leader, and President of the JLP, Bruce Golding has revealed some damning information that Minister of Industry, Science and Technology (with Energy) {like can his portfolio get any longer}, Hon. Phillip Paulwell and Minister of Information and Development, Senator, the Hon. Colin Campbell have been receiving kick backs from a Nigerian oil company.

Word is, the Leader of the Opposition, has the cheques to prove said kick backs.

So if the Leader of the Opposition is to be believed members of the PNP, most notably high ranking government members are CORRUPT!!!!

And if the Leader of the Opposition is to be believed, then Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller, might just become the first Jamaican Prime Minister in sixteen years to have to fire a government minister or two.

And if one chooses to believe the Leader of the Opposition, Portia also needs to start looking for two new ministers, while the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) has some investigations to commence!

And if the Leader of the Opposition is to be believed, the JLP just might be out of the wilderness as they might have finally fired the salvo to sink the PNP battleship!!!

Of course this is all if YOU believe the Leader of the Opposition, and really why would he lie about something like that????

Afterall, its not like the PNP are known for being involved in any kind of corruption. And the two ministers named by the Leader of Opposition are good, solid government officials whose names have never ever been whispered in any kind of scandal!

But as I say, that's if you choose to believe the Leader of the Opposition!

Why are track and field athletes so disrespected

The Trinidad Express reported this week that Trinidadian sprinters Aaron Armstrong and Kevon Pierre, both of whom had been earmarked to benefit from the country's elite athlete programme are yet to receive any money from the relevant authorities. Both men were members of Trinidad's 4x100m relay silver medallists in the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Armstrong, whose father also represented Trinidad at track and field, is now unsure whether he will be able to run next season because he has no money and is uncertain where funding will come from. I presume that Pierre may be having similar difficulties.
A few thousands miles northwest, in Jamaica, another country that produces world class athletes, in the last year alone, three of its best athletes have defected to other nations. At the root of each decision is money or the lack thereof.
Germaine Mason was ranked number two in the world the high jump when he blew out his knee representing Jamaica at the World Indoors. He had to pay for the surgery out of his own pocket despite being on national duties when he got hurt. After surgery and clearly in need of a sports psychologist Germaine could only think of his surgically repaired knee every time he tried to jump after he had healed physically.
He now represents Great Britain and has been placed in a programme that allows him to receive just over 20,000 Pounds each year to assist with training. He was quoted in the British media saying that athletes in Jamaica get nothing from Government.
Brandon Simpson now represents Bahrain after asking the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association to release him. Word is that the straw that broke his back was when he was told that he had to pay his own way to the World Championships in Helsinki.
This is happening in a country where not so long ago the Government was thinking of spending about three million pound sterling to hire a soccer coach so that Jamaica can return to the World Cup in 2010. That is more than 300 million Jamaican dollars that is being targeted in a country where 70US cents of every dollar earned goes towards servicing and repaying debt. Yet, track and field athletes who have been flying Jamaica's flag high since 1948, go hungry and live in squalor while they train, some not even able to afford the basic amenities but of whom the country expects much each World Championship and Olympic Games.
Just ask Dorian Scott, the national shot putt record holder, who by recent reports cant even find money for food that will allow him to pack on the muscle mass he needs to take him to the highest level of the sport.
The reality is that no matter how much money Jamaica spends on its soccer programme, any team that it puts out will never win the World Cup but this is not to say that we should not try to. A well-organised a soccer programme will help produce players that the island can export to the different leagues around the world and provide opportunities for players who otherwise would not be able to 'make it' in life. So investing heavily in such a programme that will make the Jamaican soccer market more respected is a very healthy long-term investment for the future of the sport in the country. The question is, why can't the same be done for track and field?
The reality is that there are many children in Jamaica who are blessed with athletic talent but have no means by which to exploit that talent for the benefit of themselves and their families. Track and field athletes can make between tens of thousands and millions of dollars each year, why are we not affording more of our talent pool to realise these dreams? The benefits would not only be at an individual level but on a national level as well.

Multi-lingual Cops!!!

The word of the day folks is....Multilingual!!!!!

Multilingual, adj., means: ability to communicate in more than two languages.


Now, Jamaica's Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Peter Phillips has announced that plans are afoot to make Jamaican cops multilingual, what with the influx of Hispanic (mainly Hondurans, Cubans, Colombians) and Haitians to our island shores. In short Jamaican cops will be learning, Spanish and Haitian Creole in order to help them better communicate with these people when they get on the rock.

Good idea!!!!!.... ON PAPER!!!!

You see the problem is - which I guess the goodly Minister did not take into consideration, and honestly might not be able to do much about anyway - Jamaican cops, by and large, don't know English!!!

Well, not the Queen's English we were allegedly taught in schools. Hence, they have barely any reasoning ability and a hard time communicating with the public at large.
That's why simple traffic stops can turn into shoot outs and why every release from Constabulary Communications Network (CCN)on a police shooting goes something like this: "The police were shot at by an armed man with a knife, who ran into the nearby bushes. The police returned the fire and the man was shot 365 times all over the body. He was pronounced dead at the hospital." Notice everytime there is a police shooting, there are nearby bushes! Even in New Kingston, there are nearby bushes!!!

Look, I applaud the Ministry of National Security's efforts to confront an increasing problem of foreign thugs, lord knows J.A. has enough of its own thugs, to deal with. But the issue is how you gonna teach new languages to people who are yet to master their own????

Just an opinion!

AND THE PROBLEM IS???????

So here we are again...the silly season is at hand! Politicians are chomping at the bit as the smell of power is in the air!!! Elections are looming, and the most coveted seat on all of earth, Jamaica House is up for grabs!!!

Anyway can somebody tell me what is it about Jamaica that so many people are willing to risk life and limb, (usually of their followers) to rule? Seriously now. Is it the people? Is it the land? Is it the ganja??? What is it???? Tell me cos, me clueless bad!!!

Anyway I say elections will be in late November!!!!

But while the politicians play, and threaten each other, we've got serious problems on hand!!! Like what's going on at the Victoria Jubillee Hospital!!!!

PROBE INTO BABY'S DEATH AT VICTORIA JUBILEE BEGINS

"The panel appointed to investigate the September 11 death of a newborn baby at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital is to hold its first meeting Saturday afternoon.

This is in keeping with instructions from Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller for a speedy investigation into problems at the Hospital. (What's with Portia and the probes anyway??? G-SAT Probe, Cement Probe, Toilet Paper Probe!!! What she needs to probe is her damned fowls which keep destroying di people dem expensive gardens up inna Millsborough)

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health appointed attorney at-law Ethlyn Norton-Coke to lead an independent investigation into the circumstances which led to the baby's death six hours after it was born.

The panel is expected to complete its investigation and submit a report to the Ministry within three weeks.

The 41-year-old mother has claimed that the baby was delivered by cesarean section more than two weeks after the surgery was originally scheduled.

The delay in the surgery was linked to the fact that the hospital did not have a working steriliser.

However, the Health Ministry says preliminary investigations revealed that the baby did not die because of the delayed surgery."
STORY FROM radiojamaica.com

VICTORIA JUBILEE WHISTLEBLOWER UNDER PRESSURE AND PATIENTS PLAN TO SUE

The Consultant Obstetrician who raised the alarm concerning the malfunctioning autoclave at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital is under pressure.

RJR News’ sources say Dr. Lloyd Goldson has been taken before Permanent Secretary in the Health Ministry Dr. Grace Allen Young and Chief Executive Officer of Kingston Public Hospital Donald Farquarson.

It is understood that the doctor will at least be issued with a strongly worded letter about his decision to go public with his concerns.

However, the sources say in the face of the firestorm Dr. Goldson is standing his ground.

According to the sources other doctors at Victoria Jubilee Hospital are supporting him.

The doctors contend that his alarm has probably saved several lives.

They say they have concerns about other equipment needed at the hospital.

The doctors note that the hospital's elevators continue to malfunction, forcing mothers in labour to walk up to four flights of stairs.

The couple who lost their baby recently at the Victoria Jubillee Hospital while the facility was without a sterilising machine is considering legal action.

The baby died hours after it was born after the woman's cesarean section was postponed on four occasions.

41-year-old Caroline Brown and her husband had prepared for the birth of their first child.

The couple knew that at her age she was considered a high risk expectant mother.

That is why at 35 weeks, her private obstetrician referred her to the Victoria Jubilee Hospital for continued prenatal care and delivery.

Mrs. Brown says she was also diagnosed with pregnancy induced hypertension.

Her expected delivery date was September 5 but she was told surgery would be done two weeks before that date because of her high risk status.

Mrs. Brown says after a number of postponements of the surgery she told the medical staff that she was noticing diminishing activity from her unborn child.

Her baby was delivered by cesarean section on September 11, more than two weeks after the original date of surgery.

The baby died six hours later and now the couple is crying foul.

Her husband Leo says he is distressed at what he calls the gross carelessness of the hospital.

Last weekend the RJR News Centre broke the story of the malfunctioning autoclave after consultant obstetrician Dr. Lloyd Goldson raised the alarm.

Since then the Health Ministry has announced that the problem is being addressed.



Babies are dying people. And the Ministry of Health has an issue with the doctor who spoke out??? Am I the only one who has a problem with people who speak out on issues being persecuted?????

Something is sooooo wrong with this picture!!!!

Emergency we a suffer round here!!!!

And courtesy from our friends at RJR, this is what those who work in Jamaica's health care system have to say about it.

MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS DECRY POOR STATE OF HEALTH SECTOR

The Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) says it has repeatedly pointed the authorities to the many problems facing the island's hospitals and health centres.

President of the NAJ, Edith Allwood-Anderson says for years the nurses have been indicating that the system needs a serious overhaul.

Mrs. Allwood-Anderson says several health professionals are working without the basic tools needed to ensure proper patient care.

She says the matter has reached crisis proportions and must be addressed immediately.

Meanwhile the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) has joined other entities in pointing to what it says is a crisis at the island's public hospitals.

President of the JMDA Dr. Myrton Smith says the situation has reached an alarming level.

But Dr. Smith argues that it is difficult for the public purse to run an efficient public health sector.

He says the time has come for increased assistance from the private sector and from Jamaicans living overseas.


While I agree with Dr. Smith that it is hard to run an efficient public health sector, maybe if the di tiefing PNP wasn't involved in billion dollar scandals, like NSWMA, Scandals Whitehouse etc. etc. etc. maybe the money could stretch a little further... maybe elevators at Victoria Jubilee would be fixed! Just an opinion!