Anansi Web

ARE YOU SERIOUS, MINISTER?

2008-03-08T19:34:00.008-04:00

You know what, I like Minister of Education Andrew Holness, M.P.
I really do. So far, most of his utterances in relation to his portfolio, have for me, been like a breath of fresh air. Especially in light of his predecessor, who despite the number of times I have been told of how bright she is, never ever struck me as such.

But for me, Minister Holness has been the one shining beacon in this 7-month-old JLP government. I know it's not yet a year, but can you tell that sometimes I feel like "we swap black dog fi monkey". So far the JLP have performed less than stellar and every single minister except Holness is currently at a 'C' average, but I'll write about that some other time, since this post is really about Minister Holness.

You see, he first started to impress me when he said that the former education policy - the Jamaican version of "No Child Left Behind"- where students who could not read and or were performing below grade average be promoted, was foolishness.

Then, he stepped up and spoke openly about the violence plaguing our schools, going so far as visiting affected institutions - something his predecessor would never have done.

Next, he said that the manner in which the Grade 4 reading test was being administered would be changed, and that he would be moving to make that exam into a national one, which would be used as a first certificate from school, a certificate of reading if you will.

And then he launched an investigation into how the much discussed P.J. Patterson $5 billion gift from the National Housing Trust (NHT) for Education Transformation was spent. Not that the Minister has to do much digging there, the money was all wasted.

So far, on all these counts he receives 'A' pluses from me, because it sounds like education is getting more than lip service, since for once the Minister is not approaching the issue with their head in the clouds.

So imagine my shock and awe at a boneheaded statement from the Minister. He says that he wants an investigation to be launched into Literature books with profanity! He wants these books to be removed because they are corrupting "young minds", or some crap like that.

What?!!!

Now, I remember some of the books he's speaking of. One of them, Becka Lamb by Jamaica Kincaid, was one of my favourites in C.X.C literature. It spoke to so many things that especially girls could relate to. How your adolescence turns your life upside down, the relationship between a girl and her mother, the feeling of ugliness that every child goes through - it was a beautifully written gripping tale that I think resonated even more with those of us who went to all girl high schools. But the Minister, would have this beautifully told tale of a young girl's coming of age, taken out of the system because it has profanity!

I was a literature buff, can't you tell? It and history were and still are my favourite subjects and from ever since I have nurtured dreams of one day writing a book. So, I feel passionate about it and hate when writer's words or intent are messed with anyway - I am a purist like that.
And honestly, I can't remember any profanity being in Becka Lamb. It's probably there, I certainly am not calling the Minister a liar, but so caught up was I in the story, the way in which it was being told, the effortless manner in which Kincaid used words to paint a vivid picture which for me leapt up off the sheets of paper, that I never noticed it/them, and certainly did not commit them to memory.

Plus, I doubt any form of profanity would have shocked my 14-year-old self. I certainly knew all of them by that age, having nearly been given some serious licks from my mother when at three years old I complied with her request to repeat the 'bad words' I had heard. And let's take time to note that 14 for me was more than a few years ago.

So does the Minister expect me to believe that he thinks profanity in literature books is going to affect today's youth? Minister, in case you haven't got the memo, today's "schooler's" are having sex and recording it via cellphone to share among their peers and anybody else who cares to see it. Minister, today's youth - male and female - will sell their bodies for a pair of sneakers, or a hot cell phone, or insert material good here. Minister, today's youth prefer to take to school in their backpacks, not books but the following items:- bleaching cream, shoe polish, mirror, jewelery, weed, knives and in some cases guns.

So I doubt that profanity in a literature book is gonna affect them much. Hell, before we start working on removing books from the system shouldn't we be trying to get the kids to pick them up in the first place?

P.S. And Minister since you seem so interested in profanity in literature books, should we expect that Shakespeare will be on the list of offending books since some of what he wrote was considered profanity back in his day? And seriously, shouldn't we be having a discussion on what makes a word "bad"? And Minister since you want to sterilize the books shouldn't you also check for the content in them since not all of them were promoting a puritanical value system? Just some food for thought Minister.

RESIGN...IMMEDIATELY!

2008-03-06T17:07:00.007-04:00

They "didn't know".

That's what the Election Commission, formerly the Electoral Advisory Committee said yesterday. They, this august body of learned Jamaicans, which includes I must add, a prominent University Professor and a Judge, did not know that the man who has been serving as Director of Elections over the past 10 years, is ineligible for the position.

You see according to Jamaican law, you cannot sit on this important body, the Election Commission, if you have dual citizenship.

So, not one member of the Commission, none of them, and did I say that a judge and University Professor were among them, knew that you were ineligible to sit on the body if you had dual citizenship.

Funny though, that I figured that out just five minutes after reading the Act which governs the Election Commission. The Act, "The Representation of the People (Interim Electoral Reform) says it in black and white. After laying out how many members, and who is allowed to appoint members of the Commission, - ( I am sure they read that) - it says in section 2. 1. (f) "No person shall be a qualified to be a nominated member if he"... "is, by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state".

Right there that's what it says, and guess what all I had to do was go to the Internet to find that!
And I am sure, by virtue of being members of the Commission, they all must have a copy of the Act, or can go to the Commission's office and get a copy of the Act.

I mean surely, the goodly judge must have a copy of the Act, after all he's a judge and aren't his rulings based on law? So shouldn't he have a copy of all the Laws of Jamaica?

And what about the University Professor, for god sakes he's the chairman of the board, surely, the chairman must know the Act.

But, this august body of learned men, which let's not forget includes a judge and a university professor, say they did not know that the Director of Elections could not hold dual citizenship.

I don't know, maybe I am alone on this one, but it bothers me that the body who ultimately holds true power in this country, since they oversee our elections, does not know the Act which governs them.

I don't know maybe that's just my typical type 'A' character, but I would know every single detail of that Act, and all other subsequent Acts which governs my body, better than my own name. But hey, maybe that's just me. I can be anal like that.

I wonder if I was in the Professor's class for example, if I could get away with answering one of his exam questions with a simple, "I didn't know"? Or maybe I could stand before our esteemed judge answering, say, a murder charge with, "I didn't know"?

Somehow I doubt I'd be so lucky. But since we now know that the Director of Elections is ineligible for the post, and since we now know that the very learned men -which let's all say it together, includes a University Professor and a Judge - have no knowledge of the act which governs them, I say let's force every last one of them to resign. Sorry gentlemen, but we didn't know is simply not good enough. And right now I don't know if any of you are suitable for the job.

MATTER OF INTERPRETATION

2007-11-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

You know I had sworn that I would not comment on this unfolding Cuban light bulb scandal, because as I had said in one of my earlier posts, it was really nothing more than yet another PNP scandal, of which there are never really any consequences.

Then the former Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Technology and Commerce, Kern Spencer M.P. went bawling in Parliament. Well you know that one wasn't gonna be passing me by.

Who'd have thunk it - a bawling politician? And is not a funeral? Backside!

No wonder the rain cyaan stop falling in Jamaica. People, people expect rain for another 40 days and 40 nights, because the time is near, the rapture is upon us as Judgement Day draws nigh. All who nuh right wid unnu God find unnu way to church now.

But seriously folks "di big big", - as my mother would say - "horse tearing man" broke out into tears as the current Minister with portfolio responsibility delved even deeper into that boiling cauldron that is the Cuban light bulb saga.

In defense of his fit of tears, or to hijack a phrase from his Party Chairman his "time of the month" emotions, Kern says he broke into crying because, "I really wanted an opportunity to correct some of the inadequacies I heard coming forward and I was advised not to in light of the investigation taking place. I became real emotional because I could not just sit there and hear a number of inaccuracies coming out and I wanted an opportunity to put a number of facts on the table and I was prevented from doing so".

Wow! Now, I don't know where to begin with this one, because, methinks 'Mr. Bawly Bawly' might just have made things worse. First of all, the only thing INADEQUATE here Kern is you, as you demonstrated for the world when the tears started to flow! And on a point of language, I am sure the word you were looking for was INACCURATE!

But you know what, it's all a matter of interpretation as we have seen many times before. And clearly in Jamaican politics one man's scandal is another man's mix-up.

Remember NetServ? Of course you do. Same Ministry of Industry Technology and Commerce headed by then Minister, Philip Paulwell. So Paulwell gave (he says loaned) Jamaican tax payers money, some $180 Million, to this company NetServ, which was in turn going to use said money to establish call centres and create somewhere between 3,000 to 10,000 jobs. Long story short - it never happened. NetServ went belly up and the money vanished like Britney Spears' drawers. Well, while many Jamaicans were calling for Paulwell's head - then Prime Minister PJ Patterson termed what happened as "youthful exuberance" on the part of the then Minister. See, a matter of interpretation.

Then we had an issue at the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) where some 2 billion dollars was, well, misappropriated through several convoluted and entangled deals with the devil and his father. To date we don't know the full story about that one, and the man who was then charged with running the NSWMA was at one point on a law suit spree. That one was not anybody's fault, either. Once again a matter of interpretation.

So, now we're back at Kern. He already put forward his interpretation. According to him, he did not break down into tears because he was guilty of anything! It was because of the misinformation that was being put out there.

Well here's my interpretation. When I was a child and I used to do bad stuff, and my parents would 'collar' me about it, I would bust out into tears. The reason for the tears were two-fold, one for the beating that I was sure to get from Mommy and two I really never wanted to let down my parents.

So back to Kern. Kern cried because the images of Tamarind Farm started to flash before his eyes, the sound of his political career being flushed down the toilet was echoing in his ears and of course the prophetic words of those who of knew him at UWI that he would end up in prison one day because of his relationship with money started to haunt him. And that is my interpretation of why Kern started to cry.

PS: You know who should have been in Parliament when Kern started bawling - KD Knight. I can just see it now K.D would walk over to Kern and say " what you crying fah boy? Man up, stuff out you chest, tek it like a man. Acting like a real likkle gyal pickney. Big man don't cry and we worse nuh cry pon t.v. Jesus man, even Portia never cry when me tell har bad wud inna Parliament couple years ago. Maxine come slap some sense into him fi me nuh."

IS THAT A FAIR PRICE TO PAY?

2007-11-01T19:34:00.000-03:00

(PHOTO CAPTIONS: Mob Violence against reported homosexuals in Jamaica.)

I've had this topic on my mind now for the past couple of weeks. Well ever since THE STAR, outed former Rising Stars contestant Kyino Cunningham. If you don't know the story, THE STAR ran a story about Cunningham and a dread locked male taking a shower together on some kind of video recording that was being circulated on the internet. Now, there was no sexual act that was shown, however, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that homeboy is either gay or bi-sexual - both lifestyles which are hated in Jamaica.

I tried finding a link to the story, but Go Jamaica, the people who designed and run THE STAR's website, have not made it the most user friendly, so if it's there I can't find it.

But anyway, after reading the story on Kyino, I must admit the voyeuristic side of me instantly went in to search mode. I had to find this video. And find it I did. The links were removed the following day and I have not been able to find any of them since. But after watching the two clips, I instantly started to feel dread for the young man.

You see Jamaica, is still an intensely homophobic society. Simply put "we nuh like dem people deh". So intense is the dislike that "a bun ah chi chi man" tune is a rite of passage for our entertainers. And who can blame them? If you play Buju Banton's "Boom Bye Bye" or T.O.K's "Chi Chi Man" you get instant forwards in every session, even the gay ones. Many Jamaicans openly ostracize homosexuals, nobody wants them for their friends and worse their family. And of course let's not neglect the acts of violence that are rained upon homosexuals, for doing what to them is natural. I mean so endemic is homophobia that Jamaica has laws against buggery. As in men who engage in that sex act can go to prison.

And it's all really sad when you stop to think about it. I mean really think about it. What is society, any part of it, doing in the bedrooms of consenting adults? Who gives anybody the right to criticise what anybody does in the privacy of their own homes, or hotel rooms or wherever? And in Jamaica, as well as many other parts of the world, we take it a step further, we actually allow law enforcement to get involved, wow!

Well it doesn't sit right with me. Not that homosexuality sits right with me either. But I decided long ago, that it's not my place to judge. I am not God, and I think He strictly said He's the only one that has that right. And yes, He has condemned the act, but somehow I think God is totally capable of exacting His own punishment on those who violate His laws.

So where did Jamaicans get it that we were God's helpers? I mean sexual "immorality" is nothing new to us right? Lots of us engage in sex out of wedlock; many of us are adulterers; some of us prefer the feel of nubile virgin underage flesh to that of the adult of the specie and there are even those of us who say we are heterosexual but enjoy performing some very homosexual like acts on members of the opposite sex - so who are we kidding? But I guess that's just the nature of Jamaican society, where the double standard reigns supreme.

I for one feel sad for Kyino, his family and his friends. Nobody knows what the future holds for this young man, who in all honesty was causing no harm to anybody, but who has now been labelled for life as a pariah by a self righteous, violence prone society. I pray nothing bad happens to him or his loved ones, but I fear that the only way he can ensure that is to probably choose to not make Jamaica his home. Now you tell me is that a fair price to pay for being true to one's self?

PS: I chose not upload Kyino's photo, I think he's had more than enough people looking at him.

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES

2007-10-28T17:27:00.000-03:00

I was planning to blog about the latest scandal surrounding the PNP - the Cuban Light Bulb Affair. But then I thought what was the use, they were and are thieves - a fact as well known as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. I guess why it bothers me was I was a true and strident supporter of that party, even one day planned to run on the PNP ticket in some election. Now, if I was ever approached what I would tell the approacher would force my own mother to disown me. I don't know if I'll ever return to the fold of the comrades and raise my fist singing "Jamaica Arise", I doubt that I will - so sickened am I of them that I just might become the 'Mutty' of the blogosphere. But enough of Portia and her thousand thieves, since we all know this is yet another PNP scandal which will go the way of all the others from Shell waiver to Trafigura - ain't nutten gonna happen.

Now on to the real topic of blogging. This morning I checked my gmail and in the spam box was the following message.
'REFERENCE NUMBER:UK/839030X2/14
BATCH NUMBER:065/088/XY24
TICKET NUMBER:023-1111-790-458
20Th october 2007

This email is to notify you that this email address was randomly
selected and entered into our free Third Category draws. You have
subsequently emerged a winner and therefore entitled to a substantial
amountof 552,000.00 Pounds.

For further information, kindly confirm receipt of this email, by
forwarding Your Details as states below to our claims department on
Email :verification2007deptunit@yahoo.co.uk

INFORMATION REQUESTED:
(a) Your full Name
(b) Contact address
(c) Your Telephone and fax numbers
(d) Your Age:
(e) Your occupation
(f) Your country of origin:

Thank you.

Yours Sincerely,
Award Notification Team
UK GAMING HOUSE"

Now my first instinct was to email them back with some choice Jamaican language communicating my overwhelming desire that I be left alone, or I would be forced to have my criminal friends cause irreparable harm to them and theirs - all of this would be said in Jamaicanese, with the right doses of claat's mixed in! But then I started to think about it and I re-read the email, I wondered, how does anybody get caught in these scams?

In the past couple months, I've noticed a dramatic increase in the number of these emails in my inbox usually talking about some inheritance that has been seized and they need $50,000 or however much of MY MONEY to clear it. And my response is always the same "me look like me born big so?"

But yet some jackass, some idiot, some claffy always falls for it. And they of course contact this anonymous emailer, from a country they can't find on a map with a scenario more idiotic than a James Bond movie starring Pierce Brosnan, all because they believe instant millions are just a wire transfer away.

I always wonder if these people who get caught up in these scams also believe that at the end of every rainbow is a pot of gold being guarded by a green clad leprechaun? Or maybe they believe that money really does grow on trees?

Whatever it is and as annoyed I am by the emails and the people who get caught in the scams, I am even more annoyed that police actually investigate these cases when people are ripped off. I really don't think the cops should be wasting their time trying to reunite an idiot with their money. The police's time would be better spent solving real crimes like murders, house break -ins, rapes - things where there are real and truly unsuspecting victims.

Can you imagine me being a detective and I get a call from some frantic person recounting this story about how they were contacted from Nigeria by somebody they have never met, and was suckered into parting with their life's savings? Well my response would be simple - click - and then dial tone. I wouldn't be investigating crap!

I mean let's just be honest, if you get caught up in a scam like that you DESERVE to lose your money, and if there was any real justice in the world you would be thrown in jail for as long as it takes to learn to put your brain in drive. It's about time people are prosecuted for being stupid.

Now, back to my latest anonymous emailer - I being fairly intelligent, googled the UK Gaming House and the first page all said how this thing was a scam. Here's one of the reports.
Let's just say, I won't be contacting them for my 552,000 pounds anytime soon. My parents always taught me to work hard for what I want, I think I'll just continue doing that, after all dem never raise no big head bud!

SURVIVORS ARE WE!!!

2007-08-23T20:59:00.000-03:00

Every once in a while this country reminds us of just how great it is. And that greatness was on display this week.

On Sunday, the island - well the southern coast of the island - was hit by Hurricane Dean. And as Dean passed, the worry was that come Monday, Jamaica would have been under a pile of rubble and sand, mangled steel and blocks. Debris and water.

But alas, come Monday, the true situation revealed itself. And for many of us our only complaint was that water still seeped through our windows. A few trees were down, we had no light or water and the fridge reeked.
For some of us Hurricane Dean also meant a day off from work so there was time to survey the damage.

And still for others, the proud among us, it was time to clean up. Time to pick up the pieces. Many were seen throughout their communities, cutting up trees, some that had fallen across the roadways, sweeping up rubble. It was not time to wait on the National Solid Waste Management Authority- the able bodied put themselves to work and work they did.

It was also time to check on the neighbours and there were many on whom Dean took a heavy toll. Hundreds of people on the south coast of the island, including Caribbean Terrace and Harbour View in St. Andrew, Portland Cottage in Clarendon, South Field in St. Elizabeth felt the full brunt of the wind and waves.
But despite losing home and property it was time to begin the process of starting over again because we are survivors.
This wasn't the first and it certainly won't be the last storm to hit Jamaica and as a nation, we've been the poster child for weathering every possible type of storm. Jamaica likkle but wi people tallawah. As usual when put to the test the majority of Jamaicans produced award winning performance.

And since Anansi feels like handing out awards, let's give one to the island's light and power company - the Jamaica Public Service (JPS). When in this country's history has there been a hurricane of any type and some customers get reconnected in less than 24 hours. By day three after the hurricane JPS had turned on the lights for almost 40 per cent of its customers, and this despite saying that damage to its lines by Hurricane Dean was worse than that caused by Hurricane Ivan.

Water Commission too - they've been busy piping water back to homes. Yes, NWC you get an award too. Getting water back to 80 per cent of your customers in four days. Good work.

And yes, Anansi had proclaimed doom and gloom. Anansi had visions of Katrina-like behaviour from many residents - but all this was prevented by very necessary State of Emergency imposed by the G.G.! Hence what could have become a potentially volatile situation - in many ways more damaging than Hurricane Dean - was avoided. For once, Portia did something right! Portia you get a badge of merit for doing what was right, despite those naysayers who will use any opportunity to politic. Maybe, just maybe, their might be hope for you yet!
Since we're giving out awards, let's hand out some bricks to those who still can't get right.

Digicel - Hurricane Ivan unnu pap dung. Hurricane Dean unnu pap dung. Anansi thought you were the "bigger better" network. Sorry, but I'll stick with "the true owners of the yard" - Cable and Wireless.

Di Damn Tief dem - How unnu fi a bruk inna people house inna di height of storm? Unnu should a drown, get electrocuted and di earth shoulda open up and swallow unnu. Unnu ole wukliss good fi nutten cruff unnu.

Wukliss Politrickician - Di storm was Sunday, and come Monday unnu a complain seh relief effort too slow. Anansi not calling no names, but here are two words fi unnu "New Orleans" and if unnu still nuh get it "Hurricane Katrina". Some times, people must engage their brains before their mouths start to move. Unnu mus get several bricks.

Anyway, since the country is getting back to normal - when's the election?

PS: Was it just Anansi, or did it seem a little more than just distasteful to be hearing political ads during the height of the onslaught of Dean. Imagine, Anansi is glued to the radio, and during every other ad break all that was heard was "me and me neighbour voting for Labour"!!! Like who really gave a ....

DEAN AH LICK WE AT CAT. 5

2007-08-18T19:00:00.001-03:00

Not that we needed to hear this, but Dean will be hitting or passing very close to Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane.

Eternal Father, Bless our Land,
Guard us with thy mighty hand,
Keep us free from evil powers,
Be our light through countless hours,
To our leaders, great defender,
Grant true wisdom from above,
Justice, truth be ours forever,
Jamaica land we love,
Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love

Teach us true respect for all,
Stir response to duty's call,
Strengthen us the weak to cherish,
Give us vision lest we perish,
Knowledge send us Heavenly Father,
Grant true wisdom from above,
Justice, truth be ours forever,
Jamaica, land we love,
Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love

"Dean pounded Martinique, St. Lucia, and Dominica yesterday, and the storm's death toll now stands at three. A 62-year old man died on St. Lucia while trying to save his cow from raging flood waters, and a rain-triggered landslide killed a mother and child in their home in Dominica. Martinique suffered the worst damage, with 100% of the banana crop destroyed, 70% of the sugar cane crop gone, and considerable damage to buildings on the south end of the island. Lesser damage occurred on Dominica and St.Lucia, and overall, it appears that the Lesser Antilles islands were fortunate to get off so lightly."

And Weather Underground's Jeff Masters also says - Jamaica is my greatest concern. A direct hit by Dean would make it the worst hurricane strike on Jamaica for over a century. Jamaica has not received a direct hit by a Category 4 or 5 hurricane since perhaps 1832. The worst strikes of the 20th century were Category 3 Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 and Category 2 Hurricane Charlie of 1951. The Cayman Islands also have much to fear from Dean. Dean could rival Ivan as the Cayman's worst hurricane strike of the past century.

HURRICANE DEAN WATCHING

2007-08-18T16:09:00.000-03:00

Well folks, I guess by now you all know - Dean's a coming. Today feels eerie. Eerily like the day before a certain man I remember very well - 'Wa Wa Wild Gilbert'.

The Sunday before Gilbert hit was just like today. Nice and bright. It was hot but not overwhelmingly hot because there was a nice breeze - it was by any account a beautiful day.

Now country people always seh when storm ah come, is suh di day set up. Give you time fi guh bring een di goat dem, tie dung di roof, do some las' washing of clothes and clear up wha fi clear up.

What's giving Anansi pause though is that Hurricane Dean is taking the exact same path as Hurricane Gilbert. That was almost 19 years ago, Jamaica will celebrate that anniversary on September 12.

While infrastructurally, we are better off today than 19 years ago - socially we are not. Jamaicans, many of us, have become more selfish, more tiefing, more wicked than we were or have ever been.

Anansi is actually having visions of Katrina. Remember the looters who went on a rampage through Walmart. Big Screen TV's, guns, track shoes, cd's. And let's not forget there was some serious looting during and after Gilbert - "yuh see me fridge - ah Gilbert gimme, mi new tv - ah Gilbert gimme, me new stereo - ah Gilbert gimme, me new video - ah Gilbert gimme."

However, there are some pluses about the Jamaican mentality. Ever since Gilbert and recently Hurricane Ivan aka 'Ivan the Terrible', our people have taken to the mantra of 'its better to be safe than sorry', seriously. So this morning from about 8:45, nobody could get into either MegaMart or PriceMart (Jamaica's Sam's Club or Costco).

Of course not everybody is buying sensibly - cos what di hell people doing with chicken, and all kinds of perishable food inna Hurricane? JPS soon tun of di light switch. Di house dem haffi lock up tighter dan sardine tin, suh how yuh fi cook?

Then again, today, could be viewed as nuff people last Supper. Cos inna couple of days 'Bullybeef ah guh full up wi structure.' So maybe that is the use of di chicken and pork and beef. Me all see one woman ah buy Moet. She mussi plan fi toast Dean.

All we can do now is sit back and watch and wait. The island is now under a Hurricane warning and by this time tomorrow - Dean should be here. Anansi has never been one to entertain people at home - and especially an unwanted guest, so you know that right now Anansi is less than pleased.

To all continue to be safe, Anansi will publish the next blog as soon as possible, even ef - yes mi seh ef, even ef it mean seh me haffi go camp outta 'Careliss and Wukliss' or Chichicell. But eeda way blog ah publish next week.

Pray fi we and unnu walk good.

PS: We tink di election call off! But Sista P, Mama P, or whatever she name today - nuh announce dat yet. But all di same, she need fi fire Prophet Phinn. Unnu mean fi tell me seh big time spiritual advisor and prophet like him couldn't tell Portia seh storm ah come? No man, Phinn fi get pink slip.
Oh and Anansi not saying, but, Gilbert was '88. JLP call election '89 and ah PNP did win. And guess wha' PNP have been in power fi di las' 18 years. Now Anansi not into prophecy, but Anansi believe inna signs!

PNP WIN!!!!

2007-07-09T14:11:00.000-03:00

Portia fly di gate!!! Fifth term inevitable???? You bet it is!!!

Last night, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced the election date as August 27. During the mass rally in Half-Way Tree, she trotted out her candidates - a less than impressive list of 60, including herself, which she boasted contained some 40% new candidates.

Now after watching the stage show, cum dance, cum political rally, cum state of the nation address that Portia and her merry band of miscreants called the PNP put on - is it any wonder that Jamaica is in the state it is?

I watched in dismay as some tens of thousands of Jamaicans - men, women and children - turned the normally bustling Half- Way Tree square into a sea of human flesh, all ready and willing to put on a show unlike anything Jamaica has ever seen before. And to quote Christopher Castriota of the PNP's communication arm, "it is the largest mass rally ever held in J.A.'s history." Wow!!!

And I thought what somebody not used to J.A. politics witnessing this event would have thought about the governing PNP. To the un-initiated and unschooled in the political mire of Jamaica, the PNP would certainly appear to be the best thing to have ever happened to Jamaica!

But how wrong they would be!

You see, the PNP, after 18 years of leadership has been embroiled in scandal, after scandal, after scandal. In the almost two decades that they have been in power, the country has had to suffer through, Netserv, Fat Cats salaries (millions of dollars going to Consultants), NSWMA, and most recently Trafigura. Together all these have equaled to billions of dollars in tax payers money down the drain. And all the while, crime has gone so far out of control that murder now seems a way of life on the rock. Jamaica's schools seem to be turning out less and less educated people and the economy, well, not even the economists can agree on the state of the economy. And all of this means that the average Jamaican should not be happy with the land of their birth.

Hence a PNP defeat is inevitable, right? Wrong! And this is why - too many dunce voters.

And to show you how far gone we are - Anansi predicts the PNP will win 40 seats to the JLP's 20. God Bless us all!

WE'RE BAAACK!!!

2007-07-05T21:40:00.000-03:00

Like P.J. Patterson after the Shell waiver scandal, we have returned!!!!! We took a break for a couple of months while we attempted to focus on some other projects...but Anansi kept calling us back. And here we are answering the call.
Starting next week you can look forward to almost daily posts, as we do election watch JA. Also stay tuned for some stuff on the Trinidad elections as well. Afterall we do try to be a Caribbean blog site.
To the loyalists who kept coming back (hi Mommy), we say thank you - and we promise to not disappoint.
Anansi is part of a bigger project, a project that one day will unite the Caribbean like West Indies cricket! Ok like the Caribbean Sea!

Democracy Missing, feared dead - Jamaica

2006-10-30T16:01:00.000-04:00

Crime Reports

THE CONSTABULARY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. CCN

The Constabulary Communications Network (CCN) liaison officer for Kingston reports that Democracy, a long standing resident has gone missing and feared dead.

Reports reaching the CCN are that on October 18, the Jamaica Observer newspaper published a photograph of the Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller doodling while the opposition, Jamaica Labour Party presented its no confidence motion against her government in Parliament.

In an obvious response to the slight created by the publication of the photograph, a move was made to further bar journalists from sections of Gordon House, by erecting and locking a door between the press box and the Hansard section. It is believed the offending photograph was taken from the Hansard section.

Since then attempts by the Opposition and media representatives to have a discussion on the new restrictions in parliament have failed to materialize, and Democracy has not been seen since.

The CCN understands that this is not the first time an attempt has been made on Democracy’s life by this government.

Reports are that in 2004, Democracy’s life was threatened when movement restrictions were placed on the media in Gordon House. Witnesses said that after the contentious vote in Parliament, when Portia Simpson Miller broke ranks with the government and refused to vote on the issue of granting more money to the fire service, members of the media heard when then minister of Foreign Affairs, KD Knight launched into a profanity laced tirade at Simpson Miller. The media witnesses reported the matter and were subsequently barred from areas of Parliament where the government assembled.

The police are looking at Prime Minister Simpson Miller and Speaker of the House Michael Peart as persons of interest into the investigation on Democracy’s disappearance.

If anybody has any information regarding Democracy’s whereabouts please contact your nearest polling station. A reward of change of government will be given to those whose information helps in locating Democracy.

Skettels r us!

2006-10-26T12:54:00.000-03:00

Thursday, October 26, 2006, very early in the morning. Prime Minister's residence, uptown, Kingston, Jamaica.

A voice shrieks from a distant upstairs bedroom
"Errald! Errald! Errald! Come here, come here right now!"
Errald in the kitchen shakes his head and mumbles under his breath, "is what happen now?" as he heads towards his frantic sounding wife.
"Yes P, what is it, and lower yuh voice its too early in the morning!"
"Look at what dem have inna di Observer now?, Look at it Errald! Just look at it!"
Errald reaches over and takes a copy of the newspaper from his visibly upset wife. The headline, "PM slights EU President" blares at him.
"Errald, why dem hate me? Is wha me do dem? Why dem hate me? Why is it every ting me do is wrong fi dem Errald? Why?"
"Calm down P. Calm down - dat is how di media is and yuh know dem have yuh under a microscope, suh just be calm."
"Be calm Errald, is dat all yuh can tell me! Be calm! Dis newspaper hate me and I never do dem nutting. Just last week di front page of dis same paper have di photo of me doing me likkle drawings dem.
"P, is not the same paper since dis is a new edition of di newspaper and di paper is published daily."
"Errald, I don't have time fi dis foolishness yuh know what me mean. Is dis same Observer did harass me last week. Now dem come back again. If dem nah draw di likkle pictcha dem of me, dem a tek photo or dem a write story! Errald why dem won't leave me alone?"
"P, first of all yuh need to calm down, you cannot allow dem to ruffle yuh up like dis man. You are di Prime Minister now."
"So why dem don't respect me as di Prime Minister? Eeeh? Why? Dem never do dis to P.J yuh know! And dem couldn't try it wid Eddie, cos well him woulda lock dem down same time and dem know it."
"P, you know sey as di Prime Minister yuh have to keep a level head and we need to think through this properly and come up wid di appropriate response."
"Yes, I am going to response alright. Call me lawyer! Call Phillip...I want him over here right now! And where is Colin? I did tell unnu I never want him to go, now who is going to advise me? I going to own the Observer newspaper by the time I done. Watch and see!"
"P, it is only 6:45 in the morning, we not going to call anybody and we going to be calm about dis. We will deal wid dis when yuh go into the office later on."
"Go into the office!!! Errald, yuh mad? I not going into the office, you don't see sey Princess sick, yuh want me to leave me one and only shitzu?"
Errald sighs and shakes his head. "P, you are the Prime Minister, you have to go into the office. Remember there are elections around the corner, we have to be ready. We need to start planning."
"I bet is dat damn dundus Golding is a part of this. I bet him have some likkle operative a work inna mi government. I want every labourite fired from mi government. I don't want dem fi get work not even as a street sweeper! Me tiad of dem now man. Errald yuh not mekking di phone calls?"
"Ok dear let me mek a phone call." Errald takes up the cordless phone and leaves the room as he dials.
He listens as it rings on the other end, then a gruff but kindly voice answers, "Hello"
"Yes, Aggrey, is Errald. Look nuh, we need fi give mi wife a higher dosage cos she really vex dis mawning. ...Is dem damn people at di Observer...yes please come quick yah man cos me waan guh back guh watch me cricket. How much India mek so far?"
The conversation ends and Errald calls out to his housekeeper. "Milly, is di last time ah gwine to tell yuh, P, is not to read any copy of di Observer in dis house yuh hear me. Whenever she ask fi newspaper give har di Gleaner!"
He storms away muttering under his breath, "Ah man cannot get peace and quiet in his own home pon a Thursday mawning, and see it deh India just lose one next wicket. Come West Indies, mek we eat dem food!"

Jamaica - the greatest country in the world!

2006-10-25T21:39:00.000-03:00

Guess how much the next general elections in Jamaica will cost? Well if you've been keeping up on your news, you'd know the answer to that... a mere two billion dollars.

Oh well we can afford it can't we?

After all, Jamaica does have the best education system in the world, every child leaves primary school literate; all of our students perform above average at the CXC's, A-Levels and CAPE. Every Jamaican child leaves school at 18 with a solid education and is able to be a worthy contributor to our society. And why shouldn't they? We certainly do have a reputation for having the best paid teachers in the Western Hemisphere, in fact only the oil rich nations of the Middle East pay their teachers more than we do.

And our health care system, well what's not to love about it? We have people flying into Jamaica from all over the world to be administered to by our world renowned doctors who are always on the cutting edge of medicine and work in hospitals that are admittedly the best in the world. And of course every Jamaican has access to free health care!

And people let's not even talk about our infrastructure? Have you ever in your life seen a country so clean? Have you ever seen roads this beautiful? People, let's just be honest isn't the Jamaican public transportation the best you have ever seen in the world? I mean for those of us who travel, its always a culture shock to see what passes for public transport in places like New York, those people using their trains, subways and buses and what not. Puhlease, they need to come to JA to see how a real public transportation system is run!

And crime, now I think that's really where Jamaica needs to take a bow. Wasn't it just yesterday, that some world body said that Jamaica is the safest country in the world. I mean you're more likely to be speared by a sting ray than to be mugged or shot in Jamaica.
Of course you'd expect all of this since justice is always swift and fair in Jamaica, and our police officers, well they go around the world training other cops - that's just how good they are.

And let's not even talk too much about our economy. What would you expect when nobody lives below poverty? And why should they? The Jamaican dollar and the Euro are at 1-1! Boy, that Omar was a god send. But really its because Jamaica is the perfect climate in which to do business, hence we clearly export far more than we import and when you look at those G.D.P and G.N.P figures you just have to be amazed that a country of our size is able to do so much!

But where I really think Jamaica has outdone herself is with the quality of our public officials. They are the fairest, most honest, hard-working public officials in the world! So you know what, of course we can afford 2 billion dollars for elections, heck why don't we just double the figure since Jamaica is the greatest place in the world to live, and we fixed our problems a long time ago!

WHAT THE ?!!!!

2006-10-16T19:38:00.000-03:00

(Photo Caption: Behold the saviour of Jamaican Football - BORA!!!)

Ok, so Jamaica didn't do so well in our last quest to play at the FIFA World Cup Finals. As a matter of fact since becoming the first country from the English speaking Caribbean to make it to a World Cup Final ( France '98), the dream of returning to another one has remained just that - a dream; and after our performance "on the road to Germany" it seemed an ever fleeting one at that.

So in our quest to go back to the World Cup Finals we've tried several things including changing the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF's) administration, and changing coaches almost as many times as Jeffrey Maxwell has changed teams. Of course none of it has worked and the JFF is now more broke than Mike Tyson.

And Jamaicans being Jamaicans have sworn that the only way we'll get back to another FIFA World Cup Final is to get a "farin" coach. Logical, in part, since we got to France in '98 with the able assistance of the lovable Brazilian Rene (Jesus Saves) Simoes.

So "farin" coach names were being bandied about including, Sven Goran Eriksson of big side England fame no less. Yes, Jamaicans like to aim very high, "we likkle but we tallawah". But, alas, we couldn't afford him, as he wanted close to the equivalent of our country's entire budget!

But not to be deterred on the quest for the "farin" coach- we saw, we aimed at and we shot for a popular Serbian coach lovingly called "Bora".
And by George, would you believe we got him!!!

He's taken teams like Mexico, Costa Rica and U.S.A to the World Cup, so he's the business! But guess what...Jamaica cannot afford him!!!

Apparently Bora, says he wants 3.5 million euros, which is equivalent to almost 270 million Jamaican dollars. We're told he's not getting that, but we haven't been told what he is getting.

But let's just say that Bora has accepted a million euros, guess what, Jamaica still cannot afford him.

But hey maybe the private sector has decided to do something for "Jamaica" and says look we'll pay him his one million euros, he deserves it and its for our country! Ok, fine, its their money, they robbed, cajoled, conned and connived every last bit of it from Jamaicans so they can do with it as they please.

Ahhmm, hold up, as that's apparently not the case, the Private Sector will only be footing part of Bora's bill.

It's being reported in several sectors that the Jamaican Government - let's revise that- the "broke" Jamaican Government is going to be paying US$500,000 of Bora's salary! And to that I say somebody is drinking mad puss piss!

This is the same government that has extorted MOU's, two to be exact, from its civil servants. The same government who has said it simply cannot pay it's teachers, nurses and policemen more!
The same government who can't afford to fix the nation's pot hole laden roads.
The same government who can't afford to better equip our public hospitals so that pregnant women won't be forced to lose their babies because of failing equipment.
The same government who can't afford to put money into its education system so that every Jamaican child gets an equal opportunity at learning.

Do you know how much US $500,ooo could do in a country like Jamaica?

Do you know what half of that money could do for all sports in Jamaica, much less. Imagine it could build proper and first class training facilities for our world rated track and field athletes. It could promote swimming, a sport in which we've shown some inclination, but get's no support. It could help us find and develop the next Courtney Walsh in the primary school system. Hell, a quarter of that money could rehabilitate the now defunct Dragon Gym and probably help us put our next Mike McCallum and Lennox Lewis on the world scene.

But hey, I guess all that we've mentioned above is certainly not as important as making certain, that Jamaica is at the FIFA World Cup Finals in 2010!

Oh yeah, and here's a question for all those who think Bora is the second coming of Christ, how certain are they that he'll be able to do it? After all the last time I checked, it wasn't the technical director who took a team to the World Cup, but the players and a proper working Football Federation that had devised a sound football programme.

Playing More to Get Better - A perspective on Windies Cricket!!

2006-10-11T18:40:00.000-03:00

Today we take a momentary break from the ongoing soap-opera called Trafigura and the PNP to focus our energies on something equally important - cricket, lovely cricket. Which if you're a West Indian, hasn't been all that lovely in the past 10 years, but here's a thought on how we could bring it back to the days when members of the West Indian cricket team were gods.

Photo Caption: Chris Gayle, one of those players who can take the West Indies back to its glory days - but he needs to play more.

Once every blue moon or so, the West Indies cricket team shows glimpses of what it is capable of just before imploding in another embarrassing display. They are the only team I know that constantly manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They lose so often it seems they go out of their way to lose matches even those where the victory is theirs for the taking.

Take, for example, in the recent DLF Trophy when they were in a commanding position against world champions Australia during the preliminary rounds but ended up losing. They were something like 196 for 1 chasing 273, I believe. Inexplicably, they lost their last nine wickets for just over 20 runs.

Still, they go on to beat Australia in and India in consequent matches and got to the finals. However, once they get there, and again putting themselves into a commanding position, they self-destructed and handed Australia victory. Chasing something like 240 runs, they crumbled to 113 all out. This is a team with the likes of Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo, players, who despite what the rankings say, are among the best in the world.

Now, here they are again in India as defending champions of the ICC Trophy but having to qualify for the final rounds only because their record had been so abysmal since they won the tournament in dramatic fashion in England two years ago.

So far, they have been impressive dismantling Zimbabwe and Bangladesh the way they are supposed to. They play Sri Lanka later this week and their dwindling fan base must be crossing all their fingers and their toes, hoping for yet another impressive victory.

What, though, is wrong with this talented team? Why can’t the wins come more consistently?

These questions have been debated a billion times since they were toppled as world kingpins by Australia in 1995.

It’s not the coaching, not entirely anyway because they won for a bit under Roger Harper and despite what people think they have shown noticeable improvement since Bennett King’s arrival.

But here’s a thought. Perhaps they just need to play more. Of all the major Test playing nations, the West Indies, I believe plays the least amount of cricket. In between tours, and depending on the time of the year, except for one or two players, most of the West Indies team members do not play enough cricket at a high enough level. And this is why, I feel, they don’t improve.

We all know that no matter how much you practice in training, unless a player can apply what he learns in practice over and over again in ‘match-like’ situations, those training sessions are nothing more than a waste of time. This is why there is physical fitness and then there is ‘match’ fitness, the ability to consistently apply what is learnt in training in actual game situations.

Those following West Indies cricket for more than 20 years should notice that the decline in the West Indies fortunes coincided with the period when the people who run the domestic leagues in England found a way to keep West Indies players out by introducing regulations governing the numbers of overseas players that a county is able to sign.

Prior to that period every member of the West Indian team was playing county cricket, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Colin Croft, Joel Garner, you name the player from back then and you could also name the county he represented.

Back then players could practice what they learned under different playing conditions at a sufficiently high level and by doing so, honed their skills to a very fine degree. As a result when they came together, they were a team of players with very developed skills and levels of discipline, virtually invincible.

That is not the case these days.

There are a couple of ways out of this scenario. The West Indies Cricket Board could aggressively campaign to get its players signed by teams in Australia, South Africa and England where the levels of competition are consistently high.

It could also be arranged so that the players could be released in time for them to participate in the local domestic seasons here in the Caribbean thus giving our players at least eight months of solid cricket every year. As a condition of these agreements, players would contribute say 25 per cent of their salaries as kind of an ‘agent’ fee to the WICB.

Under such an agreement everyone benefits.

Or failing that, the WICB could with the help of private businesses across the region, and perhaps from across the world, set up their own domestic league. I am sure the WICB could pitch a convincing argument to R. Allen Stanford and other like-minded businessmen to finance a four or five-month season for say 10 or twelve teams made up of the best in the region and a number of quality players from other countries.

These new stadia being built for the ICC Cricket World Cup would come in handy for such a tournament. If such a competition is run in a manner similar to how American sport franchises are run, each team would within a year or two be self sufficient and revenue could be earned by selling the product to cricket markets like England, Australia, India and Pakistan where the game is more like an addiction. Revenues from television rights could then be evenly distributed among the teams and the WICB.

But even more importantly, such an arrangement would get our players playing enough cricket that would certainly get them ready to take on the very best in the world.

Something's rotten in the state of Jamaica!!!

2006-10-09T20:25:00.000-03:00

Photo Caption: (Foreground) Former Minister of Information and Development and P.N.P General Secretary, Senator Colin Campbell fades into political obscurity, while Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology with Industry Phillip Paulwell sits in wait!

Well it's over, for Colin Campbell that is, or is it? He has become the first casualty of this nasty Trafigura Beheer/PNP contribution/commercial arrangement, depending on who's telling the story.

But has the governing PNP done enough by getting rid of Campbell? What of the other party functionaries who met with Trafigura Beheer in August? What of the Chairman of the party and Deputy Prime Minister, Robert Pickersgill, shouldn't he go too?

And while we're calling for heads shouldn't Phillip Paulwell resign. Let's look at this for a minute, how did Campbell manage to have a meeting with Trafigura in the first place? Wouldn't that meeting have been set up by the portfolio minister, Paulwell?

And should the Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller resign and take her entire government with her over this matter?

Why has the Prime Minister stayed mum on the matter? How many other "contributions/ commercial arrangements " has the PNP and its functionaries been invloved in?

Can the PNP recover from this one?

Campbell's resignation has raised more questions than answers and just points out yet again
that something is truly rotten in the state of Jamaica.

The Writing is on the wall!

2006-10-08T14:13:00.000-03:00

Prime Minister Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller has found herself in a real spot of bother this time around.

And you know what, even the biggest political dunce in the world could have seen this one coming.

You see, Prime Minister Simpson Miller rather unwisely allowed some very unsavory horses to hitch themselves to her bandwagon, and now it seems that those horses are intent on derailing whatever momentum she has left.

Back when she threw her hat into the ring for PNP party president and ultimately Prime Minister of Jamaica, many pundits questioned the choice of some members of her campaign team.

Two names always stood out like a homosexual at a rastafarian libation - Phillip Paulwell and Colin Campbell.

Paulwell is Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology with Industry and M.P. for Kingston East and Port Royal, and is arguably the worst performing Government minister of the past three PNP administrations. Paulwell, who was said by former Prime Minister P.J Patterson to suffer from this striking malady called "youthful exuberance" was the central figure in the 700-million-dollar IT fiasco called NetServ. And, as if that was not bad enough, somehow he seemed to find himself smack dab in the middle of the ongoing struggles between the Petroleum retailers and the marketing companies, and the still yet unquantifiable fall out in the cement industry caused by faulty production by Carib Cement. In other words, Paulwell seems to be a scandal magnet.

And then there is Colin Campbell, former East St. Andrew M.P. and PNP Deputy General Secretary. As a politician, this former journalist is not all that successful. After all, his loss to the JLP's St. Aubyn Bartlett in 2002 was not a vote against the PNP, but a vote against him. He tried to recover some political ground by trying to win representation rights for Western St. Andrew and was beaten by Anthony Hylton (who is not known as the best politician, but a very good statesman) and to make matters worse, Campbell was the PNP's Deputy General Secretary at the time and the decision was being made by PNP delegates. In other words, he's not liked even within his own party.
Campbell's reputation was not helped by allegations made by Jamaica's former Most Wanted Man, Joel Andem, who claimed that his gang provided security for Campbell when he was East St. Andrew M.P., a claim Campbell has vehemently denied. Still, the damage had been done.
But at any rate, in her bid to reward those who helped her win the PNP presidency and become the first female prime minister of Jamaica, Prime Minister Simpson Miller appointed Campbell a senator and gave him the Ministry of Information with Development. She also allowed Paulwell to stay on as a Government minister and entrusted him with even greater responsibility, industry.

Now it seems as if these two men by their actions have seriously hurt her bid to get win her first election as prime minister and by extension the party's a fifth consecutive term in power.

How uncanny is it that a scandal should erupt over a 'campaign donation' from a multi-national entity that does business with the government and the central names are Colin Campbell, in whose name the account with which said 'campaign donation' was made, and Phillp Paulwell.

And the very thing the pundits warned Madame P.M. about, seems to be happening.

You see this Trafigura thing just will not go away. The Sunday Observer is reporting that former P.M. Patterson wants heads to roll including that of Campbell's!

Strange hearing that from PJ since he never sacked anybody in his life, certainly not as P.M. and he had quite a few to kick out including Madame P.M herself!

Scandals are nothing new to the ruling PNP. In the past six years alone they've had to weather the storms of NetServ, Operation Pride/NHDC, NSWMA Pts. I and II, Cementgate, Sandals Whitehouse, Kennedy Grove Housing Scheme Flooding, Portmore Toll road and a less than acrimonious hand over of power.

The PNP, like the country cannot tolerate another scandal. Their arrogance in the way they handled most of these situations - apparently coming from a feeling of invincibility after 17 years in power - has left a bad taste in the mouths of all well thinking Jamaicans.

The only way Prime Minister Simpson Miller and the PNP can save face on this one and secure their much desired fifth term, is to shed the dead weight and show the country that this is a new PNP, a new government, with a new modus operandi.

The writing is on the wall; for all of our sakes, let's hope she can read it!

UPDATE!!!!
Folks, she can read. P.M Portia Simpson Miller is literate and Colin Campbell is out of the cabinet. Check back tomorrow for the updates!!!!!

Who Pays The Piper?

2006-10-05T20:12:00.000-03:00

"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

2006-10-04T19:46:00.000-03:00

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!!!!

2006-10-03T22:08:00.000-03:00

"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

2006-10-02T16:47:00.000-03:00

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!!!

2006-10-02T15:24:00.000-03:00

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???????

2006-10-01T23:11:00.000-03:00

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!