Bark Di Trute!

 Consul General Alsion Wilson passed on today in New York.

Consul General Alsion Wilson

The Hon. Kamila Johnson-Smith, senator, had this to say on X.com:

"I am deeply saddened to announce the passing today of Mrs Alsion Wilson, Consul-General of Jamaica at New York, at her home in New York. Consul-General Wilson served Jamaica at the highest level of excellence during her tenure from July 2019 to present. Her accomplishments defy the time during which she served with deep commitment to country, the Foreign Service and indeed to Jamaicans at home and abroad .  Consul -General Wilson was recently conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander, by the Government of Jamaica, a fitting recognition of her work and impact. Everyone who has worked with her or simply met her also know unequivocally that she was also a warm and generous human being who exemplified professionalism, loyalty to country and friendship to the world. In addition to my own personal sorrow and my own personal expressions to her family, with whom I have spoken, 

on behalf of the Government of Jamaica and its people, including the Diaspora in the United States, I extend deepest condolences to her husband Omar, her children Brian, Vanessa and Patrick, and the rest of the family. May her ever patriotic, generous and beautiful soul rest in eternal peace."

 JPS Wires On Fire in Above Rocks

JPS wires are on fire in Above Rocks, close to the police station. People are concerned that their electrical equipment might be damaged. If you know people in the area, tell them to turn off their main power supply.

Yvonne Jones-Brewster, OBE, Has Died

I was just going through an old newspaper, and I was shocked to learn that my first director of a professional play I participated in has died. That play was 'Schools Out,' written by Trevor Rhone. For my performance as Mr Hendry, I got the best supporting actor and a gold medal in the professional class from the JCDC. Yvonne was the actor's director. She and Trevor Rhone groomed me in those early days, and it is because of their work that I got into broadcasting. Yes, I was born at the Barn Theatre off Oxford Road.

Yvonne worked with RJR, taught at KC, and was involved in the making of films such as 'The Harder They Come,' 'Smile Orange,' and 'Marijuana Affair.' She went to live in the United Kingdom and continued to be active in the theatre world.

RIP Yvonne.

All Is Not Well At The ODPEM

All has not been well at the ODPEM. the PM had to take action to ensure that his government handled the devastation well. Failure to take action could result in a major loss at the next election. You will notice that he moved the ODPEM back to the OPM. The ODPEM office was under the OPM before.

The Melissa crisis requires that ODPM go back to the Office of the Prime Minister. The army is equipped and trained to deal with disaster operations. We should see greater synergies between both entities under the OPM.

The president of the Civil Service Association has reacted sharply to comments made recently by the PM at a press conference. The PM was questioned about the changes at the ODPEM. He mentioned the challenge of poor salaries and the impact of that on attracting a certain calibre of staff at the ODPEM. I cannot understand how that can be interpreted as not appreciating the work done by the staff. That reaction by staff could cause people to underestimate the staff.

The Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and people like me have a right to criticise our servants. The Prime Minister is the boss, and if he feels staff need to be better remunerated so that the entity can attract a higher calibre of staff, that should not be a problem. Staff members who do well continue to do well, and I hope that you will not be replaced. It is those lazy ones and uncreative ones who should be having sleepless nights. I know a few of the lazy ones! It is not everything you know that is good to say, but it is also possible that the previous minister in charge of the ODPEM could not deal with it anymore. He should also be complaining.

The political directorate has the right to make its observations known. The buck stops with them, and if public servants fail, the politicians will also fail. I remember one public servant saying to me that politicians come and go, but they shall remain.

To the workers of the ODPEM, you have a new political head, a new permanent secretary, a new director general, and hopefully a new board. This is not the time to get into a fight. Do your work and do it well. Work well with the new director general. 

After the storm, there will be a calm.

To Members of The Diaspora

Many of those stories you see on social media pages are fake. I saw someone complaining that they did not see any officials. Why are they concerned about officials? Doctors, nurses, and clergy members are there to help you. Give thanks like the others that you are alive. With a deadly storm like that, many of you should not have remained at home. You were warned by state officials and others to move, and you did not. 

Don't be surprised if another Category 5 Hurricane pays us a visit next year.

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