If We Do Not, Who Will? - DS

It is CRITICAL to ensure that the Jamaica Constabulary force (JCF) brand is on par with the police force in first world countries and not ranked among those in the banana republic.

Therefore, we must think ‘outside the box’ to ensure:

1. There is a system of checks and balances and accountability within the JCF
2. The police force attracts persons that are balanced and of good character and judgment.
3. The periodic and systematic removal of criminals from the police force.
4. Strip the police of all duties that are not related to policing such as laboratory work at the forensic laboratory and the STORAGE and  SAFEKEEPING of DNA samples.  The duty of the police force is to police.

There has to be a paradigm shift in the operations relating to National Security to create hope in the future. We cannot continue to make policies which reflect the joy we have knowing that our daughters, sons, nieces and nephews have ten year visas, green cards and citizenship in another country. We must make policies that reflect our desire to have them live, work, raise their families and do business right here in Jamaica.

The members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force must appreciate that the Minister of National Security, The Honourable Robert Montaque,and not the Chairman of the Police Federation, Sergeant Raymond Wilson, is responsible for the drafting of POLICIES on National Security to which the members of the JCF are obliged to implement.

Therefore, I have recommended the following actions:

1. Strengthen the office of the Independent Commission of Investigations   (INDECOM)
2. Every employee of INDECOM member must undergo a lie detector test to ensure that the   integrity of INDECOM is maintained. 
3. Every employee of INDECOM must disclose the names of their relatives and close friends who are police officers to the INDECOM Commissioner
4. The INDECOM investigators must not be trained with police officers at the same institution. They must receive special training elsewhere.
5. Review the Jamaica Constabulary Force Act to ensure the laws are modern and compares favourably to those in First World Countries and do not promote the ‘legobeast’ actions among police officers.
6. INDECOM has too many numbers. Assign one number to INDECOM to cover the entire country that is advertised and easily remembered
7. Place the JCF call centre under the mantle of INDECOM or a private firm like that in the United States so as to monitor how many of these calls to 119 and 911 the police actually respond to. Special numbers such as those of Crime Stop can remain the responsibility of the police
8. The Jamaica Constabulary Force ambulance service must be placed under the authority of INDECOM or a private firm like the Para Medics ambulance service in the United States. to ensure that the bodies of persons who have been killed or injured by the police are not touched or removed from the scene by the police
9. Place the forensic laboratory service under the authority of INDECOM. At no time should there be any interaction between the INDECOM officers and the police
10. The DNA of convicted criminals must be placed under the mantle of INDECOM.
11. Put to an end the wearing of masK by the Police officers to conceal their identity. Even in Afghanistan and Iraq this is left to the Taliban. In the Gaza region, this is left to Hamas. I cannot imagine this happening in other Caribbean countries, probably in Haiti neither can I imagine this happening in Jamaica under British rule and it still does not happen in the British territories In cases of special operation, police officers that are not known by the community can be drawn from other areas but they must be properly identified by the visibility of their faces and their badge numbers.
12. The use of excessive force by the police must be adequately and satisfactorily explained. If this is not done then the police officer must be removed from the JCF.  I cannot grasp the reason for the use of excessive force in a tiny room to restrain someone.  Such unwarranted and unnecessary use of force should breach Force orders.
13. Police officers must appreciate that the JCF is under no obligation to keep them employed until they retire or choose to leave the organization but must systematically remove corrupt cops for the development of the country as a place to live, work, raise families and do business.
14. Police officers who disobey the force orders and wear wind breakers and other overcoats to conceal their badge numbers  must be removed from the force
15. Since the passing into law of the Suppressions of Crime Act (1974), the JCF has been kicking off the doors of Jamaican citizens which were not permissible under British rule. This, however, has not reduced crime as crime has increased by leaps and bounds over the years.

We must strategically apprehend suspects that are located within dwellings. I recommend the following:

1. Strategically position police officers around the occupied building
2. Communicate to the suspect via loud speakers to leave the building with their hands over their heads similarly to First World countries that value life.
3. Have the exit of the suspect recorded on the CCTV surveillance cameras of the police officers which are placed on the roof of their vehicles, similarly to those in First World countries
4. If the suspect refuses to exit the building ,then, place 'tear gas' canisters in the building to force his exit from the building
5. The picking up of suspects at all hours of the night cannot continue if we are serious about the integrity and the brand of the JCF when it is quite clear that the reputation of the JCF brand can affect the chance of a police officer being deployed to other Caribbean countries without the need for retraining and re-socialization.

Over the years, there have been cosmetic changes to the Suppressions of Crimes Act since 1974 but this did not stop the police from kicking off the doors of Keith Clarke in Kirkland Heights or the dirty tear up trousers barefoot man in Trench Town and neither do these changes guarantee that the door of Digicel’s, CEO Barry O’Brien, Sandals’, CEO Gordon “Butch” Stewart or the current National Security Minister, the Hon. Robert Montaque will not be kicked off when he retires from political representation or they may be beaten by the police like former PNP representative Mr. Jeffrey V Ford.

We must return to the time when one’s home was a sacred place. Currently, this is the thinking in First World countries and those countries that are still under British rule.  Rogue cops with an insatiable appetite for blood will always create a mountain from a mole hill to prevent changes that reflect respect for human life

Yours truly

FI WI CONCERNS - Michael Spence

 Getting Into Ganja

Getting any one or a combination of the many licensees to participate in Jamaica's nascent marijuana(ganja) industry calls for big bucks, as prices start at US$2,500 (approximately J$315,000). However, chairman of the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA), Hyacinth Lightbourne, is adamant that Jamaica must not make the mistake of having a lax regulatory regime, as this would put the country in a bad position regarding its international obligations.

“This has to be a heavily regulated industry, and heavy regulations cost money" What is this money for and where will it go. It is my view that these bureaucrats and lawyers are heading to most expensively regulate Jamaica out of the ganja business. Can you imagine a small farmer coming up with approximately JA$250000 for a cultivators license. This decriminalization may turn out to be one of the worst nightmares for the traditional ganja farmers. One thing will lead to another because a small planter in the hills needs money and that is why he plants ganja but you tax him before he starts he/she is going to do business as usual without the requisite regulators input so now you have a Ganja Authority Enforcers running down farmers in the bush with confrontations right left and centre or that the regulations are unenforceable and the authorities turn a blind eye and unregulated business as usual or the original planters just abandon ganja business to the more wealthy of the local and global society. The process sounds too complex, simplicity and not too much expense makes for easier compliance. The CLA and the government must think on these things then act appropriately or is anyone going to listen and act according to Peter Tosh who in song said “legalize it and I will advertize it”. I am adamant that too much regulation in the industry will destroy what is left of it and marginalize people who operated before regulation if it survives.. 23/06/16

Another Fatal Crash 

Another fatal crash on the Llandovery main road in St Ann claimed the lives of three people Tuesday night. Five others died as a result of injuries they received earlier this month, when the bus they were travelling crashed and overturned.This piece of road seems from reputation very dangerous. I have known personally some who have died over the years. I believe it mainly has to do with faulty road design and all the authorities’ response is to increase fines and to blame motorists for everything that happens. It’s not all speeding and defective vehicles as they say, so the appropriate persons must be mandated to a proper forensic investigation into these accidents and act based on findings. I advise motorists travelling between St Ann's Bay and Falmouth to drive carefully as I find it most dangerous and mentally taxing. In addition that some motorists in that region drive like they are riding racing donkeys in the bush disregarding road signs and markings. All across Jamaica the road code literature is either unknown or irrelevant so one solution is to add it to the integrated syllabus in schools so that even if they buy licenses the road code is known and understood and applied. So whether you walk, drive, ride bicycles, mule, horse, donkeys or cows we all on the same page commuting resulting in less chaos and accidents. 23/06/16

That road has taken the lives of so many over the past 2 decades or more is unbelievable some of whom I know personally. I believe faulty road design is a factor and must be investigated and addressed promptly. This fixation on speeding and rush to increase traffic fines I find myopic and intellectually dishonest in some instances. 23/06/16

Investment in Agriculture

"Capital investment in agriculture has declined over the years significantly affecting production." Add to that Mr. Campbell the importation of cheaper foods e.g. red peas, onions, chicken, fish etc valuing billions of dollars. What passes for agriculture for the most part Mr. Campbell is subsistence farming that is farming to enhance or feed families and their income. Making Agriculture mandatory in all high schools is not the way to go. Making it available as a subject in schools that have the facility and space to do so(infrastructure) because doing so will make the subject come alive.

Does Ferncourt High School, Jamaica College, Cornwall College, Wolmers or Kingston College have the infrastructure/land to do so? Doing Agriculture in a vacuum is like doing literature. Jamaica does not have the amount of arable land to make commercial agriculture a really viable and cost effective endeavor for thousands of people. We could concentrate on areas however where we have an advantage like coffee, cocoa, pimento etc.23/06/16

 Local Government Minister

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, has suggested that accessing benefits from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) should be addressed. To date Jamaica has paid out in excess of Ja$3 billion since 2007 and has not benefitted even in one instance because of how stringent the requirements are in order to benefit. Not even the damage inflicted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was sufficient to trigger an insurance payout,” the minister said.One writer compared our negotiating politicians to our good innovative and frugal higglers who spend their own money, sell their own things, finance their own well being and negotiate beneficial deals they are not stressing out Jamaica. They are hardworking honest and independent people. Many of us know better than that and would not even imply in any way because in the 70s-80s era of foreign exchange (F/E )shortage higglers took things abroad yams, breadfruit, dasheen and you name it earned foreign exchange imported well needed goods from Cayman, Panama, Curacao, United States, UK and Canada to be sold. Are you aware that it was higglers that supported many stores some big ones today to stay afloat and have goods to sell during that period? This kind of beneficial import export model should be encouraged alongside the large scale big man thing a way of deepening the economic process. 23/06/16

 Ganja

The police say they have seized a large quantity of ganja and several thousand dollars during an operation in St Elizabeth on Tuesday.Wait! How this make news! This looks like backward move in the light of decriminalization seems to be confusing people and a trap to get people arrested. By the way what charge is this "storing ganja without the appropriate tier license”, "preparing ganja to transport without a license", what? All the judge need to do if it reaches court is give them time to get the appropriate licenses for whatever their intention. A level of reeducation of the police needs to take place immediately in this new dispensation of ganja laws. Ganja operators must be able to put up a sign reading. “It is my intention to apply for the appropriate ganja tier license at the next sitting of the licensing authority” 23/06/16

 Venezuela

News has emerged that Venezuela is interested in improving its rocky relations with the United States, and hopes President Barrack Obama will "rectify" US policy toward the crisis-torn South American country, its president Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday is good news.Maduro is learning "if you can’t beat them join them" it’s not too late as the sweet syrup of capitalism is flowing globally communist china is drinking, Russia is having regular drinks, Cuba is tasting, North Korea is nauseating and Jamaica is dancing in it. Venezuelans are good people take some advice given by the Hon Marcus Garvey our first national hero "capitalism to date is the most productive social and economic system known to man and only a fool would oppose it" Man study the thing and tweak it to suit yourselves don't get in any fight with the USA embrace them as friends as they control the Global capitalist system make use of their wealthy markets and urge the formation of a new free trade block with you included in Caricom. Come Maduro "mek wi teach you a thing or two patois included, have a free trade agreement with Jamaica now you will learn faster". "Hablamos en espanol pequeno" ie we speak little Spanish.23/06/16

This has to be a heavily regulated industry, and heavy regulations cost money" According to Ms Hyacinth Lightbourne chairman of the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA).What is this money for and where will it go. It is my view that these bureaucrats and lawyers are heading to most expensively regulate Jamaica out of the ganja business. Can you imagine a small farmer coming up with appr JA$250000 for a cultivators license. This decriminalization may turn out to be one of the worst nightmares for the traditional ganja farmers. One thing will lead to another because a small planter in the hills needs money and that is why plant ganja but you tax him before he starts he/she is going to do business as usual without the requisite regulators input so now you have a Ganja Authority Enforcers running down farmers in the bush with confrontations right left and centre or that the regulations are unenforceable and the authorities turn a blind eye and unregulated business as usual or the originals just abandon ganja business to the more wealthy of the society. The process sounds too complex simplicity and not too much expense makes for easier compliance.20/06/16

Press Statement From The JDF - Western Kingston Commission of Enquiry 2016.

19 June 2016

PRESS STATEMENT

COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY REPORT

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has conducted a preliminary review of the Report of the Commissioners of the Western Kingston Commission of Enquiry 2016.  We wish to thank the Commissioners for what we believe is a comprehensive report that outlines to a large extent the historical account of what transpired leading up to, and during, the joint police-military operation in May 2010.  We urge all Jamaicans to take the time to read the full report or at least the key findings highlighted in each chapter, in order to fully appreciate the circumstances of 2010. The Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, convened a special meeting of the Defence Board on July 17, 2016 to discuss the findings and recommendations of the report, in particular those matters related to the JDF, in order to determine the way forward.

The JDF supports the recommendation for further investigations with respect to the allegations against members of the Force regarding actions which are inconsistent with the standards of conduct expected of members of the Jamaica Defence Force. The findings and recommendations with respect to the use of mortars are under review. The Commissioners also made several recommendations regarding the procedures governing internal security operations, which will inform our ongoing deliberations.

The JDF continues to collaborate with the Jamaica Constabulary Force as we confront the current threats to our collective security and remains committed to our mandate of defending and securing our nation and all of our citizens.

FI WI CONCERNS - Michael Spence

Road Block Democracy 

Two days of road blocks in North Central Clarendon the constituency of Pearnel Charles. One good way for a constituency to jump the line and get well needed resources coming your way. By the way do we really need 63 MPs and 228 councilors because here are some people being their own councilors and MP sending a clear message and the MP and councilors will just have to follow. MPs and councilors are just excuse carriers advocating the party lines not the people's line so we end up with Jamaica the world's leading and maybe only "Roadblock Democracy". When are we going to outsource government like the building of highways I wonder if our Mandarin speaking friends would take the contract as they have a track record of accomplishing at least one thing on time and throw in the sugarcane towel before bad became worse. I have a feeling they would develop a welcomed quick plan to eliminate criminals and crime. “Hen hao" i.e. "very good" pronounced "hen haaw" in mandarin the official language of China.07/0616

More Languages

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says it’s time for Jamaica to make Spanish its official second Language. On the planet earth of 7 billion people 2billion speak English and 1.5 billion speak Mandarin and 427 million speak Spanish. These are the three most important languages globally so why not the same argument for Mandarin the official Chinese language. The world is a global village so one cannot cloud their thoughts by the occurrences at their doorsteps. If you can speak Mandarin and English you immediately can communicate with half of the population on the planet. Add mandarin to school curriculum immediately so we have English, Mandarin and Spanish. Spanish is already the de-facto second language so Mandarin could be third. 07/0616

Crime, Time To Act - Vernon Derby

CRIME – NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION

BY Vernon Derby

Email: ayswithvernon@hotmail.com

Kingston: May 2, 2016.

We need a National Anti-Crime & Anti-Indiscipline Commission headed by a Commissioner comprising of at least 11 persons. This Commission should be properly funded so that it can engage researchers to carry out research into crime and indiscipline. This Commission should be able to initiate the evaluation of and make recommendation for improving the performance of the following agencies:

·        All institutions responsible for training and the socialization and education of our people.

·        Institution responsible for investigating all forms of indiscipline and crime.

·        All institutions responsible for the administration of justice.

This Commission would also be responsible for evaluating our laws and working to ensure that our laws are made more effective to deal with the problem of indiscipline and crime.

The Commission will report to the public and to the parliament. It will function until parliament decides by a simple majority to dissolve this commission.

The Commission will assess the performance of leaders in the various areas which have a role to play in reducing crime  and indiscipline and recommend if these leaders appointments should be revoked.

Please let me have your comment about these suggestions.

CARICOM OR CARILEF - Vernon Derby

It seems as if our Caribbean neighbour Trinidad, has redefined CARICOM. CARCOM now means, “Carry Yu Money Cum, But Wi Can Do Wid out Yu”. Many Jamaicans have been treated poorly when they visit Trinidad. This has been reported in the media. Jamaicans visiting Trinidad are seen as a burden to the Trinidadian state. Jamaicans are now not sure if they are CARICOM or CARIGO. Should we now replace the strong call for CARICOM to call for CARILEF.

I cannot believe that the Trinidadian government has been subsidizing fuel for their manufacturers for a number of years now, while we are buying their fuel at a premium price. So the Jamaican people have been subsidizing the Trinidadian manufacturing sector while our manufacturing sector has been falling apart?

We have been big on CARICOM but small on JamaicaCom and we have paid dearly for it. We are big on the Caribbean Court of Justice but our justice system like an old broken down and dilapidated building is still waiting for that great overall to take place.

We go to CARICOM to have big talk yet we are not communicating with our people enough. We talk and talk about CARICOM and yet very little attention has been paid to crime in Jamaica. Our parliament is yet to come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with this challenge.

Trinidad has approximately 1.2 million people while Jamaican has 2.7 million people. Trinidad has one of the highest per capita income in the Caribbean while Jamaicans struggles near the bottom of the economic ladder in the Caribbean. Jamaica has a large market which Trinidad has made the best of.  Jamaica still continues to go down the road of poverty while Trinidad continues to climb the hill of prosperity. Trinidad is certainly having a carnival while we prepare for a nine-night. What a life, what a country. 

Jamaica Land we love.

Edith Allwood-Anderson WIll Go To Her Grave Being A Fighter - Vernon Derby

Nurse Allwood-Anderson Served The Nurses Well

Mrs. Edith Allwood-Anderson, former President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, has served the nurses well for a number of years. She was the nurses' star. She is feasty, blunt, determine and fears no one. In the past she left no stone unturned until she felt that nurses were dealt with fairly. She was not afraid to take on even the Prime Minister of Jamaica, literally face to face.

Her Personality Worked Well For The Nurses In The Past

Although she is not in the best of health now, she still has that strong personality. She is using the same personality to fight for what she thinks is right for herself now that she use to fight for nurses in the past.

Let's not be hard on her because we believe that she is going about fighting for her cause the wrong way. Protesting in a wheel chair - that's a brilliant strategy to bring her protest in the forefront. Many have gone on the so called 'sick out' to fight for their demands in the past. Nurse Allwood-Anderson sat in a wheel chair during her very effective one woman demonstration and she did not tell anyone that she couldn't walk or that anyone had made her, wheel-chair bound.

Her behaviour now, is similar to the behaviour that she used to fight for her colleagues in the past.

Give Her Love And The Honour She Deserves

Let's show her the love and give her the honour that she has worked for and that she deserves. Let's remember how she fought for many nurses and how they have benefitted from that same personality, rather than getting all emotional over an outstanding leader's behaviour at this time.

Christmas Is In The Air

Christmas is in the air so let's put away all bitterness and show love even to those who have offend us.

Nurse Allwood-Anderson Will Not Change At This Point!

One thing for sure is Edith Allwood-Anderson wIll go to her grave being a fighter and I believe that she will make a dramatic exit when she leaves this world. That's the woman, that's the nurse, that's the former leader of the nurses and she cannot change at this stage.

It's a pity that her personality and character which helped others in the past could be used to bring her to the ground. Let's not forget the good she has done in the past.

JUTC Needs To Take Action

The Following letter was sent to the JUTC by a listener to my programme:

  

Good day, sir. 

As a taxpayer who is employed to the Government of Jamaica, who is very near to retirement, who has been on a fixed salary for the past six years and who pays hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in taxes to my dear beloved country, I am again exercising my civic duty to write in regard to some issues that need to be addressed at the JUTC:

1. The opening of the driver’s window in the air conditioned JUTC buses. 

Each day of the week I travel on 4 JUTC buses to and from work. On Saturday 2 buses, on Sunday four buses. I am a regular user of these buses.
While I am the first to admit that there are more buses on the road, I cannot say the service has improved significantly.  Why are there so many JUTC buses running all over the KMTR with the driver’s window wide open, ear phone in their ears, their right hand outside of the buses and music blasting at the highest decibel?  Am I the only passenger who has observed this practice by these drivers?   And where is the chairman, the management, the supervisors, the employees of the JUTC, are they ALL blind?  On a daily basis dozens of buses are seen running in the KMTR being operated by out of control drivers.  What are the sanctions being brought against these drivers?  Sir, what are the functions of management?  1. To manage! Manage! Manage!!! What sanctions are being taken against these drivers? Every institution must have systems and procedures in place that staff must adhere to or else the workers will do as they like and the institution will collapse.

How do you communicate to your workers, sir?  This is an age of information, communication. Use all the available communication channels at your disposal to get your message to the staff - {meetings, bulletins, email, text message, memoranda,}. The message of the company must be clear and without ambiguity and it must include sanctions for those who breach the company’s policy.  But, is there any such policy? 

2. The leaking of the buses and the saturated beautiful padded seats. 

I have no doubt that the leaking of the buses is a direct result of the continuous opening of the windows.  The air conditioning vents are now pouring gallons of water on the passengers who have to resort to opening umbrellas inside of the buses to protect themselves.  Sometimes we step into the buses and sit only to find that we are sitting on a saturated seat from water coming from the vents.

Sir, how much does it cost the taxpayers annually to repair and maintain these multimillion dollar buses that are being allowed to be damaged by uncaring drivers?  

3. Scheduling.  

I am again appealing to the management that the scheduling of the buses be improved, in particular number 49.  The purpose is being defeated if you have to wait in Greater Portmore /HWT  for one hour on a bus, finally one bus turns up, all the passengers are forced to get on to that one bus because they do not know when another bus will come. En route to your home or work five, six buses pass with just a few passengers, half empty on the toll road.  Now, if the passengers knew that the next half an hour another bus would be coming they would not all force themselves on that one bus.

4. What amazes me in all of this is that the Premium buses have lost their status.  When that service started it was much better than the regular service so I made the sacrifice and took the premium.  The lick shot drivers have now taken over the premium service.  Last week I took one of the 320 the television was blasting at the highest decibel.  Up to this morning the driver of the 315 had his cap turned back ways, his window wide open and his right hand outside of the window.  Shameful!!  How do these drivers see themselves?  Do they see themselves as important human beings offering a very vital service to their nation?  I doubt it.

I am suggesting that systems be put in place immediately to curb some of these way ward practices by some of these drivers.

1.    that there be a month of grace for retraining, re socializing, communication and implementation. 

2.    first breach committed by a driver for loud music, opening of window, et cetera, a warning letter,

3.    second breach, deduction of one day’s pay,

4.    third breach deduction of two days’ pay,

5.    fourth breach, suspension without pay for one week.

6.    After three months an assessment be done with feedback from the public.  You would be amazed to see the marked improvement in these drivers’ attitude.  

There are indeed some good drivers employed to the JUTC, 17Ax, 20AX, and a number of the women.  The management just cannot allow this billion dollar company to be destroyed.     

I am inviting you to stand any day of the week  at Jamaica National in HWT across from the Transport Centre,  at the stop light at the top of Hagley Park Road, Portmore Mall and Downtown Kingston and count the number of air condition buses with the driver’s window open and their hands outside of the buses, earphones in ears and music blasting.  This needs to stop.

Management, please start managing.  In the days when there was no JUTC buses and we travelled by the Executive buses from Greater Portmore to New Kingston I have never seen one of those executive buses with their windows open.   Many of those buses are nearly 20 years old and they are still on the route.

Why is it that we have to destroy everything we call ‘GoJ property?   Mr Campbell, Mr Finnikin, it takes much more than rolling out of buses to run a bus company.  It takes policies, rules, guidelines, systems, structures, protocol, processes, and most of all communication.   Over to you, all.

YB

Tattered State.....Of Affairs? - Vernon Derby

Is The Jamaican Economy in Serious Trouble?

Is the #Jamaican  #economy in more serious trouble than we are aware of? Unconfirmed reports are that reagents are not available for the processing blood and medical equipment in some hospitals are sitting there waiting to be serviced.  Mrs. Jean Anderson-Seaga called the programme this week stating that she was unable to get blood for her husband who was on dying. That audit report of the public health sector could shred some light on this.

Free Education?

Education is free but principals are charging auxillary fees and the Education Minister is saying do not refuse to admit students who are unable to pay these fees.

Paying Our Bills

Recently, another major government institution was not able to offer certain services because insiders said that providers of services to that institution were demanding that outstanding bills be paid. Reports are that utility bills are outstanding and pension payments are being be made late. Can you imagine if the JPS was allowed to charge the government interest on outstanding bills.

General Elections

It's clear that funds are not even there for the next election campaign. I believe that there will be no massive street meetings and no excessive media campaign. No more Olint and no more Cash Plus???

Suicide!

I am getting calls from persons who feel like committing suicide because they are not coping. Why even the police are getting involved in crime? Quite a number of persons are living on our streets. These are serious signs which cannot be ignored.

Waste Not!

It means therefore that we cannot waste what we have because tougher days could be ahead. Remember that, willful waste make woeful wants.

FI WI CONCERNS - Michael Spence

Passport Fiasco

The Passport Immigration and citizenship Agency (PICA) recently announced an increase in the price of a Jamaican Passport from$4500 to $6500 has resulted in arguments and counter arguments from many quarters ranging from reasonable to unreasonable and unconscionable and wicked has prompted many questions. Such as why  such a steep increase for a small book the price of which in any bookstore would not be more than $300 Jamaican dollars while a thick Oxford Pocket Dictionary has not yet reached $2000 dollars containing thousands of prints and also couldn’t the increase be a phased one to eliminate the shock and awe from such increases?

PICA the distributors/sellers of the Jamaican/ CARICOM passport would do well to answer the following questions publicly which may well justify the pricing:

Where are our passports manufactured and or printed, designed in part or whole local and or overseas?

Is the Jamaican passport a most reliable secure and trusted document that cannot be duplicated, copied hacked or cloned whether opened or closed or is it just an unjustifiably expensive little book with one’s name?

Is the document issued unique to that person and what are the features that make it so for example does it have a unique chip or chips embedded within containing one’s details that require special keys/code to access this information and who has it?

What level of security, responsibility is there regarding transport, storage/safekeeping of security features?

What would be the process for a Jamaican citizen requesting a Jamaican passport meaning marked only Jamaica not CARICOM and would the cost of production be less than Jamaican $6500.

Have there been an audit and an assessment of the aims, objectives role and functions of PICA since it has been operating.

May I suggest that elaborative, transparent and demonstrative answers to these questions by PICA may well be able to justify to the citizenry present increases now being questioned by many? PICA should demonstrate why such a high cost for this essential little Jamaican book the passport also a book of hope and progress.28/05/15

Windsor Heights – St. Catherine

Occupiers of 1,250 lots in Windsor Heights, St Catherine, now face eviction from the properties many of them have called home for years. The property, which is owned by the ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, is approximately 280 acres comprising of approximately 1,500 lots. Give the people the land all of which is crown/capture land all around to the descendants of slaves making up the 60% squatter population. In the same way that the Chinese can get more than 1200 acres of land why Jamaicans cannot get 280 acres? Or at worst make their payments be reasonable property taxes on the said lands for the period of occupation. Jamaicans must not buy into the oppressive ideas that all governments try to sell us and keep us down to the benefit of others.25/05/15

  

Michael Spence

Taxation - David Trottman

This is the usual modus-operandi for the tax them to death “blood out of stone” PNP Government.  Like GCT this tax approach is flawed.  Kill the “sitting ducks” and forget the rest.  However, unlike GCT this tax will not have to be absorbed as an input cost but as PwC pointed out will have serious cash flow consequences for the service providers. 

 

By way of illustration, consider the GCT business environment as a huge tree with a trunk, several major branches and a vast expanse of minor branches and foliage out to its extremities.  The way GCT is supposed to work, it is the “foliage” (end-consumer) that should ultimately be left hugging-up the GCT.  However, because the GCT system is an “open loop” and there is no way to audit out to the extremities, the folk in the trunk and big branches (manufacturers; major distributors and similar value-adding elements) become sitting ducks for the tax them to death PNP Government.  Although GCT in many cases is unrecoverable, and has to be treated as an input cost by the productive sector, make no mistake, the end-consumer ultimately still bears the cost in higher prices; the country however suffers in terms of competitiveness in a global economy.

 

The real news with GCT is that the “open loop flaw” and the “law of diminishing returns” combine to limit its usefulness to squeeze additional blood out of that stone, hence the desperation to find a few more sitting ducks like the motorists, property owners, JPS and telecoms customers and financial services providers with this ill advised thin edge of the wedge withholding tax.

 

The gas tax and other burdens on the transport sector have already forced personal mobility to the “survival trip rate” with damaging consequences for the economy.  Is anybody tracking transport demand which is a “leading indicator” for where an economy is heading.  Ka-BOOM Nicodemus!!!

FI WI CONCERNS - Michael Spence

Attorneys & Fraud?

More allegations of fraud against attorneys not sounding good at all .Is it that because the society is over lawyered and the work is just not there they are grabbing at everything to maintain the publicly perceived high lifestyle. Most attorneys are however upright and decent people. Those going into the profession and have eyes to see and ears to hear "even if you crooked cut straight" and "Don't hang your basket higher than you can reach it".15/05/15

Naming of Places

The Balaclava High School, which is soon to be, renamed the Roger Clarke High School. At the end of this government’s term of office will there be anything left to be named. Do you recall the brouhaha in Montego Bay when they were to rename Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay in honour of Dr Herbert Eldemire or the other when What was called Foreshore Road downtown Kingston Waterfront to be named in honour of Edward Seaga how that was opposed. Both those renaming would be fitting as both men contributed significantly to their development and or creation. P J Patterson as I understand it was the political leader who pushed for the creation of the Jamaican style highways so that naming one after him is a reasonable gesture. I do not believe that politicians in power should go around naming national heroes or things for their friends, political associates and family this should be a decision made in consultation with the people by say the Heritage Trust or some other bipartisan or“independent”national body. Renaming cannot be left to the whims and fancies of a few among us to love it or like it. Let us say the Ministry of Finance building at heroes Circle could be renamed the Peter Phillips building honouring him for passing the most consecutive  IMF tests in the history of modern Jamaica and even more so if Jamaica becomes an economic powerhouse under his watch, if not Jamaica College old Boys could rename his Alma Mater in his honour. No civilized country, democracy or plantation should be run that way or else one day we could wake up to Jamaica being renamed. Any  suggestions as to a new name in honour of a friend or political associate? Come on Mr. Derby you are an innovator we are listening do not forget Riverton Dump. Anyone who turns that around into a viable land fill and city their name should be put there. The incentive now is do well wherever you are placed and it may just be named after you. We need however to develop some set nationally agreed transparent criteria to facilitate such so that there can be no argument. So Mr. Derby which high School you want your name on? 15/05/15

Gangs

The police have reasons to believe that the Clansman gang is one of the largest and most organized criminal enterprises in the island says a Gleaner article. Its extortion racket stretches from Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, to sections of Portmore and elsewhere in St Catherine says a Gleaner article. The police say based on the number of buses that use the park, the illegal haul in the Spanish Town park is estimated at $1.5 million a day. All the information is out there but this gang has become more sophisticated, trustworthy, incentivized and embedded on the ground in the community than the police. Remove the politics, incentives /money from the gang and they will be weakened. There is no real will to move against them so it’s business as usual with mere cosmetics for show. Street crawlers like me cannot be fooled by chat, more laws or cosmetics. We recognise action just catch and remove the criminals. Laws have no effect if no one is caught except a few insignificant sitting ducks.15/05/15

Attorney Arrested for running Prostitution Business

WHAT? Attorney-at-law, who was arrested  last April after he was accused by the police of running a prostitution business under the guise of operating a massage parlour. This is an allegation so let us see where this will go I suspect nowhere. If the DPP sees this nowhere destination they should end the proceedings against the lawyer and his co-defendants. By the way is anything on the agenda to legalize prostitution why or why not? Oh, another thing there is now male and female prostitution and therefore ties into buggery laws. Even if it is made legal tomorrow there will be no retroactive effect for those charged prior to its passage.12/0515

Police Robbed???

Man steals Samsung S5 from police vehicle as cop writes traffic ticket shouts an Observer newspaper article. Downtown is a disaster happening and needs more than police intervention. A criminal is an opportunist and if he/she makes an assessment of the act and it seems feasible they will go for it, its their job so if you are even a member of the security forces it makes no difference. Crimes downtown is not only a police matter it is social as well as economic and needs holistic intervention. I go there almoner every day and over the years have seen the deterioration and have had my share of crimes against me including, robbery and ducking gunshots. Criminals also come from elsewhere to work and go back home. With the weakening of strong Criminal Executive Officers (CEOs) or Dons quasi policing network it has become a real criminal free for all. You know Mr. Adams once said that when you get rid of the dons the police cannot fill the breach. Maybe so but they can learn a few logistic operating techniques from them. Presently it is set to get worse on the ground with the police operating like aimless sightseeing crime tourists and traffic ticket writers. Downtown maybe going through a phase of creative destruction with new opportunities set to arise from the rubble but in the meantime there needs to be a rapid response to save

Fi Wi Concerns - Michael Spence

Renato Adams - Former police officer

Effect of Renato Adams On Crime In Jamaica

I recall while Adams was around regarding crime he had a kind of socio therapeutic effect on the population. Crime really is functionally a socioeconomic phenomenon that really cannot be tackled in isolation other socially supporting efforts.If you mash up the  economy, unemployment ,crime and a bundle of social evils accompany and then the police get basket to carry water ending up with even police, parson, lawyer, teacher,  committing crimes like ,robbery, extortion, fraud, scamming and murder.

Crime Is Big Business

Crime is also a multi  billion dollar business and if you were to eliminate crime people would be demonstrating in the short run "we want justice we want crime" because thousands would lose their jobs.Court house become wholesales ,police and lawyers become taxi drivers or farmers, prisons become colleges and you are allowed to imagine many more options. 24/04/15

The problem is that our large fines have no other objective than to collect taxes through a convoluted back door. It seems that police are being assessed and graded for promotion and a part of it is how many tickets they write .That in itself is a corruption of due process. Our authorities thrive on the multibillion industry of crime i.e. people breaking the various laws that require punishment and or imprisonment. Sooner than later you may be able to go to prison and pay for a 5,4,3,2.1 or no star room as long as you can afford it meaning you will soon have 5 star prison hotels where you can stay and run your business a road and gwaan mek money. That is a business opportunity Jam Law arrange the signing of a MOU nuh for even $4 billion to build out some graded star prisons where we can house prisoners from all over the world for a fee so what we have now is  a"Prison Tourism Product".25/04/15

The Tivoli Enquiry Chairman

Chairman Simmonds  is really a five star chairman in full control from week one - if you form the fool he will expel you. I rate him highly. The best I have seen in my lifetime. Do you recall an enquiry when the chairman started to snore during those proceedings and it was dubbed the "snoring commission". Chairman Simmonds is always on the ball "big him up".25/04/15

Jamaica A Criminal's Paradise!!!

For the past 10 years over 15000 murders how many people hung or on death row? Check it, any was hung and less than five on death row. Criminals/murderers are having a good time isn't this a Criminal's paradise? 26/04/15

Taxation

Did we really have to wait on a study to know that “JAMAICA'S taxation levels are higher than most of its developing nation peers”.We  have perfected tax and borrow economics. Soon the IMF  will have to learn from us and get us to teach other poverty stricken economies how to love and create the poor and enjoy the parasitic non productive lifestyle. Jamaica no Problem - every living and dead Jamaican know what UHY. An international accountancy network is just revealing that to themselves. 26/04/15

The Qur'an

Chapter in the QUR'AN named Surah 4:24 I read it and it seems to prohibiting slackness Surah4: 22 and 23.For example 22 says "marry not women whom your fathers married, it was shameful, odious an abominable custom indeed" In 23: "prohibited to you for marriage are your mothers daughters, sisters, fathers sisters, brothers, daughters, foster mothers who gave you suck and it goes on. Those whom your right hand possess I interpret to mean the woman who you are married to or in other words "fi you woman" nothing to do with, raping women, slavery or evil ideology.29/04/15

Legalize Abortion 

Quite frankly I believe that it is a wasteful argument  not to legalize abortion  in Jamaica.Women must be free to legally choose what they do with their bodies and even if they bear children. The fact is that abortion is going on everyday some dangerously in the shadows all around the country. I would have no problem with legal abortion, prostitution or euthanasia. Prostitution (consensual sex for a fee) also saves family life needed to maintain a stable society. 29/04/15

Downtown - A Disaster Happening!

I constantly said downtown was a disaster waiting to happen, now it is a disaster happening with someone being shot on the streets with greater regularity. I was almost shot myself, vehicle shot up and man beside me shot while we were both hugging the ground on upper King Street on the 4th of March 2015. Eight people shot thankfully none fatally, one police included. There needs to be some rapid interventions from West through Central to East Kingston to help reduce strife. The source of the killings is mainly gang /domestic related and less of rampant criminality/robberies which is also unacceptable. The more what is going on continues the more reprisals are fuelled and the danger of passers by getting shot increases without warning at times. If you hear shots just hug the ground I mean stay low and crawl to cover better than running. There is also need for hard intelligence driven and community policing. Hope "Bigga Ford" can help they need to get back McGregor also they both know the East, Central and West Kingston very well .Businesses are being affected large and small. The downtown economy is dying. 29/04/15

Getting A House

In the face of one bank posting a profit over a year in excess of $3 billion.Can you imagine a youth taking a mortgage on a $10million house at 10% for 30 years has incurred a debt of over $40 million before the keys are handed to them, then he needs a car he and a generation after him may be indebted for life if he takes a mortgage on the equity developed over time. This is where I think it is ripe for the NHT to enter the housing market, widen the clientele with lower rates thus forcing down the other regular market rates. If Jamaica is to make a significant dent in poverty interest rates have to get in line with the rest of the productive world while being more accessible.29/04/15

These Fines 

The problem is that our large fines have no other objective than to collect taxes through a convoluted back door. It seems that police are being assessed and graded for promotion and a part of it is how many tickets they write .That in itself is a corruption of due process. Our authorities thrive on the multibillion industry of crime i.e. people breaking the various laws that require punishment and or imprisonment. Sooner than later you may be able to go to prison and pay for a 5,4,3,2.1 or no star room as long as you can afford it meaning you will soon have 5 star prison hotels where you can stay and run your business a road and gwaan mek money. That is a business opportunity Jam Law arrange the signing of a MOU nuh for even $4 billion to build out some graded star prisons where we can house prisoners from all over the world for a fee so what we have now is  a"Prison Tourism Product".25/04/15 (Editors Note: DCP Grant says that the assessment system does not encourage police to issue tickets.)

Murders - What Have We Done?

For the past 10 years over 15000 murders how many people hung or on death row? Check it, none hung and less than five on death row. Criminals/murderers are having a good time isn't this a Criminal's paradise? 26/04/15