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FOR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION
Top News in the Print Media: The JIS, The Gleaner & The Observer From the Overseas Department, Jamaica Information Service
Monday September 15, 2003
GOOD JUSTICE SYSTEM
The Observer: The relative political and social stability being enjoyed in the Jamaican society has been in no small measure due to a good justice system which, despite flaws, has stood the test of time, Information Minister Senator Burchell Whiteman boasted last week.
Acknowledging that some of the cries for justice were justified, Whiteman said that the country could be proud of the justice system because of those who operated it.
JURY SYSTEM TO BE REVIEWED
The Gleaner: The Ministry of Justice has promised to review the system used to choose jurors, in an attempt to crack down on the practice of 'repeat jurors' in the justice system.
Any person claiming to be a 'career' juror must be a party to a conspiracy to corrupt public justice and should be investigated by the police, the ministry said in response to questions from The Gleaner.
The Ministry admitted that there were "some difficulties being experienced in the Coroner's Court in the Corporate Area with regard to jury service and that this has led to the suggestion that there is a crisis in the justice system, in so far as jurors are concerned."
JAMAICA IN CANCUN TALKS
The Gleaner: Jamaica late Saturday was invited into the 'Green Room' to be part of consensus-building discussions among an "exclusive" group of World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, focused on salvaging an agreement on the Draft Cancun Ministerial Text.
The announcement came in the wee hours, after Caribbean delegates joined other developing countries in rejecting the second revised version of document, deemed by them to be totally unacceptable and as a blatant disregard for many of their concerns.
The position of the poorer nations was in direct contrast to that of the rich and powerful nations, with the United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick describing the Draft as "constructive", even while noting that there were positive elements and other elements "we will work to improve and clarify".
SPOT MARKET WEIGHTED AVERAGE RATE
CURRENCY PURCHASES SALES
US$ 59.5024 59.7031
CAN$ 42.5182 43.5894
GB£ 94.0597 95.2657
PICKERSGILL WARNS EXTORTIONISTS
The Observer: Transport Minister Robert Pickersgill has a firm warning for extortionists -- stay away from work to be done under a $235.9-million road rehabilitation project which he initialled Friday for the constituencies of three present government members of parliament in Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth.
Sounding as if he was in a fighting mood, Pickersgill instructed the contractors, Lagan Surrey Paving Limited -- a Jamaican-Irish joint venture company -- not to even start paying "informal security arrangements", a euphemism for extortion.
Refusal to pay would remove the possibility of such an arrangement escalating into "uncontrollable extortion", the transport minister advised.
MT. VIEW BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT
The Observer: Residents of communities in the often volatile Mountain View section of Kingston last week started a beautification programme there as part of a wider effort to heal divisions that, in recent months, have resulted in fatalities.
From about mid-morning, men and women could be seen painting out political graffiti that have long defaced fences, especially along Mountain View Avenue.
BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES
The Observer: The Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies is moving to improve the relationship it has with local communities.
"The university cannot be an ivory tower; we learn not only by thinking, but by engaging with communities, as we have done through the extra-mural department," stated to Professor Barry Chevannes, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the UWI.
He was speaking at Thursday night's opening ceremony of a conference -- "Bridge the Gap" -- which will end tomorrow at the Mona campus.
RM SHORTGE
The Gleaner: A reason for the shortage is the fact that for the first time in recent judicial history there are a total of seven Resident Magistrates acting on the High Court Bench at the same time, in place of judges who have retired, who have died or who are on vacation.
There are now five vacancies on the High Court Bench, the latest occurring in July with the death of Justice Neville Clarke. Two judges are now on vacation leave. Some of the posts have been vacant for more than a year.
The result is that of the island's 13 Resident Magistrate's Courts, only three have the full complement of RMs, while the remaining 10 criminal courts are operating with only one Resident Magistrate each, instead of the customary two. There is one Resident Magistrate's Court in each parish capital, but each rural parish has several other courthouses where an RM sits on scheduled days each month.
JIS NEWS
Monday September 15, 2003
3000 MORE SCHOOL SPACES CREATED
More than 3000 additional school spaces were created for children in St. Catherine over the last three years, as the Government spent some $1.2 billion over the period to construct 10 new schools in the parish.
Funding for the construction of the schools, which comprised basic, primary and comprehensive high, was provided under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture and the Urban Development Corporation’s (UDC) School Construction Programme.
The schools constructed included Silverstone Basic, Eltham Basic, Christian Pen Basic, McCauley Pen Basic, Angels Primary and Basic, Friendship Primary, Cumberland Comprehensive High, Innswood Comprehensive and Eltham Comprehensive High.
MASTER PLAN BEING FINE-TUNED
Chairman of the National Housing Trust (NHT), Kingsley Thomas, has announced that a master plan was currently being fine-tuned for the development of a 150,000 household township at Inverness in Clarendon.
Speaking to journalists during a media tour of the Kingston to Bushy Park segment of Highway 2000 on September 11, Mr. Thomas described the community as one that would be a “totally planned housing development, utilising the most modern techniques of urban planning, human and traffic flow”.
Mr. Thomas, who is also Chairman of the National Road Operating Construction Company (NROCC), explained that with the capital city of Kingston and the municipality of Portmore becoming densely populated, there was a need for additional practical housing solutions.
CONSUMERS GET MORE VALUE
Professor on international trade laws at the Amsterdam Law School in Holland, Dr. James Mathis has said that competition would deliver more value to consumers.
He argued that competition produced rivalry, which in turn forced manufacturers to lower their prices to the benefit of consumers. He noted however, that lower prices could lead to a cut in employment.
Dr. Mathis is in Jamaica on the invitation of the Fair Trading Commission as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations and to deliver this year’s lecture at the fourth annual Shirley Playfair Lecture series.
Contact: Celia Lindsay
For further information about any of these news items, contact the Overseas Department at:
[email protected].
The Jamaica Information Service web page address is:
www.jis.gov.jm.
Telephone: (876) 926-3740-8 / 926-3590-8, Fax: (876) 926-6715
COMMENTARY
Monday September 15, 2003
THE OBSERVER
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!
ONCE again the country is engulfed in the throes of another cycle of violence and rampant crime. Twelve Jamaicans were slaughtered and several injured in just two days -- Friday and Saturday -- bringing the number murdered for the year to an unacceptable 669.
When it is not Grant's Pen, Mountain View, Red Hills or Waterhouse it's Spanish Town or Portmore. This never ending and vicious sequence of murders and reprisals or gangs fighting for control of turf is all too familiar. It doesn't even seem to touch or trouble the national psyche anymore, despite their callousness and frequency. We have become immune to such occurrences. This has had the effect of moving us into a state of paralysis, a paralysis of inaction and lack of concern, which helps to feed the ghouls of crime rather than aiding those of legitimate pursuit.
This paralysis also appears to have affected our politicians and of even more concern, our policemen. Collectively combined these entities are apparently powerless in solving a problem which has plagued this land with ferocity since the late 1960s.
The many fancy-named crime operations have all failed despite, in some instances, early successes being claimed. So, too, are the various squads which are better remembered by most Jamaicans for their catchy acronyms rather than their effectiveness in getting the job done. The high-powered meetings of minister, commissioner and chief of staff and the many cabinet retreats seem to be achieving nothing. The problem still exists and sadly, it is getting even more gruesome.
Quite frankly, we have reached the point where drastic measures have to be employed in order to, at least, in the initial stage, stem the growth of this hideous monster. If this means, for example, numerous spot checks, prolonged curfews in certain areas, approved and consistent searches of suspected areas and individuals, stronger police and military presence in the worst affected areas, or even the enactment of stronger, more relevant laws, so be it. We, having nothing to lose, and for sure all peace loving and caring Jamaicans, will support strong and bold initiatives to solve crime. Public relations campaigns, the fireside chats by the prime minister or minister of security, while of some value, are not cutting it anymore.
We cannot tell the police, or those with the responsibility of keeping us safe, what measures to implement. We can only suggest, but we feel strongly that the time has come for the voice of the majority, including those of the Fourth Estate, to be heard and the majority, we believe, wants crime to be contained.
If we fail to put the brakes now on crime we will continue to descend into a deep abyss from which there will be no return. Then we will all be losers, even those bleeding hearts who are quick to condemn and yet offer much psychological and moral succour to the criminals.
===========================================
THE GLEANER
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY
THERE HAVE been welcome signs of vigour in some sectors of Local Government, now almost completely controlled by the Jamaica Labour Party. With its own numbers boosted in Parliament after the General Election last October, the Opposition party maintained political momentum in capturing all but one of the Local Authorities in the Local Government elections last June.
That is obviously a major reason for the surge of new vigour reflected in the activity of some Councils. Indeed no sooner had Kingston's new Mayor, Councillor Desmond McKenzie, taken charge of the capital city, he surrendered his seat in the Senate, on the face of it a more prestigious post in the Upper House of the Parliament.
In reality, of course, the scope for getting things done with practical and obvious effect will arise in tackling the myriad municipal tasks to be dealt with in the capital city.
In taking charge Mayor McKenzie was recently shocked into acknowledging that his optimism about quickly resolving some of the most outstanding problems, including cleaning the drains and upgrading the May Pen Cemetery, have no overnight solutions. Hopefully this will not frustrate his enthusiasm.
The unique situation in St. Catherine, making history with two Mayors and a brand new municipality, showed teething pains in a dispute over revenue sharing; but this also betrayed the lack of forward planning at the level of the Local Government Ministry.
After a remarkable decision to share power, the Clarendon Parish Council ran into problems over sharing chairmanship of various committees. Fortunately, with guidance from more experienced leadership, they arrived at a resolution.
The walk-out by PNP Councillors from a St. Ann Parish Council meeting is the latest indication of some hostility; as well as the unfortunate theft of five computers from the Council office, which still threatens their cordiality.
Despite these hiccups, we expect that the new Councils will conduct their administration of local concerns in a manner that will invite interactive participation from the citizenry.
Sterling performance is a good way to demonstrate the reality of Local Government Reform in place of the theory which has prevailed these many years.
FOR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION
Top News in the Print Media: The JIS, The Gleaner & The Observer From the Overseas Department, Jamaica Information Service
Monday September 15, 2003
GOOD JUSTICE SYSTEM
The Observer: The relative political and social stability being enjoyed in the Jamaican society has been in no small measure due to a good justice system which, despite flaws, has stood the test of time, Information Minister Senator Burchell Whiteman boasted last week.
Acknowledging that some of the cries for justice were justified, Whiteman said that the country could be proud of the justice system because of those who operated it.
JURY SYSTEM TO BE REVIEWED
The Gleaner: The Ministry of Justice has promised to review the system used to choose jurors, in an attempt to crack down on the practice of 'repeat jurors' in the justice system.
Any person claiming to be a 'career' juror must be a party to a conspiracy to corrupt public justice and should be investigated by the police, the ministry said in response to questions from The Gleaner.
The Ministry admitted that there were "some difficulties being experienced in the Coroner's Court in the Corporate Area with regard to jury service and that this has led to the suggestion that there is a crisis in the justice system, in so far as jurors are concerned."
JAMAICA IN CANCUN TALKS
The Gleaner: Jamaica late Saturday was invited into the 'Green Room' to be part of consensus-building discussions among an "exclusive" group of World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, focused on salvaging an agreement on the Draft Cancun Ministerial Text.
The announcement came in the wee hours, after Caribbean delegates joined other developing countries in rejecting the second revised version of document, deemed by them to be totally unacceptable and as a blatant disregard for many of their concerns.
The position of the poorer nations was in direct contrast to that of the rich and powerful nations, with the United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick describing the Draft as "constructive", even while noting that there were positive elements and other elements "we will work to improve and clarify".
SPOT MARKET WEIGHTED AVERAGE RATE
CURRENCY PURCHASES SALES
US$ 59.5024 59.7031
CAN$ 42.5182 43.5894
GB£ 94.0597 95.2657
PICKERSGILL WARNS EXTORTIONISTS
The Observer: Transport Minister Robert Pickersgill has a firm warning for extortionists -- stay away from work to be done under a $235.9-million road rehabilitation project which he initialled Friday for the constituencies of three present government members of parliament in Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth.
Sounding as if he was in a fighting mood, Pickersgill instructed the contractors, Lagan Surrey Paving Limited -- a Jamaican-Irish joint venture company -- not to even start paying "informal security arrangements", a euphemism for extortion.
Refusal to pay would remove the possibility of such an arrangement escalating into "uncontrollable extortion", the transport minister advised.
MT. VIEW BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT
The Observer: Residents of communities in the often volatile Mountain View section of Kingston last week started a beautification programme there as part of a wider effort to heal divisions that, in recent months, have resulted in fatalities.
From about mid-morning, men and women could be seen painting out political graffiti that have long defaced fences, especially along Mountain View Avenue.
BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES
The Observer: The Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies is moving to improve the relationship it has with local communities.
"The university cannot be an ivory tower; we learn not only by thinking, but by engaging with communities, as we have done through the extra-mural department," stated to Professor Barry Chevannes, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the UWI.
He was speaking at Thursday night's opening ceremony of a conference -- "Bridge the Gap" -- which will end tomorrow at the Mona campus.
RM SHORTGE
The Gleaner: A reason for the shortage is the fact that for the first time in recent judicial history there are a total of seven Resident Magistrates acting on the High Court Bench at the same time, in place of judges who have retired, who have died or who are on vacation.
There are now five vacancies on the High Court Bench, the latest occurring in July with the death of Justice Neville Clarke. Two judges are now on vacation leave. Some of the posts have been vacant for more than a year.
The result is that of the island's 13 Resident Magistrate's Courts, only three have the full complement of RMs, while the remaining 10 criminal courts are operating with only one Resident Magistrate each, instead of the customary two. There is one Resident Magistrate's Court in each parish capital, but each rural parish has several other courthouses where an RM sits on scheduled days each month.
JIS NEWS
Monday September 15, 2003
3000 MORE SCHOOL SPACES CREATED
More than 3000 additional school spaces were created for children in St. Catherine over the last three years, as the Government spent some $1.2 billion over the period to construct 10 new schools in the parish.
Funding for the construction of the schools, which comprised basic, primary and comprehensive high, was provided under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture and the Urban Development Corporation’s (UDC) School Construction Programme.
The schools constructed included Silverstone Basic, Eltham Basic, Christian Pen Basic, McCauley Pen Basic, Angels Primary and Basic, Friendship Primary, Cumberland Comprehensive High, Innswood Comprehensive and Eltham Comprehensive High.
MASTER PLAN BEING FINE-TUNED
Chairman of the National Housing Trust (NHT), Kingsley Thomas, has announced that a master plan was currently being fine-tuned for the development of a 150,000 household township at Inverness in Clarendon.
Speaking to journalists during a media tour of the Kingston to Bushy Park segment of Highway 2000 on September 11, Mr. Thomas described the community as one that would be a “totally planned housing development, utilising the most modern techniques of urban planning, human and traffic flow”.
Mr. Thomas, who is also Chairman of the National Road Operating Construction Company (NROCC), explained that with the capital city of Kingston and the municipality of Portmore becoming densely populated, there was a need for additional practical housing solutions.
CONSUMERS GET MORE VALUE
Professor on international trade laws at the Amsterdam Law School in Holland, Dr. James Mathis has said that competition would deliver more value to consumers.
He argued that competition produced rivalry, which in turn forced manufacturers to lower their prices to the benefit of consumers. He noted however, that lower prices could lead to a cut in employment.
Dr. Mathis is in Jamaica on the invitation of the Fair Trading Commission as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations and to deliver this year’s lecture at the fourth annual Shirley Playfair Lecture series.
Contact: Celia Lindsay
For further information about any of these news items, contact the Overseas Department at:
[email protected].
The Jamaica Information Service web page address is:
www.jis.gov.jm.
Telephone: (876) 926-3740-8 / 926-3590-8, Fax: (876) 926-6715
COMMENTARY
Monday September 15, 2003
THE OBSERVER
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!
ONCE again the country is engulfed in the throes of another cycle of violence and rampant crime. Twelve Jamaicans were slaughtered and several injured in just two days -- Friday and Saturday -- bringing the number murdered for the year to an unacceptable 669.
When it is not Grant's Pen, Mountain View, Red Hills or Waterhouse it's Spanish Town or Portmore. This never ending and vicious sequence of murders and reprisals or gangs fighting for control of turf is all too familiar. It doesn't even seem to touch or trouble the national psyche anymore, despite their callousness and frequency. We have become immune to such occurrences. This has had the effect of moving us into a state of paralysis, a paralysis of inaction and lack of concern, which helps to feed the ghouls of crime rather than aiding those of legitimate pursuit.
This paralysis also appears to have affected our politicians and of even more concern, our policemen. Collectively combined these entities are apparently powerless in solving a problem which has plagued this land with ferocity since the late 1960s.
The many fancy-named crime operations have all failed despite, in some instances, early successes being claimed. So, too, are the various squads which are better remembered by most Jamaicans for their catchy acronyms rather than their effectiveness in getting the job done. The high-powered meetings of minister, commissioner and chief of staff and the many cabinet retreats seem to be achieving nothing. The problem still exists and sadly, it is getting even more gruesome.
Quite frankly, we have reached the point where drastic measures have to be employed in order to, at least, in the initial stage, stem the growth of this hideous monster. If this means, for example, numerous spot checks, prolonged curfews in certain areas, approved and consistent searches of suspected areas and individuals, stronger police and military presence in the worst affected areas, or even the enactment of stronger, more relevant laws, so be it. We, having nothing to lose, and for sure all peace loving and caring Jamaicans, will support strong and bold initiatives to solve crime. Public relations campaigns, the fireside chats by the prime minister or minister of security, while of some value, are not cutting it anymore.
We cannot tell the police, or those with the responsibility of keeping us safe, what measures to implement. We can only suggest, but we feel strongly that the time has come for the voice of the majority, including those of the Fourth Estate, to be heard and the majority, we believe, wants crime to be contained.
If we fail to put the brakes now on crime we will continue to descend into a deep abyss from which there will be no return. Then we will all be losers, even those bleeding hearts who are quick to condemn and yet offer much psychological and moral succour to the criminals.
===========================================
THE GLEANER
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY
THERE HAVE been welcome signs of vigour in some sectors of Local Government, now almost completely controlled by the Jamaica Labour Party. With its own numbers boosted in Parliament after the General Election last October, the Opposition party maintained political momentum in capturing all but one of the Local Authorities in the Local Government elections last June.
That is obviously a major reason for the surge of new vigour reflected in the activity of some Councils. Indeed no sooner had Kingston's new Mayor, Councillor Desmond McKenzie, taken charge of the capital city, he surrendered his seat in the Senate, on the face of it a more prestigious post in the Upper House of the Parliament.
In reality, of course, the scope for getting things done with practical and obvious effect will arise in tackling the myriad municipal tasks to be dealt with in the capital city.
In taking charge Mayor McKenzie was recently shocked into acknowledging that his optimism about quickly resolving some of the most outstanding problems, including cleaning the drains and upgrading the May Pen Cemetery, have no overnight solutions. Hopefully this will not frustrate his enthusiasm.
The unique situation in St. Catherine, making history with two Mayors and a brand new municipality, showed teething pains in a dispute over revenue sharing; but this also betrayed the lack of forward planning at the level of the Local Government Ministry.
After a remarkable decision to share power, the Clarendon Parish Council ran into problems over sharing chairmanship of various committees. Fortunately, with guidance from more experienced leadership, they arrived at a resolution.
The walk-out by PNP Councillors from a St. Ann Parish Council meeting is the latest indication of some hostility; as well as the unfortunate theft of five computers from the Council office, which still threatens their cordiality.
Despite these hiccups, we expect that the new Councils will conduct their administration of local concerns in a manner that will invite interactive participation from the citizenry.
Sterling performance is a good way to demonstrate the reality of Local Government Reform in place of the theory which has prevailed these many years.