THE SUNDAY GLEANER, MARCH 6, 2022 A9 OPINION & COMMENTARY ON TUESDAY, March 1, Martin Gooden, chairman of the Property Committee of the Jamaica Red Cross, emailed me in response to my column published last Sunday, ‘Lee Arbouin – Fierce champion of justice’. He wrote, “I hope I can have a dialogue with you regarding portions of your article relating to Jamaica Red Cross.” As it turns out, Mr Gooden didn’t seem to actually want to have dialogue. It appeared as if all he had planned to do was to correct what he thought was misinformation about the Red Cross. I had reported that Lee Arbouin, along with others, had spent about two hours cleaning up the beach on Monday, February 14. Mr Gooden claimed that the beach did not need to be cleaned. And he objected to my challenging his assertion. Or raising any issues that were not on his agenda! When I asked why the Jamaica Red Cross had rejected the proposal of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) to upgrade the beach, he asked if I knew the terms of the proposed partnership. I said I did not and asked what they were. He refused to answer. So on Thursday, March 3, I emailed the Director General of the Jamaica Red Cross, Miss Yvonne Clarke, on the matter. She did respond to say she was forwarding my email to the Board of Directors “for their attention and instruction”. Mr Gooden is a member of the board so, perhaps, he’ll be forced to answer my question. So far, I haven’t heard back from Miss Clarke. That same Thursday, I tried to get an answer directly from TPDCo. I emailed the Executive Director Wade Mars. I got no response. I telephoned several times and was told that he was “in a meeting”. When I called on Friday, March 4, I was informed that he would not be in office. One of his assistants, Abbygayle Ellis, asked me to forward the email, which I did. She said she would try to address the matter. I haven’t heard back from her. LEGITIMATE CONCERNS Some residents of Discovery Bay speculate that the reason the Jamaica Red Cross turned down TPDCo’s development plan is that they want to lease the beach to private sector interests. On August 4, 2018, THE STAR published an article by Carl Gilchrist with this headline: ‘Discovery Bay residents fight for Peach Beach’. It was a report on a demonstration organised by the Community Development Committee (CDC), led by the formidable Lee Arbouin, then president of the association. Lee is quoted: “We are appealing to Red Cross, which manages Peach Beach, not to lease it to big business but to work with us, with Tourism Enhancement Fund, with government, to develop the beach so that locals will have a beach that is affordable and clean.” In our “dialogue”, Gooden claimed that the Red Cross had negotiated private-sector funding to upgrade Peach Beach. But, because of the demonstration, support was withdrawn. I asked Mr Gooden if the Red Cross had informed the CDC that the improved beach was going to be open to the public. I didn’t get a straight answer. I suggested that it was most unlikely that the CDC would have held a demonstration if they knew the alleged intentions of the Red Cross. The concerns of the CDC appear to be quite legitimate. A massive new gate to Peach Beach has recently been erected. It is firmly locked. It is rumoured that a wealthy resident of the neighbouring community donated the gate to Red Cross. This benefactor allegedly has access to the key. If this is indeed so, there’s an alarming conflict of interest at Peach Beach. ‘RIGHT TO REST AND LEISURE’ The public has been effectively shut out of the beach by the Jamaica Red Cross and its allies. The CDC has no key. In the 1970s, the Kaiser Bauxite Company donated Peach Beach to the Jamaica Red Cross in support of the community development work in which the organisation was engaged. The beach was not supposed to benefit the rich exclusively. It was not to be locked up. It was to be open to the public. The Red Cross appears to have forgotten why the beach was entrusted to them. The problem of beach access in Jamaica is widespread. Tourism interests, in particular, ensure that Jamaicans have limited access to prime beaches. Successive governments have done very little to enable citizens to actually get on the beach. This is, fundamentally, a human rights issue.Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.” One of the primary forms of leisure for many Jamaicans is going to the beach. Even if most of us can’t swim! We can still have a very good time splashing in the water close to shore. As Lee said in that STAR interview, “Today is Peach Beach, tomorrow it will be another beach, and before long we Jamaicans will be walking around looking at the sea and not being able to get in it, except we go for a rocky bit.” We already can’t even look at the sea along some parts of the coast. Multistorey hotels and high walls block the view. The website of the Jamaica Red Cross announces its grand mission: “To improve the lives of vulnerable people by developing capacity, mobilizing critical resources and promoting humanitarian activities.” Its vision is “To be the most effective humanitarian organization in Jamaica, promoting at all times all forms of humanitarian activities with a view to preventing and alleviating suffering, thus contributing to human dignity and peace.” One of themost effectiveways inwhich the Jamaica RedCross can fulfil itsmission and promote its vision is by allowing all Jamaicans to enjoy the right to rest and leisure at Peach Beach. Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a teacher of English language and literature and a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com. LET’S SEE how strong our religious leaders’ faith is. All these confusing stories from pastors who use their imaginations and pretend to know the infinite will of God and Heaven is. If Vladimir Putin presses the red button and cancels all our cheques. These may very well be the ‘Last Days’ but unless one is a servant of Paul, who is the way truth and light; then the simple fact is that we do not know. I am trying to listen through the din of news reports and credible sources; not blind speculation. Our parents and ancestors grew up with the horror stories from Matthew 24, and whenever there is any shake-up in the global order, we jump and scream as if we have God in some kind of WhatsApp chat group. After all, Jesus himself said, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” So, please, chill and stop making up stories, because “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. What we do know is that, there is a crisis and for all the posturing, we are in imminent danger. The threat is very real and Putin is no joke. Up to the time of writing the Russians had sent bomber/fighter aircraft which are capable of twice the speed of sound, to our South America neighbours, Venezuela. Do not for any moment think they we will be unaffected if any hostilities actually begin. To the best of my knowledge, I have no relatives or close friends living in Russia or of Russian origin. Every single female relative who share(d) my DNA and surname are American citizens. An escalation of combat to include exchange of ballistic missiles would be not just the demise of my dearest kin, but all of us here in theCaribbean basin. OWN HYPE Putin actions should have long awakened the Americans who, unfortunately, like so many powerful entities, believe their own hype. Unfortunately, American self-delusion is not only a danger to themselves, but a major threat to global security and democracy. Despite the evidence that the Russians had attempted to undermine American democracy in several elections; powerful American men and women have tried to downplay it, even as Rome burned. True, America is the greatest nation on earth, but they are not so in every area. For years, we watched Chuck Norris as a oneman army return toVietnam to rescue prisoners of war who, somehow, the entire American military was unable to extricate for two decades. We saw Arnold Schwarzenegger carry out some of the most unbelievable campaigns and all of 5’10” middleweight Sylvester Stallone, as Johnny Rambo, pull off some ridiculous operation in Afghanistan. Of course, the Afghans had kicked the Russians like a burglar caught in a Jamaican’s man backyard and after two decades, thousands of American lives and scores of thousands of permanent physical and mental disabilities among troops, the USA withdrew in a whimper. DANGEROUS DELUSION Hollywood has been part of this dangerous delusion, where the average American believes that America can crush all oppositions. Denzel Washington should have had more sense than to do the movie The Equalizer. Washington’s character, Robert McCall, a retired black ops veteran, single-handedly took on and destroyed an entire Russian gang based in the USA. Though implausible and on the outer fringes of reality and possibility, it was fun to watch. But in the end, McCall, a black man, sneaked into Russian, and eliminated a character, kingpin, who seems to bring to mind Putin. Then McCall finds his way back out of Russia and returns home. If there was any shortage of bull excrement to fertilise my farm, the movie provided a surplus. Yet, many Americans actually think that something like that could happen. This kind of romance with fantasies endangers us all. For years North Korea has mocked and played ‘chicken’ with America and its allies, the Chinese have pretty much done all that they want, and the Saudi Arabians and other middle eastern pro-American nations have embarrassed them with their human rights violations. Indeed, even the Nation of Israel, which has be UN and Amnesty International reports, have consistently punked its very strongest backer, defying them resolutions against it. Indeed, Israel has annexed territory, which it refuses to return, using the same pretexts as the Russians are using now, to justify the invasion and attempt to ‘recolonise’ The Ukraine, which, until recently, was in fact ruled from Moscow as part of the Soviet Union. I love America, but the ‘World Series’ is a domestic baseball league and the NBA champions are notWorld Champions. Playing with or among yourselves is not true competition. Hopefully, this crisis will de-escalate and good sense prevails. Otherwise, the dogs left behind by the Jamaican students in Ukraine will have our suppers. Dr Orville Taylor is head of the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talkshow host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@ hotmail.com. Conflict of interest at Peach Beach End game or end of days? THE RUSSIANS have defeated ‘Covidistan’ in a little over a week. The fearmongers who were warning about the deadliness of Omicron are now refugees even as they warn of a fifth invasion wave. Those who had amassed fortunes and consolidated power over the last two years now find themselves ordinary citizens again, albeit wealthier and more famous.What becomes of them is to be seen as the media and attentions are centred around the UkrainianWar. COVID19 has all but disappeared. The truth is we were already at the end of the pandemic and entering the endemic phase where we would simply have had to learn to live with the disease. But the gravy train had to be squeezed a bit more. New vaccines had to be made to guard against Omicron, boosters had to be given every six months and children from age zero to 12 vaccinated to prevent serious illness, even though serious illness was hardly a threat anyway. The warnings to continue to be wary of COVID-19 and to surrender our logic and freedoms to those who refused to accept that Omicron was God’s way of saying time to move on, have faded against the cacophony of Russian tanks. The news media has quickly relegated COVID-19 to a nine-day wonder as they feed us with threats of uncertainties over nuclear reactors in Russian hands and the possibility of World War III. FEAR SELLS Fear and anxiety sells. People are more likely to surrender their personal and collective liberties if they believe it will make them safer. All one has to do is to get them to believe that they are in danger and the solution will make everything better. It matters not if it is illogical. We ignore the rationale if we already believe in the conclusion. That is human nature. He who controls that narrative rules the world. It was easy to invade and destroy Iraq without sanctions or protests. Saddam Hussein was portrayed as the architect of terrorism and linking 9/11 to him was a masterstroke. Invading Iraq was bringing freedom and democracy to the Iraqis. It was bringing peace and security to the world. Nobody challenged the specious arguments about weapons of mass destruction. Nobody protested at the United Nations even when it was apparent that the invasion was illegal according to international law. Once you dehumanise your enemies you can do anything to them. Had Putin played his hand better at home where he had greater control of the Russian media, he would have had less protests. Which well-thinking Russian would have protested the deployment of a peacekeeping force to protect ethnic Russians at the mercy of a corrupt regime, intent on placing missiles within 100km of the graves of the fallen heroes of WWII Stalingrad? Instead the narrative that Putin is trying to rebuild the Russian empire has taken hold. Convincing the people to believe in the conclusion is not difficult. One only needs to have the right experts in the right spotlights. Thereafter, the message will be carried by sycophants and those earning a small reward, but enough to incentivise them to proselytise. Especially in the age of social media where content is as good as digital currency, providing influencers with topical talking points and media is an extremely efficient way of spreading propaganda. MAINSTREAM MEDIA IN TROUBLE Mainstream media is in trouble. With the overhead costs of paying journalists, support staff and content creators, they are heavily dependent on shrinking advertising revenue to stay afloat. Large social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok do not have these costs associated with content creation. Their users create and share the content necessary to keep each other glued to their screens. With usage in the hundreds of millions and billions, the advertising revenue normally flowing to traditional media outlets has found itself channelled more and more to social media platforms. As such, traditional media houses must find more titillating stories to drive traffic to their own platforms. Otherwise, advertisers will disappear. The necessity of creating stories to capture a news-hungry audience has led to mainstream media being the consummate allies in promoting agendas. The spin on any story is dependent on the writers. Protesters become a mob. Civilians defending their homeland become heroes or insurgents, depending on whether they are in Ukraine or Iraq. A war is a noble effort to spread democracy or a quest for world domination. I for one am glad Putin has destroyed the media’s focus on COVID-19. The weaponisation of misinformation and the sacrifice of truth and noble careers on the altars of profit and power has become nauseating. Many articles penned are confined to a folder for posthumous publication. One crusader told me he was okay bucking the establishment because he had terminal cancer and he would not recommend his approach for anyone with a longer life expectancy. This is the world we live in. Beyond Orwellian. Where the truth is as dynamic as the utility of wearing a mask. At first, we should not wear them because they were useless against viral particles. Then they should be mandatory because of their effectiveness against droplets containing viruses. Now the issue is deliberated not along the lines of scientific evidence, but between liberals and conservatives. As for vaccine mandates, vax-only events, the development of variants in the unvaccinated making them a danger to us all, I will share my thoughts when the doomsday clock inches closer to midnight. Until then, wear your mask. Dr Alfred Dawes is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, CEO of Windsor Wellness Centre, and medical spokesman for Lifespan Spring Water. Follow him on Twitter @dr_aldawes. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm. com and adawes@ilapmedical.com Remember to wear your masks Orville Taylor Orville Taylor Alfred Dawes
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