MONDAY MARCH 7, 2022 | VOL 188 NO 56 PAGES: 24 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com GCT INC. $1010 OPPOSITION LEADER Mark Golding is backing his predecessor Dr Peter Phillips to remain as member of parliament for St Andrew East Central despite his continued treatment for colon cancer, insisting that he is “still able to provide solid representation”. His comment follows adeclaration by 72-year-old Phillips that he is not yet ready to walk away from representational politics. Ina Gleaner interviewonSunday, following the 25th-anniversary celebration of the passing of former prime minister and People’s National Party president (PNP) Michael Manley at National Heroes Park in Kingston, Golding said the discussiononPhillips’departure took place a year and a half ago. He said Phillips’ retirement from public office is a matter for him as muchas it is for theOppositionparty. “We’re in no particular rush to see him go at all,” said Golding of Phillips, whohas served the country for 55 years, including as a senator and Cabinet minister under the P.J. PattersonandPortia SimpsonMiller administrations. “We’re happy that he is able and willing to continue to serve. As long as that remains, wewill be happy to have himamong us in Parliament.” Phillips has been the parliamentary representative for St Andrew East Central since 1994, enjoying bedrock support in the garrison constituency for much of ‘NO RUSH TO SEE HIMGO’ As post-Phillips era nears, olding concedes seat might need ‘new energy’ Mark Golding, president of the People’s National Party, lays a wreath on the grave of Michael Manley, a past president of the party, at National Heroes Park in Kingston on Sunday, the 25th anniversary of his death. Manley, who was prime minister from 1976 to 1980 and again from 1989 to 1992, has been praised for social reforms but also criticised for his management of the economy in the late 1970s. RUDOLPH BROWN/PHOTOGRAPHER Dr Peter Phillips, former president of the PNP. FILE Decorations are seen at the Redlands, Clarendon, grave of Xavier Phillips, who would have celebrated his ninth birthday on Saturday. The boy was killed while watching a game of football in Howells Content, York Town, on August 8, 2021. PHOTOS BY NATHANIEL STEWART/PHOTOGRAPHER Britni Berry is overcome with grief as she sits at the tomb of her eight-year-old son, Xavier Phillips. on Saturday. Janet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer WESTERN BUREAU: THE FULL complement of immigration officers, plus 45 kiosks during peak hours, complemented by the online C5 immigration card accessible at www.enterjamaica.com, are among the measures Sangster International Airport will implement to reduce the long waiting hours on weekends. The C5 card is linked to not only immigration, but also Customs, and travellers are encouraged to fill out their forms in advance. The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) has noted that this measure was not mandatory, but could help speed up the processing of arrival. On Saturdays, between noon and 2 p.m., up to 25 flights arrive at the airport, with an estimated 3,000-4,000 passengers to be processed within the two-hour span, Delano Seiveright, senior adviser and strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, revealed in a press statement. According to Seiveright, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett convened an emergency meeting last Saturday with select government and private-sector stakeholders to address the wait concerns. Over the years, members of the Jamaica Hotel andTourist Association (JHTA) have complained about the long processing to which guests have been subjected, particularly, during peak hours. “The meeting was quickly arranged to assess the situation and implement immediate ways in which arriving passengers can be processed at a faster rate given surging arrival numbers and concerns by visitors and locals alike,”Seiveright said. Seiveright said the situation was further complicated by the broader capacity woes on Saturdays, with sometimes five minutes between arriving flights. The new strategies will include the deployment of more staff to assist arriving passengers, including possibly expediting travellers with young children, said Seiveright. MBJ Airports Limited, which operates the Sangster International, intends to expand its immigration hall and digital transformation, including e-Gates, biometric processing, additional self-service kiosks, and enhanced outbound screening equipment. janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com Staff beef-up to ease processing waits at Sangster PLEASE SEE RUSH, A2 Olivia Brown/Gleaner Writer EVERY YEAR, on March 5, Britni Berry would gift her son toys from his long wish list. Berry still plans on buying her son toys this year, but she will place them atop his grave. Eight-year-old Xavier Phillips, nicknamed‘Bojo’, was shot dead on a football field in Howells Content, York Town, in Clarendon on August 8 last year. The still-mournful mom said that the first anniversary of his death will be hard. Berry recalled that Xavier’s birthdays were usually celebratory affairs, with family outings to a venue of the boy’s choice or buying large remote-controlled trucks. She told The Gleaner that Xavier requested a “big party “ for his ninth birthday and said he wanted to invite all his school friends. “We still gonna celebrate, even though he’s not with us anymore. We gonna do whatever he wants,” she said. For Berry, Sundays now represent gloom, having got news of her son’s tragic demise at the beginning of a week. She recalled the painful phone call from a cousin on the fateful morning. The heart-stopping news of Bojo’s death was not tempered by the caller. Berry remembers the shock she felt and her utterance of the refrain, “Him dead?” She said she screamed repeatedly and her mind went blank for about 10 minutes. She said the sight of her young son’s body is forever etched in her mind. “Whenmi reach, mi really see mi baby on himback lay down. Mi cry right up until today. The part that hurt themost is my son is innocent. I don’t trouble people, neither his father, and to lose mi baby like that, mi cry morning, noon, and night,” the distressed mother said in the Gleaner interview. Berry said little Xavier was kind, observant, and was never reluctant to offer assistance. And his curious mind made him eager to ask questions. “I miss talking to him ‘cause when him ready fi start talk, you would think it’s any big man. Even the Saturday night me and him talk on the phone ‘cause I was supposed to go for him the Sunday morning, but he said, ‘Mommy, I’m going church, so in the evening you come for me.’ “Mi wake up to the worst news of my life,” Berry said. Berry was 16 when she got pregnant with Xavier, revealing that she grew increasingly despondent. However, the support of her guardian helped alleviate the shock and pain of teenage pregnancy. For Berry, her son’s birth signified purpose and hope. “The day he came into my life Even in death, gifts for a birthday boy PLEASE SEE GIFTS, A3
THE GLEANER, MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS A2 RUSH CONTINUED FROM A1 his tenure. But theerosionof that foundationbecame evident in the September 2020 general election, when Phillips’victorywas buffered by fewer than 1,000 votes, as he led the PNP to a crushing 14-49 defeat. The former PNPpresident polled927more votes than the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) JodianMyrie, who secured 4,002. The figure represented a significant drop inPhillips’marginof victorywhen compared to the February 2016general electionwhen he polled 7,017 to the 4,774 secured by the JLP’s Marie Prince. In the prior general election inDecember 2011, Phillips had defeated Prince by 2,925 votes, polling 6,941 to her 4,016. The waning support has not been lost on Golding, who admitted that it may be an indication of people wanting to see new energy. “That seat is a seat we have won many times for many years. So obviously, we have bedrock support. Sometimeswhenyou’re in a seat, people want to see new energy and new effort,”he told The Gleaner. “I think it’s time for theorganisationon the ground to do the work as required to show the people that we’re still the best choice for them.” The JLP has had St Andrew East Central in its cross hairs since 2016 though Prince had captured theCassia Parkdivision for the party from as early as August 8, 2013, in a by-election. Gleaner sources within the governing partyhave indicated thatMyriewill not return as the standard-bearer for the JLP. “They want somebody with a national profile to pull out retirees and the middle class. PNP already have their base, although the margin has been going down, and Labourites have Labourite base. Quite a few people who are already members of the executive want it, but the party wants somebody with a Nigel [Clarke] profile to show that we mean business,” one source said. A second source indicated that Myrie, the daughter of reggae star Buju Banton, does not have the resources to match businessmanDennisGordon, PNP councillor for theMaxfieldPark division, whohas been tapped to replace Phillips. “That is causing some problems in area council because they want Jodi to get the seat, but she’s not going to win if we keep her on,”the source said. Efforts by TheGleaner to reachMyrie and JLPChairmanRobertMontague for comment on thematter were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Golding said that the work within the constituency is ongoing and that Gordon, the chairman of the party’s Region Three, hasbeenat the forefront toensure that the PNP is successful if an election is called. “I’mconfident thatwe can retain that seat,” said Golding. kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com Kimone Francis/ Senior Staff Reporter AHEAD OF the global celebrationof International Women’s Day on Tuesday, gender and development practitioner Judith Wedderburn has expressed disappointment with Jamaica’s women legislators, who she accuses of not doing enough to tackle fundamental disparities. Wedderburn has also argued that even with the rise of women in key leadership positions, genderbased and sexual violence, poverty, and low-income jobs are among the persistent challenges that undermine those gains. “I am very disappointed that we have so many more women in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and it’s like they don’t exist. What are the issues that they are following up on behalf of the women of Jamaica? I’mnot hearing it,”Wedderburn told TheGleaner in an interview on Sunday. Eighteen of the 63 members of parliament and eight of the 21 senators are women. The overall figure marks the first time in the history of the Jamaican Parliament that women represent more than 30 per cent of lawmakers. Wedderburn still believes that women remain silent on key issues. Legislators from the government caucusbore thebrunt of her criticism as she insisted that collectively, they havenot leveragedgreater voiceand power. “Onemust askwhat is happening inside of their party, especially the Government party, who has a majority of women.Why are they so silent? Soonecanassume that in that spaceof political leadership, women are not making any progress,” she said, noting that it is not only about numbers. “You could have 40 per cent women in Parliament or the Senate, [but] if those women are not stepping up to the plate and speaking out in defence of women and in support of women and the many inequalities they face, why are they there?” She said it raises the question of whether women in leadership facilitate other women. While acknowledging the recent passage of the sexual harassment bill, Wedderburn said that that achievement has come after more than two decades of advocacy. Government lawmakers Tova Hamilton, member of parliament for Trelawny Northern, and Senator Saphire Longmore declined comment when contacted on Sunday. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Mark Golding told The Gleaner that Jamaica has made “significant progress”in seeingwomen emerge as leaders. He said this is evident even beyond the political arena, citing their rise in the judiciary and the public and private sectors. “Generally across the economy, we’ve seen women emerging in positions of influence and power, and that’s awonderful thing, but the truth of the matter is that there are still areas where women tend to be employed and at wages which are lower than the jobs that men tend to hold,”said Golding. He said in that instance, legislation may not be the solution. “It ismore aquestionof providing opportunities for women and encouraging women to develop the skills necessary for them to feel welcome in those areas of the economy where they may be Women lawmakers rapped for gender fight Beverley Anderson Duncan (left), former wife of late former prime minister Michael Manley, greets Glynn Manley, his widow, during a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of Manley’s death. Some of his social and legislative reforms in the 1970s were credited for uplifting women. RUDOLPH BROWN/PHOTOGRAPHER Ainsworth Morris/Staff Reporter PANDEMIC-RELATED DEPRESSION, the deathof an infant son, job loss, and family feuds have rendered a couple homeless, forcing Anakay Thomas Peart and her husband, Parnel Peart, to pitch a tent along the shore of Bob Marley Beach in NineMiles, Bull Bay, where theynow live. Also living inside the tent is their threeyear-old daughter, Zemora Peart. Anakay is also in her third trimester of pregnancyand isdue togivebirthonMarch 20. They reportedly left her parents’ house in October 2021 because of a religious dispute. Anakay’s parents are said to be devout Rastafarians and the couple have chosen to become Christians and now attend church services. “The condition is stressing. It is stressing for me,”she said in a Gleaner interview. “Weareweownbigwomanandbigman. On Sunday, like demnuhwant we fi go no church…‘Why you going church?Who is this?Who is that? Bout unnua serve this and that’,”said the 32-year-oldwoman, whowill be giving birth for a fifth time. “Dem praise Selassie, but a Jesus we praise!” she added, referencing the late former emperor of Ethiopia. Anakay’s eldest son, who is now18 years of age, remained with her parent, and her second child lives with his paternal grandmother. Anakay, whodroppedout of high school when she got pregnant in grade nine at Yallahs High School, said accommodation with her parents had also become difficult whenher sister returned to the familyhome. The crisis facing the Pearts lays bare the starkness of Jamaican poverty even with data showing that the economy has rebounded fromthe coronavirus outbreak that guttedmore than 130,000 jobs at the heights of the pandemic’s displacement. Jamaica’s unemployment rate fell to 7.2 per cent according to October 2021 data by the Statistical Instituteof Jamaica.Youth unemployment declinedby9.3percentage points to 18.9 per cent relative to October 2020. And there was a larger decline in female youth unemployment down 12.3 percentage points to 21.6 per cent. Male youth unemployment stood at 16.6 per cent, a decline of 7.2 percentage points. But the gravity of poverty affecting the Pearts, in their beach tentwith the trappings of tarpaulin, tells a different story for many Jamaicans. Anakay said that when she met her husband in2015, shewent to livewithhim at ahome sharedwithhis family inTrelawny. However, after their infant son died in June 2020, things started going downhill for them. They moved in with her parents in St Thomas twomonths later. Parnel’s hopes of landing a job in Kingstonduring thepandemic have faded, revealing that he has onlymanaged to get temporary work and has complained of being underpaid by employers. He longs to return to his home in Trelawny, but he still wrestles with the hauntingmemoryof thedeathof his infant son, who was born on April 5, 2020. “Whenmi really look back on di picture, mi say mi baby dead inna di house and thing, and that’s a memory. ... Mi stress, mi frustrated, mi torment. Mi can’t function,” he said. Parnel, who saidhe is abaptisedChristian but still wears dreadlocks, disclosed that he is amechanic andautobody repairman. His last steady job, he said, was repairingToyota Voxy buses inTrelawny. But with his back against a wall, he is willing to take on just about any job. “Even if I get yard fi chop, I will chop it. It’s not all about the trade work right now… . Right now, we inna some situation where sometimes rain wet we up,”he said. Anakay, who used to work at a stall owned by her brother near the Harbour Viewroundabout, is eager for themto start a business at BobMarley Beach. They have already tried to cobble together a start-up, but that sputtered as many of the coconuts spoilt. Hermainconcernnow is putting inplace necessities for her newborn. “We nuh have no pram. We nuh have nothing. We nuh even have a proper bed to lie down on,”she said. Persons interested inassisting the couple may call themat (876)805-6874. Couple, 3-y-o live in tent on beach With another child due, cycle of poverty a crisis Janet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer WESTERN BUREAU: ONE OF Jamaica’s first black women to capitalise on the tourism industry, catering to the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Lady Mountbatten, and Princess Margaret, has died. Dorothy Vendryes, nee Gourzong, whose 1950s beauty salons catered to the rich and famous, died on Saturday in Canada, where she resided inMississauga, Ontario, with her daughter. Vendryes’ former lawyer, Gordon Brown, confirmed her death. Trained by the world-famous Wilfred Academy in NewYork, Vendryes opened her first salon at the Casa Montego Hotel (now Fantasy Resort), duplicating her hairdressing parlour at the Montego Beach Hotel (then Sunset Lodge). During an interview with The Gleaner in 2017, Vendryes said in those days, she pushed the envelope, employing staff from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada, because her clientele were mainly wealthy visitors. “Not that local beauticians were not employed to my salon. In fact, they were my right hand,” she said. Vendryes, who was believed to be in her 90s, was married to physician and alternative medicine advocate Dr Anthony Vendryes, who predeceased her in May 2019. They had been married for 46 years. She operated salons at the exclusive Tryall Club, Royal Caribbean (now Sandals Royal), Half Moon, and Runaway Bay Hotel (now Jewel Runaway Bay). “I wasted no time at all. I had no fun, no parties. It was all work. Working from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily even with 40 people employed to me,” said Vendryes. With the money earned from the salons, she was able to buy land and build one of the first small hotels to be owned by a Jamaican woman. She opened the Royal Court, a 26-room resort in the early 1970s, building an additional four rooms afterwards. Salon doyenne, tourism trailblazer Dorothy Vendryes is dead VENDRYES Parnel Peart, his wife, Anakay Thomas Peart, and daughter Zemora inside the tent where they sleep at nights along Bob Marley Beach in St Thomas. PHOTO BY AINSWORTH MORRIS 6 3 9 17 22 5 13 14 17 18 3 4 16 17 18 6 14 16 19 22 18 19 12 18 1 8 4 8 16 Winners $1,000 ea. No Winner 1 Winner $800,000 No Winner No Winner No Winner 13 Winners $1,117 ea. 221 Winners $210 ea. 218 Winners $212 ea. 13 Winners $1,420 ea. 308 Winners $200 ea. 15 Winners $1,502 ea. 328 Winners $219 ea. 28 Winners $1,174 ea. 497 Winners $211 ea. 10 28 19 6 12 10 25 5 33 4 0 2 4 8 4 6 0 5 1 9 2 1 2 8 3 8 17 18 19 $800,000 No Winner 40 Winners $786 ea. 634 Winners $89 ea. 20 6 8 16 23 35 36 13 5 3 22 4 7 10 21 28 33 6 3 22 No Winner No Winner 10 Winners $8,471 ea. 24 Winners $451 ea. 364 Winners $217 ea. 4,885 Winners $100 ea. $35,000,000 1 7 4 7 6 1 7 8 7 8 0 2 6 0 0 7 9 1 6 7 $307,000,000 4, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 29, 28, 31, 36 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 22, 25, 26, 28, 34, 36 1, 4, 5, 8, 13, 16, 19, 21, 24, 25, 31, 36 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 30, 32, 35 10 M 34 9 29 16 35 M M W W W 14 M 13 M 2 M 11 W 9 W W 12
THE GLEANER, MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS A3 AinsworthMorris/Staff Reporter DURINGTHE returnof full face-to-face classes today, Tracey Ann Holloway Richards will not be surprised if 100 fewer students than the number originally enrolledwill turn up atMaxfield Park Primary School in Kingston. On Jamaica Day, which was nationally celebrated on February 25, Holloway Richards, the principal, and colleague educators urged students to appear for an all-day concert in recognitionof theannual cultural event. That entreaty was expected to be a litmus test to inform projections of a full engagement in in-person learning following the midterm break in March. The principal reported that 106 students weremissing that day. At midday, which was the climax of the concert, around 397 students had reported for school, which formally started at 8 a.m. The coronavirus pandemic has hadapunishingeffect on education in Jamaica, with schools shuttered for the majority of the 24 months since the disease was designatedapandemic.Theupshot of the crisis hasbeen falling learning outcomes, exacerbated by the reliance on computers and Internet connectivity, which left tens of thousands of students in limbo. Holloway Richards said that Maxfield Park Primary’s pre-pandemic population stood at 503 students. Since then, 397 have returned for face-to-face classes, representing 79 per cent of the original number. Of the absent 106, eight were students preparing for the upcoming Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations. Holloway Richards said that Maxfield Park administrators theorise that someof theabsent students have either relocated or their parents simply cannot afford the financial cost of sending themto face-to-face classes. “Parents are without jobs for different reasons; some parents are not able to find the money. Some of the parents cannot find the ... lunch money to send them back to school,”she said in a Gleaner interview. “”I’m hoping to God that by the end of April, we will be able get back at least 80 per cent of those students,” Holloway Richards said of the absentees. The school has tried making contact with some parents throughcalls orWhatsAppmessages, butmany of thoseattemptshavebeen fruitlessbecauseof changed phone numbers and other challenges. Holloway Richards said since the recent phased reopening of face-to-face classes at her school, she has had tobe reregistering childrenmore thanhalfway into the academic year. 21% of students missing from Maxfield Christopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer KADIE-ANN WITTER Domville remembers well the eager anticipation that would seize her when her dad, WinstonWitter, was coming to visit at her maternal grandparents’home in Ocho Rios, St Ann. Invariably, she would fall asleep before he arrived, only to be awakened by the sound of his voice as he sat on the bed beside her and engaged in discussion with her grandfather. Then she would open her eyes and grab his attention. “Daddy, you reach?”she said she would ask, eliciting the routine assurance fromhim: “Yes, remember, I told you I was coming.” Witter, an academic, columnist, and talk-show host, died of cirrhosis at the University Hospital of theWest Indies on February 16. He was 64. One of the lasting lessons from Kadie-AnnWitter’s childhood was, she said, that he was a “man of his word”. Witter Domville, his only child, was one of several persons who visited Perry’s Funeral Chapel in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on Saturday to pay their final respects as the body lay in repose. The grieving daughter recalled that her father was always a stickler for rules and did not tolerate indiscipline. “He was always there to correct you, and I am very appreciative of the correction because they have made me into who I am today,”Witter Domville, who works in the banking industry, said. “I am very disciplined, and that is due to his influence as well as that of my grandparents who raised me. His impact, however, extends well beyond me to the entire Jamaica.” Norman Witter, her uncle and Winston’s younger brother by two years, arrived fromNewYork on Friday, where he saidmedia houses had been paying tribute to the late talk-show host who once ruled daytime radio with his programme on KLAS FM. Norman told of the special bond they shared as the closest of siblings among nine brothers and seven sisters. Following the 1998 crash in which Winston, who was a pillion rider on a motorbike, sustained head and other injuries after being struck by a car, the journalist spent a six-month convalescence at Norman’s home in the United States. “He was a pacesetter, and the void he left will not be so easily filled. My brother will be remembered as a person who always advocated for the less fortunate, and in particular, poor people, to whom he gave a voice,” said Norman. Witter Domville is particularly grateful for the quality time her six-year-old daughter was able to spend with her grandfather and the many memories she will also have of a man whose gift of gab endeared him to many Jamaicans. The funeral will take place at the University Chapel in Mona, starting at 11 a.m., and will be preceded by a wake on Tuesday at the Louise Bennett Garden Centre from 6:30 p.m. t0 10 p.m. christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com Daddy’s girl has fond memories of Winston Witter Long-time friend of the family, Courtney Waul, signs the condolence book during a private viewing of the late Winston ‘Babatunde’ Witter at Perry’s Funeral Home in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on Saturday. Witter will be laid to rest on Wednesday. KENYON HEMANS/PHOTOGRAPHER Dr Curtis Watson, renowned bass baritone and opera and concert singer, conducting the Brandenburg Singers at the Grace Reformed Baptist Church during an event in his honour at the Red Hills Road, St Andrew, church on Sunday. RUDOLPH BROWN/PHOTOGRAPHER GIFTS CONTINUED FROM A1 was such a blessing. Having a child changes a person’s life,” she said, adding that Xavier’s death has been equally devastating for his father. “Amadalone leave for himtomad ‘causehimtalk every day about him ‘one boy’ this and that,”she said. Xavier’s death compoundedgrief for Berry, who lost her mother as a newborn and her father some six months before her son’s passing. Her 80-year-old father, Clifton Berry, wasmurdered inFebruary last year. Hishousewas also firebombed. She said she was broken. “I don’t really know much about my mother because when she died, I was just days old, but my father was a very well-mannered and respectable man ... . Him nuh trouble people and himno deserve to die like that either, but my son was only eight years old ... . He’s so innocent,”Berry insisted. Amid the grief of losing her only child, she lauded her family and friends for being her anchor. Berry said she is yet to hear from the police on the status of the investigation into her son’s murder. “Mi just a continuebawl andpray to God ‘cause Father God nah mek my eye water waste or go in vain,” she said. Deputy Superintendent AntonGur Cardoza, Clarendon’s divisional operations chief, told The Gleaner that no arrests have been made in relation to the case. Investigations are ongoing. olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com A proud father Winston Witter shares a special moment with his only child, Kadie-Ann Witter Domville, on her wedding day in this undated photograph. CONTRIBUTED Olivia Brown/Gleaner Writer WITHTHE full resumption of face-to-face classes today, some schools are still being handicapped by furniture shortage. Violet ThomasThompson, president of the Primary and Infant School Principals Association disclosed that the challenge has persisted, with institutions opting to dispose of dual-seat benches amid socialdistancing protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s not even to facilitate the single seating alone. It was alsobecauseof termites, so those schools who would have gotten rid of their dual seats, they need furniture,”she said in a Gleaner interview on Sunday. Thomas-Thompson is, however, anticipating an early resolution to that concern, noting that the educationministryhas indicated that furnituredeliverieswereunderway. The principals association head said, too, that space issues could emergeat several schoolswith rising student populations. This, she said, couldhavearisen fromthe relocation of families because of economic fallout associatedwith thepandemic. “Some persons would be out of jobs, so they migrated to different parishes, so thesechildrenhave tobe facilitatedat other schools,”she said. AvalynHenry, principal ofOsborne Store Primary and Junior High School, said that colleague teachers andadministrators have expressed concerns about space. She said, however, that the discontinuation of the junior high cohort has alleviated those challenges at Osborne Store. There are “mixed” emotions about the full resumption of in-person classes, said Henry. The principal said that staff are enthused about re-engaging all students on the compound but acknowledged that health concerns linger. “The whole fear with the pandemic is one issue. When [the students] come off the taxis, many of them have theirmasks in their hands or in their pockets,”she said. Henry said plans are in place to facilitate students who are not able to return physically because of illness. She lauded the school’s homeworkprogramme for bridging the learning gap. With320 students enrolled, Henry said that administering temperature checks could be tedious. Recess times will also pose a challenge, causing more logistical headaches for administrators in the rotational movement of grades. “Withall these childrencoming in, human resource is a problem here because youhave tohavepersons at thegatedoing temperature checks, and that’s for all persons coming in,” she told The Gleaner. “... Now that we will have everybody, it’s going to be harder because children are really social beings andmanyof themarehappy to be at school.” All is ready to go for the team at Beulah All-Age School in New Longville, Clarendon. Principal Nadine Gayle-Little told The Gleaner on Sunday that staff have planned to roll out a grand welcome celebration for students and teachers. Gayle-Little said that while the school anticipates old furniture to be replaced, they aremaking use of the current stock. “We had our furniture in storage, butwhenwepulled themout, none of them was infested with termites or had rusted to thepointwherewe could not clean them up and reuse them,”she said. Schools with established shift systems have an additional two weeks to streamline their operations to facilitate the full resumption of face-to-face classes, Dr KasanTroupe, acting chief education officer in the Ministryof EducationandYouth, has said. Primary schools gear up for full face-to-face HENRY THOMASTHOMPSON Friday, March 4, 2022 7 10 21 28 33 6 $307,000,000 No Winner No Winner No Winner No Winner No Winner No Winner 16 Winners 11 Winners 44 Winners 38 Winners 379 Winners 331 Winners 399 Winners 1,421 Winners 1,162 Winners 318 Winners
[OPINION & COMMENTARY] THE GLEANER, MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com A4 IT’S A bad thing when someone samfies you. It’s much worse when you do it to yourself. Agreed? That grounds my concern about these impressive finds of firearms and ammunition. This is great news. It removes weapons of death and terror from the society. But after the applause and backslapping, who is asking these questions? Where is the weaponry coming from? Why aren’t there charges laid? Why do so many announcements come before importers are brought to book? Moreso, what about convictions for gunrunning? Any? And what happens to the hardware seized? What assurances are there that some do not leak into criminal hands? How come, despite the impressive finds, firepower is still so plentiful?Wouldn’t the people’s confidence be improved if there were swift public destruction of all the contraband?Who could be against that? It isn’t enough just to find the guns and shots. If the consequential questions are not confronted, it is likely that more will come in and be used murderously. We will be fooling ourselves to think that the problem is being solved. PETROLEUM PROBLEM Then take the immanent petroleum problem. The minister assures us that the supply won’t be short. Thanks for that. But isn’t the crucial issue the likelihood of having the oil but being unable to afford gas at the pump, not to mention the light bill and everything else? Other governments are giving their citizens a prognosis on prices going forward. Why not here? How does anyone plan their business without such an estimate, however tentative? And what will the Government do about the heavy taxes on the fuel? Nothing? If the Budget is really premised on oil price south of US$75 per barrel, how will the nation cope with crude averaging north of US$110 last Friday? One, the minister reassures us that the spike will be temporary, same time as the other minister is so sure that tourismwill soon bubble as never before. Really? When last did we ever see fuel prices go down sustainably? That takes us to the issue of the exchange rate.What are the factors affecting the ‘dip and fall back’ downwards of the dollar? Surely, the Bank of Jamaica and the other rulers of the nation in the financial sector are estimating supply and demand for the rest of the year. Absence of projections makes nervous speculators of us all. So merchants hedge and price their goods and services for replacement at $160-$165 to US$1. After all, their survival depends on not being victims of the self-samfi. The ‘guineagogs’ prosper, but the rest of us have little choices. And as a sidebar. We wring our hands and shed tears about desperately high road fatalities but refuse to admit that there are increasing numbers of unqualified and incompetent vehicle operators who are laughing at our collective self-deception that a new law is going to cure that. Self-samfi, again. Perhaps the most distressful undercounting last week was the assertion by Education Minister Fayval Williams that about 10,000 students have had no schooling for the past two years. Where is the survey which could validate that figure? Respectfully, minister, please review your estimate. Underestimating a serious problem is a version of samfi. Count the plenty pickney on the street using school hours. Check every honest school leader and they will tell you that the real numbers are multiples of 10,000, everybody drop back. Two billion, not 200 million extra dollars are needed in this year’s Budget to begin to remediate the rot. Why fool ourselves? Go further. Check CAPRI’s report, the 2021 World Bank study, and the Patterson Report to validate the extent of the actual, as well as the effectual dropout problem pre-COVID-19,and, now worse, post-COVID-19. SCHOOL NO MEK NO SENSE Dangerous numbers of our youth are still saying, “School no mek no sense”. Let Pearnel Snr tell you of the school he knows where the children who could read in 2020, can’t manage a sentence now. The reality is that we avoid asking hard questions and demanding honest answers, because doing so may reflect poorly on those who exercise power and responsibility. Ministers must be made to look good in their often unremarkable moments on stage. Instead of the usual puffery, which most of us don’t check for anyway, why not Budget and Sectoral debates this year, brief in presentation, long on truth, short on self-samfi and mutual cussing, and strong on a unified approach to some of the most dreaded problems which a disappointed and increasingly desperate citizenry face daily? Please indulge a postscript. Does Jamaica adhere to foreign policy based on principle or expediency? The nation of Ukraine, generous to many of our students, humans like ourselves, is being destroyed by a modern-day Stalin. Most of us are appalled at the gratuitous cruelty. So are we going to permit one of Putin’s cumbolos to continue to operate here without sanctions? If Moscow can continue to prosper in its killing and skirting nuclear holocaust by selling oil and reaping bauxite while we do nothing, won’t the result be that we are complicit in the carnage and world peril. And then when some big power – military, political or financial – decides to ‘tek step’ with us, what moral precept will we invoke to seek help? Shouldn’t we stand for principle like we did in South Africa and Zimbabwe? Boycott Russian trade and suspend their investments until they cease fire and negotiate. “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech. If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness..The Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land.” (Isaiah 58: 9 et seq) Rev Ronald G. Thwaites is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com. So merchants hedge and price their goods and services for replacement at $160-$165 to US$1. After all, their survival depends on not being victims of the self-samfi. The ‘guineagogs’ prosper,but the rest of us have little choices. FILE THANKFULLY, WE are able to enjoy a limited and much-needed reduction in the suffering, deaths and austerities caused by the COVID19 pandemic. Already, the relaxation of precautionary measures has become evident. People are congregating in numbers at parties, events, restaurants and some places of entertainment without masking or distancing. In some instances, it appears as if the pandemic is a thing of the past. However, we need to keep in mind that pandemics come in waves, with peaks and troughs. Therefore, a reduction in infections does not mean that COVID-19 is over; it means that it is going through a cycle that is driven by human activity. We are hoping and earnestly praying that the peaks will be less fierce and the troughs will be much longer. Eventually, it is expected that COVID-19 will transition from a pandemic into an endemic – just like dengue and the‘common flu’. We have been living with those for a very long time. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is always trying to get inside our bodies, replicate itself (sometimes at our expense), perhaps mutate, andmove on to the next available body/host/factory. It doesn’t care if you become sick or die. That sounds horribly callous but, there are innumerable people who, as long as they don’t feel sick and are comfortable, don’t care if someone else becomes sick because of them or dies because of them. People protest, gripe and moan about COVID-19 measures. However, if the government did nothing to protect us, and citizens began dropping like flies, people would also protest, gripe and moan. It’s catch 22 for the authorities. Here’s the interesting part, if people were to wear masks properly when out and about, distance themselves from others, sanitise, vaccinate, and obey the [health] regulations when they enter the country, there would be no need for the government to institute antiCOVID-19 measures and laws to protect the vulnerable and preserve our greatest asset… our citizens. IN A FIGHT Living in COVID-19 times is like being in a fight. You should protect yourself at all times. You should always keep your guard up and pay attention. Although the numbers have fallen precipitously, we are not out of the woods by any means. COVID-19 is still here, and the numbers can rise again. Additionally, because the naysayers have allowed the virus to have its way, new strains may pop up anywhere and wreak havoc. However, it is not too late. We can still keep COVID-19 at bay if we manage our risks properly. We hear the words ‘chance’, ‘risk’ and ‘probability’ being bantered about, especially nowadays, because of the pandemic. These words convey the same meaning, but the nuance of each is different from the others. They are statistical terms transferred to everyday situations. The word ‘risk’ refers to a situation of being exposed to danger; it has a negative connotation. On the other hand, ‘chance’ and ‘probability’ denote the possibility of something, or anything, happening. These neutral words have dual functions and are sometimes used in positive situations, like “What is the chance/probability of winning the Lotto?” But they can also convey a negative meaning; as in, “What is the chance/probability getting COVID-19?” In general, therefore, they are used to speak to the possibility of positive or negative outcomes. Obviously, scientists and physicians consider a COVID-19 infection as a negative experience because of its association with terrible outcomes. We, therefore, tend to use the word‘risk’. This is a very important concept, and we use the appreciation of risk in every aspect of medical care for our patients. We are constantly balancing and comparing risks in the practice of medicine. The overarching principle is that there is always risk; there is no such thing as zero risk. For example, in dispensing an antibiotic, we must consider that there may be a risk of allergic reactions, side effects, damage to our (essential) gut biomes, drug tolerance, drug resistance, tachyphylaxis (needing more and more of a drug to get the desired effect), and drug-drug interactions. But, if a patient ‘must’ get antibiotic treatment, we weigh the risk of the possible negative outcome against the expected positive outcome. If the expected positive outcome exceeds the possible negative outcome, we prescribe the antibiotic. MANAGING RISK These principles have direct relevance when managing the COVID-19 pandemic. It is all about managing risk – personal and public risk. Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus is mostly airborne and transmitted by whatever we exhale through our mouths and nostrils, we need to first focus our risk management on this aspect of the disease. Masks are the first line of defence. Masks and physical distancing go hand in hand. Masking and hand sanitising only carry an infinitesimal risk of skin problems. But your risk of catching COVID-19 increases markedly when you are unmasked (or improperly masked) in public. Being unsanitised is also very risky. Distancing carries the risk of alienation, but clustering is a major risk factor for spreading the virus. Vaccinations carry a minimal risk of an unfavourable outcome, but being unvaccinated significantly increases your risk of a bad outcome during the COVID-19 pandemic, and increases the pressure on our healthcare system. If you want to continue enjoying the relaxation of the rules, if you want to get back to ‘normal’, you need to do your part in reducing the health risk for everybody. We can beat this thing together. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com. Students walk to class amid the COVID-19 pandemic at Washington Elementary School on January 12 in Lynwood, California. AP Why are we ‘samfi-ing’ ourselves? Ronald Thwaites Garth Rattray How to get back to ‘normal’
THE GLEANER, MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com A5 [LETTER OF THE DAY] The Gleaner [EDITORIAL] OPINION #GLNROPED The opinions on this page, except for The Editorial, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Gleaner. LETTERS The Gleaner welcomes your views on any issue. Preference will be given to letters of 300 words or less. They must bear the writer’s name, address and telephone contact. If using a pen name, you must state your full name. Your name and address will be withheld on request. EMAIL US: letters@gleanerjm.com or WRITE US: Editor, The Gleaner Company (Media) Ltd, 7 North Street, PO Box 40, Kingston, or fax: (876)922-6223 WHAT’S YOUR VIEW? South Korea to impose sanctions against Belarus for supporting Russia SEOUL (ANI): South Korea has said it will impose export controls against Belarus for its support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to CNN. The foreign affairs ministry of South Korea said that the export control will be similar to the one it earlier imposed on Moscow. In February, South Korea blocked exports of strategic goods to Russia. “Our government ... decided today to implement export control against Belarus under the judgement that Belarus is practically supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the ministry said. THE UNITED States Agency for International Development (USAID) attained the ripeoldage of 60 in November 2021. Founded by the late former president, John F. Kennedy, the agency was designed as one of the most important tools of US international engagement, with its centralmission to expand free-market democracies, therebymaking the US secure and prosperous. Over sixdecades, theagencyhasbuilt a reputationas a leader in international aid, saving lives fromtuberculosis, smallpox,malaria, HIV/AIDS, anddeliveringhumanitarian aid on a huge scale. The USAID is currently working in 100 countries through teams and partners to develop and support live-saving projects, reduce poverty, and drive social development. Anniversaries are ripe for reflection, and USAID Jamaica Country Representative Jason Fraser outlined to this newspaper how the agency investedmore than US$1.4 billion to support various projects in Jamaica, ranging fromenvironment to health, energy resilience, and education. The effectiveness of development aid and donor dollars is a hotly debated topic among intellectuals, researchers and aid experts, who often question the role of aid in nation-building. Fierce arguments are tendered on both sides of the debate. On one hand, critics say targetedaiddollars can contribute topoverty alleviation, depending on how the funds are allocated andmanaged. Others argue that foreignaid is ineffective, perpetuates poverty, and fails tomeet its goals because of misallocation of resources, corruption, and poor governance. Mr Fraser seems to answer concerns about misallocation of funds when he said the agency engages in extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders before any strategy is generated, as the programmesmustmatchwhat Jamaicans want for themselves, as laid out in their Vision 2030 plan. POVERTY ALLEVIATION If poverty alleviation is the ultimate goal of development aid, thenone isobliged toask thequestion: Howmanypeoplehavebeen liftedout of povertyby the USAID in its nearly 60 years of engagement in Jamaica? The official poverty rate in 2020 was 11.4 per cent, which is a percentage point above the previous year. COVID-19 was responsible for reversing pre-pandemic poverty declines for five consecutive years. The more people who are lifted out of poverty, the more the country benefits as a whole. Think of the reduction in criminal activities such as scamming, gunrunning and gang operations. In 2015, when the 193 countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations General Assembly, they set about crafting a blueprint with targets to achieve a better future for all of mankind by 2030. No one contemplated having to manage the challenges of a global pandemic. There was no built-in contingency to cope with the impact of adeadly, sustainedhealth crisis causedby the novel coronavirus. Alongside thehealth crisis, countries like Jamaica face mounting debt service payments, looming shocks fromincreasedoil prices due to thewar inUkraine, and thepotential impact of newcoronavirus variants lurking in the shadows. These anticipated burdens may have prompted the World Bank to urge wealthy nations to come up with new debt-relief mechanisms, and to ensure that private-sector creditors arebrought alongas part of the solution. Other global institutions have also lamented that wealthy nations were not doing nearly enough to help poor nations. The pandemic has clearly reversed gains against poverty; and the picture is not rosy as many, including children, face immediate economic hardships, health risks and interrupted education. The pandemic has left most countries in a bind. If rich countries are really concerned about poverty reduction and wish to see poor countries achieve the SDGs, then swift action is necessary to refocus investments in areas that are critical to improving lives. If nothing is done, the consequences will be dire for future generations. THE EDITOR, Madam: I AM writing in response to the article published The Gleaner on Thursday, March 3, titled ‘19 years old and never gone to school’, which pained my heart. It is sad to learn of the plight of this young woman because of a disability. In this day and age of technological advancement, it is unfortunate that this has happened. I had talipes (club foot), among other issues. My parents were poor, with little education, had other children back then, and were on the brink of the ‘60s. They sought medical attention for me and followed up on my treatment and recommendations from the late Professor Sir John Golding. My parents made sure I went to the schools located at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre (formerly the Mona Rehabilitation Centre), where I gained basic and primary education. The information I could gather from the story is that 19 year old JellisaWilliams is not intellectually challenged and, as such, could have gone to school, even while getting medical treatment. Parents, I implore you to be more vigilant in the care and development of your disabled child. They should be treated equally like the other children. Though late, I am encouraging Jellisa’s mother and siblings to give her the support she needs to realise her dream of becoming a telephone technician. They should also follow up on the recommendations by the Reverend Arthur Taylor, chairman of the Combined Disabilities Association, so that she can get educated, be gainfully employed, and be fully integrated in the society. LESMA COOTE THE EDITOR, Madam: This isanopen letter toJamaicaPublic Service (JPS) and National Water Commission (NWC). WHEN WILL these utilities companies take action against the levels of electricity and water theft in our country? It is now becoming overbearing and frustrating to us as consumers. We so often hear that we need to conserve. Nobody has to tell us whoarepayingcustomers todo this, because its hurts our pockets if we don’t. Butwhat about thosewhoare not paying customers?They are the ones who have no regard towards conservation. Here are some of the things that I have observed: • Lights are constantlyon, whether it is day or night. • Televisions are on right throughout the day and night. • As early as 7 a.m., loud music systems are on. They are so loud that they can be heard miles away. At times ,three or four houses are playing at the same time, with no regard for others who need a little peace and quiet. This goes on until late night. • Those with washing machines wash seven days a week. • Water pipes are left running for hours, sometimes for days. • Cars are washed two times per day. These are things that I personally see happening; this is not secondhand information. I am calling on the JPS and NWC to urgently do something more about this. This cannot be happening, then we, the paying customers, are asked to pay for this. This cannot be right. Why shouldwe, who are alreadymaking so many sacrifices, be asked to pay for these companies’inability todeal with this issue effectively? It’s not likemost of these persons whohave illegal connections cannot afford topay for these services. Take a look at what some of them wear, what they drive, and the type of houses they build.Wewant towear Kickers and Clarks, too; we want to buildnicehouses, too; wewant tobe able to treat ourselves, too, but we make the sacrifices to pay our bills. Both utility companies have a Revenue Protection Department, I am sure millions are paid to these employees in salaries to protect the company’s revenues. But are they really doing a good job? I can remember someonemakes a report about illegal connection.When they did come; the employee told these illegal customers that somebody called and reported it. Let me ask, do they owe themany explanation? I am calling on both utility companies to address this issue as soon as possible. ROY BARRETT zeldabev50@yahoo.com Stop the theft of water and electricity BusinesswomanClaudette CrooksCollie has won her latest battle against attempts by her estranged husband, a medical doctor and former politician, Dr CharltonCollie, to have a share of her $85-million home in St Andrew. Here are some readers’ reactions sourced from The Gleaner’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagrampages. “We should all be mindful that some persons are entering relationships solely to obtain a portion of the other person’s wealth. Be careful everyone. Scamming is now wearing many disguises.” – @CutieRitalia “All is vanity. When it is our time to go, we will leave all our earthly possessions behind. There is no need to fight over a big housewhen you can only sleep in one bed.Wish her well!” – @dnalor8 “Not to get a penny, move on.” – @ bridgettethefirstblackqueen “No matter how [much] in love you think you are, if you have substantial assets always insist on a prenuptial agreement!” – LaDeaneMurray-Tummings “These men weh a act like them a spend big and then wanna have d last chat. SMH. Good to hold ur own as a woman.” – @rayne_essentialonlinestore “Single life saves u from all this drama.” – @stronga_than_before “Rich people business.” – @randy.mcdonald.37 “Marriage is about greed these days.” – @kidd__saunjay “Marriage was never about love. Ya’ll don’t know unu history das y. Marriagewas about unitingwealth tomakemore wealth. It was about a generational thing. Not no love. Now you have two bruk families uniting poverty to create more poverty. That is why they fail. Becausewe don’t really understand the real purpose of marriage.” – @chanboozie “He didn’t work for it but wanna claim it! No!”– @claudia _law7910 Children with disabilities need support and care Focus on poverty THE EDITOR, Madam: SINCE THE COVID-19 pandemic hit, theworldhas suffered immeasurably. During this period, there have been outstandingmedical breakthroughs that will ensure that the way medicine is practised will never be the same. Itwas aproudmoment for the scientific community inOctober 2021 when United States (US) surgeonDr RobertMontgomery and his team successfully transplanted geneticallymodifiedpigkidneys into a human for the first time. This was followed by the first genetically modified pig heart transplant into a humanon January 11. This surgery was preformed by Dr BartleyGriffithandhis teamfrom theUniversityofMarylandSchool of Medicine. David Bennett, who was the recipient of the pig’s heart, did not qualify for a human transplant and would have died, but is alive todaybecauseof apig’s heart.While theuseof pig’s heartwill raise several ethical and religious concerns, these scientific advances should be celebrated, replicatedand improved upon in Jamaica.This revolutionwill allow patients in the future to walk into a pharmacy with prescriptions for organs, insteadofwaiting invain for a human organ. Jamaica has proven that it can produce world-class music and athletes, to name a few. The only thing preventing us from dominating medical sciences is the lack of organisation and funding. I am urging the Government to recruit biological scientists, especially medical technologists, to receive advanced training inbiotechnology in countries that are leading in biological research. After completing their studies, these students can work for the government service in laboratories equipped with the necessary machinery and reagents. If this is done consistently, the fruits of their research will ensure we have a healthier population as well as intellectual property that could finance our Budget and reduce dependence on traditional sectors. In case you think this is wishful thinking, never forget that Professor Lawrence Williams was offered $11 billion for cancer research patent for a compound in the guinea hen weed. JESSE JAMES CLARKE Junior Shadow Minister on Health andWellness clarkejesse956@gmail.com Develop medical research in Jamaica Illegal connections are seen strung to a Jamaica Public Service utility pole. FILE READERS’ REACTIONS Businesswoman wins battle to keep estranged husband out of $85m home Compiled by Khanique McDaniel
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