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Mind what you say about the prime minister
I had better watch what I say about the prime minister these days, for I might be hauled to the nearest police station and thrown into a cell for the first time, and made to issue an apology, maybe in writing, to the Most Honourable Michael Andrew (sorry Minister Desmond McKenzie, I was following you), to the Most Honourable Andrew Michael Holness, for disrespecting the leader of the land.
So St Ann resident Shaquille Higgins paid the price for speaking out against the prime minister, albeit in unnecessary colourful language, in a country that, we are told, still holds on to the tenets of democracy.
He was taken from his house, initially under the guise of being a suspect in a matter of larceny, but it turned out that all he had to do, and do well, not in hushed tones, was to express his regret at saying something 'negative' against Holness, and everything would be okay.
What a backward society we live in. It's not that the man was saying that he wanted to kill the prime minister, which would have not only been downright out of order, but plain wrong; he was merely expressing himself about the latest situation in respect of how the Government continues to embarrass itself in managing the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The country is not being run properly. The prime minister is the main driver of the bus that is supposed to take us to a destination called prosperity. It is not happening, or certainly not progressing at the rate at which many expected, including the Government.
In one instance, there is a reason for the snail's pace movement, something called the novel coronavirus, which has affected not only Jamaica's economy, but every economy globally. And despite the non-progress, people will have a say in what has been happening in Jamaica...it is their right.
So, for the St Ann police to have taken Higgins into custody, it was not just wrong, but stupid. He deserves compensation from the State, and if the Government does not do it voluntarily, then hopefully, Higgins' attorney, who I am told is Charles Ganga-Singh, will take the matter to court and convince our able judges that another man's constitutional rights were breached.
Atlanta Olympics 25 years later
It's Olympic Games time again, and those in Tokyo, the primary city of Asian country Japan, are under the microscope for various reasons, chief among them drawbacks caused by COVID-19.
I covered the Games held in Atlanta, USA, for the Jamaica Observer 25 years ago. The highlight, from a Jamaica perspective, was the first gold medal by a Jamaican woman in the 400 metres hurdles event, when Deon Hemmings, now with the acquired name McCatty, triumphed over a highly-touted American duo that put Jamaicans there in a frenzy.
It was the first time that I saw journalists covering an international event virtually losing control of their emotions and became the focus of eyes from all over when it became clear that Hemmings would have won. The list of shouting maniacs was headed by me, and included Evon Hewitt of IRIE FM, and Raymond Sharpe, now deceased, of the now defunct Jamaica Record broadsheet.
Under normal circumstances such behaviour would not have occurred. But the circumstances were anything but normal. To add to that, another Jamaican-born, Donovan Bailey, had earlier upset the scene by sprinting to victory under Canada's banner in the 100 metres, running from lane seven.
That victory brought joy to a distressing situation just before the start of the race as Linford Christie, born at Content Gap in St Andrew East Rural on April 2, 1960, and representing England, the country he emigrated to six years later, was disqualified for a false start, as he attempted to defend his 100-metre title won four years earlier at the Games held in the Spanish city of Barcelona.
I had known Christie well, as at the time he was dating a cousin of mine, and the blow struck real hard. At the time, the false start rules were different, and one would not be disqualified after a first false start. He false-started the first time, but the second, he, and other officials maintained, was not his doing. He was nonetheless yanked from the event.
In later days, a bombing at a section of the Olympic Village, for which an innocent security guard was held, but later cleared, put a damper on the proceedings. The incident turned the aforementioned trio of journalists off so much that we decided to imbibe at the first available watering hole.
The walk was unusually long, because some businesses had closed early arising from the explosion. But in the end we found one - loud music and all. Once inside though, there were no women in sight... it was a gay club! Men of all kinds dressed like puss in revealing shorts, some in high heels.
"Whaaat!" shouted the bartender, he too in his b....rider shorts, seemingly asking us what in blazes we were doing there, as based upon how we were dressed it was clearly not our place. That 'what' was not only a way of finding out why three black men were staring at him, but also served as a prompt for us to get the hell out of there. The mission to quench a thirst and chill awhile was aborted.
Those Games were something else. Although Jamaica could reap more medals in Japan than what was realised in Atlanta, it is quite unlikely that the off-site happenings of 25 years ago in the US city may be matched by occurrences in Tokyo. But we all wait for reality to clock in.
Hayles, Azan, and MP Crawford
People's National Party vice-presidents in waiting, Ian Hayles and Richard Azan are learning the hard way that dropping words in the bosom of women in Jamaica is not a good habit to embrace.
Their utterances directed at Rhoda Moy Crawford, the people's elected representative for Manchester Central, were ill-advised. It was as if the duo did not learn from the actions of Damion Crawford when he tore into Annmarie Vaz with personal attacks on a platform in Port Antonio at the rally launch of a by-election campaign a few years ago.
At the time, I turned to my media colleague, who like me was covering the event, and said to him: "Damion is going to pay dearly for this." The record will show that Crawford lost the election, in my estimation, from that very night.
Hayles, in particular, has a history of unleashing utterances that do not make life better for himself. He should adjust the mirror, do an evaluation of self, and come better prepared to handle the delicate affairs of life.
Azan is not one known to be an aggressor, at any rate, not publicly. He, in particular, can add a different style to the leadership set up that the PNP says it is working to achieve. He jells well with the proletariat, speaks their language, and is genuinely a hard worker. Like other challenges that he has faced, Azan can also get over this one and be as productive as he has shown us before he can be.
The matter should also serve as a lesson to everyone involved in the political game to be respectful...leave the personal jabs alone, because at the end of the bout, it could mean that the same individual that you had sought to bring down is the same one who holds the key to get you riding up the elevator of life.
John Mahfood and the J$
Again, the seriousness of the depreciation of the Jamaica dollar against all relevant foreign currencies has, like oil, risen to the top of the pool of water.
At one stage I thought that mine was the only voice interested in the Jamaica dollar, but in recent days the shouts from all over have become loud, among them newly-installed president of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association, John Mahfood, who, on a recent discussion programme on CVM Television lamented the demise of the local currency, and outlined the hardships that will face the people of Jamaica, in particular the poor.
Now, I know that the people who are responsible for tearing down the Jamaica dollar will listen to John Mahfood. He, apart from being CEO of Jamaica Teas, is from a family that has helped to build Jamaica over the years.
I also hope that those who are in charge of this country's monetary policy will look at themselves and seek forgiveness from the Jamaican people for allowing the speculators and others who mean Jamaica no good to virtually send the Jamaica dollar to the undertaker.
My voice is insignificant. That is why I felt good when I heard Mahfood expressing himself about the dollar. There is hope.