Black Immigrant Daily News

Irate bus and taxi operators burnt tyres to choke off key roads in Portmore, St Catherine on Monday, as a protest by public passenger vehicle operators threatened to mushroom into chaos and mayhem by late evening.

The tyre fires billowed black clouds of smoke, sending firefighters scrambling into action and creating a major traffic jam in the Sunshine City on Monday evening.

Several arrests were made across the parish as tempers flared amid the withdrawal of services by transport operators who are calling on the authorities to grant them a traffic ticket amnesty.

Head of the St Catherine South Police, Senior Superintendent Christopher Phillips told Loop News that seven arrests were made across the division for several criminal damage and public disorder offences since the operators withdrew their services early Monday.

SSP Phillips said that there were at least two fires lit at different sections of George Lee Boulevard Monday afternoon.

“We put out one fire on the roadway in the vicinity of MegaMart, but what we’re picking up is that people are going around lighting these fires in other sections of Portmore. We have a report of another fire in the Bayview area, but we’ve mobilised a team to deal with these fires and the lawlessness that is being displayed in the area,” Phillips said.

The transport operators have withdrawn their services and are threatening to continue for another two days, claiming that the punitive nature of the road traffic ticketing system is unfair, especially with the added threat of incarceration for unpaid tickets.

But it appears that the Government will be giving no quarter to beleaguered taxi and bus operators.

A release from the Office of the Prime Minister categorically condemned the strike, with the Cabinet emphasising “that the Government and the country will give no support for lawlessness and disorder and welcomes the significant rejection of today’s protest actions and demands”.

“All well-thinking Jamaicans are concerned that these actions have not only demonstrated a disregard for the need for citizens going about their lawful business to get to work and school but have also demonstrated complete disdain for law, order and discipline,” the release said.

The Government appears to be sticking to its guns that no traffic ticket amnesty will be granted to the irate transport operators.

“We advise persons who have broken the law and, as a result, have unpaid tickets to pay their fines as ticketed,” the release stated bluntly.

Meanwhile, Egerton Newman, president of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS), blamed the statement from the Cabinet for the general chaos, saying that the tone of the release “added fuel to the fire”.

“The release from the Cabinet put more fuel to the fire and what we’re seeing now is indicative of the anger of the operators. It is unfortunate because the release from Cabinet doesn’t speak to the challenges of the sector,” Newman said.

He took exception to the accusatory tone of the release.

“We made a request for amnesty, not granted; instead, all the release speaks to is lawlessness in the transport sector. But what of the general lawlessness in Jamaica? The problem is everywhere, but the release speaks to arresting us instead of arresting the problem, ” he said.

Newman said that there is still hope and that TODSS will be able to broker an agreement with the Minister of Transport, Audley Shaw.

“There will be a meeting at 8:30 tomorrow (Tuesday) at his office, and a team will meet with him, but we cannot say if the operators will stay off the roads during that meeting. I encourage them to hold, but it is really up to them if they plan to end the strike. The Cabinet’s statement skirted the issues and is a total disrespect to the transport sector,” Newman said.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Another transport association is also in favour of the planned three-day protest of transport operators and has commended the protestors who took action peacefully on Monday.

One Voice Association of Transport Investors and Operators on Monday afternoon called on its members to refrain from the use of violence during the protest while pointing out that a widely circulated video of someone removing people from motor vehicles is not indicative of the One Voice Association’s mission.

“As we close this first day of our withdrawal of services, we note with concern a circulating video of a ‘loader man’ removing passengers from a taxi. This was this young male’s way to express his support for our withdrawal of services. The video has been used by some to cast a negative image on our withdrawal of services today,” the group said in a release.

One Voice said: “The correct image is that of transport operators peacefully withdrawing their services and in many cases gaining the sympathy of the travelling public who joined us at various taxi stands to listen to music and hold a peaceful vibe while we await our government’s reply to our appeal for a ticket amnesty.”

The group said it is unapologetic about its withdrawal of services.

A compilation of clips captured at different sections of the Corporate Area as taxi operators withdrew their services on Monday.

“However, we do not encourage or support any kind of violence or forceful expression in support of our position. In this regard also, neither do we support the position of our police that the zealous young male should be locked up for his action of removing persons from the taxi, as was seen in the video,” it said.

In its release, One Voice also outlined some of the conditions in which taxi and bus drivers operate and condemn the government’s dismissive attitude to the protest. Also, it implored those who condemned the withdrawal of service to know the facts.

“We also appeal to our private sector colleagues of note who have condemned us to do due diligence in investigating our complaints and be just and fair in your assessment,” the release said. The association expressed shock at the dismissive manner in which the government has treated the first day of action.

“We are law-abiding citizens who voted for you and assisted in taking voters to polling divisions for you. We do not expect this colonial-type disrespect and disregard of our actions,” the group said.

One Voice said, too, that although its members have withdrawn their services, they are still available regardless of the time of day to take people to the hospital, the airport, or many other emergency services.

“We believe that it’s only fair that if the government can grant an amnesty to violence producers who terrorise our communities with mayhem and murder, then it should not be difficult to extend an amnesty to transport operators who owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in tickets, many unfairly and unjustly so,” the release said.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Government has sent a strong signal that it will not bow to demands from the island’s public transport operators to implement a traffic ticket amnesty, this following Monday’s withdrawal of service and at times ugly protest by the operators.

“We advise persons who have broken the law and as a result, have unpaid tickets, to pay their fines as ticketed,” said a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

Many students, teachers and other commuters were unable to get to their respective schools and other locations on Monday, as transport operators withdrew their services in a bid to force the Government to grant an amnesty to facilitate the payment of outstanding traffic tickets.

Some transport operators and their associates were also observed in videos removing passengers from taxis and buses of other operators who opted against protesting.

In expressing sympathy with those who affected by the protest action, the Government declared that it “will give no support for lawlessness and disorder,” and said it “welcomes the significant rejection of today’s protest actions and demands.”

The protest seemed to have been mainly confined to the Corporate Area and sections of St Catherine and Clarendon, with reports of pockets of taxi operators withdrawing their services in other parishes.

“All well-thinking Jamaicans are concerned that these actions have not only demonstrated a disregard for the need for citizens going about their lawful business to get to work and school, but have also demonstrated complete disdain for law, order and discipline,” the OPM statement said.

Given the high number of road fatalities so far this year, the Government said the commuting public must be protected, and said as such, the motoring public, including bus and taxi operators, must maintain discipline on the roadways.

“We call on those who are engaging in the disruption of the transport services to recognise that the Government will not relent in its efforts to build a better transport sector,” the release further stated.

The Government also implored law-abiding owners and operators of businesses and other organisations to continue providing their services to fellow Jamaicans going about their lawful business.

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Khadija Collymore is using the month of November and Independence celebrations in a divine way.

The 24-year-old Barbadian has invited all persons through prayer, to intercede for the nation of Barbados, daily for 30 days. So far for the month, the prayer points highlighted topics such as family, thanksgiving violence, sickness, essential workers and more.

On November 30, 2022, we are in the process of planning a face-to-face Prayerfest

The call on persons is for everyone to take 10 or 15 minutes out of their 1440 minutes daily, to pray on the topic for the day.

Interviewed recently, Collymore shared her story and talked about this new challenge since she rededicated her life to God over a year ago and has seen and experienced the tremendous power of prayer.

The former student of The St Michael School decided to launch her Prayer Challenge after returning from a ministry trip in Holland at the beginning of September this year.

“Prayer changes things more than we can imagine or comprehend. If we are honest our nation needs divine intervention in many areas. Just as I was reading the newspaper, I read about two brothers who armed themselves to fight for screws. We wake up daily to hear about shooting if the shots aren’t waking us up from our sleep in the still of the night. We are in a place where most people can’t afford to live. The cost of living is high. Everyone from families to persons in Government needs an intervention. At this point, it is only God that can pull us out. A thorough program may make a dent. But it’s time to position ourselves in a place of humility and surrender so that God can do a great work in this nation according to 2 Chronicles 7:14,” she said.

We are called to war spiritually until what we pray for has been established

Collymore is the founder of Khadija Collymore Ministries and is currently pursuing a degree in Ministry at Christian Leaders Institute in Spring Lake, Michigan, United States. She expressed that the response thus far to her Prayer Challenge has been encouraging as she has joined forces with intercessors from neighbouring islands along with others from the United States of America, who reached out to become involved.

What was the catalyst that led Collymore along this path to serving God?

The founder of Khadija Collymore Ministries said she had believed there was a call on her life to start the prayer and teaching ministry.

“I felt called to intercede and teach the Word of God. I have also launched Hemmed by Faith, which is a charity that seeks to rehabilitate persons suffering from addiction and mental illness. I am also a part of a global prayer organization Prophetic Intercessors Network (PIN) based in Atlanta, Georgia where I am the Regional General for Barbados and the Youth Regional General,” she said. Collymore presides over the youth intercessors globally in this organization.

Collymore said with the current socio-economic state of Barbados, she believes that now more than ever, people need to be equipped to handle spiritual warfare.

“Until we see the promises of blessings, abundance and overflow over our nation we must have persons praying and interceding over our land. We are called to watch and pray. We are called to war spiritually until what we pray for has been established. We are away from this establishment so yes, we need more persons who are called as intercessors to rise up to guard our gates and watch and pray for our land,” she said.

Persons desirous of becoming a part of the National Prayer Challenge can do so by following

Khadija Collymore on Facebook or Khadija Collymore Ministries on Instagram.

“Each day we meet on Facebook to pray the general prayer points at 6 pm. Topics are posted daily on all social media in various areas in need of divine breakthrough. On Friday, November 25 we are hosting a virtual prayer conference live on my Facebook page from 7pm to 10 pm. On November 30, 2022, we are in the process of planning a face-to-face Prayerfest for intercessors or anyone believing that God can change the trajectory of our island,” she said.

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