Black Immigrant Daily News

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said CARICOM is pressing the US to assist the region in cracking down on illegal gun shipments into the Caribbean.

Speaking with media at the Diplomatic Centre in Port of Spain during Holness’ visit to Trinidad and Tobago for the country’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations, Holness said that Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago will be working together to address the flow of illegal weapons into both countries by collaborating and sharing information.

“Weapons are an enabler of violence, how they get into our countries and the people who are financing and sending them, there’s incredible commonality. Along the lines of sharing information, we will be collaborating on that…politically we need to amplify our voices…we don’t make guns and ammunition but they’re available so widely in our society.”

Dr Rowley said CARICOM members have made a united front in pressing the US government to step up measures to detect the movement of illegal gun shipments bound for the Caribbean.

“The United States has made a statement about focusing on the flow of arms and ammunition in the Caribbean. That didn’t come about by accident. We all have been pressing our point to the US as a supplier.”

“It is turning out that the biggest challenge is national security in Jamaica which we are also facing here…a huge national security challenge via a flow of arms and ammunition…and that is something which we had to impress upon the United States as CARICOM, that you cannot turn a blind eye to us, where every CARICOM country is in this predicament.”

“It’s something that we’re cooperating on and today we signed on to that…and we had some discussions for further closer cooperation in information sharing on this particular matter of the external forces that affects small arms and assault weapons coming from the Unites States.”

Holness added that there is a concern regarding the movement of illegal weapons through legal ports of entry and the implications of corruption.

“The importation of weapons [into Jamaica] comes in both via legal ports and illegal methods. The ones we’re really concerned about are the ones coming through our legal ports…If it’s coming through your ports it speaks to a high level of possible corruption in the port system and the customs system.”

Holness said the Jamaican government is addressing this challenge via a multipronged strategy and regarding entry via illegal ports of entry, they have also stepped up patrols.

He said there is also the problem of organised or enterprise crime, whose agents infiltrate state organisations and corrupt institutions in order to facilitate illegal trade.

He added that like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica also is working on implementing measures to address domestic crime via a multidimensional strategy.

Dr Rowley said Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica will be sharing information and working together to combat these issues.

Holness said overall, the instability created by global supply issues and the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that a stronger CARICOM is needed if the region is to move forward.

“What we’ve seen coming out of the [9th] Summit of the Americas is that…In a world of uncertainty where there can be an exogenous shock…we will need each other more than ever and so it’s important that there’s a strong relationship, government to government, regionally, to be able to withstand shocks.

“We need to be stronger regionally…we need to secure our food supply, our energy supply. Equally, we need to secure the labour that we need and….the financing that we need. Once we realise that we need to come together and work as a region so that we can become resilient to sustain these external shocks, we’ll have a clearer path toward the prosperity of our people.”

Both leaders also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to resolve a trade dispute and engaged in bilateral talks on various matters of mutual interest including national security, sport and tourism.

Holness will be in the country to observe independence day celebrations on August 31 and is due to depart on September 1.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The security forces are being commended by residents in St James for the ongoing cleaning-up exercise on the streets of Montego Bay.

Dubbed ‘Operation Restore Paradise, a Public Order Reset’, the residents said the work being done by the security forces to rid the streets of illegal taxis, vending and other social problems can best be described as being professional, and will go a long way in restoring Montego Bay to its once lofty heights and befitting of its status as the tourism capital.

One resident added that since the multi-agency clean-up got started on August 15, it has noticeably involved many agencies, especially personnel from both the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), and also the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC), and there have been “noticeable differences” in taxi operations from circumstances that reflected “an out-of-control situation”.

Public order at a premium amid police presence in historic Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay, St James amid the ongoing law and order campaign in the western city.

“I am very impressed by the security officers and what they have been doing on the streets of Montego Bay over the past few weeks,” outlined businessman Paul Brown.

“They have been true standard bearers and very professional in their approach.

“Again, we can only hope that this is not just another flash in the pan of here today and gone tomorrow. Let’s try and sustain this thing. Make it last,” he urged.

Brown’s assertions were mirrored by Rory Thomas, a gas pump attendant who said he previously “couldn’t find any space to breathe” as a result of the behaviour of illegal taxi operators.

“They would just crowd the pumps… cursing if anybody dares say anything to them. I mean totally out of control. Thank goodness for the police and soldiers who have been restoring law and order,” said Thomas.

The sentiments of the security forces being model citizens seem to be resonating throughout the city, including among even some of the vendors who, by virtue of being negatively impacted, would normally be expected to be critical of the public law and order campaign.

Senior Superintendent Vernon Ellis (right), commanding officer for the St James Police Division, along with operations officer for the division, Superintendent Eron Samuels, in conversation with vendors along Lawrence Lane in Montego Bay amid the ongoing major public order drive within the city.

“Some persons might not want to admit it, but the security forces have been doing a fantastic job,” said Norma Anderson, a bartender.

“Some people just want to go in front of people business place like it’s theirs… no regards for others. Just imagine that. Just want to go and block the businesses of others. Big up the security forces,” she added.

“Great all-around job,” declared taxi operator Joseph Lloyd.

“Operation restoring paradise, a public order reset is a big move and should be practised in every major town in Jamaica. Really want to big up members of the security forces,” stressed Lloyd.

For his part, Gilbert Green said his only fear is that the cleaning-up exercise could be short-lived, noting that “we have gone down this road before”.

Fruit vending in a calm off-road setting in Montego Bay, St James amid the ongoing public order campaign in the tourist capital.

“I only hope it’s not a case of this being just for a period of time and then back to square one,” he added. “Then that would be a grand waste of time and where everything would blow up in the faces of everybody. I am just hoping that this momentum will be sustained.”

Others have also weighed in.

“I know the security forces have repeatedly been under a lot of pressure regarding the crime situation…, but this might be their moment in the sun,” stated Garfield’s Diving’s Garfield Dussard.

“The plan they have put in place on the streets of Montego Bay has been a masterful one, and has been reaping benefits.”

Dussard, whose water sport operations also have franchises in Falmouth, Ocho Rios and Negril, said he is hopeful that Montego Bay will be an example for other towns, adding that “we simply have to take back our streets”.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Yesterday, your Eyewitness wrote about the PPP going flat out in campaign mode. Surely, he thought, they couldn’t be here, there and everywhere like the Scarlet Pimpernell saving folks in distress – or like Santa Claus handing out goodies – unless they were harvesting votes. They even outdid the pleasantly plump fella in red by asking whether the folks had been good!!! Even with ordinary gladhanders, there’s gotta be a catch!! And that’s it, aint it?? A catch!!!

Take the Pressie’s trip to the southernmost part of our massive country – compared to those make-believe ones in the Caribbean, of course!! – Rupununi, or Region 9. He touched down in the evening, and not only gave out 600 grants of $1,000,000 each to build houses for identified houselot awardees – but guaranteed them Bank mortgages for the remaining $2,000,000!!! It was like what they called NINJA loans in the States back before the great crash of 2008 – no incomes, no jobs, no assets – needed!! Now, learning from the experience of the aforementioned crash, Pressie and his Govt had to’ve backstopped such generous terms!!

But he didn’t stop there!! He gave the good people of the Rupununi a sample of a coastal rural “sport” by whipping up several huge karahis of beef curry, goat curry, and who knows what else?? Local game “watrash” curry? All to accompany a massive pot of cook-up!! It was a sight to behold, as the “sport” went far into the night – as these things tend to do!! How does the Opposition top that??

Back in the day, our local soul superstar Johnny Braff had belted out an all-Caribbean hit – “Anything he can do, I can do better!!” Was Norton – who’s old enough to remember the braggadocio- inflected words – gonna do a Braff?? Well, he also went down south – to Mahdia in Region 8: Potaro-Siparuni. Mahdia, of course, had been converted into a town in 2018 by the PNC coalition. Was Norton going there to gloat to the residents about all the development that designation had precipitated??

Sadly, however, all the PNC had done was to erect (yes, that’s right, ERECT!) a twelve-foot, 18-ton rock-shaped PENIS in the centre of the new town!! Locals are still trying to figure out what it symbolises?? Their virility being a fronter town for gold and diamond mining?? But isn’t that kinda sexist in this day and age?? The PNC had their very own Simona Broomes, who showed the nation that gold mining wasn’t just a man’s world!!Over the border, in Boa Vista, the Brazilians had erected a statue “O Garimpeiro (The Prospector)” to acknowledge the role played by those whom we call “pork-knockers” in founding the settlement.

But sadly, Norton didn’t even hand out some NUTS – to complement the monument!!)

…for a new list

Finally, your Eyewitness saw where the Opposition’s coming from on the “New Voters List” business. They should’ve said they’re looking for a new National Register of Registrants (NRR) – from which the voters’ list is extracted. As such, there is no possibility of unconstitutionally “taking off voters” from the NRR!! As per GECOM, this occurred in 2008!!“The imperative to conduct the 2008 house-to-house registration exercise was born out of the need for the creation of an indisputable National Register of Registrants (NRR), which could be used as the basis for the preparation of Electoral Lists that would be commonly acceptable by all stakeholders as being unblemished. With this in mind, the Government of Guyana, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Parliamentary political parties agreed, on June 14, 2007, to the preparation of a new NRR by house-to-house registration.”

So why doesn’t the Opposition ask the Government to agree to a new NRR being compiled?? All it’ll take is some money – which we have.And (possibly) a handshake!?!

…for security breaches??

Over in the US, seems that Trump walked out with some top-secret documents. Over here, seems the Ministry of Citizenship (Felix?) might’ve handed out some citizens’ confidential info to the PNC??

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