Black Immigrant Daily News

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, in collaboration with the Red Cross and other humanitarian partners, has moved to deliver much needed relief to some communities in St Catherine, Clarendon, Portland, St Elizabeth and St Ann.

Those parishes were most affected by flooding due to torrential rainfall associated with the passage of Tropical Storm Ian from September 24 to 26.

In a release, the ministry said its Disaster, Rehabilitation and Welfare Management Unit has confirmed that homes in at least five major communities in St Catherine and eight in Clarendon have been severely impacted, and have suffered varying degrees of loss to property and household items.

The St Catherine communities included Church Road in Bog walk; Kent Village, Hampton Green, Big Pond, and Patrick Street in Old Harbour.

Those in Clarendon included areas of May Pen, Palmetto Pen, Corn Piece, Bottom Halse Hall, Free Town, Palmer’s Cross, Toll Gate and Race Course and its environs.

One shelter was activated in Clarendon, with 10 individuals who were provided with hygiene kits. The shelter remains open, but at the occupants have since returned home.

The parishes of St Elizabeth, St Ann and Portland have also been impacted, however, the degree of damage and dislocation that were suffered there were relatively less.

In St Elizabeth, one family whose house was destroyed by a fallen tree, has been provided with relief supplies.

In Portland, two houses were damaged by fallen trees, one partially, and the other completely. The ministry is in dialogue with Food for the Poor to collaborate on efforts at assisting the families.

Efforts are being made to provide support to a St Ann family whose house has been partially damaged, however, the efforts are being hampered, as the road is impassable due to fallen trees.

The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Karl Samuda, has assured affected residents that, “the ministry’s emergency response team is on the ground conducting assessments and providing emergency relief items, and will be providing financial support to those who have suffered loss or damage to their homes.

“We want to assure our citizens that this Government will do everything possible to help them overcome the impact of this difficult time.”

Assessments and emergency relief support continue in all the affected parishes, said the ministry, with the distribution of food parcels, hygiene kits and tarpaulins.

The ministry said it is also preparing to deliver mattresses to families in need, as conditions allow.

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Jamaica Tallawahs became 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions on Friday with an eight wicket win over the Barbados Royals at Providence Stadium, Guyana.

Barbados Royals had won the toss and chose to bat, with Rahkeem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers getting them off to a blistering start, combining to score 63 runs in the powerplay. However, Fabian Allen would remove both openers to bring the Tallawahs back into the game, before Azam Khan would continue his fine form with the bat to take the Royals to 161/7.

In response Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks would produce an 86-run partnership that frustrated the Royal’s bowling attack. Despite Jason Holder taking the wicket of Brooks, King would lead the rest of the chase as he scored a magnificent 83 runs from 50 balls to see the franchise win their third Hero CPL title.

Barbados Royals had chosen to bat with the aim of setting an imposing total, Cornwall and Mayers combining well to build an excellent foundation. Once Allen had removed them both with his spin bowling, the run rate slowed down as the Tallawahs wrestled back control of the game. However, Khan, who came in at number three, would bat until the 19th over, scoring his second successive half-century to help the Royals reach 161/7 after 20 overs.

Jamaica Tallawahs suffered an early setback in their chase as opener Kennar Lewis lost his wicket for a duck, but King and Brooks would rebuild at a steady run rate. Once Brooks lost his wicket in the eleventh over, King would shoulder the responsibility of finishing the chase, hitting 15 boundaries in total.

In the end, King would take his side to victory with a six, sparking celebrations from Jamaica Tallawahs players, staff and fans.

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The Leader of the Opposition, Hon Roy McTaggart, confirmed in a statement that a private member’s motion for a vote of no confidence in the Speaker of Parliament was filed today (September 30, 2022).

Following the filing of the motion, McTaggart said in a statement that “despite his letter demanding the resignation of the Hon. McKeeva Bush as Speaker, the Premier does not appear to have any intention of acting to ensure the removal of Mr Bush from the post.”

McTaggart also questioned the Premier’s actions since the issuance by the Premier of the strongly worded letter to Mr Bush. McTaggart said:

But given the Premier’s failure to act despite the deadline given to Mr Bush having passed, and Mr Bush refusing to step down, I now have to ask the Premier what are his priorities? I suspect that they are all about desperately trying to keep his government intact.

In the absence of a letter of resignation being voluntarily submitted to the Parliament by the Speaker indicating that he will step down, the Speaker will remain in the post.

McTaggart is now taking one of the few remaining options available under the constitution of the Cayman Islands i.e., to obtain the vote of two-thirds of the elected members of the Parliament on a motion expressing no confidence in the Speaker.

It is unclear who would be voted in as the new Speaker should the vote on the private member’s motion of no confidence be successful.

The full statement of The Leader of the Opposition is below

“I have today filed in Parliament a motion of ‘Lack of Confidence in the Speaker, the Hon. McKeeva Bush OBE, JP’. The motion is seconded by Ms Barbara Conolly, MP for George Town South, and supported by the entire Opposition.

It has been increasingly obvious to me over the past week that despite his letter demanding the resignation of the Hon. McKeeva Bush as Speaker, the Premier does not appear to have any intention of acting to ensure the removal of Mr Bush from the post. The most recent confirmation of this is the Premier’s excuse that the Opposition’s filing of a motion of a Lack of Confidence in the Government somehow complicates his handling of the matter of Mr Bush and he went on to question the Opposition’s priorities.

But given the Premier’s failure to act despite the deadline given to Mr Bush having passed, and Mr Bush refusing to step down, I now have to ask the Premier what are his priorities? I suspect that they are all about desperately trying to keep his government intact.

Nonetheless, if the Premier insists that he will dither on this as he does on everything else, then it becomes my responsibility to do what the Premier is afraid to do. And so I have brought the motion to ensure that the Parliament has an opportunity to decide whether the Hon McKeeva Bush remains as Speaker or not.

I remind the public that it was the Premier who took Mr Bush into his Government following the last election, and it was the Progressives who decided that it was better to be in Opposition than to again form a Government with Mr Bush.”

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