Phyllis Barnes phyllis.barnes@gleanerna.net NEW YORK Christopher Barnes - Manager (Interim) christopher.barnes@gleanerna.net Normadelle Rose - Office Supervisor normadelle.rose@gleanerna.net 92-05 172nd Street, Jamaica, NY 11433, 718-657-0788 Aubrey Campbell aubreycgleaner@gmail.com Phyllis Barnes phyllis.barnes@gleanerna.net NEW YORK Garfield Grandison - Manager garfield.grandison@gleanerna.net Normadelle Rose - Office Supervisor normadelle.rose@gleanerna.net 92-05 172nd Street, Jamaica, NY 11433, 718-657-0788 Aubrey Campbell aubreycgleaner@gmail.com 4 Tabby Diamond’s widow knocks reprisal death theory EVANIE HENRY, the common-law wife of slain reggae legend Donald ‘Tabby Diamond’ Shaw, has broken her silence on the police allegation that the gun death was a reprisal against her son, Jahmarley Shaw, who has been dubbed “a known violence producer”. Henry has rubbished what she calls the police’s hasty conclusion that the younger Shaw, who has reportedly been in custody since May 2021 on a murder charge, was the fuelling factor for the iconic singer’s killing nine days ago. Henry said she was unaware of a connection with her son and gang activities. Her perplexity contrasts with the Tuesday’s declaration by Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson that the killing of the reggae artiste, the lead singer of the Mighty Diamonds trio, was directly linked to his son. (Another member, Fitzroy ‘Bunny’ Simpson, died from illness three days later). Senior Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, divisional commander of St Andrew South, had told The Gleaner hours after Tabby Diamond’s death that detectives theorised that the killing was a proxy attack. McKinley Crescent is in the throes of a long-running gang feud with adjoining Wint Road, Ricketts said. Little Bay land dispute threatens to explode ANGRY RESIDENTS doused heavy equipment with gasolene and threatened to light it after a demolition crew turned up to evict them from disputed lands in Little Bay, Westmoreland. The battle for the property has been raging for decades and saw one of the proprietors – John Eugster – beingmurdered in 2004 after trying to reclaim the lands. Things threatened to again become violent on Wednesday as tempers flared during the latest eviction attempt as more than 100 residents staged a protest objecting to efforts to demolish their homes. They contend that they have a right to the property through averse possession, having captured and lived on it for decades. Several cops from the Little London Police Station rushed to the location and held the disgruntled occupiers at bay. The residents have been battling in court with Euster’s widow, Kathleen, a United States citizen, for control of the sections of the 867-acre property. Despite a 2011 court decision granting writs of possession and the eviction of at least 27 settlers, Eugster has been unable to regain possession, which has also been earmarked for a US$5-billion investment. The squatters have occupied the property for years, offering various tourism products, including guest houses, villas, bars, and restaurants, plus multimillion-dollar housing solutions. Jamaican welcomed in pitch for Commonwealth transparency FOREIGN AFFAIRS Minister Kamina Johnson Smith seemingly has the backing of India in her bid to topple Baroness Patricia Scotland as Commonwealth secretary general, with Indian Ambassador Masakui Rungsung calling her a “strong and fitful” candidate. But even as that endorsement came on Wednesday, regional heads of government struggled to come to a consensus on the Caribbean’s representative for the post, announcing a second meeting to discuss the diplomatic friction. Minister without Portfolio Robert Morgan declared that Kingston would not walk back its decision to field a candidate, arguing that the sovereign state was within its right to move forward with“what is in the interest of Jamaica”. “Many states, both in the region and outside of the region, have come on board with the candidature of Kamina Johnson Smith. What that says to you is that Jamaica’s decision was sensible ... . As it relates to whether Kamina will withdraw, emphatically no,” Morgan said during a Jamaica House press conference early Wednesday That position was strengthened by Rungsung, who told The Gleaner that India, which accounts for more than half of the 2.4 billion people living within the 54-member Commonwealth, “welcomes” Jamaica’s candidacy. He said India is confident that Johnson Smith possesses the capabilities to address transparency issues plaguing the Commonwealth Secretariat, which has resulted in the suspension of discretionary funding from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. [NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED] No ditching Queen before Diamond jubilee CONSTITUTIONAL SPEED bumps have slowed the Government’s push to cut ties with the British monarchy ahead of Jamaica’s 60th Independence anniversary celebrations in August, Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte has said. The update came duringWednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, two weeks after the visit of British royals PrinceWilliam and Kate, which spurred anticolonial protests and intensified calls for reparation from the United Kingdom for slavery and for the island’s transition to a republic. Malahoo Forte explained that several sections within the“deeply entrenched” provisions of Jamaica’s Constitution require careful amendments. She said areas of importance and concern under these provisions include the make-up of the Jamaican Parliament, which comprises The Queen, the House of Representatives, and the Senate, the qualifications for election to the House, and the qualifications to serve in the Parliament. The minister also made reference to Section 68 (1) of the Constitution, which speaks to the executive powers of The Queen. She said these provisions require a two-thirds majority vote from members of both Houses of Parliament as well as a referendum for change. She said were the bill to be tabled at the next sitting of Parliament, the ensuing processes would not be concluded before August 6. THE MONTHLY GLEANER | APRIL 7 - 30, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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