FREE | PAGES: 12 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com SIGN UP FOR OUR EPAPER @ epaper.jamaica-gleaner.com/na JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | VOL 2036 Fireworks light up the night sky in Montego Bay, St James, signalling the start of 2023. PHOTO BY ASHLEY ANGUIN NEWYEAR, NEWROLES - SEVERAL JAMAICANS GET LEADERSHIP NOD FOR THE NEW YEAR P9: Lowell Hawthorne Foundation to honour four at first gala P9: Hamlin Grange appointed to the Order of Canada P8: New York City is back! writes Mayor Eric Adams >P6 TRANS-CONTINENTAL ECONOCARIBE 147-46 176 STREET, JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11434 TEL: 718-244-7447, 718-341-2900 • BARRELS • CRATES • CARTONS • FURNITURE • APPLIANCES • BUILDING SUPPLIES • MEDICAL SUPPLIES • CARS KINGSTON, MONTEGO BAY, PORT OF SPAIN - TRINIDAD, GUYANA & OTHER ISLANDS WE SHIP DIRECTLY TO: SPECIALIZING IN RETURNING RESIDENTS | PAGES: 12 | www.j maica-gleaner.com SIGN UP FOR OUR EPAPER @ epaper.jamaica-gleaner.com/na TRANS-CONTINENTAL ECONOCARIBE 147-46 176 STREET, JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11434 TEL: 718-244-7447, 718-341-2900 • BARRELS • CRATES • CARTONS • FURNITURE • APPLIANCES • BUILDING SUPPLIES • MEDICAL SUPPLIES • CARS KINGSTON, MONTEGO BAY, PORT OF SPAIN - TRINIDAD, GUYANA & OTHER ISLANDS WE SHIP DIRECTLY TO: SPECIALIZING IN RETUR ING RESIDENTS for Toronto Pride Festiv P4-5: Five well-known Jamaicans receive honorary degrees in Toronto FREE NORTH AMERICA BRANDED CONTENT EDITION P6&8: Luminaries dazzle at UWI Toronto Benefit Awards gala P9: Grace Jamaica Jerk Festival NY launched with commemorative merchandise ACCOLADES APLENTY J’can nurse conferred with Presidential Medal of Freedom leads list of countrymen awarded JULY 7 - AUGUST 6, 2022 | VOL 2027
THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 2 Going forward with renewed confidence MY FELLOW Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora, I greet you warmly withmy wish that you will have a bright and prosperous NewYear, filled with opportunities and the hope of a satisfying future. As we think about the year ahead, I invite you to pause to renew your minds, hopes, aspirations, dreams, and concepts of where you are now, and what you hope to become in the immediate and distant future. Starting now, there is much‘living’ to do as we constantly fight against corruption, greed, malice, and hatred; rejecting them as misguided approaches to progress. We renew our fight: i) Against the disintegration of the moral fabric of our society, and seek, ii) To replace antisocial behaviour, hostility, and immodesty with expressions of propriety, decency, and civility. Today, we open a new page in our lives. I encourage everyone to renew their trust in each other and enter 2023 with hope and confidence. We cannot change the past, but we can learn from our mistakes, and work on the present to ensure a more pleasing future. • We should make the best use of our time andmake every moment count. • We must be the change we want to see and espouse the solutions that will help us to deal with the challenges we will face. • As we venture into the unknown, we can daily find: o Strength to press on even when it gets hard o Boldness to stand firmeven though the heavens fall o Joy to smile – even on bad days, and, o Faith to remain focused when the way looks dark. We will be called on to make crucial decisions in various areas of our lives that will affect our future, at a personal or national level. The Greek philosopher Socrates observed that “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” We can resolve to make this the year of transition to: • Securing good health • Unity and peace • Strong families • Clean environments and solutions to combat the effects of climate change • Mental, emotional and physical strength, and, • Increased reliance on the grace and power of the Almighty. I trust that this New Year will bring each one of you reasons to go forward and celebrate life with renewed confidence. Lady Allen joins me in wishing you a NewYear filled with inner peace, love, and hope. May God bless you and Jamaica, land we love. SIR PATRICK ALLEN Governor General Let’s look towards 2023 with a spirit of hope WE GIVE God thanks for sparing our lives to see 2023, and we give thanks for the lives of loved ones and other great Jamaicans who transitioned last year. We embrace the New Year with optimism and positive energy, knowing that our earnest efforts will determine the success we make of the time given to us. We have been earnest in our efforts in the past year in controlling crime, particularly murders, and improving public order. Last year, we took a major step in deterring the procurement, possession, trafficking, and use of guns by passing a new Firearms Act, which has transformed the legislative framework around legal and illegal guns in Jamaica. The security forces are increasing their surveillance, intelligence, and operational capabilities to detect and recover illegal firearms and those using or possessing them. In the next fewmonths, we will take amendments to Parliament to significantly increase the penalty for murder to over 30 years, we will streamline the bail process with the passage of a new Bail Act, a new Corrections Bill will be tabled, a Fingerprint Bill will be tabled, and an Enhanced Security Measures Bill will be tabled as well. This year, a clear message will be sent to violence producers that law enforcement and the criminal justice system is not a revolving door. Already, we are seeing the impact of the use of emergency powers, the new Firearms Act, and various joint enforcement operations on murder numbers. We were able to reduce the number of murders and save more lives in November and December 2022, thereby significantly bringing down the murder rate at the end of 2022. I should also mention that the new Road Traffic Act will come into effect on February 1. This will go a far way in bringing order to our roadways. Motorists are encouraged to address their outstanding tickets at the courts before the new law takes effect. As we bid farewell to 2022 and welcome the dawn of the NewYear 2023, there are many things for which we as a nation can be proud andmany things for which we must be thankful. Jamaica has staged a remarkable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic despite the global economic shock from the war in Ukraine, continuing supply-chain bottlenecks, and inflation. Our economic output is now higher than pre-COVID levels; we are experiencing record low unemployment; business and consumer confidence is high; and we are seeing an unprecedented level of investor interest in Jamaica, in areas such as tourism, energy, housing, logistics and infrastructure. We can be particularly proud that we have achieved this economic recovery while remaining steadfast on the path of prudent and responsible fiscal management. Our relentless focus on economic recovery over the past two years has no doubt been very successful. However, it has unavoidably resulted in the diversion of resources and focus fromother critical areas such as secondary road repairs and municipal waste collection. Rest assured, however, that the Government is redoubling efforts in these areas. Later this year, we will confirm the new development order for the Corporate Area and announce plans to redevelop town centres in all parishes to rationalise settlement in Jamaica in an orderly, sustainable, and resilient manner. As we recover from the pandemic and return to normalcy, let us not abandon caution as there is always a lingering threat or consideration of a spike in COVID-19 cases or some new virus emerging. The two-year disruption in routine has had untold and yet-to-beunderstood impacts on mental and physical health and social behaviours. Pay attention to your mental health this year. Don’t be afraid to seek help if you find yourself overwhelmed, depressed, unable to cope or just angry. Talk to someone. Make a resolution this year to be gentler with one another, kinder to each other, more forgiving and more loving. We welcome 2023 and thank God for His blessings and for shepherding Jamaica through a very challenging 2022. We look forward to all the opportunities the New Year presents with a spirit of hope, optimism, determination and faith. ANDREW HOLNESS Prime Minister Recommit to upholding the values on which our great nation was founded TO ALL Jamaicans, at home and in the diaspora, I wish you a Happy New Year. The year 2022 was very difficult for many Jamaicans. Our people have endured a major spike in the cost of living, without much help to cushion the crisis. We have seen levels of violent crime that have us living in fear and sap the hope of our people. We experienced restive months in recent times, with the uncertainties among our public sector workers as to their pay arrangements. Repeated states of emergency (SOEs) have been declared across various parishes, as the Government uses them as an ongoing crime-fighting strategy. This has been going on for five years now, but the murder rate in the country has continued to rise. By allowing extended periods of detention of any person without charge or access to the courts, an SOE suspends many of the most fundamental rights and freedoms of our citizens. The Supreme Court has on two occasions ruled against the Government in its recent use of the SOEs, and the Government’s appeals of those rulings have not yet been heard. With this pall of constitutional doubt hanging over the Government’s use of SOEs, it has been my solemn duty not to support any extensions of these measures. It is my hope for 2023, that the Government will embrace a more collaborative approach to address the issue of crime. Jamaica needs a balanced approach to our national security crisis, using both tactical law enforcement and well-designed social intervention. The police have said that there are approximately 300 violence producers. If that is so, our efforts should be geared towards urgently putting in place a legal procedure for targeting them, without infringing on the basic rights of millions of ordinary Jamaicans. We also need to prioritise programmes that reaffirm the positive values and attitudes on which a strong nation can be built. We need to invest in early childhood development by providing support for weak family structures and the raising of children in vulnerable households. We must raise the minimum wage and make it a liveable wage, so that parents can support their families without enduring the deprivations of poverty. We cannot allow the crisis in our education system to continue. Our schools lack basic infrastructure and resources to enhance the learning experience of students. Hundreds of students are still suffering from learning loss due to the pandemic, some of whom have not been able to return to school. We must invest in raising standards in basic and primary schools across the board, so that they become world-class. This will plug the pipeline of youths who have been failed and abandoned by the system and end up embracing a culture of violence and wreaking havoc on our society. Civil servants are the backbone of our public systems. They deserve to be adequately compensated for the work that they do, and our national development goals require a competent and motivated public sector. In 2022, we celebrated our 60th anniversary of political Independence from colonial rule, yet we are going into 2023 and the King remains our head of state, and the Privy Council remains our final appellate court. Let us not pay lip service to these issues of national importance. We must decolonise these remaining aspects of our governance by acceding to the Caribbean Court of Justice as our final court of appeal and becoming a republic with a Jamaican as our head of state. We must respect the remarkable strength and resilience of the Jamaican people. I know it is hard, but I encourage you to keep the faith. Time come for us to put people at the centre of governance by developing policies geared towards social inclusion, equality, and a better quality of life for all Jamaicans. In 2023, let us recommit to upholding the values and principles of integrity on which our great nation was founded. Happy New Year, Jamaica. May God bless you all, and bless Jamaica, land we love. MARK GOLDING Leader of the Opposition New Year’s messages THE FOLLOWING are edited excerpts from New Year’s messages from Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and Opposition Leader Mark Golding.
THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 3 Kimone Francis/ Senior Staff Reporter UNITED STATES law enforcement now has on its radar key US players in the criminal underworld who continue to fuel Jamaica’s crime problem. The Holness administration handed over a list of names toWashington earlier this month. THE DISCLOSURE was made during last Wednesday’s Office of the Prime Minister media briefing at which Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared states of emergency (SOEs) in St Catherine, Clarendon, St Ann, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, and sections of Kingston and St Andrew. Holness, at the same time, signalled his intent to use US laws to interdict criminals in that country who are influencing local crime as murders this year have already surpassed the 1,463 recorded last year. As at 9 a.m. Wednesday, the country recorded 1,481 homicides for 2022, a 1.2 per cent year-on-year increase with just over three days left. Holness raised the challenge in a series of meetings with the US Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other law-enforcement agencies during his five-day visit to the US capital in early December. “The partnerships have usually been our partners utilising our laws here to interdict criminals in which they have an interest,” said Holness. “What we have said is that we need to utilise these existing partnerships to be able to interdict criminals in foreign countries.” He said that a list of names of USbased criminals the police have been tracking and have“certain intelligence on”has been submitted to the agencies. “The entities are [now] doing their work. I don’t want to say too much, but you will see the results of our efforts very shortly,” he said. In the meantime, the prime minister said that while there has been“reasonable success” in controlling the number of murders leading up to the Christmas season, the threat levels for ongoing gang conflicts, contract killings, organised robberies of businesses, hijacking of goods in transit, and various scams that lead to the loss of life, among other things, remain elevated and extensive. Wednesday’s declaration of the SOEs is the fourth since the start of the year. He said the latest declarations were decided on after analysing the available data and intelligence, which showed a trend similar to last December when 127 murders were committed for the month. “The Government acted reasonably and decisively to save lives and preserve the freedoms of ordinary citizens,” said Holness. Chairman of the Crime Monitoring and Oversight Committee, Lloyd Distant, said stakeholders have recognised from the previously declared SOEs that “it is absolutely within the Government’s purview to determine when it needs to call a state of emergency”on the advice of the police commissioner and chief of defence staff. Distant said that the overall murder figure is disappointing but noted that the December reduction is “heartening”. “Like all well-thinking Jamaicans, we had really hoped that this year, we would have seen a significant reduction. I’m pleased to hear that the numbers for [this] December are significantly lower than December 2021 … . The commissioner has spoken to the use of the states of emergency, which were critical in enabling them to keep the numbers as low as they are,”Distant told The Gleaner. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson said that there has been a significant reduction in murders, achieved, in part, as a result of the SOEs. Anderson noted that since the beginning of the year, Jamaica had recorded a daily average of four murders. This, he said, peaked in September, when the daily murder average was nearly five. Anderson noted that September and October saw increases in murders as high as eight per cent when compared to similar periods in 2021. He said that the daily murder average has since been reduced to 2.5 and that the gap in murders between last year and this year has moved from a high of eight per cent to 1.5 per cent currently. “This has been achieved through a suite of legislative, intelligence, and operational responses,”the police commissioner said. Anderson charged that the SOEs have proven to be the quickest and most effective way of reducing violent crime. During the first period of the SOEs in November, murders were reduced by some 64 per cent and thereafter increased by 171 per cent over the first seven days after the security measures were removed, Anderson outlined. When the powers were reinstituted, declines as high as 55 per cent were recorded, he added. “As we close this year and move into next year, it is critical for us to sustain the downward trend using all the tools that we know are effective in curbing the violence that we continue to see,” Anderson stressed. kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com Holness says crime lords up North to be collared as SOE loop continues HOLNESS Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer A JAMAICAN paediatrician practising in New York, was murdered in a four-day crime spree in Harlem, New York, last week. THE BODY of 60-year-old Dr Bruce Maurice Henry was discovered inside Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem in the early hours of December 23. His throat was slashed and he had been stabbed several times. Henry was born in Lucea, Hanover, but grew up in neighbouringWestmoreland. He spent his formative years in Jamaica before migrating to the United States, where he obtained his medical degree in 1987. Throughout his career, he worked with several hospitals in the New York area. Dr Roy Streete, the head of the Overseas International Development (OID) who has known Henry for over two decades, recalled that he was very good with children. “He made several medical trips with OID and was a gentle person,” Streete said. “It is a very sad occurrence.” Police began searching for Henry’s car after obtaining video of a man and a woman entering the car near the park. On Monday, the police arrested 35-year-old ex-convict Roland Codrington and charged him with Henry’s murder. He is accused of killing two people and stabbing two others in four days, with Henry being his last victim. According to the police, there was no prior interaction between Codrington and Henry. Codrington, who was apprehended while driving Henry’s Mercedes-Benz, has been described by the NewYork police as a career criminal with at least a dozen prior busts on his rap sheet. According to Chief of Patrol John Chell, three “sharp-eyed officers from the 30th police precinct made the apprehension”. The accused man was with four other people when he was approached by cops and he told them that he was the person they wanted, a police report said. According to a New York Times report, the crime spree began about 1 a.m. last week Monday, when a 51-year-old man was fatally slashed in Manhattan. Police said the victim could be seen on video walking along a roadway when he was approached by a man, now identified as Codrington, and a woman, who police say is his girlfriend. After a brief argument, Codrington reportedly pulled out a knife and slashed the other man’s neck. The second incident reportedly took place on Thursday at around 11:30 p.m. at a bar in East Harlem. Codrington, who had been thrown out of the bar a week earlier after a dispute with staff, returned with his girlfriend, a pit bull and a baseball bat, the police said. He reportedly assaulted the bartender and destroyed property. He allegedly used a large knife to stab two customers who intervened. Their injuries were not life-threatening. The police further report that Codrington went home, then left to take a walk early Friday morning, when he encountered Henry in the park and stabbed him to death after an argument. editorial@gleanerjm.com Jamaican doctor killed in New York Boys plays in the sea at Bob Marley Beach in Bull Bay, St. Andrew, as the sun sets for the final time in 2022. IAN ALLEN/PHOTOGRAPHER
THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 4 Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer JAMAICANS IN the United States and Canada have been grappling with a monster winter storm which began wreaking havoc and snowballed into mid December, disrupting holiday travel as airlines scrubbed thousands of flights, with states of emergency declared in New York, New Jersey and Buffalo. THE WEATHER system, which resulted in one of the coldest Christmases on record, also caused more than 60 deaths across the US alone up to mid-afternoon on Tuesday. Florida, which normally has temperatures in the low- to mid-70s, had residents contending with temperatures in the 20s and 30s. Several Jamaican outdoor functions in Florida had to be cancelled because of the extremely low temperatures. In NewYork, the temperature plummeted to -11 degrees Fahrenheit, with heavy snow causing at least 28 deaths in Buffalo, one of the areas hardest hit in the US. Beverly Morrison-Anderson, president of the Jamaican and American Association of Buffalo, told The Gleaner that like many other residents, she was trapped inside her home for a number of days because of the amount of snow that fell. “The airport is still closed, something which has not happened before. The roads are impassable, and some people are just now getting access to their homes cleared,” she said on Tuesday, noting that winds had reached up to 79miles per hour and the swirling snow made travelling impossible. “In the 57 years that I have been living in the United States, I have not seen anything like this. It has been really brutal,” Morrison-Anderson told The Gleaner. Jamaica’s consul general to New York, Alsion Wilson, who has jurisdiction for Buffalo, said that she is monitoring the situation in the city, keeping in contact with Jamaican organisations in the area. “I am very focused on what is happening in Buffalo,” she told The Gleaner. Wilson added that she had not verified whether any Jamaicans had died as a result of the extreme weather in Buffalo. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, a Jamaican, has called on residents to stay off the roads to give crews the opportunity to clear the streets, so that emergency vehicles can get through. NewYork Governor Kathleen Hochul has sent members of the National Guard to Buffalo to assist with the removal of the snow. While Jamaicans in Connecticut also had to contend with record-low temperatures not seen in many years, it did not dampen the Christmas spirit, according to Doreen Forrest. “We did not see any cancellation of functions, as we were not as affected as [other places were],” she said. Jamaica’s honorary consul in Texas, Khalfani Omari Fullerton, told The Gleaner that unlike last year, when many Jamaicans were heavily impacted by the very low temperatures, he was not getting reports of similar cases this time around. “What I am hearing is that some Jamaicans had the pipes in their homes frozen, but nothing compared with what happened last year,” he said. President of the Jamaica Foundation of Houston, Dr Nicole Bent-Jones, also said that she did not hear of any Jamaicans being adversely affected by the winter storm. There have been no reports of flooding or loss of power, and the airports remained open, she added. “The impact was only for one day, Christmas Eve,”she said, in terms of the severity of the weather. In Florida, Global Jamaican Diaspora Council member Dr Allan Cunningham said that the cold temperature impacted some outdoor events. “People in Florida are not used to dealing with this kind of cold weather, and while property was not adversely impacted, it did put a damper on some Christmas celebrations,” he said. He added that adequate warnings were issued to help people to cope with the weather. In Canada, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport remained closed up to Tuesday afternoon, with thousands of holiday travellers stranded since as early as last Thursday, after what was supposed to be a layover for some turned out to be days of chaos. As they milled around the airport, hoping for answers and clarity from staff, none seemed forthcoming up to late yesterday, even after the worst of the storm had passed. Lincoln Robinson, who travelled to Canada for Christmas, told The Gleaner that he was snowbound for a couple of days inside his house. “I can now get out, as the snow has been cleared,” he said, with a bit of relief. editorial@gleanerjm.com Edmond Campbell/ Senior Staff Reporter JAMAICA NATIONAL Heritage Trust (JNHT) Chairman Orville Hill has defended his organisation’s decision to approve the design for the new-look Devon House courtyard amid public debate over the changes, which critics say have dealt a severe blow to the historical value and aesthetics of the St Andrew-based property. IN A Gleaner interview on Friday, Hill argued that Devon House was in need of renovation, pointing out that additional space was created for visitors to move around freely. “You have a greater area that would facilitate easier movement and you have more and more people at Devon House, so you need more space for people to just move around freely without having to bounce into each other as you try to move around the facility,” he said. The JNHT came under fire on Thursday from noted architect Dr Patricia Green for approving the paving of the lush courtyard. Her comments came after a social-media firestorm over the changes. Green charged that the JNHT had been derelict in its role in preserving the complex, adding that the board was complicit in the area being “jeopardised”. But Hill has brushed aside the criticism, arguing that the changes have not compromised the historical value of Devon House. “The claim that is being made, I am not in agreement with it, and I am fully in support of the development that is taking place,” he told The Gleaner. He stressed that the Heritage Review Development Committee of the JNHT that reviewed the new design of the courtyard made a recommendation that the board accepted. Hill indicated that the committee engaged the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation when it assessed the design. “It is a holistic approach and not just a single agency making the decision. We need to look at it and make sure that it is within the parameters of the heritage district,” the JNHT chairman said. “It is really, in the long run, an improvement of the overall facility, and to make it much easier for persons to come to Devon House and really enjoy the facility,” he argued. Hill pointed out that the development was spearheaded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), which had engaged a consultant to design the courtyard. In a press statement issuedThursday afternoon, the TEF said that the courtyard had dimensions of 0.12 hectare, representing 2.4 per cent of the property. Asked whether members of the public had an opportunity to make an input in relation to the proposed changes, Hill said, “I am aware that not necessarily with the public, but persons who are operating in the Devon House space, I am sure that they had some consultation with those persons to say this is what we are proposing to do.” He indicated that those stakeholders at Devon House were in agreement with the proposed changes. However, Hill sought to assuage disgruntled members of the public that the work on the courtyard was not yet complete, noting that the space was opened for the holiday period. “By the time the trees and the other greenery are put in and get a chance to grow and come to some level of maturity, I am certain people will see a space that they are more appreciative of,” he said. The JNHT chairman said that oftentimes, “we don’t have a long-term view of certain developments. We look at what is taking place immediately before our eyes, but usually, there is a long-term view to the development that is taking place”. He said that drainage was a challenge on the property and with heavy rains, some areas were flooded. “We all cherish the area and so what we are doing is really just improving the general area,” Hill said. He added that only one tree was removed from the courtyard. “That one tree would have been assessed by the Forestry Department and found that it is really unsafe to have that tree because it had aged and was a threat to public safety.” edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com NO REGRET JNHT chairman defends paved Devon House courtyard, says public will appreciate final look In this aerial photograph taken on Friday, the newly paved Devon House courtyard can be seen at the front of the property. GLADSTONE TAYLOR Deadly monster winter storm disrupts holiday plans for many J’cans in US, Canada A person removes snow from the front of his driveway a few days after a winter storm rolled through western New York Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, in Buffalo N.Y. AP
JAMAICA’S HONORARY consul in Philadelphia, Christopher Chaplin, is the new president of the Consular Corps Association of Philadelphia. Chaplin was elected to lead the association at its meeting on December 14, in Philadelphia, and will take office January 1, 2023. He succeeds Peter Longstreth, honorary consul of Uruguay, whom he saluted for having served the association with distinction. Commenting on his own election to the position, Chaplin said, “Peter has been a great mentor to me over the past two years and I look forward to servingmy fellow diplomats with distinction.” The association’s December 14 election also brought in honorary consul of the Kingdom of Norway Ms Susan Satkowski as vice president; honorary consul of the Republic of Fiji Ms Karen Lawson as secretary,while honorary consul of Hungary Ms Edith Schwartz was elected treasurer. A career banker whose parents were the late Ken and Joan Chaplin – Ken the distinguished journalist, head of JIS and JAMPRESS, and adviser to Jamaican prime ministers – Christopher Chaplin has worked at financial institutions in both Jamaica and the United States. He was appointed Jamaica’s honorary consul in Philadelphia by Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, in April of 2019. The Consular Corps Association of Philadelphia (CCAP) is the oldest consular organisation in the United States and its members represent 63 countries around the world. THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 5 Lester Hinds/Gleaner Writer JAMAICA-BORN LORNA Mahlock has made history by becoming the first black woman commanding as a two-star general in the United States Marine Corps. BRIGADIER GENERAL Mahlock was nominated for promotion tomajor general earlier this month by US President Joe Biden, and the Senate confirmed her nomination in early December. Mahlock, who was born in Kingston, migrated to the United States in 1985 at age 17 years, settling in Brooklyn with her family, She enlisted in the Marines within months of arriving in the North American country. Mahlock, 54, is the National Security Agency’s deputy director of cybersecurity for combat support and is based at Fort Meade, Maryland. Throughout her career, she has served in many posts, including in the US European Command in Germany, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Japan, and Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38 in Southern California. She has commanded and led at various levels globally and in combat, including as air traffic control detachment commander; director of the Marine Corps Instructional Management School; air control officer, G3 Future Operations 1st Marine Aircraft Wing; company commander – Operation Southern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom 1; operations and executive officer – Operation Iraqi Freedom2; and director – Marine Air Command and Control System Experimental. MASTER’S IN NATIONAL SECURITY Mahlock has a master’s degree in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma at Norman, a master’s in national security and strategic studies with distinction from the Naval War College; a master’s in strategic studies from the United States Army War College; and a master’s certificate in information operations from the Naval Postgraduate School. She also is a graduate of the United Kingdom Defence College Higher Command and Staff source, according to the US Military’s website. She has also racked up several awards in her sterling career, including Legion of Merit; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Joint Service Achievement Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Good Conduct Medal. “I went to an all-girls Catholic school in the Caribbean, and then coming to the Jesuit construct was very helpful to me,”Mahlock said in an interviewwith her alma mater, Marquette University. “The professors at the NROTC (Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps) unit at Marquette really embraced the idea that in order to make folks better, you had to know their story, meet them where they were, and help them on the journey.” Over the years, Mahlock has witnessed major changes for women in the Marines. Up until 2016, women were barred from serving in combat. “I’ve seen that barrier lifted in my career,”she said in the interview a year ago. “We’ve got women flying strike aircraft, women in the infantry and artillery and tanks. …Regardless of where you’re from or your colour, gender or ethnicity, we’re just trying to figure out how to build the best fighting force.” editorial@gleanerjm.com Christopher Chaplin is Philadelphia consular corps association president J’can makes history as first black female 2-star gen in US Marine Corps BRIGADIER GENERAL LORNA MAHLOCK Lorna Mahlock PHOTOS BY US MARINE CORPS In this undated photo, Brig Gen Lorna Mahlock speaks with some troops. ELIJAH – SPIRITUAL ADVISOR My name is Elijah, I have been doing spiritual work for the past 14 years across the world. No voodoo! Spiritual work only! Readings, Baths, Sore Foot, Court Cases, Relationships and much more! Call ELIJAH at, 959-710-0671…… Chaplin
Neil Armstrong/Gleaner Writer FOUR JAMAICANS have been appointed or elected to or awarded important positions in the Senate of Canada, a group advising the federal government on inclusion for Black Canadians, the board of directors of Hockey Canada, and an honorary degree in the last quarter of 2022. In November, Sharon Burey, a paediatrician was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Dr Burey, it was noted, has dedicated her career to equality and justice for those living in poverty, visible minorities, and other marginalised communities. Dr Burey emigrated from Jamaica in 1976 and has practised as a behavioural paediatrician in Ontario for over 30 years. She has been an adjunct professor of paediatrics atWestern University since 2009. As a health advocacy and policy leader, she founded AttentionDeficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Windsor and serves as a member of the Paediatricians of Ontario Executive Council and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Health Policy Committee. She was also a paediatrics delegate to the OMA Council and member of the OMA Women Committee. Dr Burey was the first woman of colour to hold the position of president of the Paediatricians Alliance of Ontario, which also serves as the Ontario Chapter of the American Academy of Paediatrics. Her work as a health advocate has been recognised with numerous honours and awards, including the Ontario Chapter Excellence Award and the Special Achievement Award from the American Academy of Paediatrics, and the Excellence in Health Care Award from the North American Black Historical Museum and Cultural Centre. Dr Burey attended Western University, where she received a bachelor of science degree in biology. She completed her medical degree and specialty training in paediatrics at Dalhousie University, and she recently graduated with a mini-MBA in Physician Business Leadership from York University. She joins another Jamaican in the Senate – Dr Rosemary Moodie - who was appointed on December 12, 2018. DR GERVAN FEARON Also in November, George Brown College president Dr Gervan Fearon was appointed to chair a group that will advise the Government of Canada on reducing barriers and promoting inclusion for black Canadians. Through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI), the Government of Canada provides funding for black-led and black-serving organisations, initiatives and community spaces. Karina Gould, the minister of families, children and social development, announced Dr Fearon as the chair of the SBCCI External Reference Group, which will advise the minister on the following: promoting the inclusion of black community organisations, targeting barriers to the full participation of black Canadians in Canada, sharing knowledge and expertise on anti-black racism issues in Canada, and new and current issues affecting black Canadians and communities. “I look forward to working with the members of the external reference group as we come together to bring positive outcomes to black communities, to address systemic inequities they face, and to continue to build capacity for organisations serving black communities across Canada,” said Minister Gould. A George Brown College article notes that the group will also inform the government on how it can move forward on Canada’s commitments related to the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent. “I am excited to work with this incredible group to help bring about positive change for black Canadians,” said Dr Fearon, who was born in England to Jamaican parents and spent part of his childhood in Jamaica. “Each member brings a unique and important perspective to the table, and I look forward to working together to develop recommendations and advice that will benefit a wide range of black communities across the country.” This appointment builds on Dr Fearon’s deep commitment to developing community, removing barriers, and addressing anti-black racism. HUGH L. FRASER Hugh L. Fraser, a retired judge with nearly three decades of experience as a justice in the Ontario Court of Justice, was elected the new Chair of Hockey Canada, the national governing body for hockey in the country. In October, directors of the previous board stepped down amid a sex assault scandal. A new slate of boardmembers was elected in December. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Justice Fraser worked as a lawyer in private practice and served on the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for seven years. As a former Olympian, Justice Fraser took particular interest in sports law, holding a place on the Court of Arbitration for Sport since 1995 and served on the first ad hoc Court at the Olympic Games in 1996. Justice Fraser currently serves as an independent arbitrator with the United States Olympics and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the USOPC Athletes’ Advisory Council, the United States Anti-Doping Agency, and is a commissioner with Athletics Canada as well as one of 15 adjudicators on the NCAA Independent Resolution Panel for Complex Cases. Outside of the legal space, Justice Fraser is a former Olympian and a recognised international expert in sports law. He has held several administrative positions in sport, including president of the Sports Federation of Canada, president of the Commonwealth Games Foundation of Canada, and on the board of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. On December 29, 2021, Justice Fraser was appointed as Officer of the Order of Canada for his contribution to Canadian sport. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica, grew up in Kingston, Ontario, and currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario. AFUA COOPER Meanwhile, the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, was conferred on multidisciplinary scholar, artist, and author Afua Cooper by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia (BC). Honorary degrees, which are the highest honour conferred by the university, are awarded to distinguished individuals in recognition of their scholarly, scientific, or artistic achievement, or in recognition of exceptional contribution to the public good. Dr Cooper is a leader in AfricanCanadian Studies who is renowned for her examination of slavery, black education, women studies, and the African Diaspora. She brings international attention to issues of racism, inclusion, and black culture and advancing social justice and cultural awareness. In her address to the Fall 2022 graduands, Dr Cooper said her forebears survived the Middle Passage, slavery, discrimination, racism, and colonialism and she lives to tell that story, paying homage to her ancestors. “As someone who works in the field of black history and culture, especially with respect to the Canadian experience, I understand all too well the need for this breadth, compassion, and courage. Black people in Canada have demonstrated great resilience in their journey to contribute, to build and become recognised as part of this country,” she said. Cooper encouraged the graduands to take inspiration from these stories because despite the severe discrimination, blacks fought back by displaying strength and courage. “It is indeed a great honour for you to receive a university degree. Most people on the planet do not have that opportunity. I want you to ask yourself how you may use your education to benefit society. What do you want to give to the world?What do you expect to receive from the world? Be strong as you go out there and are met with unexpected challenges because you will be met with some challenges. But be positive, practise gratitude, meditate, go within yourself, find a community, and if you already have a community, develop and grow it. Develop a spiritual practice,” she said. THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 6 Jamaicans appointed to senior leadership roles in Canada Hugh L. Fraser Afua Cooper Dr. Gervan Fearon
Billion-dollar cocaine bust APPROXIMATELY 2,000 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $1.1 billion, was seized by Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) personnel last Monday after they intercepted a vessel at sea. According to the JDF, three Jamaicans who were aboard the go-fast boat were detained. It reported that the shipment of cocaine came from South America, with the JDF stating that the interception was made by its Air and Cyber Command through the combined efforts of the JDF Air Wing and the JDF Coast Guard. The JDF says the investigative process is ongoing as the relevant and appropriate authorities have been contacted. States of Public Emergency declared in eight parishes STATES OF Public Emergency (SOEs) are now in effect in eight parishes islandwide. These have been declared in St. Ann, Clarendon, St. Catherine, Kingston, St. Andrew, St. James, Westmoreland, and Hanover and are intended to curtail increased criminal activities and bolster public safety. Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, made the announcement during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) onWednesday (December 28). He said the Government, after carefully considering recommendations from the security chiefs, decided to notify the Governor-General that it was necessary and appropriate to declare the SOEs. The Prime Minister previously declared SOEs in several parishes and police divisions on December 6. 5.9% growth recorded in September quarter, says STATIN THE STATISTICAL Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) has reported that the economy is almost back to its pre-COVID level. It said that economic growth of 5.9 per cent was seen in the September quarter, when compared with the same quarter in the previous year. This means economic output, in real terms, has now surpassed the March 2020 level and is 99.9 per cent of the pre-COVID level of December 2019. During the quarter from July to September, the services industries grew by 6 per cent, while goods-producing industries grew by 5.6 per cent. In October, STATIN indicated that the country was on track to return to preCOVID-19 levels of economic output by 2023. NHT warns of possible scams as it prepares to refund 2015 contributions THE NATIONAL Housing Trust (NHT) is urging the public to be on the alert for scams as it prepares to begin accepting applications for a refund of contributions made in 2015. It says it has observed an increase in fictitious communication asking individuals to provide payment or bank account information to access some NHT services, in particular contributions refund. Eligible NHT contributors are being reminded that applications for 2015 contributions refund are being accepted as of January 2023 and that these must be made online. Customers may apply for their refund via the NHT’s website, www.nht.gov.jm, or via the mobile app, NHT Online. In addition, the NHT says it will be extending the cash refund granted to eligible public-sector workers for the upcoming year. Minister willing to contemplate 40-yr minimum sentence request for murder JUSTICE MINISTER Delroy Chuck says he would have no issue with taking into consideration a call from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn for 30 to 40 year’ imprisonment as the starting point for a life sentence for all murder convictions before eligibility for parole. “There is no doubt that we need to put a mandatory minimum [term of imprisonment]. Bear in mind, the death penalty is still the penalty for murder, so in especially egregious cases, nothing is wrong with making 40 years the mandatoryminimum, so I have no problem with that,” Chuck said in an interview last Thursday. THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS MISSED 7 [ NEWSYOU MAY HAVE MISSED ] Chuck Members of the Jamaica Defence Force unload cocaine from this vessel, which was intercepted close to St Thomas on Monday. CONTRIBUTED
EVERY DAY when I’m out talking to my fellowNewYorkers across the five boroughs, I hear the same things. All of us want a strong economy, safe streets and subways; more affordable housing; support for working families and a great education for our children. When I took office as your mayor a year ago, I pledged that we would Get Stuff Done in these areas, and I am proud to report that we have done just that. The economy is roaring back, with over 150,000 private-sector jobs added between January and October. Subway ridership is higher than it has been in two years. Tourism has recovered to 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, supporting jobs across every sector, from hotels to restaurants, bars and shops. After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, NewYork City is back. I can feel the energy everywhere I go, and I can see the difference fromwhen I was on the campaign trail. Much of this is due to our determination to focus on public safety from day one. While New York remains the safest big city in America, we know that people need to be safe and to feel safe. That’s why we worked so hard to address crime, disorder, and quality of life issues on every front. The good news is that crime is down. Major crimes have dropped this November fromwhere they were a year ago; and transit crime is down nearly 13 per cent – due in large part to our surge of NYPD officers in the transit system. We’ve removed nearly 7,000 illegal guns from our streets, and gun arrests are at a 27-year high. At the same time, we are offering alternative pathways to New Yorkers living in areas that are at high risk for gun violence – for example, job opportunities and training with organisations like BlocPower. ENVIRONMENTALLY RESILIENT Housing our neighbours has never beenmore important; and I have called for an all-hands-on-deck effort to build half a million new units of housing over the next 10 years. We are already scaling up our efforts on this front, building more affordable housing across the five boroughs, and investing in improving the public housing that already exists. We are also connecting NewYorkers in need to stable housing, and are taking boldmeasures to help our brothers and sisters with severe mental illness leave the streets and receive the medical support and services they urgently require. Our young people have struggled over the past two years. We must make sure that they have the tools to recover from the isolation of the pandemic and to succeed in their careers and lives. So, we expanded the summer youth employment programme to serve 90,000 young New Yorkers over the past summer. We’ve instituted dyslexia screenings in our schools so that all our students can learn to read fluently; and we extended our services to youth in foster care so we can now support young people ages 21-26, who are facing the challenges of transitioning to independent adult lives. And we are supporting our working families by increasing the earned income tax credit for the first time in over 20 years, putting $350 million dollars in the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers who need a break. A safe city is also a clean and environmentally resilient city. We started the largest-in-the-nation composting programme in Queens, which we hope to expand citywide. We are making sure that trash doesn’t collect in neglected areas, like underpasses; and we are limiting the amount of time residential trash can be left out on the sidewalk in an effort to reduce our rat population. Our city continues to face challenges, but as 2022 draws to a close there is much to be optimistic about. It is an honour to be mayor of the greatest city in world, And I’mproud of what our city has accomplished together. I’m looking forward to working for you and with you to get stuff done for our city in 2023 and beyond. - Eric Adams is Mayor of New York City. THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | 8 OPINION #GLNROPED The Gleaner welcomes your views on any issue. Preference will be given to letters of 300 words or less. They must bear the writer’s name, address and telephone contact. If using a pen name, you must state your full name. Your name and address will be withheld on request. EMAIL US: letters@gleanerjm.com or WRITE US: Editor, The Gleaner Company (Media) Ltd, 7 North Street, PO Box 40, Kingston, or fax: (876)922-6223 [ LETTER OF THEWEEK ] THERE ARE some positives to be eked out of the assault on the Devon House courtyard by the governors of the property in breach of their duty of care to the property’s history and of its value to the well-being of Jamaicans, especially those who live in the capital. The first good is the great public outrage over the courtyard’s ‘degreening’ and the strip mall-style tiling of the area. People’s anger at what has so far been done might give the culprits pause, causing them to think carefully before there is any further defacement of Devon House. Second, things could have been worse. Thankfully, they did not start the ‘renovation’on either the northern or western lawns. The grass may have been uprooted and old trees chopped down to be replaced with interlocking paving stones and vine-covered trestles. Devon House has historic and sentimental value for Jamaicans. It was built in 1881 by George Stiebel, reputed to be the island’s first black millionaire, on the lands of the old Anglican rectory. Mr Stiebel, who made his fortune mining in Latin America, purchased the property from the church. Devon House has been owned by the Government since the 1960s. It is now a national heritage site and a public place of recreation, with craft-themed stores and restaurants. MORE THAN AESTHETICS However, the Devon House issue is about more than aesthetics. There is something profound in the distress. While it may not be articulated exactly this way, the emotion embraces the fear of something deeply important to a society’s well-being being diminished or irretrievably lost. It is of green spaces in the context of recreation. Kingston and St Andrew are in the midst of a relative building boom. Higher allowable densities and a seemingly gung-ho disregard for restrictive covenants by some developers have led to the rapid construction of multistorey apartment and townhouse complexes across the municipality. Old neighbourhoods of sprawling bungalows and manicured lawns are in retreat, overtaken and replaced by the new high-rises. There are no compensatory green spaces. Suburban folks increasingly feel hemmed in. For many city dwellers, Devon House, like Emancipation Park and Hope Gardens, offered respite – an oasis of escape from the concrete drabness of their communities, and, for too many, the cramped spaces of their existence. They also feel safe. Indeed, should anyone care to really observe, they would note the demographic mix of the people who use Devon House and the capital’s other available, developed, and secure parks. Parents and children gambol or relax on lawns. In quiet corners, students sometimes study. People, including brides and grooms and their wedding parties, take pictures. There is great value in these things. In addition to an individual’s psychological well-being, they contribute to social cohesion – and the cementing of families. And to a lessening of friction, which contributes to a reduction in antisocial behaviour and, therefore, of crime. BAFFLING In that context – of Devon House as a soft, lush, and relatively intimate place of recreation – it is baffling that the Tourism Enhancement Fund, sanctioned by those who, purportedly, are obliged to protect the facility, would spend over $70 million on a project, supposedly undertaken in the interest of the people who use the place. Yet no one asked these people what they wanted. If they were asked, it was in muted tones. No one heard. In any event, those questions must be clear and stark and the ensuing discussion full and frank. They should have explored matters such as the relative merits of grass and concrete in, say, photosynthesis, and their impact on the environment. Further, the Devon House matter also retrains attention on the use of Jamaica’s land and the inefficient allocation of this limited resource. The Government, for instance, continues with its plan to build a city on Jamaica’s “most fertile … A1 soil” at Bernard Lodge, St Catherine, rather than leaving it for agriculture. Instead, it should concentrate on urban renewal. The Government is also moving forward with the plan to construct a new parliament building at the National Heroes Park rather than developing the area as green space for recreation. Hopefully, the public outcry will cause the Devon House honchos to calibrate and otherwise cause officialdom to seriously consider the value of green spaces for recreation. Indeed, as we have argued previously, recreation, in the appropriate environment, also provides an opportunity for recreation. Which also spells upliftment and transformation. The defacement of Devon House A Year of Getting Stuff Done! Eric Adams “...You don’t need even a class in sociology to know that children cannot be raised properly by accident or default, and they do not usually do as well as self-rising flour in raising themselves either. Seemingly, parents are not only forgetful of the cruciality of their influence on their children as significant persons, but unmindful too of the dangers to which they expose their children when they are left with ignorant and irresponsible others,”writes Rev Clinton Chisholm. Empowering families as agents of change THE MONTHLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 14 - MARCH 16, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | FEATURE 2 >> Page 8 Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, will be the toast of Washington, DC, at th 9th annual David ‘Wagga’ Hunt Scholarship Award Red Carpet Ball on February 20. 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 Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz, first counsellor and head of cooperation for Jamaica, raps with Shaqwayne Williams (right) and Marcello Richards from the Regent Street Basic School located in Denham Town, Kingston. The European Union, along with JSIF, conducted a tour of the community on Wednesday. KENYON HEMANS/PHOTOGRAPHER 1955: PRESIDENT of Haiti, Paul Eugene agloire, sets foo n Jamaican soil and makes hisory as the first president of th neighbouring Ca ibbean repu lic to visit Jamaica. In th company of Madame Magloire and an entourage of officers, Magloi e arrive by a specially-chart red Pan-American Airways p an which brings him to the Palisado s Airport fromOttawa, Canada. His visit was in connecti n with the c lebration of the Jamaican Tercenentary. 1966: Shipping history is made in the Jamaica when the 52,000-ton“United States”Ship - the largest ever to me to th Island, docks at the new piers of western terminals at New PortWest in Kingston. Paying a one-day visit to Kingst n as part of a Caribbean cruis , the pride of t e United States Line arrives with 809 cruise passengers, including 200 Shriner Pass ngers. 1969: Roland Michener, governor gene al of Canada and Mrs Michener, as part of their state visit journeys to St A n where Michener unveils a plaque at the Walkers Wood Primary Sc ool an officially declares the school open. In unveiling the plaque, Michener says that of all for s of cooperation, no e appealed to him as much as cooperation in education and therefore the unveiling of the plaque at Walkers Wood is even more significant t him. TheW lkersWo d School is one of several const ucted by the joint effort of the Canadian and Jamaican governments. email library@gleanerjm.com This Day In Our Past: February 14 1969: Mayor of St. Ann’s Bay, Councillor Phillip Brown (left) as he was introduced to t G vernor General of Cana a, the Rt. on . Roland Michener (second from right), at Walkers Wo d Prima y school in St. Ann on February 14, by the Minister of Education, the Hon. Edwin A len (right). A Parliam ntary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Arthur Williams, looks on. FILE MUST READS >> Page 7 Karen Morris-Clarke is vying for a sea on the Wellington Village Council on March 8 this year. >> Page 14 Vancouver businessman Bryan Johnson aims to i spir black youth o pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). >> Page 13 The Bob Marley ‘One Love Experience’ exhibition had its official opening at the Saatchi Gallery in Kings Road, London last week, and fans of the Jamaican reggae icon are reportedly in for a treat. >> Page 19 Film-makers Jennifer Hol ss and Sudz Sutherland expl re Bl ck History as Canadian History in a new series ‘BLK: An Origin Story’ to be aired on the History channel starting the last weekend of February. 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