That Colour Problem.

I don't know when the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) chose the colour green as its party's colour, but it is certainly causing nightmares for the Peoples National Party, its opponent and the  party which now forms government in Jamaica. (It won the election in December 2012.)

You see the dominant colour in the Jamaican flag is green! 

This silly colour problem seeped into the public sphere when the mayor of Montego Bay, Jamaica's second  city, was being sworn in. For that was when some PNP cultists who were in charge of decorating the venue had such a serious problem with the dominant green in the flag, that they changed the backdrop, for they used the flag design, but put only the black and yellow!

Of course this caused a furor nationally and internationally and the foolish and lame excuse from the PNP Mayor did not help, since he claimed that they could not find any green material in Montego Bay, so that is why the backdrop was only in yellow and black!

As part two of our colour problem has emerged, it now surrounds the official song  to celebrate Jamaica's 50th anniversary as an independent nation.

Up to December 2011, the JLP had formed the government and they had started to put in place arrangements for a big bash in 2012 to celebrate the 50th. Among the plans left behind was an official song entitled 'Find the Flag" (in your heart and wave it.)

The  serious controversy was created when the new PNP government paid twice as much as it should have cost, to have another "official"song, "On a Mission" done.

 I had wondered what it was all about until I saw the music video for Fly the Flag, for there is an over-abundance of green in the video as hundreds of  flags are being waved.

This is what the poor PNP cannot deal with once again. It is also clear that they are on a mission to highlight yellow. You see, that is the official colour of the present Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. For while the official PNP party colour is Orange, when Portia defended her leadership twice, all her paraphernalia was yellow and that  tends to be the dominant colour for them these days.

So when  you see the On a Mission print ads these days, the colour that blinds you is yellow! Poor idiots.

You know we have such petty politicians and their antics are really boring.

But when they seek to bring our important 50th Anniversary celebrations into disrepute over the stupid colour controversy, it is really moves from boring to pathetic. 

What have we done to deserve such idiots as our leaders?

But isn't the bible that says we get the leaders we deserve? I guess it means, we Jamaicans are really a bunch of idiots.

The Jamaican flag.

The Fabulous Cinchona gardens

Chincona Gardens has not changed that much but what has changed, is the road from Mavis Bank to get there. For that has deteriorated badly since the last time we traversed it. Its a shame, for the scenery along that route is so breathtaking.

Those were the thoughts that crowded my head as 19 of us from Fun and thrills Adventure club wended way slowly up through the dangerous circuit of break aways and potholes on our way to St.Peter’s from where we would hike to Cinchona.

I had been to Cinchona many years before but via Westphalia and Halls Delight and this way via Clydesdale seemed steeper to me but just as scenic as the vast colourful mountains loomed protectively around us all the way while the lush green flora and fresh cool mountain air took all tiredness that thought of creeping in, away. So despite the steepness, the two and half hour trek was not all that tiring

At Cinchona itself we had snacks and messed around, taking in the beauty of the trees from eucalyptus to cinchona trees (from which quinine was made to treat malaria in the olden days)and the colourful ferns, lilies cannas etc . We also explored  the two Bamboo walks  with  their velvety moss floor.

As we hung around,  we saw a lone white man hiking towards us. As usual, Charles in his hospitable style, started to question him and we soon discovered that he was from Montreal and this was the twelfth country he was travelling around by all means possible. He had come up from Mavis bank on the back of a bike for $500 and hiked to Cinchona. This was after hiking up to the Blue Mountain Peak the day before. We offered him water and food and soon he was one of us, gratefully accepting the offer of a ride back to Kingston.

On the way back, we stopped at a small stream and waterfall just above Clydesdayle but only after my freezing toe told my brain to resist any effort to put any more of my body into that icebox. 

I retreated but Charles, Howie, Thomas the Canadian guy Jeff and Lisa were not as timid however and all seemed to have a whale of a time.

On our return to St. Peters wer were grateful that Charles had had the foresight to order red peas soup, one with fish base and the other with chicken, for the weary hikers.

We headed back around 3pm but took instead the route via Silver Hill, and Section to Newcastle, a far less treacherous corridor than via the Content, Mount Lebanon side. 

It had been a really fabulous day interspersed by discussions on every subject but mainly homosexuality, while the photographers, professional and point and shooters, had a field day.

For more photographs, see:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151043323386823.484803.763366822&type=3

The Politics of Cultiusm

The ridiculous practice whereby new Jamaican governments,  for selfish, cultist reasons, discontinue work  in progress by a previous government, just cannot continue beyond this our 50th year of independence, for it is just too expensive for  it is just too expensive for this bankrupt nation.

As I drove through east rural St. Andrew, the reality once again struck as one saw the proliferation of dangerous break away after breakaway and the myriad of potholes on some of the narrowest and  most dangerous corridors in the country. Yet every couple miles there  were the JDIP signs outlining the retaining walls and other remedial works which had been started over a year ago but which were stopped by this new government.

Yes we all want to know how the JDIP funds were spent and where applicable, we want to see some people go to jail if they stole or misappropriated those funds which the next generation has to pay back. But surely stopping critical rehabilitation of the infrastructure is totally unnecessary, especially in a country where the most basic audits take forever. 

What we have to consider too is the fact that when you stop work such as this, to start it back becomes extremely expensive as all sorts of additional damage is done in the interim which has to be corrected.

The spiteful practice of stopping work started by a  previous administration, has been holding back Jamaica for decades and if we start the next fifty years of our failed independence with such decadent policies, the deterioration in the country will only escalate.

And on another matter, I hope young Damion Crawford  (th Member of Parliament) has plans to open back Chestervale Youth camp to give badly needed training, especially to those of your youth at risk. For this fully furnished facility was closed from the early 2000’s or late 1900’s and is racking up millions of dollars in security costs while young people perish.