Kingston isn't Jamaica !

 As a country girl growing up, I often not only heard the term"Kingston is Jamaica" but also saw it in action and was always incensed.  

We had to become accustomed to being left behind, for that is how most of our governments operated. 

In short, we were 'back a bush' so had to be satisfied with 'what lef' or nothing!😡

So, we never even saw street lights or asphalt roads  much less sidewalks, until we went to the great city.

Seeing the immediate reaction by many to the devastation left by Beryl, just reminded me how we country folk used to feel being left out of the picture.

To be clear, I am no longer a Jamaican country person or even a Jamaican resident anymore. But it really hurt when for days I got news from home that hurricane Beryl had only been a little breeze blow which had only done minimum damage.

Ok, admittedly, many of those who referred to it as a little 'breeze blow' had survived Gilbert and it's aftermath which had caused them to be without electricity for weeks on end and had  known many roofless friends and neighbors.

 So they having expected a very bad experience  based on Beryl being  prophesied to be worse and it sure wasn't in their neighborhoods, can be excused. 

But not the media which downplayed the island wide damage or couldn't wait till they had the facts.

 So they carried stories of comfort, based on the situation in most of Kingston.

Yup. In their minds, Kingston is still Jamaica apparently!

It was only about two days after Beryl had totally wrecked sections of Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth, that the rest of the country and indeed world, started to recognize that there was more to Jamaica than Kingston!

I eventually learned that the devastation in my parish, St. Elizabeth, had really been severe, with a vast number of persons left totally homeless or severely exposed to the elements.

The destruction in these country areas are not only parochial problems though as it is these three parishes that mainly supply a significant amount of not only the fruits, foods and vegetables to the entire country of Jamaica, but poultry and fish as well.

Let's hope when it comes to rehabilitation and helping people to get their lives back on stream, the Kingston is Jamaica philosophy will not prevail. As everyone is a taxpayer (even if it's only GCT)  and should not be treated as lesser beings, simply by virtue of not having been born 'under di clack' 😡.

And this means in terms of having essentials like light and water restored!

We also all need to be vigilant to ensure that the billions to be spent to repair infrastructure is properly accounted for and quality work done, for remember this is just the first hurricane of what is predicted to be an active season.

Lusaka

 We left Livingstone today on Airlink and were in Lusaka just over an hour later. My only regret is we never got last look at the amazing Victoria Falls from the air as we did coming in. But we could see the mist in the distance.

Wendy is the greatest.

She hasn’t changed a bit, looks like the same beautiful young lady I knew when she and my daughter Michele became close friends at UWI.

She picked us up at airport, then surprise of surprises, transported to a brand new apartment. 

This apartment is in a newly built complex called Agora Village. It’s composed of shops on the ground floor, office space upstairs and apartment blocks as well.

I was surprised as I had thought for months that we would be staying with her! 

As she is working from home, she wanted us to have our space, she said. 

A creative way to build a bench. Just a slab held up by stones packed in a wire cage!

And our apartment was  stacked with food and even wine!

I tried to protest that she had gone to too much expense but was put in my place by “ Just sharing the blessing. God don't hold back. I am blessed. So I am sharing”. Now how do I argue with that?😊

Next, we went to her home, picked up her son at school and went back home.

She has a lovely home close to her children’s school.

We spent the afternoon catching up on old times then had the most delicious lunch.

While the curry smelled and tasted like the types we are accustomed to, it had a red color. 

It came from South Africa I was told. My lesson for today😊

Her backyard and the bigger dog

Lusaka definitely reminds me of Kingston in so many ways, except: crime is minimal if not totally non existent, People drive a lot more sanely than we do but many roads have no sidewalks and there are no mountains in sight. (Wendy says the only mountains (hills really) are at the border with the D.R).

It must be at least 100 time larger than Kingston though as from the air it appears to spread out forever!

And I find the people here extremely polite, friendly and helpful. 

Reminds me of how Jamaicans were in the olden days.

Looking forward to a wonderful stay ‘at home’ in Lusaka 😊

Blame the victim yes!

There is a highly developed strategy which was initiated and perfected by the police decades ago, to take pressure off them for none-performance. It has been so successful that I see it is now being adopted by other agencies, the latest being the National Road Safety Council (NRSC.)

It’s called; BLAME THE VICTIM.

In case you never noticed, the moment someone of little or no influence or wealth is murdered in Jamaica, the police immediately issue a statement without providing  any evidence at all, claiming the victim had been involved in some kind of illegal activity. 

And it has worked wonders for them, as unless the victim is an affluent person or social influencer, no pressure is put on them to solve the murder, so they get away with doing very little or nothing.

This morning, I heard Dr. Lucien Jones, vice chairman of the NRSC spewing the same crap on RJR radio news. (Saturday 13th August.)

 The news item surrounded the fact that three pedestrians had been killed during the week. His brilliant contribution to the news was to condemn pedestrians for not being more careful and dressing properly!

I wonder what is Dr. Jones’ experience as a pedestrian? I suspect none, for if he had any, he would realize that most of us value our lives and limbs. (except for the random drunk or those who like to fly high).

More often, it is the motorists who drive as if it is ok to wipe us off the face of the earth.  

I suppose Dr. Jones thought he could deflect blame from the real culprits by his intervention, for the real delinquents are often not the pedestrians, but government, (local and central) as well the NWA and NRSC. 

Yes them too, for what educational programs do they really provide?

As to government, one would think that in a country barely able to import fuel, they would be more caring towards those who have to use the ‘ten toe turbo.’ 

But no sah, a nuh suh it guh at all.

Look at this latest initiative from our caring government!

According to the JIS; “The import duty on electric vehicles has been reduced from 30 per cent to 10 per cent and purchasers will not have to pay motor vehicle license fees over the next five years. The measures, which took effect on July 14, are supporting Jamaica's transition from a high dependence on petroleum for motor vehicles by making it more affordable for Jamaicans to acquire electric vehicles. This was made possible when the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the Customs Tariff (Revision) (Amendment) (No. 2), Resolution, 2022, and the Road Traffic (License Duties) Order, 2022, and Resolution to give effect to the measures. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, informed that the lower duty rates and the elimination of the fee requirement apply to electric vehicles that are three years old or less at the time of importation.”

Ever wonder who drives electric vehicles? The rich of course. 

In the meantime, the very poor who often can’t even buy a bicycle because of the high import duty, must continue to endanger their lives by walking on roads which have no sidewalks. And where they exist, they are designed to harm you not help you, as they are often full of holes or have huge cracks on which you are bound to buck yu foot and bruk summen.

A perfect example is the essential West Avenue corridor, which runs from the busy Constant Spring Road to Dunrobin Avenue in Kingston. 

This road is used daily by hundreds from Queens School and a number of basic and kindergarten schools nearby. Yet, on this road, not only are there very few patches of sidewalk which are not overtaken by grass and weeds, but also where you see any, they are they are in such a bad condition that pedestrians have no alternative but to walk in the road.

Tribute to the Sunshine Girls outside the arena. They are often under-appreciated, but have consistently keep our flag flying high.

Yes, we need to celebrate our 60 years of independence from Britain for our sports men/women and cultural icons have made our country well known and respected  throughout the world.

However successive governments have given us nothing to celebrate considering our high crime rate, poor educational achievements (read Bruce Golding’s recent analysis) poor transportation system, high level of poverty, the constant dangers under which we have to exist, be it from police, gunmen, or inconsiderate and dangerous road users.