It came a bit late in the day but a delivery by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the 50th CARICOM Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in St Kitts and Nevis last week, in respect of his stance on Cuba, has increased the value of his stocks.

As conservative as he is known to be, Holness changed gear when many were expecting him to toe the line as he often does when it comes to matters related to certain United States administrations, such as the spineless, right-wing one that is being run by a madman these days.

Cuba has been treated unfairly by the United States since January 1, 1959. It has been 67 years of hell for the Caribbean nation, a country that has consistently extended the visa of friendship to Jamaica, since relations were established in 1973, except for the chopping of those relations by former PM Edward Seaga between 1981 and 1989.

Speaking as outgoing chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Holness rightly called for regional leaders to pay attention to the economic and humanitarian challenges that Cuba faced, as there could be consequences for the region. He cited food and energy shortages as critical elements that needed to be straightened out for the nation of just over 10 million inhabitants.

Adding that Jamaica must ‘speak plainly’ about happenings in Cuba, he reminded those who suffer from selective amnesia about the splendid job that Cuba’s doctors and teachers had done and continue to do for not only Jamaica, but many other countries in the region, including the most ungrateful of them all, Trinidad & Tobago (He did not mention T&T or any other by name).

Later, there was an unconscionable outburst by right-wing Havana-born, Floridian Republican Congressman Carlos A Gimenez, a former mayor of Miami-Dade County, and son of Carlos Jr, a big Cuban land baron who fled the north Caribbean island when Fidel Castro’s troops claimed victory over Fulgencio Batista’s oppressors at the start of 1959.

But what Gimenes said about Jamaica ‘facing the consequences’ was the most offensive remark of all, and tells you just how people often react when they do not have their way. To them, there ought to be no dissenting voices. So, everyone must follow the United States’ way, or no way at all.

• RELATED: US congressman condemns Holness statement on Cuba, threatens ‘consequences’

Holness did not utter words that would be considered far left. Can you imagine what would have happened had he done that?

He should be back in Jamaica by now, so members of his inner circle may contact him and inform him that a drink, increased tax on it or not, awaits him at the venue of his choice, for having taken a position that amounted to the fairest and most decent thing.

Cheers to the prime minister.

‘Bigga’s murder confirms crime’s reality 

A man just cannot get a chance to live out his life. ‘Bigga’ at age 48, had lost a sister less than eight years ago. She ran a bar at the front of the yard, which housed his garage towards the rear of the property.

As far as I know, no one has been charged with her murder. And so, according to my Wolmer’s friend, Dr Paul Wright, the beat goes on, and on, and on. 

He was born Albert Miller, but whenever you earn a few extra pounds, especially in the region of the gut, the first nickname you would be forced to accept would be Bigga. That he was, but if there were an excellent mechanic, then Bigga would be the favourite to wear that tag. He ran his business for several years in the Montpelier section of St James Southern, and I am not sure if any complaint had ever been lodged about malpractice. 

If I were in that section of Jamaica for a day or more, a visit to Bigga would have to be on the agenda, even if my vehicle required no examination. For he was a man who could hold a reasoning on any subject, whether about Jamaica, or on the global front, and had his arguments straighter than any arrow.

Last Thursday, Bigga went to pick up visitors at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and drove past his house for the last time, onward to Westmoreland. His light was switched off as he approached Little London, near the spot where my niece was shot dead in what police said was a case of mistaken identity almost three years ago. The Toyota Noah he was driving was hit in the rear by a Nissan AD Wagon. He exited the vehicle and urged the other driver to meet him at Little London Police Station to report the collision. He then came face-to-face with a gun. One shot entered in the region of the neck, and that was that…lights out in the first round.

And so, one more Jamaican who had so much more to contribute to the island, to fix more of those vehicles owned by policemen, taximen, minibus drivers, members of his community, those who had travelled from far to seek his expertise, has gone down.

The further upbringing of his daughter, and the grandchild that he adored so much, have hit a solid wall, because the structures that should have protected him from such aggression were not in place. When will they be in place? Not sure, but wait until the next election campaign starts, and the promises will flow, again and again that crime is down and people need not fear for their lives. 

Jamaica is still a difficult place to live, and like the 1992 findings of a national survey on crime, the people of this great country have a 32 per cent chance of dying by the gun each day. Nothing has changed.

That Lucien Anderson shooting death

The death of former footballer Lucien Anderson in Arnett Gardens last week has reopened a wound that modern medicine has been unable to fix adequately. 

Too many murders go unsolved, and sometimes the police will get up, eliminate someone from the land of the living, and the next thing you hear is that the individual was wanted for the murder of X or Y, thereby closing a case that hitherto should have remained open.

There is still a strangeness about how the police investigate cases, and I am well aware that technology has improved nowadays, which allows law enforcers to be better able to get to the meat of some matters. That being the case, it should not be so difficult to apprehend criminals, instead of shooting them dead and producing the same echo that ‘acting upon intelligence, the police went to premises located over yonder and were greeted by gunfire. The fire was returned, and when the smoke cleared, two men were discovered to be suffering from gunshot wounds. They were RUSHED (police travelling at 5 mph, and stopping to buy three rounds of liquor) to hospital where they were pronounced dead.’ 

At this rate, the criminal court, the section that deals with gun matters, will soon have to lay off judges or make their positions redundant. 

My beef is that the police often get it wrong and kill the wrong person. And they often do so in a bid to ‘produce’ results that will allow the general population to conclude that, ‘Yes man, police get the bad bwoy. Him did fi dead from long time‘. That might be the case involving a man who was killed by uniformed personnel in Seaview, near Southfield, St Elizabeth, last Thursday, as I had often heard of the deceased man’s antics and reputation as a believer in the gun. Citizens of the area insisted to me that the police had the right man, and added that there were more in the area who needed to be taken out.

I’m not so sure about the way that Lucien Anderson, the former Charlie Smith and Arnett Gardens footballer, was shot up without mercy last week, though. I knew Lucien for years, and interviewed him as a schoolboy and senior football player. The link strengthened while I served as an executive member of Arnett Gardens over 25 years ago. 

While I would never venture to say that Lucien was involved in this or that activity, for I do not know, to my knowledge, he was not a ‘shotta’, rather someone who was more often than not, a heavier than normal consumer of liquor, who just liked to enjoy himself in his own style.

Now, for me to hear that when the police, again acting on information, entered his yard and were greeted by gunfire from him, which was ‘returned’ and the rest occurred, I had to wonder if Lucien had gone mad. No criminal, with a gun in hand, faces scores of police on an operation and fires the first shot…unless they walked out of Bellevue recently. That so-called explanation that Lucien emerged with gun in hand and fired at the police, I thought, was a blatant lie. The police ought to do better. They always know what happens in such a situation. And then, these ‘wanted men’ are always bad shots, as it seems that no policeman or woman on duty ever gets wounded or killed. Even when friendly fire is involved, the gunman often gets the blame.

The drop in murders last calendar year was credited with effective police action. But what do we have to say about the police killing a record 300 people, which was recorded by their statisticians? I dare suggest that a majority of those lives that were ended by police were murdered by representatives of the State. So, in effect, we could argue the overall national murder toll was in the region of 1,000. Why does the police feel that a decline in murder means that they did an excellent job, when there are so many other things to consider? 

Strides from Gibson/McCook Relays

The Gibson/McCook Relays on the last day of February further built the vibe that much more can be expected in a season that has so far lit up brighter than all the fireworks in Times Square, New York, on New Year’s Eve. I felt proud that this Caribbean nation continues to produce so many impressive youngsters.

As I watched, I felt happy that in my time of running the 100 and 200 metres, I did not have to wear those tightly fitted shorts, or tights as they are called, that most male athletes are sporting now, as I would have felt slightly uncomfortable, maybe even embarrassed by the bulge that goes with them.

I was always a private individual, and showing off in full display, the little of what I had in my days, would not cut it. I often wonder how men feel about presenting their manhood in full view of everyone. But then, I guess if you have what it takes to stand on the right platform, then it’s fine.

That aside, the meet was quite well organised, and I think that those in charge should stick to the latest format.

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