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Dayton Campbell’s maturity

Sometimes we say things that could return to haunt us or make life miserable for us, over time.

One such statement was made by parliamentarian Dr Dayton Campbell three years ago, while he was on a political platform addressing a crowd of fully-charged People’s National Party supporters. Campbell, the general secretary of Jamaica’s oldest political party, blundered big time.

The information that he conveyed was false. There was an ongoing rumour that an individual with a political linkage was involved in the rape and death by strangulation of Diane Smith, a student of Immaculate Conception High School, on May 4, 1983. Where that rumour originated is anybody’s guess.

Subsequently, one Dennis Jenkins, called ‘Shorty’, was charged, along with an accomplice, with her rape and murder. He spent two years and 10 days in lockup for a crime that he did not commit. He was tried twice. Thanks to his brilliant legal team, led by one W. Earl Witter, Esq, in the second trial, Shorty continues to breathe freely.

Stories that he was sent to the United States, later killed, and his body returned to Jamaica, were also absolutely false, as he had never left his certain St Andrew community of birth.

I list all that information because the man with the political linkage, Daryl Vaz, a longstanding member of the Jamaican Parliament and Cabinet minister, continues to be persecuted by rumours. Shorty too. It is time for it to stop. 

Now, Dr Campbell has paid a hefty price for saying things connected to that rumour, even though the fine that the court revealed last week at the end of a defamation suit that also involved two other Jamaica Labour Party members – James Robertson, who represents the people of St Thomas Western in Parliament, and Othneil Lawrence, a former member from St Ann North Western – does not seem, to some, to be that significant.

Dr Campbell, to his credit, decided to man up and admit that he was wrong and proceeded to apologise. It takes a real big man to do that. Instead of wasting any more of the court’s time, Dr Campbell decided to do what he should have done three years prior, but it is never too late for that downpour.

There appeared to have been decent communication between Dr Campbell on the one hand and Robertson and Lawrence on the other. I detected that during the process, Vaz was not in a smiling mood, having been hurt by the lie for so long. That’s understandable.

Dr Campbell is a man whom I admire. Hugely. He, at times, says things that irritate some. But deep down, he is a nice guy, and I daresay, one with malice towards none. We have had our disagreements. That’s normal. We have had nice times too, and I am absolutely certain that he has Jamaica’s best interest at heart.

I laud him for his decision to cut to the chase in the last edition of the court matter, and resolve the discord with Vaz, Robertson, and Lawrence.

Dr Campbell will learn from it. He is a brilliant man … one of a few from this country or in this country, to attain degrees in medicine and law. That counts for something special.  

Holness and Third-Country Nationals

Prime Minister Andrew Holness continued his defence of the partnership that Jamaica has in place with the United States, with the accommodation of Third-Country Nationals by Jamaica, in what has been described as a temporary procedure.

Holness repeated that ‘no criminals’ will be accepted by Jamaica, sometimes even emphasising that no ‘serious criminals’, will set foot on the island. Now, isn’t a criminal a criminal? And how is a ‘serious criminal’ defined, as distinct from a, I suppose, regular criminal?

If those who committed crimes in the United States, described as “despicable” by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are to be deported, they must have done things that were against the law in that country. That makes them criminals. So, why should small states have to bear the burden of hugging them up, when they could easily have been deported directly from the US to their homelands?

So now we are expected to believe that the people who are due to arrive in Jamaica are all priests who would otherwise be treated like seniors at the Vatican.

When will the leaders of Jamaica stop insulting the intelligence of the people by making silly statements that are bereft of substance?

Jamaica is in bad shape already, economically and socially. Geopolitical issues have added to the woes of the nearly 2.8 million inhabitants who call the place home. Just look at what has been happening in Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Israel, and a few other countries, and it will become clear that the world continues to be a difficult place, caused mainly by greed and the thirst for power and wealth.

Sadly, many of the people of Jamaica do not know how to stand up and defend their rights and their ideals. They prefer to stay glued to the simplicities of life, like ignoring when their rights are threatened, spending too much time viewing TikTok videos of African people faking pregnancies, spiking the drinks of their lovers and all manner of unreal things.

The need to be at the latest social events and the over-abuse of expensive alcohol in a bid to apply for membership in the Organisation of the Elite prevails.

Is it only when things get really out of place, and people start running around like headless chickens, that we will see interest being shown by them in respect of their welfare?

World Cup sweetener

Except for the absence of Brazil, FIFA will be quite happy with the semifinal lineups at the 2026 World Cup now winding down in the United States, following action also in Mexico and Canada.

The fact that the semifinalists are the top four-ranked teams must be great news for the organisation that runs football globally. Save for a few decisions by referees overawed by the occasion, France, Spain, England, and Argentina did what was required of them to get into the last four.

For my sake, I would like France and England to reach the final, and for the Englishmen to achieve what they did 60 years ago. As they say in this game, though, any number can play, and so, we must approach the semis objectively and accept the overall results.

The 2026 World Cup is not my favourite. Too many technical challenges have been at play, which have led to disappointing outcomes.

Then, the open interference by US President Donald Trump, in influencing a red card decision, and bragging about things that he does not understand, made FIFA out to be a puppy in a big dog’s world. 

Firm, unbiased leadership must be in control in the short term. The review of the 2026 tournament must be done in as transparent a manner as is possible, and although FIFA can be so secretive, its constituents – the people of the world – should be informed of its findings.

There are no issues from my end regarding the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams. It allows teams like Cape Verde, other countries in the African region, the Caribbean, and Asia the chance to compete.

In fact, I am still of the view that the World Cup, as difficult and challenging as it is to run, should be held every two years, but not with an idiot like its current president, Gianni Infantino, in charge.

A policeman’s respectable decision

One day last week, while I drove down King Street, downtown Kingston, a police vehicle pulled up alongside me as I awaited a green at a traffic stop. 

A conversation with the driver, who seemed like a veteran, began: ‘Good afternoon, sir, do you need a ticket? I was confused, momentarily (my critics would tell me that I am always confused).

The policeman repeated the question. I answered, ‘what’s going on’, and he proceeded to tell me that the left brake light on my car seemed to have gone into early retirement. He did not pull me over, but pointed out the defect and urged me, when I got the time, to check it out, with a view to replacing it. I was so impressed with his approach to the matter, and expressed my gratitude, but it appeared that he was allergic to green, for as the light changed, he sped off like Lewis Hamilton, and I failed to get his particulars.

It could have gone differently. I have no ‘criss’ car like my friends Dr Patrick Dallas, Maurice Weir, Charlie Grant, Rohan Daley or Dr Paul Wright, and the pop-up that would normally be visible on the dashboard to indicate the problem was on vacation. An understanding policeman realised that not everyone had eyes in the back of his head, and so he did what was required … inform the motorist of the problem and urge him to get it corrected, instead of hastily pushing for a monetary addition to the Consolidated Fund.

That was a decent approach to such a matter.