Accompong colonel decries meeting, ‘betrayal’ by fellow Maroon leaders

In an attempt to ease recent tensions, Prime Minister Andrew Holness today (January 21) met with several Maroon leaders at Jamaica House.

According to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Friday, the meeting comprised Colonel Lloyd Latibeaudiere of the Scotts Hall Maroons, Colonel Wallace Sterling of the Moore Town Maroons and Colonel Marcia Douglas of the Charles Town Maroons. 

“Also in attendance were Minister of Culture Olivia Grange and Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Robert Nesta Morgan,” the OPM advised.

“After productive discussions, it was agreed that future meetings will be convened to continue the positive engagement between the Government and the Maroons,” the statement read further.

In an obvious cold-shoulder to the Accompong Maroons, Colonel Richard Currie was not present at today’s meeting, which serves to further isolate the St Elizabeth enclave and its self-determination agenda. 

Currie, reacting to the ‘betrayal’ in an Instagram Live video, calmly questioned why after agreeing to have a united front in requests for dialogue—as recently as Sunday—his fellow leaders would suddenly change their minds.

It was at a joint meeting with all the Maroon chiefs, as well as other members of the self-proclaimed indigenous community, that it was disclosed the Holness Administration had contacted Colonel Sterling asking for an audience with the Maroon leaders—on the condition that Currie not be invited.

Currie was seemingly taken aback that after previously coming to an accord that if all chiefs weren’t present then none would attend, that such an about-face had swept his fellow leaders.

To add insult to injury, the audience with Holness at OPM comes hours after an emergency meeting was called just Thursday night, where Currie again reiterated a plea to speak with a singular voice. 

Still, the 40-year-old leader insisted that he will not deviate from defending the ancestral rights of his people, adding that contrary to the rhetoric pushed by both the Government and media entities, Accompong only wants recognition and peace.

According to Currie, Accompong has heard one too many promises of development from the Government of Jamaica, all while Maroons are repeatedly left to struggle.

See Currie’s statement in full below: 

“Unity is what essentially binds a movement and creates the solidarity behind any movement of a people, be it for just cause, in defining its purest and simplest way. 

I come to you this morning to address a significant happening within the last week. On Sunday, the Maroon Chiefs had a meeting to discuss the current state of affairs and the relations with the Government, and a lot of what you’ve been seeing thrown around in the media. 

We’ve sat back and we’ve observed what has become a solid attack on our legacy [and] our heritage. 

In that meeting, as chiefs, the four elected Maroon Colonels who were on that call—Colonel Wallace Sterling, Colonel [Marcia] Douglas, Colonel Lloyd Latibeaudeiere and myself along with others of the indigenous community. Today, I’d say we had a pretty thorough and engaging conversation in arriving at a direction and a path to quell all the nonsense that has been spun around and thrown around through the media. 

We’re not here to divide anyone. We’re not here to create problems. The Maroons have lived for over 300 years in these hills unprovoked. We have not been at war since signing that treaty. We’ve maintained brotherhood, we lived off the land, we continue to live off this land, and protect the land. 

In recent times, we found ourselves in a conundrum where so many things have been promised to us as a people—roads, running water…

You know, the Cockpit [Country] provides 40 per cent of the island’s freshwater, we don’t have running water. We’ve had promises, upon promises, upon promises, that these things would come and to date, we still struggle as a people. 

In that meeting, on Sunday, between all the colonels and other members of the indigenous community—we tabled the position that collectively we would prepare the Maroon Working Papers, which we would be passing to the Government [of Jamaica] to begin dialogue to have a diplomatic resolution to this cause. 

It was made clear, in that meeting, a contact from the Government had reached out to Colonel Sterling in an effort to arrange a meeting with the Maroon Chiefs—only that the terms of this meeting would be that Chief Currie not be included. 

We raised the concerns; we had an open discussion about it and everyone decided it was in the best interest of the collective and maintaining the position of one conversation having to do with the rights for indigenous people and the Maroons.

Having agreed to these terms, within the last 24 hours, much to my disappointment, the decision of the other three colonels have changed. 

Colonel Latibeaudiere was very strong in his opposition [to] having a conversation that would exclude any of the Maroon colonels. Why? Because we’re seeking to unify our voices behind a cause, and we’re trying to unify our own communities and bodies towards the common cause. We all want this to be a peaceful and diplomatic resolution. 

I will not continue and join the nonsense that’s being spurred in the media; we’re not trying to create a divide. We’re not creating a threat to the State. We’re not here trying to overthrow anybody. 

The Prime Minister has his job and I have mine. 

The end of it all is that what we’ve been asking for is a sit down to have discussions around the rights of indigenous people of the land—the Afros and the Indians—everybody who is here, who is the representation of their heritage. 

We still aren’t able to have a reasonable, diplomatic conversation. 

Now, what would have caused my fellow colonels to change their position, is still not clear to me. 

We had an emergency call last night around 7:00 pm to discuss this matter. I again aired the position that a collective argument and a collective approach is the best approach. Because at the end of the day, we all represent indigenous, first peoples of this land and for what has transpired in the media and between the Maroons and the Government, for years, there’s an element of trust that needs to be babied. 

So I come today, to let everybody know, that my position remains firm—in asserting the birthright of the Cockpit Country Maroons coming via our indigenous rights and our treaty of 1738. 

At the end of it all, we should continue to remain resolved in keeping the rhetoric positive, because Chief Richard Currie did not come here to start a war. Cheif Currie came here to assert birthright and to facilitate economic and social upliftment of the Maroon people. 

Nanny of the Maroons wasn’t the only Maroon hero [or] should I say, heroine. Many had fought and died in that 83 years. Captain Cudjo stood up, fought; we signed that treaty to bring peace to the land and bring freedom to the people.

Clause Six of the treaty reads that ‘the Maroons would capture, kill or suppress any rebels found after the day of this treaty, unless they subject themselves to the terms and accommodation of Captain Cudjo and his successors’. That was very clear: a diplomatic engagement between two nations that swore to peace and maintaining peace on the island. Everyone had an opportunity to join. 

I did not sign a treaty, I am merely here to affirm the rights of a people and preserve our lands that are at significant threat of being mined. 

At the end of the day, the chief looks after his people. We live in a landlocked territory, therefore, diplomatic engagement is necessary. Why would I then want to start a war? 

I’ve said it on many platforms, I’ve said on many videos, I’ve said it on many programmes… Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. It just seems to be missing everyone. 

I guess war is what suits their rhetoric and what sells their story. 

People have gone as far as calling Maroons a ‘hogwash story’. I empathise with you but it doesn’t deter our resolve, knowing our birthright and knowing our heritage. Knowing our legacy and wanting to protect that legacy. 

We continue and remain resolved to work with the Government to bring a resolution to these challenges, but not in a divided way. 

It makes no sense having what is an icebreaker meeting that does not involve the voice of the representative of the territory that seems to be causing all the chaos. 

We need to now tackle the challenges head-on and like big people. We need to be honourable and stand up and represent what we were elected to do. And I’m taking both Maroon leaders, the leader of the wider State and leaders globally. We represent the voice of our people. Chief Richard Currie is not on a sole mission. Chief Currie is here to air the concerns and the plights of the Cockpit Country Maroons, which have been often overlooked for quite some time now. 

I am encouraging everyone please, please, I will make myself personally available to you. Come to my community. Come and look and see what’s happening here. Take a bus. Charter a bus. Come here and see what’s happening. Many talk and they’ve never been here, they don’t know what’s happening. 

There’s been so much funding that has come into this country on behalf of indigenous people and none of it gets spent here. 

So I again implore the minds and hearts of those that be to let good sense prevail. Please, we’re asking for proper dialogue. 

And I, and the Government of Cockpit Country, along with our legal team, will continue to prepare documents in lieu of having dialogue that is constructive; to put forth our position for economic upliftment and social mobility amongst our people, that can be a mutually beneficial thing to the greater nation. 

Out of many, one people.

Thank you.”

READ MORE:

• Armed extortion racket? | Colonel Richard Currie, Maroons raise alarm at ‘rogue JCF trespassers’
• ‘This land is ours’: Accompong’s Colonel Currie rebukes statement by Gov’t minister that ‘Maroon lands don’t exist’
• Accompong prepares for Maroon Fest 2022, JCF adamant event breaches DRMA
• Accompong chief vows response to Holness’ stance on Maroon sovereignty