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Recognition for Kerlyn Brown, finally

It’s that time of the year again when those chosen to receive national honours and awards prepare for the grand acceptance of those during a ceremony held usually on National Heroes’ Day in October.

The announcement of 140 recipients this year is followed, normally, by a short speculative period of those who were selected, and what credentials qualified them to be so recognised.

No announcement was made of holders of the highest office of National Hero, which was not surprising, considering that the Government of the day has consistently continued to ignore the achievements of Bob Marley, Usain Bolt, and Michael Manley.

Lower down, there is also no time for anyone to be elevated into the hall of the third highest honour – Order of Merit.

Seven were named to receive the fourth highest – the Order of Jamaica – and I am happy for people like Derrick Smith, Maxine Henry Wilson, Chris Zacca, and Richard Byles.

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis, Jamaica’s bravest woman, should have been in that group, instead of her award of Order of Distinction, Commander Class.

It was the disclosure of names for that same category, Order of Distinction, Commander and Officer classes, that grabbed my attention over all others.

Journalist and broadcaster Kerlyn Brown was revealed as a recipient, a fitting one indeed, as a member, though, disappointingly, in the Officer class, instead of Commander. I, nonetheless, felt immensely satisfied that finally, a deserving member of Jamaica’s media landscape had been given the accolade. 

Come to think of it too, she was not there because of any political repayment plan that she had negotiated successfully. Her name was there because of the hard work that she put in, and the commitment that she has demonstrated to media, especially over the last four decades, largely at CVM Television where she has worked for over three decades, and the Jamaica Information Service.

Soon, I hope to see media stalwart Milton Walker, who managed Kerlyn at the CVM Group, and who now heads news, sports and current affairs at the RJRGleaner Communications Group, to be given a recognition that is far more overdue than rain to break drought conditions. 

I still cannot imagine how Milton, one of the finest minds in journalism and broadcasting, has not received a national honour, unlike some who simply play the game of sticking close to a political administration and doing what is required or requested of them.

What do you call that game?

Honour to Bruce Golding

I will not accept the view expressed by some of my friends in the Jamaica Labour Party that former Leader and Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, seems to be hitting out against what he called an imbalance in relations between the United States and Jamaica, because he is at an age when nothing matters to him anymore.

Instead, I must, again, embrace Bruce, even from a distance, for continuing to stand up for Jamaica, when the island really needs a saviour. 

When Bruce Golding spoke in Philadelphia days ago, his sentiments on US-Jamaica relations reverberated in all corners of the globe. He threw facts on the table to support some of his points, but there still seems to be a cold response by many in Jamaica, who fear that his utterances will haunt the nation later on.

So what! If there are things happening that are affecting Jamaica, does everybody have to remain silent? What Bruce did at the event hosted by Team Jamaica Bickle amounted to a demonstration of courage and truth that others close to him refuse to face.

From a glaring trade deficit between both countries, touching China’s growing influence in Jamaica, and the sorry way in which Jamaica bowed to US pressure and ended up treating Cuba so badly in the handling of medical professionals from that neighbouring country, Bruce dealt with the matters as if his life depended upon it.

He turns 79 on December 5 this year, and has shown us that on the contrary, he is not getting old and cold; rather, he is warming up for a new beginning, and even if his fellow men do not see the need to step on a platform and denounce inequality and wickedness, he is prepared to.

I have stated before my disappointment that Bruce did not go the full distance as prime minister after he led the Jamaica Labour Party to victory in the 2007 general election, as I am sure that Jamaica would have been better off had he not spent just a shade under four years in charge.

His prodigy, Andrew Holness, has not followed in his footsteps, nor in those of the man who originally placed him along the road to deliverance, Edward Seaga. Holness is allowing far too many people to use the heavy roller on his toes, rather than standing firm at times and telling imperialist bullies to keep their distance when it comes to governance.

Jamaica is a sovereign state, and ought to be treated like one. Bruce Golding and another former prime minister, P J Patterson, have been resisting oppression of the people of Jamaica in their speeches and writings, but the political administration of the day must get active and defend the masses by telling those whose objective it is to put leashes around the necks of the people to simply back off.   

 Is Grand Gala worth attending?

Calling it the annual Confusion Gala would be more appropriate, instead of the annual Grand Gala, housed at the National Stadium every Independence Day.

Yes, the ceremony itself is a glittering affair, with State representatives – the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, along with various community groups – doing a magnificent job every year to show off the impossible at times.

Yet, there are so many issues for hundreds, maybe thousands of people who want to watch all that is happening in person. Why? Well, for starters, the fact that admission is free remains the main reason for the disorganisation that occurs every time. The view that anything that is free brings countless challenges plays out each year.

Some of the same challenges rise up year after year: Distribution of free tickets done primarily along political lines; people sell tickets that were not for sale whenever the demand increases; and little regard for the physically challenged to not just enter the facility, but follow the proceedings by way of sign language.

I attended Grand Gala twice… at this stage I do not even remember the years, as it has been such a long time. After the second visit, I decided never to attend again, for reasons not as complicated as those being mentioned nowadays.

I would suggest that the first thing that the man in charge, Lenford Salmon, should do, starting next year, is charge money to enter the stadium.  

If spectators were asked to pay $100 for the bleachers, and $500 for the grandstand, it would make a huge difference in terms of the attitude of the people who crave admission.

Organisers would stand to collect the small matter of $3.5 million from 7,000 of the 7,500-capacity grandstand attendees, and a minimum of $2.1 million for the bleachers up to its 21,100-spectator seating. It is worth a try.

Cricketer Vitel Lawes should be protected

There is a new and effective spin bowler on the block, and already he has been gaining the admiration of those who love cricket, that he, as the saying goes, “is one for the future.”

Vitel Lawes, out of Linstead, St Catherine, and the famed St Jago High School also in the central region of Jamaica, has been making waves with the cricket ball.

He represented the West Indies with distinction at the ICC Under 19 World Cup earlier this year, and waltzed into the senior West Indies team for a three-match series against New Zealand in which he did exceptionally well, with a best of three for 39 off 10 overs.

Most of the time he has reasonable control, and often befuddles opponents with his shrewdness. There are other occasions when his control is off, and he gets punished. 

I see now that he has started to represent the Jamaica Kingsmen in the Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament. Wrong move. And a few words of caution too … get him away from T20 cricket at this stage of his life.

He got a platform to build on during the One-Day series against New Zealand, yet he was not selected to play in the Test match series against Pakistan, which would have been right up his lane.

Again, you must question the so-called thinkers of West Indies cricket for having made such a blunder.

I saw him in his first CPL match against the Antigua & Barbuda franchise last week. He conceded 19 runs off two overs, but was not floating (some say flighting) the ball as he would have done in the longer version of the game. This is a huge concern.

If Lawes is to develop into a world-class performer, he must be given the chance to bowl with freedom and not be constrained by trying to save runs in containing batsmen, which T20 cricket is about.

Until he can get his control and line right, he must be protected.