One event overshadowed
all else in Jamaica last year. The lengthy and convoluted
story started in September of 2009 when
an extradition request for Christopher "Dudus" Coke was made by the
United States.
The whole affair
steamrollered into accusations and allegations against our
leaders, when it was discovered that Mannatt, Phelps and
Phillips, an American lobbyist law firm, had been hired to
fight the extradition. But by whom?
The event reached its
apex in May when the Attorney General finally
signed the Order and an arrest warrant was issued.
Residents of Tivoli Gardens built ramparts to defend their
"Don" and after three days the police, backed by the army,
moved into Tivoli. This raid left 73 dead but Dudus still at
large.
Eventually, on June 22nd
he was captured in the company of colourful pastor, Rev. Al
Miller, who claimed to be escorting him to turn himself in to
the United States Embassy. At this writing, February 2011, the story
is not yet over as, while Dudus goes through the legal system in the
New York courts, Jamaica
holds an enquiry into the who, what and why behind the hiring of
the lobbyists.
The entire saga has further
besmirched Jamaica's reputation internationally but some good has
come of it as regular police raids continue into known criminal
strongholds and at the end of the year our statistics on murder and
other violent crimes stood at the lowest in several years.
Early in the year, with much
trepidation from the Jamaican public, we made a loan agreement with
the
International Money Fund. However, unlike the rigorous
impositions of the 1970s, this time the terms seem to be better, at
least on the surface. One of the advantages of this agreement is the
Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX) which is supposed to replace part of
the high interest National Debt with funds at a rate more in keeping
with international norms. Unfortunately this in turn has created
several negatives.
Commercial banks have increased their services charges to their
average customers and some pensioners may receive lower
benefits.
In early February
a massive find of illegal firearms and ammunition in Eastern St
Andrew led back to, of all places, the Police Armoury. Four men,
including a JCF sergeant, were arrested and a full audit of the
Armoury ordered.
The worst drought in almost 40
years was broken in June when heavy rains fell over much of the
Island resulting in some areas being flooded. Rains continued up to
late September when even more damage was done by a system which
later became
TS Nicole.
In January the
Mico College launched a year long celebration of its 175 Anniversary. Lady Jane Mico, a
very wealthy 18th century woman, spent most of her considerable
fortune on the education of newly freed slaves through a trust known
as the Lady Mico Charity which was set up in June 1835, during the
"Apprenticeship" period of Emancipation. Four teacher training
colleges and 300 elementary schools were set up under the trust in
the West Indies, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Mico is the only one
of these institutions which still exists. Mico is the oldest teacher
training institution in the western hemisphere and one of the oldest
in the world.
On August 31st track superstar
Usain Bolt launched his autobiography Usain Bolt: My Story 9.58
In November Buju Banton, Mark
Myrie, was granted bail after being in jail in Tampa,
Florida on a drug charge for almost a year. Buju was arrested in
December 2009 on possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He
was tried in September 2010 but a mistrial was declared after the
jury failed to reach a verdict.
He will have to wear a tracker
until his retrial in February 2011 and will only be allowed to leave
his home to visit the doctor or his attorneys.
Following on extensive
research and international patents applied for in 2006, Jamaican
scientist, Dr Henry Lowe, and his American partner announced in
December the
launch of
their new cancer treatment drug. The drug, developed from ball
moss, has been shown in studies to successfully treat prostate cancer which is prevalent in Jamaica.
Restoration of the Roman
Catholic
Holy Trinity Cathedral hit high gear with the beautiful ceiling
murals, painted over in the 1970s, being uncovered and restored.
Restoration is hoped to be fully completed before the Cathedral's
centenary in 2012. The present Byzantine style structure was built
to replace the original Cathedral destroyed in the
Great Earthquake of
1907.
International
2010 could well be remembered as the year of
disasters on the international scene. In January our neighbour Haiti
was devastated by a
7.0 earthquake. Within hours the US Coast Guard and our own
Jamaica Defence Force arrived in Haiti to assist. These first
responders, and many since, were completely dumbstruck by the level
of devastation, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Major earthquakes also struck in Chile, China,
Turkey and New Zealand. There were volcanic eruptions in Indonesia
and Iceland; the one in Iceland virtually bringing Europe's air
traffic to a standstill. 2000 lives were lost through flooding in
Pakistan.
The world also saw that manmade disasters
could be as great as Nature's when, in April, the
BP oil spill threatened to wipe out marine life in the Gulf of
Mexico. In October toxic red sludge from an aluminium plant in
Hungary broke its dam and deluged several towns and villages.
Towards the end of the year disaster of a
different kind occurred with the eruption on the Web of Wikileaks, a
website purporting to publish confidential government documents from
all over the world.
Rev. Hudson Wilkin was born and grew up in Montego-Bay. She
attended theological college in the UK where she was
ordained in 1994. In 2007 she was appointed as one of 36
Chaplains to the Queen, these chaplains perform religious duties at
official functions.
She has served as a member of the
General Synod of the Church of England, Chair of the
National Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns and
a member of the Broadcasting Standards Commission.
When Forbes published its annual list
of the 1000 richest people in the world there were two West
Indians on it. Huang Maoru of Belize, at 828, and
Michael Lee Chin of Jamaica at 937. Portland born Lee
Chin owns
Portland Holding Inc., AIC Ltd. (Canadian mutual
funds), NCB
Jamaica Ltd., Columbus Communications Ltd (Flow), CVM
Television Group and others. His assets are estimated at
just over US$1 billion. Two years ago Lee Chin donated C$23
to the Royal Ontario Museum to endow
a new gallery. He also donated J$247 million to build
the state of the art Hyacinth Chen
School of Nursing (named for his mother) at Northern Caribbean University in
Mandeville where his mother was born.
Portland Holdings
New York Post
In September, Garina
Fearon, a prison guard at New York's notorious Rikers Island,
literally hit the jackpot, winning US$54 million after
accidentally buying a Megamillions ticket instead of
Powerball. Garina grew up in a homeless shelter after her
family moved to the United States. She has been robbed,
burgled and assaulted by inmates at the prison and had bought
the ticket from her last $25. She intends to buy her mother
a house at home in Jamaica but does not know what she will
do with the rest of the US$30 after taxes. She does not plan
to quit her job but hopes to negotiate with her employers for more time off.
California's first woman and first non-white
Attorney General, Kamala Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father
and Indian mother. Errol Webber Jr, cinematographer on Music by
Prudence, Oscar winner for Best Documentary Short. Councillor
John Williams appointed first Black Mayor of Rugby in the UK. Kwasi
Kafele appointed first non Ghanaian Chief of the ManyaKrobo in Ghana. Collin
Brown nominated for Craft Guild of Chefs Award ("Chef Oscars") for
his London restaurant. Hezedean A. Smith
promoted to District Chief of the Orlando Fire Department.
And, as if Dudus
wasn't enough bad news for one year, in July Jamaican born
Michael Lyons, aka Mohan Singh, who claimed to be a healer, was
convicted in an English court and sentenced to 10 years in prison
for raping two women. Lyons operated his scam in England, the
United States, France and India. Claiming to be a friend of the
Dalai Lama he urged followers to give up their worldly goods and
follow him. He is thought to have raped dozens of women on three
continents but was charged only with two rapes based on lack of
evidence and the reluctance of victims to testify.
The Ones who Left Us in 2010
UWI photo
Observer photo
Gleaner photo
CARIMAC photo
Radio Jamaica photo
Most Rev. Laurence Burke, S.J., Roman Catholic
Archbishop Emeritus of Kingston, on January 24th at 77. Read the Gleaner Obituary
Ivan Tomlinson, who gave 75 years of his life
to Jamaica's agriculture, on January 3rd at 98.
Roylan Barrett, former Custos of
Trelawny, on January 15th at 71.
Emilio Sanchez, Olympic boxing coach
and trainer for Percy Hayles, Trevor Berbick, Mikey McCallum and
others, on January 17th at 80.
Roy Collister, OJ, past President of
the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the Private Sector Organisation
of Jamaica, on March 19th at 74.
Dr. Dudley Stokes, former Editor in
Chief of the Gleaner, on April 8th at 73.
Russell Capleton, president of the
Jamaica Airline Pilots Association, on May 5th at 56.
William "Vunny" Isaacs, labour
mediator and former Minister of Labour, on June 13th at 79.
Horace Clarke, former Minister of
Agriculture and veteran St. Mary politician, on July 10th at 75.
Seya Joseph Parboosingh, painter and
widow of Karl Parboosingh, on August 13th at 85.
Norma Dodd, widow of legendary Studio
One producer Coxson Dodd, on August 31st in her late 60s.
Dep. Supt. Herfa Beckford, head of
the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse,
on September 19th at 46.
Dawn Scott, artist and interior
designer, on September 21st at 59.
Lloyd Hall, OD, FCRM, classical
pianist and music teacher, on November 24th at 87.
Lloyd Alberga, mainstay of the Carib
Cinema from it opened in 1938, on December 4th at 96.
Glen "Capo" Adams, keyboard player
for the Upsetters and the Wailers, on December 16th at 65. He also
wrote Mr. Brown for the Wailers, the song about the
mysterious coffin roaming the streets of Kingston.
Benjamin Clare, Former Hanover Member
of Parliament, on December 17th at 72.
In the wider Caribbean we lost
Alphonsus "Arrow" Casserley, calypso singer of Montserrat, on
September 15th at 59 and Prime Minister David Thompson of Barbados
on October 23rd at 48
Internationally, the world lost more
than a few people who made their mark; most notably Teddy
Pendergrass, everyone's favourite soul singer, on March 26th at 60
and Lena Horne, whose smooth voice helped bridge the American colour
barrier, on May 9th at 93. Among the many leaving us last year were
Erich Segal, author and screenplay writer of Love Story, on January
17th at 73. J.D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, on January
27th at 91. Robert Culp, actor of our favourite '60s TV drama I Spy,
on March 24th at 80. Stephen J. Cannell, who produced almost half of
television's dramas, on September 30th at 69. Gary Coleman, Arnold of
Diff'rent Strokes, on May 28th at 42. Dennis Hopper, the Easy Rider,
icon of the '60s, on May 29th at 74. Joan Hinton, the woman who
helped build the atom bomb who then dropped out to become a Maoist
and peasant farmer in China, on 8th June at 89. Dodge Morgan,
fastest non-stop sail around the world (150 days) on September 14th
at 78. Tony Curtis, "action hero" of the 1950s and '60s, on
September 29th at 85. Solomon Burke, King of Rock and Soul, on
October 10th at 70. Dino De Laurentiis, Italian film producer, on
11th November at 91. Richard Holbrooke, controversial American
diplomat, professor and negotiator, on December 13th at 69. Blake
Edwards, producer of the Pink Panther movies and husband of Julie
Andrews, on December 15th at 88.
