Jamaica Observer

Dear Editor,

Drivers, please beware of a couple driving around in a silver Nissan Tiida motor car purporting to be in need of help. Their modus operandi is to stop by the side of the road and solicit assistance from passing motorists in the form of cash and petrol.

This scamming couple played this trick on me a couple of weeks ago. After believing their hard-luck story, I took him to the gas station — against my wife's sixth sense — where I gave the man the equivalent of $500 in petrol. While relating my good deed to the rest of my family over the weekend, my sister informed me that this may be a scamming couple preying on motorists in the Corporate Area and the Portmore environs.

Imagine my amazement while travelling to St Thomas recently when I saw this couple again parked on the side of the road entreating passers-by. Suffice it to say, they were strenuously admonished by me.

Motorists, please exercise vigilance in rendering assistance.

Kevin Baxter

kvnbxtr@gmail.com

Motorists, beware of scamming couple

-->

Dear Editor,

Although tourist harassment is not as prevalent as it was in the 1990's, when about 60 per cent of visitors complained about being harassed, this practice is still a lingering and annoying phenomenon. It is now reported that 33 per cent of visitors have experienced varying degrees of overt harassment.

The incidents of concentrated harassment mainly occur around shopping centres, in the streets and on the beaches according to media reports.

However, it should be understood that this irritant is not peculiar to the island of Jamaica. Harassment of visitors seems to be a worldwide phenomenon that exists in urban areas plagued with very high unemployment and underemployment.

On my visit to Russia, 20 years ago, tourist harassment was very prevalent in Moscow, that country's capital. Similarly, on my trip to Israel in 2010 tourists were constantly harassed, especially by impoverished children.

In any event, the harassers in Jamaica should not take comfort in the fact that they are not alone in this respect.

That being said, from my perspective, many harassers are not really bad people per se. They appear to be the victims of circumstance. They are people caught up in the abominable vortex of abject poverty, so hustling to survive has become an ingrained lifestyle. This is a dire situation in which they are trapped.

With little or no marketable skills, and very limited opportunities for educational advancement, the only means of earning a living in urban areas is through the selling of hand-made goods or illegal drugs.

Nevertheless, the economic plight of these harassers should not justify their antisocial actions. They should be conscious of the fact that these actions will only serve to exacerbate their plight in the long run. They should be made to realise that many tourists will become so annoyed and frustrated that they will eventually avoid the island like the plague. It is quite obvious that fewer tourists will definitely translate into fewer dollars for the purchase of goods and services.

It is no secret that tourism is a lucrative and highly competitive business. It is also common knowledge that the success or failure of the tourist industry is largely dependent on the attitude of those who run the enterprise, and those who earn a living from it.

There is no doubt that a country that nurtures and displays an endearing attitude to visitors will undoubtedly be more attractive and successful than a country that exhibits a persistent attitude of harassment towards visitors.

Rupert Johnson

Toronto, Ontario

Canada

r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca

Tourist harassment still a problem

-->

Dear Editor,

I am amazed that Edwin James is in the USA and is unaware of the circumstances which give rise to the sex scandal or that chooses to disregard the facts in an effort to score points for his religious fraternity.

The circumstances are presented to the Unites States House Un-American Activities committee concerning the infiltration into the Catholic Church by ex-members of the Communist Party of the USA, Douglas Hyde and Bella Dodd, and detailed in the book "School of Darkness" by Bella Dodd. A portion of it is on the Internet.

It says ,"We (the communist party) put 1,100 deviant young men into the priesthood in order to destroy it from within; the idea is that over time they would be ordained and progress to positions of influence. Some of them did and those who were in charge of seminaries recruited others of their ilk to the exclusion of those who are not".

James disregards the fact that the same research report which said 1.5% of priests in the targeted areas were affected says 40.8% of non-Catholic clergy were guilty and they were not subjected to direct satanic infiltration. Although by our standards even one is one too many, there were 98.5% of holy priests who were living out their vocation in spite of the extraordinary circumstance and less than 60% of their Protestant counterparts.

James acknowledges that there was a small minority who were guilty of the offence, yet went on to blame celibacy, not taking into account that the Catholic Church is 2000 years old and it has never happened like this before. It should be obvious that some factor beyond the ordinary is at work.

He further went on to misrepresent the scriptures to suit himself as they always do. In Matthew 19, Jesus, in response to a comment from Peter, said: "Some men renounce marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven; whoever can accept ought to accept it." He is saying that celibacy is not for every man.

St Paul in 1Cor 7 said: "I wish every man could be as I am (celibate) but every man has a particular gift from God" and the explanatory note to that verse reads 'particular gifts or charisma suggests that marriage and celibacy may be viewed in the light of Paul's theology of spiritual gifts'.

So celibacy is scriptural and is not the cause of sexual misconduct; it is a direct satanic assault on the Church; it is an abnormal occurrence.

James went on to disagree with scripture and the church that Peter was the first leader of the Catholic Church. That is his right, but may I remind him that the Bible was compiled by the Catholic Church after 400 years in existence. In the next 1100 years, before printing was invented, it was Catholic monks, priests and nuns who hand-wrote the bible for teaching and distribution throughout the world. So the Church is in a much better position than he to correctly determine what the Bible says.

A James

alvalj@cwjamaica.com

The Church, marriage and celibacy

-->

Dear Editor,

Carnival is such a beautiful event; so many people in costumes jumping and enjoying themselves. Despite our differing views, one thing we can agree on is the happiness that the festival engenders at all levels of the Jamaican society.

Every year, it brings together thousands of people over a season of fetes and cultural events, all leading up to a carnival weekend of wild celebration in street parades around Kingston.

We cannot put a dollar value on the harmony and happiness that surround carnival and engulf the population. The stress relief it provides to thousands who "free up" themselves at shows and fetes no doubt saves them tens of millions of dollars in medical bills they would incur if there were no carnival.

One significant positive aspect has been the inclusion of dancehall music in the mainstream Carnival, both here in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. Another positive development has been the increase in direct participation in the carnival parade. Bands are larger, and players of all nationalities, ethnicities and economic groups are taking part.

Carnival is everything: a march for our freedom, individual expression, street theatre, and regional integration at work. We must exploit the Jamaican carnival product, diversifying and fuelling the economy by earning millions of foreign exchange dollars.

Now is the time for the Culture Minister Lisa Hanna and Tourism Minister Wykeham McNeill to examine what financial role the Government of Jamaica can play in rebranding and repackaging Jamaica Carnival as the greatest carnival show on earth. They should pay particular attention to managing and developing a unique product, attracting tourists particularly from other Caribbean islands and South America. Like Barbados, Trinidad, Brazil, Grenada, and other countries, we must create a far superior and marketable product than our competitors.

Andrew King

abking020@gmail.com

Carnival is for stress relief; cash in on it

-->

The jewels of Jamaica's track and field were on display for the world to see last weekend; and what a show it was.

However, little thought is given to the driving forces behind these young athletes and the extensive work they put into preparing for their events.

All of these athletes are students; some of whom struggle financially and academically to meet the demands school places on them. Some go to school without lunch or money to buy lunch. They contend with demanding teachers who want to see them do as well in the classroom as they do on the field. Oftentimes they train before or after school, and for some, it is before and after school training sessions.

A few succeed in both school and athletics. Most cope fairly well, while others succeed at only one.

This must change, and can change. It must, however, receive moral and other support off the track by our many experienced professionals in service to their country. The coaches, doctors and physiotherapists who extend their expertise and time, often free of charge, must be acknowledged. The praying, hard-working parents and the mentors they turn to after a hard day of training should share in these celebrations.

As a country that has gained enormously from the benefits of athletics success, let us ensure that proper support systems are set up to help these young people who represent us and do so well. They need to realise their true potential and set themselves up for a prosperous future.

Well done #TeamJamaica...another #CARIFTA Games has been painted black, green and gold.....We are JAMAICANS, and we ting tall up!

Tamicka Bonnick

tamicka_bonnick@yahoo.com

Athletics is a team sport

-->

Dear Editor,

A request from our nation's leaders to tighten our belts and freeze our wages is unethical, it would seem, if we need to beg them to freeze their wages also.

Every bill and loan is spelt the same way. Why should civil servants be expected to run the full gamut, and the leaders not join them? This is unfair.

Painstakingly we twist, twirl and pinch our meagre income to accommodate our needs. How dare our leaders try to squeeze every last drop of hope from us and idly sit by and watch it dissipate into thin air? Must we walk around like zombies in this, Jamaica land we love?

Our leaders continue to enjoy a high standard of living and resemble overfed cows with guts too large for their own body frame. But our pride and resilience will not be broken by them; we always manage to find a solution.

Let's not forget the many millions wasted on new vehicles and abandoned projects that could provide funds to repay the IMF or be used to fuel the economy. And so many wasted billions on structures not being utilised, unregulated contracts and handouts.

This nation is bombarded from every angle with lies and deception, the cycle seems to be unending. Will any of our leaders stand up with honesty and integrity and operate from that level, functioning in that capacity within which they were elected?

Tell me, Jamaica, did our leaders even think their benefits could be frozen alongside those of civil servants? We elected them to watch over the country's affairs with dignity and pride, but instead we have to walk with our heads hung in shame. Their behaviour is sickening and distasteful!

Our leaders need to remember that we elected them to serve and, as a nation, we can call for their resignation at any time. It is grossly unfair to ask us to sacrifice ourselves, while they all relax, sippig champagne as they laugh at us lesser mortals. Of course we don't begrudge them, the so-called elite group, but please allow us to enjoy, every now and then, that which we work for.

Be warned that life is a cycle and it will come around to you one day,

A Moses

mokitchens@yahoo.com

Leaders, where is your sacrifice?

-->

Dear Editor

We have seen where institutions in our country operate as though they are legal and are found out later to be in contravention of the laws and constitution of the country. This, as no one bothers to check to ensure that they operate within the law.

So I ask: is the General Legal Counsel (GLC) a law-enforcement agency entrenched in our constitution with similar powers of arrest/prosecution akin to the Jamaica Constabulary Force or the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions?

The GLC regulates, registers and establishes codes of practice for lawyers, and also investigates complaints against lawyers.

As I see it, the GLC is its own judge and jury dispensing its own brand of justice to its members.

There are cases on record where attorneys accused of fraud and other ethical misconduct — a prima facie case is established — are disciplined by the GLC. Punishment has ranged from being suspended to being disbarred from practising law in Jamaica. These lawyers have not gone through the legal process nor have they been charged by the police as an ordinary citizen would.

In a properly run society such matters would have been turned over to the police and appropriate charges laid.

In my view, the GLC's role is simply to protect the image of the legal profession. This is clearly its mandate. But it should not be to shield attorneys from facing prosecution.

This protection the GLC offers attorneys has now got out of hand. The unsuspecting public does not or will never know the record of these attorneys who were disciplined unless they ask the GLC.

We cannot have one set of rules for attorneys and another set for the rest of us. We need the authorities to correct this wrong. By law, any report of misconduct about a lawyer that is reported to the GLC must, in turn, be reported to the police to see if the complaint warrants police prosecution. Surely if this is done, over time we are likely to see less fraud committed by attorneys.

Authnel Reid

authnelreid@optoline.net

Don't shield errant lawyers, GLC

-->

Dear Editor,

The People's National Party (PNP) has played hard and fast with the Jamaican populace since 1972. Back then, they inherited a sound, stable and growing economy, an economy which stood far and tall about those of her other Caribbean islands; an economy which was used as a model for other struggling economies. Singapore comes quickly to mind.

Michael Manley took this foundation and severely damaged it with his failed socialism experiment. It was the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), led by Edward Seaga, that took this Humpty Dumpty economy and started the process of putting it together again.

Amidst a global recession in 1980-1982, Jamaica was one of only six countries in the world to record growth. Due to the failed policies of the 1970s we had to go through a period of belt tightening. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) wanted Jamaica to implement certain changes that were necessary to jump-start this failed economy. Edward Seaga agreed that changes had to be made, but he was mindful of the dire human consequences that would result from the draconian measures which the IMF wanted to impose. He, therefore, fought the IMF tooth and nail.

In South Korea, at a meeting of the IMF and World Bank, Seaga stressed the negative impact that these measures would have on the Jamaican population. The IMF was rigid in its stance, and Seaga, being the leader that he was, stopped payment to the IMF and put the money in an escrow account. This action, unprecedented as it was, shocked our negotiating team -- which included Derrick Latibeaudiere and Headley Brown — who urged him to reconsider.

Seaga believed firmly that the IMF was wrong in its stance and stood his ground. Recognising the folly of its actions, the IMF changed its approach to extreme structural adjustment. We were then able to start a programme which saw Jamaica growing again and working towards a stable dollar.

The PNP took over a fragile but strengthening economy and a stable dollar, only to throw that away at a time when the rest of the world was growing by leaps and bounds. The JLP regained power and, in the middle of a recession, was able to negotiate a debt exchange (JDX). And whereas we were not out of the woods, at least we could see the clearing through the trees.

The PNP had nothing to fall back on, and it is now apparent they have nothing to bring to the table.

Rawle Burnett

rawlegb@aol.com

The chickens have come home to roost

-->

Dear Editor,

Being a master procrastinator myself — and I'm not proud of it — I know a problem when I see it. It's probably a cultural thing, but it's something that really needs to be addressed — procrastination.

It's an ugly problem that seems to rear its ugly head in all facets of Jamaican life. Something must be done to coerce Jamaicans, and especially men, to address this problem.

Why in God's name do Jamaicans wait until the last minute to do essential transactions which will incur serious penalties if the deadline is missed? This is particulary disturbing when it comes to paying motor vehicle-related fees.

I was at the Transport Authority during the last week of the period designated for the renewal of road licences. Fate would so have it, that the Easter Holiday came during this time and cut the period by a day. Imagine my disgust at the huge throng of angry men (and a few women) acting as though the very hard-working cashiers were not doing their jobs and simply sitting pretty, instead of attending to them. Almost everyone acted as if only their business was important. There were all sorts of stories of why they thought they needed to be seen before persons with earlier ticket numbers than theirs. It was madness!

None of these persons seemed to find it convenient, however, to remember that the renewal period had been open since February 18, 2013 and not during the week ending March 31 when road licences expire.

I think that this is just downright irresponsible, and the cashiers should not be blamed. I could seeing that they were doing their best to move as quickly as possible.

I can also clearly remember the everlasting lines at tax offices at the end of the period for the recently concluded traffic ticket amnesty. I suspect there will be something similar, albeit on a smaller scale, as there is an amnesty currently on for illegal public passenger vehicle operators to get legal by June 30, 2013.

For those interested in hackney carriage licences, there are only 100 of that type being offered; so it is on a first-come-first-served basis, and these must be done through a taxi association. This, however, does not mean that persons can operate illegally in the meantime; so if your plan is to make this your livelihood, the sooner you act, the better.

I hope these persons will act speedily and responsibly in this regard, and for anything that may come up in the future.

Procrastinators, please pro-crastinate...tomorrow.

Double A

St Andrew

Jamaica's massive last-minute problem

-->

Dear Editor,

Each day I head off to my daily activities only after bracing myself to be accosted by a multitude of beggars coming to my gate, at almost every stoplight on my way to work, and at gas stations, restaurants, shopping plazas, etc. While I understand their plight, the issue is that the sheer amount of beggars, each with expectations of receiving a multiple of $100, is unaffordable.

I have worked out a system in which I carry money just for this purpose, but woe unto me when I try to explain that I have no money. I then have to endure the wrath of a spurned beggar along with his threats. They seem to think that, because of my skin colour, type of car that I drive, or where I live, that I have unlimited money to give away.

Our offices are located in the vicinity of Three Miles, in our PM's constituency, and over the years, the situation at the traffic lights has got worse. They seem to work on a shift system. Most are polite, but some are aggressive and abusive, especially embarrassing when we have foreign visitors in our cars. We have previously written letters of complaint to the Hunt's Bay Police Station and the Police Traffic Department and a few times they have taken them off the street for a day; but they reappear the next day.

Our dilemma is, if we move our offices to try and avoid them, then we would abandon the community projects that we assist with. But, if we stay, we have staff members who are uncomfortable with the situation, plus we are ashamed to invite suppliers to visit our offices and be exposed to the beggars' embarrassing behaviour. It seems to me to be symbolic of the breakdown of our society and the lack of options available to these young men — many of whom are asking for money to support their children.

The next question is, should I expect to be safe from those who keep looking at what I seem to have?

Surrounded Son

Are we a nation of beggars?

-->

Dear Editor,

In years gone by, schools were constructed to accommodate a growing population who needed to be educated. The population has grown by leaps and bounds and the old school buildings can no longer house students adequately. The natural solution would be to expand current schools if land space is available, or build more schools that can meet the needs of a growing population of young learners. Also, more teachers would need to be hired, so as to lessen the pupil-teacher ratio for the benefit of our students.

Many people believe that the population growth rate is not matched by the rate of improving infrastructural development to accommodate the growth in population. Schools may once again be faced with the double-shift school system -- I believe this was the reason for its existence in the first place!

The question is asked of the true use of the education tax. At the time of its implementation, our nation was under the impression that this tax would go towards educational purposes. One would have thought that improving and constructing school buildings would be a priority. Recent calls have also been made for the improvements or critical changes in our education system and the Government has now increased education tax. What will the added funds be used for? More of the same, I guess.

It is good that schools are being built in some locations, but our population growth rate far exceeds the rate of school building construction. An educated population means a larger number of gainfully employed people. This means that our gainfully employed people will pay taxes that can assist in the employment of more qualified teachers. Let us wisely use the education tax to build more schools so that the seating capacity of the students is more conducive to learning.

Lyssette Hawthorne-Wilson

lysdave@yahoo.com

What of the education tax?

-->

Dear Editor,

I read with shock and dismay that the Government is signing a deal to borrow $29 billion in new loans to fund projects.

When will we start to live within our means? Minister Phillips just announced a $16-billion tax package that will raise the cost of living for every Jamaican. This move now to borrow $29 billion to be used on projects that will not generate direct revenue to pay this or any other loan will certainly exacerbate the problem.

Once again the Government is bamboozling the people of Jamaica saying how many jobs will be created. All this while our public servants can't get a raise. So what do we do? Borrow more.

That is a dumb move. This loan is nothing more than a downpayment on a future election. This Government cares nothing about our children who will have to pay these debts. More and more taxes will be dumped on them till they can't pay anymore. It seems as though in the future there will be more devaluations, more crime, more poor schools, poorer health care, and more debt.

Pay attention, Jamaica. Pay attention!

Elliot Penn

More debt, more debt!

-->

Dear Editor,

We take note of the concerns of the business community regarding the impact of power outages, particularly the one that took place on Saturday, March 30, 2013 -- which was the subject of the article "How much do blackouts cost business?" published on April 3 in the Business Observer.

The loss of business caused by an outage is truly regrettable. Like other businesses, JPS is negatively impacted because, when customers are out of power, the company is losing business as well. It is hardly in anyone's interest to have power outages.

While we are striving to improve system reliability by various means, it needs to be recognised that electricity, by its very nature, is interruptible. As we have seen in jurisdictions around the world, outages may occur for a variety of reasons, sometimes even to protect the power system itself. Power systems are designed with protection mechanisms that respond to problems on the system by isolating faults and sometimes causing temporary power outages. This helps to reduce the impact of the problem, as well as prevent wide-scale system damage.

In island states like Jamaica and Trinidad -- the latter had an all-island outage last week -- there is no opportunity for interconnectivity with other power delivery networks. As a result, outages will have a greater impact on customers than in countries like the US, for example. In the US, when the power company in one state loses power, due to a system fault, it can usually rely on backup from another state, so customers are often spared lengthy outages.

Importantly also, we must be mindful of the extremely capital-intensive nature of the energy business. One option to reducing the impact of outages would be to have a full backup power delivery network. This would be an additional cost burden that we are sure customers would not want. Last year, JPS invested US$56 million in capital expenditure to improve system integrity and supply reliability, and the company plans to spend more than US$60 million on infrastructure upgrades in 2013. In a struggling economy, increased levels of capital expenditure toward system upgrades will undoubtedly have unwelcome implications for customers.

Notwithstanding these challenges, JPS continues to make every effort to provide reliable, quality service. But when an outage does occur, the public can be assured that no one wants restoration faster than JPS.

NB: The report on the March 30 outage has now been submitted to the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), and JPS will be speaking with the media in the coming days to provide further information.

Winsome Callum

Head, Corporate Communications

Jamaica Public Service

Kingston 5

Dear Editor

Heartiest congratulations to the entire Ardenne Team for an exciting victory in the recent Schools' Challenge Quiz. However, I detected a flaw on the judging system of the competition which had the potential of creating immeasurable hardship on the Titchfield team.

The system of judging is that the quizmaster is provided with a list of questions and answers, and unless the answers given are exactly what he/she has before him, the answers are disallowed by him. The judges, however, may override his ruling and, at the end of the segment, allow the answer given.

On at least three occasions — two in the vital final session — three answers given by Titchfield, and disallowed by the invigilator, were subsequently allowed by the judges. So that at the end of the competition Titchfield initially lost by six points. That score was revised by the judges and two of these answers were allowed; so Titchfield finally lost by two points or one answer.

The effect of this process is that Titchfield had given three answers which they knew to be correct, and which were ruled to be incorrect. Now, in a competition in which self-confidence is critical, only a psychologist could convey what those three rejections of their answers could have done to the Titchfield team's self-confidence, and to tell them afterwards that they were correct was very cold comfort.

Therefore, I respectfully wish to suggest that judges be required to make their acceptance of answers known then and there, and that the clock be stopped — similar to that of a basketball game — and the judges make their decision and award the points before the next question is asked. Also, that the coaches of both teams be equipped with mechanisms to request a ruling of the judges on an answer, before the next question is asked. We will never know what would have been the Titchfield mind frame if they knew that in the final stage only two (2) points separated them from Ardenne.

Let their loss be the catalyst for a future change to these rules.

Howard Hamilton

Duke Street

Kingston

After the dust of Schools' Challenge

-->

Dear Editor,

On this the bicentennial, we the Diaspora African Ras Tafari Congress (DARC) on behalf of the Great Ras Tafari Nation take this opportunity to pay homage to the victims of the "Coral Garden Incident" of Good Friday April 12, 1963.

LIVING:

Vincent Nickelson

Walter Brisset (Bongo Brisset)

Roy Nelson

Joel Myrie

Caseal Shakespeare

Otnel Clarke

Deudley Cuss

Bongo Issac

Daughter Enid

DECEASED:

Oswald Vassell

Ruben James

Joslyn Reed

Glaston Lawerence

Sony Jarrett

Norrisce Williams

Richard Calbert

Bal Serling

To the living, hold fast and never give up the fight for justice.

To the deceased, we will forever seek justice on your behalf.

May the Government and citizens of Jamaica be judicious and forthright in bringing about a plausible closure for you the victims of the system?

No Justice No Peace!

Fiqir Bandinet

Ras Jah B

Diaspora African Ras Tafari Congress of the Americas (DARC-A Inc)

Tribute

to the victims of the "Coral Garden Incident"

-->

Dear Editor,

On behalf of the Buff Bay Community Development Committee, we wish to commend you for your tremendous and considerate step in publishing that you are willing to take a salary cut in the interest of the country.

Sir, you are indeed a hard worker, a fantastic leader, one who shows care and concern for the people.

We are very proud to have you as our member of Parliament.

Desiree Cristian-Gutzmore

President

Buff Bay Community Development Committee

Good going, Vaz

-->

Dear Editor,

Folk music will never be the same without the lyrical voice and textual advocacy of Olive Lewin. She gave birth to and nurtured so many cultural lives in music, dance, drama, elocution, and indeed history and anthropology.

We at the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC) bestowed on Olive, in 2010, our Cultural Medal of Honour for a life lived creatively for the benefit of the arts; magnanimously for the spirit of humanity, and sacrificially for the soul of a nation still yearning for a deeper understanding of identity and context.

Olive has gone, but her intellect and intellection, senses and sensibilities, as well as her emotions remain embedded in the DNA of a people whom she loved, respected and revered in the seminal work for which she has been applauded internationally.

Man is self-determined and the environment is the vineyard of his work. Olive mastered self and laboured selflessly, and we are the grateful beneficiaries of the fruits of her labour.

Christopher L Samuda

Chairman

Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC)

Tribute to the late Dr Olive Lewin, OD

-->

Dear Editor,

Last week Saturday, Emancipation Park was transformed into a beautiful celebration dedicated to those with autism. As the principal of Genesis Academy, a school that caters to young persons with special needs, I was overjoyed to witness the growth and confidence in the children who put on such a great show.

Still, it would have been even more awesome if more members of the general public had been present to learn about autism, as it impacts so many persons and families in our society. There are parents who cannot identify autism in their children because they are not aware of the signs, which are numerous and wide-ranging. The public must become involved in initiatives such as this that seek to promote awareness and create a healthy, uplifting environment for autistic children to grow and flourish.

We need to promote a greater understanding of what autism is about so that affected children can be identified early and receive the necessary intervention. We also become more caring and empathetic when we can view the world through the eyes of an autistic child. We were so moved by our young adult, Nicole Rochester, who spoke to the pain of just "being different". This is, of course, why the Digicel Foundation should be applauded for its support of initiatives such as these. The Foundation partnered with the Jamaica Autism Support Association to put on the concert, and we know they have been making a sustained effort to assist the general special needs community.

I urge everyone to continue to spread the word, not just now while it is Autism Awareness Month, but throughout the year.

Donna Lowe

Principal, Genesis Academy

principal.genesis@gmail.com

Autism more than 'being different'

-->

Dear Editor,

Open letter to the Prime Minister of Jamaica, The Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller:

In the wake of the passing of Dr Olive Lewin, "Jamaica's most important musical icon in the pantheon of cultural heroes"— to quote great Jamaican pianist Dr Paul Shaw — Music Unites Jamaica Foundation (MUJF) wishes to bring to your attention one of the greatest needs of the musical fraternity at large, which is an independent Centre for Music.

I had the privilege to learn from Dr Lewin by talking to her for hours and experiencing many concerts and rehearsals of her legendary group, The Jamaican Folk Singers. But where did I meet her two-plus decades ago? It was when she was rehearsing the group at her home on Hillcrest Avenue. This wonderful choir had no other place to rehearse 25 years ago, and it is tragic to say that not much has changed since.

The harsh reality is that many of the great choirs, as well as a variety of orchestras in Jamaica, have no home. They all are depending on the mercy of a school or a church or other public locations to rehearse. We often hear that sports need more recognition and funding, but there is no comparison to how many sports facilities exist in Jamaica, while music has almost none.

There has been a Sports Development Foundation operating for years, but where is the Arts Development Foundation? Sports have more than one stadium, but the Arts have only one — Ward Theatre, which is in disrepair; and a convention centre in Montego Bay, which is far out of reach in terms of affordability for smaller local performances. We would like to humbly ask, where would one feature Dr Lewin's work publicly, if there is no centre for ongoing musical exhibitions?

Since 2009, MUJF has intensely lobbied for a long-term lease of the historical property at 62 Lady Musgrave Road, where, in 1947, the first offices of the University of the West Indies were opened. This house and land would be the most ideal space in Kingston for this, what we call the Samuel Felsted Institute (SFI).

Samuel Felsted (1743 - 1802) is Jamaica's first documented composer, but who knows about him? A musical learning centre named after him would consciously and subconsciously imprint this important musical fact in the psyche of the Jamaican people and cultural tourists.

We earnestly plead that you, Madam Prime Minister, act swiftly to assist us in securing this wonderful old building for the establishment of the first independent music centre in Jamaica. We have an outline of the utilisation and potential offerings at this centre, such as being the home of a premier orchestra in Jamaica, with the necessary teaching and practice rooms, as well as a musical instrument repair shop. The land offers space for a small amphitheatre where on Saturday mornings children could once again enjoy a morning of 'Ring Ding' like in the days of Miss Lou.

We are fully aware that this property is in the heart of a residential area, therefore, we would assure the citizens in the Lady Musgrave vicinity that we promise not to have any noisy activity after 10 pm, and no loud amplified music in general.

We are very disheartened to read in recent newspaper publications that the NIF is planning to seek permission to build townhouses on this historical property. As the area has been referred to as the 'Golden Triangle', then the golden opportunity to save a historical building should never be missed. To preserve the culture of one's nation is more precious than any monetary figure could describe. After all, the truth is, as quoted by the late Edna Manley: "It is the arts that hold Jamaica together."

May Dr Lewin's spirit smile on us from heaven.

Rosina Christina Moder, MA Mus (Hons)

Executive Director

Music Unites Jamaica Foundation

musicunites.jamaica@gmail.com

Honour Lewin, honour the Arts, PM

-->

Dear Editor,

As a nation we regularly emulate and praise many of the policies, practices and philosophies of First-World nations. In particular, we are grand imitators of the United States.The time has now come for us to mirror their recognition of children's rights by instituting school zones for traffic. Our children's futures is at risk, and something has to be done to stem the woeful tide.

I live in the Mona area and recognise the immense difficulty that Mona High School and Jamaica College students face in crossing our busy roadways. No one can deny that the traffic on our roadways has increased immensely over recent years, but unfortunately our drivers have become more aggressive and are practising less and less good driving habits.

With our economic conditions worsening, it is hardly likely that the mental stability of our drivers will improve. So our National Road Safety Council will need to be proactive and institute measures which will ensure the safety of our children.

Both Mona and Old Hope roads have frequently speeding motorists who put our children's lives at risk. Checks could be made to ascertain the number of accidents which have taken place along these corridors within the vicinity of these schools. We cannot wait for one of these children to die before we take action.

In addition, the children need to be taught the proper use of the pedestrian crossing. I do not support the holding up of one's hand to cross the roadway, because some persons think that once their hand is up they are guaranteed safe passage. They also need to realise that extra care must be taken to cross the road when it is wet, because one does not have to be driving fast to cause a crash. Safety is a must. Too many lives are being needlessly lost in our country and we can make the difference if we do what is necessary.

Identifying school zones would help to curtail speeding as well as garner some necessary income from those who insist on breaking the law; and above all else, they could save the lives of our children.

Dame Griffiths

St Andrew

garden_gurl1@yahoo.com

School zones are a must

-->