Jamaica Observer

Within every movement to redress perceived historical wrongs is an extremist fringe that sometimes gets carried away and mischaracterises the entire set of ideals and concerns of the movement. The human rights umbrella and those groups under it (HIV rights, LGBT rights, etc.) can and do fall victim to this very human tendency. That such a situation exists, however, never justifies ignoring the real issues being fought by the broader movement.

The dismissal of Professor Brendan Bain by the University of the West Indies from his position as head of the Caribbean HIV and AIDS Regional Training (CHART) network has been characterised by many as an example of how the extremist elements among the rights groups, particularly the so-called gay lobby and its allies, behave towards those with whom they disagree. Because, indeed, extremists often capture public attention and frame debates, it is sometimes difficult to clarify why some issues matter to the more reasonable among us.

In the case of Professor Bain, the central issue is not a difference of opinion or even a clash of values, important as these are. It is simply about a conflict of interest. Professor Bain headed an organisation which promotes the decriminalisation of buggery as one step in creating an enabling environment for one of the groups most affected by HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean. This has been the established consensus of the constituency served by the organisation for years, and it coincides with the position of other international bodies working in HIV and AIDS. By making an affidavit that opposed the position of that organisation, on behalf of an interested party in the Belize case to strike down the law against buggery, Professor Bain made himself ineligible for the job of leading CHART.

In light of the position he took in the case, he should have understood the need to resign from CHART. That would have freed him from any responsibility to reflect the views of organisation's constituency. Raising concerns here about the actions of a gay lobby and freedom of expression only clouds the issue and makes it nigh impossible to have a reasonable debate. It is time, too, that the media helps to lift the nature and tenor of the debate and eschew the kind of unhelpful sensationalism that has come to dominate coverage of the story.

Sex Work Association of Jamaica

Montego Bay

sexworkassociationjamica@gmail.com

Don't cloud the true issue

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Dear Editor,

After listening to the midday news today on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 of a report of another outrageous outburst of Damion Crawford referring to JLP supporters as "dutty Labourites", I am forced to make an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to 'rope in' this young man.

How much more damage is he going to be allowed to do before the well-thinking members of the Government and the party stop him? I think he is doing a lot of damage to the image of this Government and Father Manley's party. I am so embarrassed and disappointed.

This young man is not ready for prime time at all. Instead of being grateful for the opportunity and privilege to learn and develop as a first-time parliamentarian, he has chosen to display his classlessness, ignorance and arrogance time and time again. I am sick to my stomach with the constant barage of garbage shamelessly spued out from this 'yout'. Can we be spared from him for the next two years until he has learnt to conduct himself with the level of decency and decorum worthy of the people's representative?

This young man is not ready for prime time at all. Instead of being grateful for the opportunity and privilege to learn and develop as a first-time parliamentarian, he has chosen to display his classlessness, ignorance and arrogance time and time again. I am sick to my stomach with the constant barage of garbage shamelessly spued out from this 'yout'. Can we be spared from him for the next two years until he has learnt to conduct himself with the level of decency and decorum worthy of the people's representative?

It is shocking that he has been allowed so much latitude without any apparent restraint. Why? When he came out two weeks ago lamblasting the JPS in the manner he did, it did not look good, and it was not good. Who appointed him spokesperson and why is he being projected as the face of the Government and the PNP? He is no role model for his constituents. There is not much evidence that any education he has received is helping him to behave in an appropriate and acceptable manner.

In general, the thoughtless utterances recently from politicians are most alarming and scandalous. They are surely doing a good job at turning off decent people. Madam Prime Minister, you are not only PM, you are mother of the nation. Some of the people in Government need guidance, clearly. Guide them. I truly feel a little despondent today.

Eileen Powell

Manchester

lizbethson49@hotmail.com

Rein in Crawford, PM

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Dear Editor,

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand," Albert Einstein.

There was a period in mankind's history known as the Dark Ages, figuratively and literally. There was no electricity and knowledge was scarce, life was brutish and reduced to "laws of nature". Then mankind emerged from that dark period into what was termed the Renaissance or the rebirth of learning. The 20th century saw the greatest levels of invention and progress since man emerged from a cave.

Jamaica needs a renaissance and imagination. Damion Crawford is a young politician that is attempting such a reform, but he will make mistakes sometimes through exuberance. Remember Crawford initially attempted to use his Constituency Development Fund on education and infrastructure, instead of "pork barrel" politics. His ideas were soundly rejected by his constituents.

We cannot tell which political leader will emerge as the person with imagination and knowledge to make the type of exceptional difference we need. A mixture of Michael Manley and Edward Seaga may be the answer. Manley was inspirational and he possessed the rare quality called charisma. Seaga was a wizard at finance, but lacked that charisma. Today we need someone who cannot only imagine but can execute such imagination.

The 381MW power plant and the logistics hub are dynamic programmes that can push Jamaica beyond our dark ages. Fritz Pinnock, executive director of the Caribbean Maritime Institute, said: "It is going to happen. It is not a pipe dream". He also said we, "analyse till we paralyse". We need a political leader, even if he/she is devoid of scientific knowledge, to be able to explain in an inspirational way how the power project and the logistics hub will transform our country. It will take imagination and certainly charisma, but it will also take honesty. If either the PM or Andrew Holness can accomplish this task then that is the leader we will need to take us in the future.

Mark Clarke

Siloah, St Elizabeth

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com

Ja needs a mix of Seaga and Manley for PM

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Dear Editor,

I have read the content of Professor Bain's expert advice submitted to the Supreme Court in Belize by way of assisting in the resolution of a constitutional matter.

I will confess that I am flabbergasted beyond all belief that the University of the West Indies (UWI) should choose to dismiss him. The UWI's response, via Vice Chancellor E Nigel Harris, is factually unfounded and irrational.

I would have thought that, with a report such as it was, Professor Bain should have instead been honoured for his candour, his respect for truth, his professional integrity, and most of all for unflinching fealty to his fiduciary contract with the public as a public health professional.

It has to be that Professor Bain's dismissal was the direct result of pressure from those who are responsible for funding, since his dismissal has absolutely nothing to defend it.

I think the university owes Caribbean citizens, collectively, an official position statement on this dismissal; one that must be scrutinised in the court of informed public opinion.

Should it be that those who are responsible for terminating this professor's contract are found wanting in their reasons for doing so or, worse yet, that it can be shown that they succumbed to pressure from self-interested financial lobbyists following an idiosyncratic agenda, or indeed to political pressure, then it is they, not Professor Bain, who should be summarily fired for their failure to defend evidence-based scientific fact and for their moral cowardice.

For their capitulation strikes at the very raison d'être of the university's existence as a resource for higher learning and truth.

Dr Steve Smith, FRCP

icteruss@yahoo.com

Dear Editor,

Recently, a fourth form male student at Kingston Technical High School was prevented from doing his CSEC examination because the school authorities were of the opinion that his hair was too “high”.

While I support the notion that students should obey the rules of their respective educational institutions, I strongly believe that in this instance the punishment outweighs the crime.

I am very much aware of the challenges many of our schools undergo daily trying to get students to adhere to regulations, however, there comes a time when good sense and one’s initiative should prevail when dealing with youngsters.

It is most unacceptable that a few minutes before this young man was to sit his examination he was told by senior managers at the school that his hair was too “high” and that he had the option to go and get a haircut and return to sit the examination.

We all have been through examinations and we all know how nervous and tense one can be prior and during examinations.

A better solution would have been for the school authorities to get a pair of scissors and cut the youngsters hair and allow him to sit his examination.

Had this been done we would not be having this discussion. As a result of the actions of the school a number of questions are left to be answered.

Among them are who will pay the entry and examination fee for this young man to sit the examination next year? Was his right breached in terms of denying him access to sit this external examination?

What exactly does too “high” means regarding his hair? Who set this hair rule? What, if, any is the role of the Ministry of Education in this? What if this young man was from a prominent family would he have been told the same thing?

What message are we sending to our students when we are so rigid? Interestingly, Jamaica is signatory to the Convention of the Rights of the Child which clearly states that every child has a right to an education which includes access, therefore influencing a student not to sit an examination is an infringement on the rights of the child.

No one is arguing that schools should turn a blind eye to students breaking school rules, however, it is how we approach and handle such incidents which speak volumes and which set us apart in terms of being good managers and role models. Clearly, the Office of the Children’s Advocate needs to further examine this matter.

This is certainly not the way we should end Child Month 2014. “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy” – St Matthew chapter 5 verse 7.

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com

www.wayaine.blogspot.com

Dear Editor,

The founding fathers of both politicial parties must be rolling over in their graves because of the careless statements made by Damion Crawford and other politicians at times.

And not only they, but George William Gordon, for whom the honourable house is named, must be unsettled. There are so many important things to be discussed in the House for the good of the country and its citizens, such as to try to halt the value of the sliding dollar and fixing of the roadways across the country, etc.

With this sort of behaviour, it is no wonder people like myself refuse to leave their homes and go to the polling stations and exercise their right to vote. We are disenchanted by the behaviour and statements of our elected leaders.

No wonder the youngsters behave the way they do as we adults set no good example for them to follow. We all need to get our act together.

Claudette Harris

claudetteharris43@yahoo.com

Dear Editor,

She was not only a poetess but a humanist whose thoughts transcended the very valour and nobility of her life experiences.

She was an umbilical mother, but her navel was genetically bound to generations of men and women, particularly those who were historically, racially and socially homeless and voiceless.

This was Maya Angelou who gave humanity the best of herself and saw the ineffable beauty and strength in creation with a conscience that was clear and a consciousness that was deeper than mortal understanding.

Her legacy is indeed immortal and beyond the written and spoken scripts which she bequeathed to us from her soul and with a generosity of spirit. The bird now sings songs of freedom in winged flight up, above and beyond mother earth.

Christopher Samuda

Chairman

Creative Production Training Centre

Media Technology Institute

Dear Editor,

Her day is done. Is done. The news came on the wings of a wind, reluctant to carry its burden.

Maya Angelou’s day is done. The news, expected and still unwelcome, reached us all over the world, and suddenly our world became somber. Our skies were leadened.

Celebrated poet, novelist, actress, educator, historian, film-maker, and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou’s life spanned more than eight decades until her passing On the Pulse of the Morning of May 28, 2014.

Like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou was a defender of black culture and liberation, and an activist for women’s rights through her many works. At the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, Angelou helped Malcolm X build the civil rights organisation, Organisation for Afro-American Unity.

The assassination of Malcolm X, and later another good friend, Martin Luther King Jr, though throwing her into sadness, encouraged her to produce some of her best works; Blacks, Blues, Black, a documentary series, and a year later, her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

She became only the second poet to do a recital at the inauguration of a US president, reciting On the Pulse of the Morning at the 1993 Clinton inauguration. In 2011, she was honoured by yet another president, Barack Obama, with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Her numerous works were permeated with messages of love, compassion, equality, and selflessness. We regret the passing of such a “phenomenal woman” who reminds us through her works that “love liberates” and in all that we do, we should “Just do right”.

Though gone, her works live on and serve as a potent reminder to us as we go about our daily lives.

Yes, Maya Angelou’s day is done, yet we, her inheritors, will open the gates wider for reconciliation, and we will respond generously to the cries of blacks and whites, Asians, Hispanics, the poor who live piteously on the floor of our planet. She has offered us understanding.

We will not withhold forgiveness even from those who do not ask.

Maya Angelou’s day is done, we confess it in tearful voices, yet we lift our own to say thank you. We will not forget you, we will not dishonour you, we will remember and be glad that you lived among us, that you taught us, and that you loved us all. Rest in Peace, Maya Angelou.

Aujae' K.Dixon

Chairman Designate UWI Guild

Presidential Task Force

drajdixon@gmail.com

The tribute contains in parts a modified version of Angelou’s own tribute to Nelson Mandela

Dear Editor,

A round of applause to the JLP and PNP for bringing such a wonderful, once rich country to the grounds of poverty. The days of being able to go to the supermarket and having the luxury of choosing whether to buy mutton, oxtail, pork or chicken are gone.

It is time to look at where we are coming from, where we are, and where we're going as a nation. It is time for Jamaicans to speak up and make a move for a better future before it is too late.

Did you know that the Jamaican dollar was once greater in value than the United States dollar? In fact, in 1971 according to the Bank of Jamaica, the exchange currency was US$1= J$0.77, how is it then possible that it is now US$1=J$ 111.02? The answer is very simple, and a lot of Jamaican fail to accept what is the clear truth: our country has been mismanaged by the only two political parties that have been in government since 'Jesus was a boy'.

Did you know that the Jamaican dollar was once greater in value than the United States dollar? In fact, in 1971 according to the Bank of Jamaica, the exchange currency was US$1= J$0.77, how is it then possible that it is now US$1=J$ 111.02? The answer is very simple, and a lot of Jamaican fail to accept what is the clear truth: our country has been mismanaged by the only two political parties that have been in government since 'Jesus was a boy'.

We have watched them demolish our chance of becoming successful individuals of tomorrow. How much more will we take? How many nights must we go to bed eating rice and pot butter? How many days will we be at home becoming BFFs with our ceilings, having no jobs to go to? The IMF approved a loan of approximately $1.25 billion to Jamaica, however, how will this be different from the many unaccounted grants and financial aid cheque Jamaica has received?

Too many Jamaicans have the same expectation, that the money will vanish into thin air with no understanding of what it was used for since we are in no shape or form growing. It is time for the Jamaican people to make the necessary changes, starting now! JLP and PNP must go now! We need new leadership, fresh minds that are well equipped and prepared to tackle all challenges with the Jamaican people's best interest at heart.

Let us stop for a minute and think carefully of what will become of our children in the next five years? What will become of crime rates in the next five years? Time is running out. A movement is approaching and it is time to get ready to make that move we have been waiting for since Independence. The youth are ready to voice their opinions and it starts with the Congress of Young Democrats (CYD). It is not politics, it's a movement to freedom out of poverty. Get ready! Tick, tock...

Congress of Young Democrats

JLP and PNP caused our poverty

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Dear Editor,

This very famous and powerful monster called crime is still making steady strides by leaps and bounds. This warlike giant has a strategic plan, which is aimed at directly wiping out Jamaica.

This wretched and wicked bugger shows himself in many different ways: left, right and centre. But among the ways in which this ferocious beast is ripping and tearing people's lives to pieces is by knives

and machetes.

Have we ever turned our attention directly and focused on the large number of people who have already been butchered by the knives and machetes? This should be very frightening and should cause us to panic seeing so many precious lives being terminated as if they are animals to the slaughter.

The simplest thing nowadays is multiple stab wounds. The slightest little argument between some people results in a machete being stuck in a person's flesh, resulting in serious tragedies. These useful weapons have their rightful purposes, but sadly some human beings are using them to butcher people at will.

It seems that truly the hearts of some people are getting more desperately wicked day by day.

Finally, the writing is already written plainly on the wall. We are still not serious and totally committed to fighting crime. Crime is like a gigantic mountain in Jamaica, bigger and higher than Mount Everest. No wonder we are running away from it.

Donald J McKoy

donaldmckoy2010@hotmail.com

Crime is a wretched and wicked butcher

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Dear Editor,

Maya Angelou said: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

Sadly, many church members are hushed when it comes to criminality but very vocal about homosexuality. One wonders if churches are benefiting directly or indirectly from the proceeds of crime. Many churches use it pulpits as a war machine to attack homosexual practices as it is easier to address because it feeds into the public hysteria. The moral compass of society seems to find it cooler to expose a gays than be tagged as an 'informer'.

Sadly, engrained in the Jamaican psyche is the idea that both homosexual and the informer must meet the same fate — death. However no one is safe from the hands of the savage murderers, not even church members. Hence, if more church members begin to disassociate themselves from those who are involved in crime, refuse to enjoy the fruits of the scammers and other illicit earnings, crime would take a nosedive.

As Christians we need to stand in the gap and purge our society of those whose intentions are callous, cold and calculating. I say to all Christians, do not be fooled by short-term monetary gain. The life or limbs lost tomorrow might well be yours or those of a loved one.

Church people you need to take the lead, put as much effort in ridding the country of criminals as you do homosexual. Save this fragile nation of ours.

"Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest."— Maya Angelou

Roy Smith

United Kingdom

Church loud on gays, quiet on crime

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Dear Editor,

Perhaps it was a good thing that Audley Shaw and Michael Peart were at that funeral together giving their views on jungle justice. For, while Shaw was busy correcting Peart on the error of his ways in "accidentally" supporting jungle justice by calling for a resumption of hanging, interestingly and ironically he provided the best reasons why hanging should never resume.

Shaw correctly pointed out that if jungle justice had been served on the man initially accused by the residents, an innocent man would have been lynched, as it turned out that the second man held was the true culprit. How would the residents have felt if they eventually found out that an innocent man was killed?

What Shaw forgot to tell the obviously very angry crowd at that funeral when they praised him for his call for a resumption of hanging is that many innocent people have had their necks stretched. In this respect, hanging is just as bad as jungle justice.

One of the reasons so many countries are abandoning capital punishment is that it doesn't serve any useful purpose. It clearly has not served as any real deterrent to crime. Also, killing the condemned person will not bring his victim back. It certainly will not deny the condemned person the one thing he, and the rest of us, are sure of — death.

Our justice system is certainly not perfect. However, while we can compensate innocent people who have been wrongly convicted, we can't do so for persons who have been wrongfully hanged. The finality of hanging denies us the ability to compensate as we can't bring the dead back to life. As long as there is the strong possibility that the innocent can be executed, the death penalty must be avoided.

However, I don't want to not provide an alternative to the death penalty, as truly guilty people, so convicted, should be made to pay. In this respect, I would like to offer two suggestions:

First, they should really be made to work. Put them to some real work like building roads and repairing public facilities like schools and hospitals. Surely, we can save a lot of the money that we pay others to work on large public work projects like these.

Secondly, we should give serious consideration to making it mandatory that once persons have been convicted for a capital crime, their bodies must become the property of the State. In this regard, we should use then as a source for organs. A man can still live on one kidney. The State should also have the right to be able to use these convicts for scientific experiments. Why use rats when we have humans?

I know this sounds barbaric, but which is worse — being able to compensate a living man who has been deprived of some of his organs or being unable to compensate a man who has been killed?

We need to think outside of the box. The death penalty should be done away with as it does not work.

Michael A Dingwall

michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com

Away with the death penalty

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Dear Editor,

Like most young promising Jamaicans I was born into a political party. Yes, I was born into one as I took on the party my family was affiliated with and supported. It was not until I became an adult that I realised the consequences of being associated to a colour because of family line and I found myself independently analysing both parties sieving through the available facts using my own mental capacity to decide which party was really the right party to vote for in the upcoming elections.

I found myself badly disappointed when I weighed both sides and realised that I could not find any clearly defined differences between them. This deflated my anticipation to being finally enumerated.

My conclusion is that being born into a party may not be so bad after all. When you evaluate both sides there isn't any difference in how the country's business is run and you are basically left to just pick a colour and stick to it.

How can succh a country move forward?

Let's just say I will still get my name on the voters' list, however my biggest decision when it is time to "ink" is which party to chuck and thrash and which party to trust. That is my dilemma.

Dee Hunt

St Catherine

deehuntbeck@gmail.com

Inked finger dilemma

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Dear Editor,

Whenever something tragic happens to a child the statement that 'children are the future' is always touted. However, with statistics from the Office of the Children's Registry indicating that between January and June 2013 approximately 6,206 cases of abuse were reported, it's clear that we have not truly bought into this ideal.

Even more alarming than the high number of reported cases is the fact that there are still many unreported cases.

The statistics indicate that 48 per cent of reports made (2,982 cases) related to neglect and 37 per cent of reports made (2,300 cases) was due to the children being in need of care and protection. With these figures in mind, I am inclined to agree with the recent statements by politicians that those who are unable to provide care and protection for their children should not have any.

Parenthood is a full-time job with no vacation days or casual leave, and as a society it is our duty to demonstrate the love we have for our children by shielding them from harm.

The Child Care and Protection Act 2004 states that every adult has a responsibility to report suspected/known cases of abuse, and there are legal ramifications (six months' imprisonment, a fine of $500,000, or both) if this is not done. The law, however, should not have to compel us to do the right thing and report abuse if we indeed believe that our children are the future.

Kimone Clementson

kimclem_01@yahoo.com

Our children are the future

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Dear Editor,

During the last re-classification exercise, all teachers were awarded a special teachers' allowance which would bring their salaries to 80 per cent of the market rate. This special allowance was given according to the teacher's level of qualification. The work experience teachers are no exception. These teachers were paid this sum of money over a seven-year period.

The work experience teacher's job description is to seek organisations that would be willing to admit fifth form students into their businesses to get practical experience in their vocation area. The teachers must supervise the students and coordinate the whole programme. The Ministry of Education has mandated that the upgraded high schools and technical schools thoroughly prepare their youngsters for the world of work. The ministry has appointed these teachers to do the job. One of the requirements is that the teacher owns a motor car. Over the years, these teachers have been given a stipend to offset the cost of fuel and general maintenance of their privately owned vehicle. I must point out that this stipend is $28,604 monthly. Given the high cost of living, and fuel especially, this is just a drop in the bucket.

The Ministry of Education is now saying that this stipend should be used to top up work experience teachers' salaries to 80 per cent of the market rate. Hence these teachers are asked to pay back the sum of over a million

dollars each.

I think the public must know the truth before they judge these teachers who are already subsidising the programme they coordinate. I totally agree with Mr Smith that it should not be paid back, and I would add that the teachers should continue to receive the special teachers' allowance to bring them on par with other categories of teachers with

similar qualifications.

Jacky Brown

jab552011@hotmail.com

The truth about the 'overpayment' to teachers

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Dear Editor,

The expert testimony given by Professor Bain, a well-respected expert in infectious diseases, was based on scientific evidence which is independently verifiable by anyone. He did not distort any facts nor did he misrepresent the truth; he did not even make a recommendation. Therefore, a conflict of interest in his continued capacity as director of CHART can only arise if that organisation's stated mission was compromised by his factual testimony. This is clearly not the case.

Apparently the scientific evidence presented by Professor Bain is an inconvenient truth, a spoiler to the hidden agenda of those asking for his dismissal. We keep hearing that public health experts want buggery decriminalised because it will allow more people to come out of hiding and get tested. However, there is no empirical data to support this assertion. Why then the push to decriminalise buggery? Is there a hidden agenda here?

It is extremely unfortunate and sad that someone who has given such distinguished and exemplary service to the UWI for decades and has taught numerous generations of medical students with distinction, myself included, has had his reputation sullied by this gratuitous controversy in his twilight years by the very institution he has served so loyally. Those who know Professor Bain well would describe him as a gentle giant, even-tempered in tone and non-judgemental, the very qualities which have made him so effective in caring for persons with HIV/AIDS and leading CHART.

I recently attended the funeral service of the late Professor Norman Girvan and learnt that among his many writings he warned about a second wave of colonisation, not in terms of acquisition of our land mass by the powerful North, but in terms of them wanting to influence our socio-cultural environment by way of conditionalities attached to funds given to developing countries. Some funding agencies are hell-bent on changing Caribbean culture to align it with their own unnatural way of life. Caribbean peoples must recognise and resist this insidious threat and must insist that they be allowed to chart their own course and way of life. This may necessitate jettisoning foreign aid in some instances and toughing it out so as to maintain our collective identity and integrity.

We also need to beware of intellectuals who espouse a way of life under the cover of soft science and warped ethics that is foreign to Caribbean peoples and inimical to our culture and identity. Just because a practice has been adopted by our northern neighbours does not mean that it is a good fit for us. For example, the repeal of the buggery law, however well-intentioned it may be, would open a Pandora's box of unintended consequences such as gay marriage and adoption of children by openly gay couples, practices that would fundamentally change the very nature of Caribbean identity and culture.

Indeed, this I believe is the hidden agenda of those calling for Professor Bain's dismissal. The UWI with its present stance appears to have genuflected to spurious arguments masquerading as sound public health policy. That the UWI has treated one of its renowned public health practitioners, a distinguished and loyal member of its own academy, in this fashion is cause for grave concern. This is a clear sign of our times

William Aiken

Lecturer in Surgery (Urology)

Supervisor DM Urology Prog

UWI, Mona

william.aiken@uwimona.edu.jm

Resist the insidious threat that caused Bain's dismissal

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Dear Editor,

The moment there is suspicion about a person's motives everything he does become tainted. — Mohandas Gandhi

It is very clear to me that the University of the West Indies has erred in its judgement to fire Professor Brendan Bain. It is quite interesting that Prof Bain's performance in his capacity as director of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Resources Training Network was never before questioned.

The irony of this situation is that the University of the West Indies should be an entity which embraces diversity of views, but based on this particular situation it could be understood that the university is clearly stating that some views are more acceptable than others. It raises the question whether the University of the West Indies is pushing J-FLAG's agenda.

It would be understandable if the university had fired Prof Bain for a breach of his fiduciary duties or for poor performance in his capacity as director, but how ridiculous it is that Prof Bain was fired because he opined his views in adjudication proceedings -- in which opinions are acceptable.

Section 22 of the Jamaican Constitution states that no person should be hindered in the enjoyment of freedom of expression, except with his own consent. This simply means that Prof Bain, Jack Tom and Mary Lee have a right to express themselves. Based on the action of the university it can be understood this is a clear indication of groups having devious ulterior motives influencing the administration at the seat of higher learning.

It is noteworthy from a legal perspective Prof Bain's opinion is in perfected sync with Jamaican law.

I am humbly asking the University of the West Indies to do the honourable thing and and reverse their actions by rehiring Prof Bain.

Marvin Forbes

forbesmarvin@gmail.com

UWI Building.jpg

University of the West Indies, Mona Campus

Do the honourable thing, UWI!

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Dear Editor,

The most successful individual at the polls is not the reformist with visionary ideas, but the man who is able to develop a message which resonates with the populace. However, a political system based solely on rhetoric will not produce tangible results, and Jamaicans are now reaping the disadvantages of this system which they have been nurturing for years.

We shouldn't be quick to castigate our politicians because they do the bidding of most citizens. Like their constituents, parliamentarians emphasise welfare over wealth creation. So a politician who is interested in retaining his seat will announce 'pro-poor' initiatives and conveniently denigrate wealthy Jamaicans — since they are the ones who caused the plight of the poor and not Government's inefficiencies.

We shouldn't be quick to castigate our politicians because they do the bidding of most citizens. Like their constituents, parliamentarians emphasise welfare over wealth creation. So a politician who is interested in retaining his seat will announce 'pro-poor' initiatives and conveniently denigrate wealthy Jamaicans -- since they are the ones who caused the plight of the poor and not Government's inefficiencies.

Therefore, when it became apparent that bank fees were increasingly becoming a burden to consumers, political masterminds like Fitz Jackson and Karl Samuda quickly seized the opportunity to portray themselves as defenders of the poor by lashing private banks. Banks, like other businesses, are interested in maximising profits, and if a consumer has a problem with an outrageous fee, he has the right to acquire the services of a credit union or lobby for greater competition in the banking sector. Despite the findings of the Bank of Jamaica and a think tank, which both show that local banking fees are in line with international trends, the tirade against private banks continues. How do we expect Jamaica to develop a business-friendly environment when demonising private entrepreneurs is the pastime of many citizens?

Furthernore, welfare is not a function of a legitimate administration, because theft is still a crime even if its sanctioned by Government. The purpose of the National Housing Trust is to provide contributors with affordable housing; therefore, the decision of the present Administration to divert the NHT'S funds and build homes for elderly and the homeless is unacceptable; the fact that the funds are being used for a noble purpose doesn't make it right. If you steal your neighbour's money to pay for your child's school fee it is still theft. Private charities like Food for the Poor are assisting the less privileged and they should be encouraged. The people of Jamaica may want populist politicians who love the poor, but they need pragmatic capitalists.

Lipton Matthews

lo_matthews@yahoo.com

Populist politicians created our welfare state

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Dear Editor,

Without wanting to add to the flood of words over the issue concerning Professor Brendan Bain, I wish to point out an issue that has been little mentioned in this brouhaha. This is the role that Prof Bain has played in trying to change attitudes among the churches of the Caribbean, with regard to helping those in their communities living with the stigma of HIV/AIDS.

I am personally aware of efforts he has made, of meetings he has held and discussions he has had with ministers, churches and Christian organisations, pleading with them not to let their biblical antipathy towards homosexual practices hinder them from ministering to the infected, sick and dying.

I was one of many Jamaican participants at the CONECAR (Congress on the Evangelisation of the Caribbean) conference in Barbados in 2002, where Prof Bain was in attendance advocating with church leaders from English, Spanish, Dutch and French-speaking Caribbean countries on the issue.

Many within the churches have taken up his advocacy and developed programmes to help those living with AIDS. But they have not trumpeted their works, as Jesus advised them to do. The leadership of CONECAR has continued to lead in this advocacy over these years. Was Professor Bain fulfilling his mandate as head of CHART when he did this advocacy?

If the revered professor would end his silence, and speak up for himself, he could tell of the efforts he had made in this regard, and the buffetings he has taken. Possibly, the LGBT community is unaware of this aspect of Professor Bain's advocacy on their behalf. If they knew, maybe their attitude towards him would have been different. It is unlikely that UWI is unaware of these efforts of Professor Bain, yet they surrendered to his adversaries. But then, maybe they were not aware.

Lloyd A Cooke

Royal Flat, Mandeville PO

lcookemia@gmail.com

Prof Bain's advocacy must be worth something

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Dear Editor,

It is clear to me that those posing as human rights activists are indeed the real bullies.

Professor Bain has made significant contributions to the HIV/AIDS community and his selfless work has improved the lives of many persons living with the disease. Therefore, it is severely disturbing to learn that he was fired for simply voicing his opinion.

It would seem to me that the LGBT community wants to silence anyone who has a differing opinion on their lifestyle.

Professor Bain, through his years of experience, testified that HIV/AIDS is higher among men having sex with other men. The LGBT community reserves the right to disagree, but to call for Professor Bain to be dismissed from his post simply because he gave his professional opinion on an issue plaguing our world — and before you get ahead of yourselves, the issue I'm referring to is HIV/AIDS — is not only vindictive, but also extreme.

This had led me to wonder: If Professor Bain, who is a reputable member of our society, can lose his job because his comments offend the gay community, what of the rest of us?

Clearly the LGBT community has some very powerful people, and as a result anyone who speaks against their lifestyle is immediately labelled as homophobic.

They seem to have forgotten that freedom of speech is a constitutional right extended to all Jamaicans and not just the LGBT community, and no amount of bullying will ever change that.

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire

Jollene Johnson

jollene_johnson@hotmail.com

LGBT community shouldn't bully others

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