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LETTER OF THE DAY - Shun Garrison Talk Shop
LETTER OF THE DAY - Shun Garrison Talk Shop
Published: Tuesday | November 1, 20112 Comments
Newby
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Senator Warren Newby has presented a motion to the Senate concerning garrison communities. The content of his motion reflects exactly why Jamaica should abandon the nonsense of ascribing 'honourable' to persons simply because of the job they hold, and restore that descriptor to something that can only be earned.
Senator Newby has seemingly forgotten that Professor Carl Stone already defined a political garrison. What is more amazing is that he also seems to have missed out on all the classes taught by persons such as Professors Anthony Harriott and Bernard Headley, and others, who were all teaching when he was at UWI in the same faculty as they.
These scholars have spent decades researching garrisons and related phenomena in Jamaica and have contributed much to various government documents and policy on the subject.
What I find most disturbing is that Senator Newby is seemingly unaware of the work of the Ministry of National Security and the Planning Institute of Jamaica in analysing data to come up with lists of the most volatile communities which are usually tied to garrison constituencies.
Since under the present Government, the amount of money spent on social interventions to remedy the very concerns he has outlined has increased, and there exist agencies of the Government of Jamaica to tackle these problems, it is odd that a member of said government is so clueless.
I would suggest to the young senator that instead of setting up another committee to speak this problem to death again, he should seek to get from his colleagues in both parties tangible commitments on how they intend to improve their behaviour, empower their constituents and work with well-meaning Jamaicans to get rid of garrisons.
As a matter of fact, I would hate to think this idea of a parliamentary committee has anything to do with an upcoming election and the mileage to be gained from 'discovering' that the PNP might have more garrison constituencies than his party.
If that is at the root of this motion, it would only serve to confirm that the youth in our political parties may, perhaps, not be the youth the country needs.
FANON GARVEY
Kingston
Published: Tuesday | November 1, 20112 Comments
Newby
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Senator Warren Newby has presented a motion to the Senate concerning garrison communities. The content of his motion reflects exactly why Jamaica should abandon the nonsense of ascribing 'honourable' to persons simply because of the job they hold, and restore that descriptor to something that can only be earned.
Senator Newby has seemingly forgotten that Professor Carl Stone already defined a political garrison. What is more amazing is that he also seems to have missed out on all the classes taught by persons such as Professors Anthony Harriott and Bernard Headley, and others, who were all teaching when he was at UWI in the same faculty as they.
These scholars have spent decades researching garrisons and related phenomena in Jamaica and have contributed much to various government documents and policy on the subject.
What I find most disturbing is that Senator Newby is seemingly unaware of the work of the Ministry of National Security and the Planning Institute of Jamaica in analysing data to come up with lists of the most volatile communities which are usually tied to garrison constituencies.
Since under the present Government, the amount of money spent on social interventions to remedy the very concerns he has outlined has increased, and there exist agencies of the Government of Jamaica to tackle these problems, it is odd that a member of said government is so clueless.
I would suggest to the young senator that instead of setting up another committee to speak this problem to death again, he should seek to get from his colleagues in both parties tangible commitments on how they intend to improve their behaviour, empower their constituents and work with well-meaning Jamaicans to get rid of garrisons.
As a matter of fact, I would hate to think this idea of a parliamentary committee has anything to do with an upcoming election and the mileage to be gained from 'discovering' that the PNP might have more garrison constituencies than his party.
If that is at the root of this motion, it would only serve to confirm that the youth in our political parties may, perhaps, not be the youth the country needs.
FANON GARVEY
Kingston
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