IRIE FM

An international human rights lawyer and ultra-marathon swimmer is undertaking a 30-kilometre swim from Trelawny to St. James today, as part of a campaign advocating for greater public access to Jamaica’s beaches.

Australian barrister Eva Buzo is swimming from Half Moon Bay in Trelawny to One Man Beach, formerly Old Hospital Park Beach in Montego Bay.

The approximately eight-hour swim forms part of the Swim for Rights campaign, which is calling for the repeal and replacement of Jamaica’s colonial-era Beach Control Act of 1956.

The campaign is also advocating for Jamaica’s seas, beaches and coastal lands to be held in common for all Jamaicans.

The undertaking forms part of Ms. Buzo’s four-nation Against the Tide campaign, which highlights beach privatisation, environmental destruction and community displacement across small island states.

The Jamaican leg is being led by the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JABBEM) in collaboration with the small islands coalition and the Jamaica Environment Trust.

Speaking on IRIE FM’s Africa Forum: The Running African this morning, JABBEM President Dr. Devon Taylor provided details of the swim.

While speaking to the media earlier, Ms. Buzo said she is ready for the swim.

Citizens are being reminded to avoid attempting to cross flooded gullies, fords or roadways.

The warning comes from Works minister Robert Morgan, amid reports of several inundated thoroughfares across the country, due to heavy rains since yesterday.

Irie F M News has received reports of flooding in Priory and St. Ann’s Bay in St. Ann, as well as Linstead in St. Catherine.

Videos of areas under water are circulating on social media.

Some show motorists driving through roads covered in water, mud and debris.

Morgan said teams from the National Works Agency are responding to affected areas.

He said teams are ready to clear landslides, debris and other obstruction and assist in restoring road access as soon as conditions allow crews to operate safely.

The Labour Ministry has mobilised support for residents of Bath in St. Thomas who have been affected by heavy rains and flooding.

These include persons who have sought shelter at the Bath primary school.

Preliminary reports indicate that 54 homes have been flooded in the Bath community, including Johnson Mountain, while 13 persons are currently being accommodated at the Bath primary school shelter.

Portfolio minister Pearnel Charles Jnr said representatives from the ministry are distributing supplies such as food and tarpaulins to affected residents.

He said support is also being given to senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

The Government is to allocate an additional $2 billion to the Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) Programme.

Prime Minister, Dr. Andrew Holness noted that the government is targeting assistance to 90% of Hurricane Melissa affected persons by December.

The allocation comes as the Prime Minister signals changes to improve efficiency across government and speed up the delivery of critical services in the hurricane recovery effort.

Speaking recently to a group of private sector leaders, Dr. Holness said announcements will be made in the coming days about making the public sector more functional and responsive to the needs of Jamaicans.

He also pointed to delays in the delivery of temporary modular housing units for affected persons, saying the challenges underscore the need for a more agile Government capable of responding quickly to crises and seizing opportunities for growth.

The Prime Minister also criticised what he described as the self-serving nature of the bureaucracy, arguing that it is stifling economic freedom and growth.

He said the pace at which government business is conducted reflects the need for fundamental changes in how the public sector operates.

He stressed that the planned changes are intended to strengthen the government’s capacity to respond to current challenges and improve service delivery.

The Area Two Police are utilizing a range of violence suppression activities such as cordon and search and curfews to reduce major crimes especially in gang hot spot areas.

The disclosure was made by Head of the Area Two Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) McArthur Sutherland at a recent Force for Good podcast.

Area Two is comprised of the St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland divisions.

ACP Sutherland said there was a 9% reduction in major crimes last year.

ACP Sutherland noted that the police are maintaining their focus on communities that are prone to gang violence.

These include, Annotto Bay in St. Mary, Buff Bay in Portland and Mansfield Heights in St. Ann.

Member of Parliament for eastern St. Thomas Yvonne Rose-Marie Shaw says several sections of the constituency have been affected by flooding and landslides, following heavy rains.

This includes a landslide earlier today, which caused students and teachers at the Johnson Mountain Primary School to be marooned for a while.

Ms. Shaw said the students and teachers were later able to leave.

Other impacted communities are Bath, Wilmington and Sunning Hill.

Ms. Shaw said floodwaters are raging in Bath and residents have sought shelter at the primary school.

Shaw says residents of Port Morant are worried because the Swamp Road area is flooded.

The National Works Agency (NWA) says it has received reports of flooding in sections of St. Thomas.

The areas include Wilmington, Johnson Town, and Sunning Hill.

A broad trough across the western Caribbean is impacting weather conditions, mainly in eastern and some central parishes.

The Meteorological Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch advisory for these parishes, including St. Thomas.

NWA Communications Manager Stephen Shaw told IRIE FM News said the agency is monitoring the situation.

He is appealing to road users to exercise caution as they travel during the inclement weather.

“Shallow and misguided!”

That remark from State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Abka Fitz-Henley as he chastised Opposition Spokesperson on Finance Julian Robinson over his criticism of the Government’s moratorium on non-essential official overseas travel.

Mr. Robinson questioned whether the ban, which took effect yesterday, is a public relations stunt.

However, Fitz-Henley maintains that the measure is part of a wider push to strengthen expenditure controls, speed up decision-making and improve service delivery.

The travel restriction is slated to remain in effect until March 31, next year.

It covers ministries, departments, agencies and public bodies, including travel funded by external sponsors.

Exceptions will be allowed for travel essential to post-Melissa reconstruction and recovery, national security, standing bilateral and multilateral engagements and approved board commitments, tourism promotion and genuine emergencies of compelling national importance.

The moratorium on non-essential official overseas travel is the first of several measures being pursued by Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness to improve government efficiency and service delivery.

That is according to State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Abka Fitz-Henley.

Fitz-Henley said yesterday that Dr. Holness advised Government Ministers of the moratorium, while Cabinet Secretary, Audrey Sewell, issued a similar advisory to Permanent Secretaries.

The measure extends to non-essential official travel across the public service.

The State Minister said the Prime Minister is expected to outline additional steps shortly, as the government seeks to streamline its operations and improve service delivery to Jamaicans.

Fitz-Henley noted that the latest moratorium builds on an earlier initiative by Dr. Holness, who introduced a quota on ministerial travel several years ago.

He said the Prime Minister is now refining and expanding that approach to drive greater efficiency across the public sector.

The Opposition is calling on the Government to disclose how much it expects to save from its new ban on overseas travel across the public sector.

Opposition Spokesperson on Finance, Julian Robinson, says the timing of the moratorium is particularly questionable, given the millions of dollars committed to the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), including expenditure on office space and salaries.

As such, he is also demanding a full accounting of expenditure at NaRRA.

Robinson has questioned whether the travel restrictions represent meaningful cost-cutting, or if it is a public relations ruse.

He acknowledges that overseas travel must be carefully managed.

However, he says, the Government has not disclosed how much it expects to save, or explained why externally-sponsored trips that cost taxpayers nothing are being blocked at a time when Jamaica needs international partners to support its recovery.

He adds that for Jamaicans still rebuilding homes, farms and businesses after Hurricane Melissa, every dollar matters.

He stresses that genuine fiscal discipline must begin with the largest areas of spending, not the most visible ones.