IRIE FM

Stephen Marley says his father’s historic concert in Zimbabwe made him understand the power of music.

Speaking with Elise Kelly during IRIE FM’s Easy Skanking show on Monday, the multifaceted, award-winning musician reflected on the experience.

In 1980, Bob Marley paid his own way to travel thousands of miles to celebrate the independence of the newly liberated African nation, following Robert Mugabe’s victory and his ascension to power in the newly renamed Zimbabwe formerly Rhodesia.

Bob Marley’s song Zimbabwe from his 1979 album Survival was written in support of the black nationalist liberation struggle against the Rhodesian government during the Rhodesian bush war.

The Government is making steady progress in its talks with the British Museum regarding the return of more than 8,000 Jamaican artefacts.

Speaking in the House of Representatives yesterday, Culture Minister Olivia Grange said engagement with the leadership of the museum was strengthened during a visit to England by the Jamaican delegation on September 10.

The artefacts include Taino objects such as items from the Carpenter’s Mountain Collection.

She said the museum has shown greater willingness to work with Jamaica to develop a framework for the return of the priceless items.

A number of attorneys silently raised placards in front of the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston this morning in protest against the Firearms Act.

Members of the legal fraternity have raised concerns over the Act, particularly its mandatory sentencing provisions, and the restrictions placed on judicial discretion.

Today, they doubled down on their call for urgent reform, noting that while the fraternity is not against strong penalties, it is concerned with a sentencing regime that does not adequately allow judges to distinguish between offenders, offences and individual circumstances.

Among the protestors was President of the Jamaican Bar Association, Tenneshia Watkins.

Addressing reporters, Watkins said the protest comes after it had made attempts to engage with the authorities.

She said the fraternity is sending the message that lawyers know their rights.

In the meantime, President of the Cornwall Bar Association in St. James, Dionne Meyler told IRIE FM News that while members are not officially a part of the protest, they agree that the Firearms Act needs to be amended.

She also raised concerns over the treatment of legal and illegal firearm holders.

The National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) is undertaking several activities, including recruitment, to become fully operational.

NaRRA Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Antony Anderson says that over the past few months, steps have been taken to establish the Authority.

The steps include creating the organisational design, governance operations and management arrangements to support NaRRA’s mandate.

He says the systems and tools to support NaRRA’s operations are being sourced.

Ambassador Anderson says that even as work continues on its build-out, NaRRA has been active, including visits to some affected communities, engaging residents and conducting field visits.

The United Kingdom’s King Charles III has referred Jamaica’s reparations petition to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Culture Minister Olivia Grange made the disclosure during yesterday’s sitting of Parliament.

It comes after a formal submission was made earlier this month.

Ms. Grange, who travelled to the U-K to make the submission on behalf of Jamaica, described the Monarch’s move as a “big deal.”

She said Jamaica now awaits instructions from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council regarding the next steps to be taken in the case.

The Culture Minister also addressed commentators who have taken issue with the term petition, suggesting that Jamaica was going to the King on its knees.

Member of Parliament for St. Andrew West Rural, Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, has called for greater effort to prevent illegal construction within her constituency.

She made the call while delivering her presentation in the State of the Constituency Debate in Parliament yesterday.

Mrs. Cuthbert Flynn called on the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation and the National Works Agency (NWA) to do more to prevent, among other things, the tearing down of embankments to construct buildings.

She said illegal construction has led to at least one death in the past, and this must not be repeated.

She noted that the NWA must protect the island’s road infrastructure, and citizens must abide by the law.

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness says the Government may need to undertake counter-cyclical measures to give further support to the economy at this time.

While not stating what measures would be considered, the Prime Minister notes that the country has been able to withstand multiple, intense and overlapping crises due to fiscal responsibility.

He says the measures could be taken without putting financial stability at risk.

Dr. Holness points out that the impact of Hurricane Melissa wiped out more than 50 per cent of Jamaica’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and followed other weather-related disasters including Hurricane Beryl and flood rains.

He says the country was also feeling the effects of global crises including increase in world oil prices.

Dr. Holness explains that the Cabinet received an update on the economy yesterday by Finance Minister Fayval Williams.

The Prime Minister says there are also plans to meet with the private sector.

Jamaica’s reconstruction efforts following the devastation left by Hurricane Melissa have been given a boost through a five million US dollar grant funding.

The signing ceremony for the National Reconstruction Implementation Support project was held in Kingston this morning.

The World Bank will implement the grant which is being made available by the European Union, while the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) will execute the activities.

The funding is for technical assistance designed to strengthen the Government’s capacity to manage and deliver the national reconstruction programme.

The project will support the planning and management of the programme, including putting in place procedures and systems to monitor progress and assure quality, engineering designs and costings, procurement strategy and contract management.

Finance Minister Fayval Williams outlines how the funding will be utilised.

Re-elected President of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC)  says the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) could transform Jamaica’s economy.

However, he notes that this is dependent on whether or not it is operationalised successfully, and the expected projects are implemented.

NaRRA is expected to coordinate and drive major reconstruction and resilience projects in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa’s devastation last October.

Mr. Leiba says NaRRA’s success is also hinged on a collaborative approach, with the island’s private sector having a critical role to play.

He was speaking following his re-election to the chamber at its annual general meeting today.

House Speaker Juliet Holness has refuted claims made by Opposition Leader Mark Golding regarding his motion for crown lands being blocked.

When Parliament resumed sitting today following the summer recess, Mrs. Holness moved to set the record straight.

The issue stemmed from claims Golding made at the People’s National Party annual conference that he was blocked by the House Speaker in his attempt to have a private member’s motion on crown lands tabled in the lower house prior to going on break.

The bill seeks to reduce the timeframe for occupation of land from 60 to 25 years, in order to acquire ownership by adverse possession.

In response, Mrs. Holness pointed out that the bill had constitutional issues which were not resolved by the time the House went on break.

She said the matter, if not corrected, risks undermining public confidence in the Parliament.

Mr. Golding then attempted to respond to Mrs. Holness, but she reminded him that he cannot do so until the House agenda gets to the public business section.