jamaica times uk newspaper december 2015

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MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM JAMAICA TIMES

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WHY THE JAMAICAN COMMUNITY IS BEING URGED TO GIVE SOME LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY

IT’S JASMINE MAYChristmas in the UK can be full of joy, but it can also be a lonely and miserable time for many people

who don’t have the good fortune of being around family and friends.

For many migrants, they miss the warmth of home and they struggle to share in the joy of the festivities. But thankfully, in the

Jamaican community, there are many people who are working hard to spread that Christmas cheer to the aged and the lonely. Whatever you do, find a friend in need and show some love during the hol-iday season....See Page 3 for details

WIN TICKETS TO SEE SANCHEZ FOR VALENTINE ...PAGE 4

FEELING LUCKY? SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH RUMBAR...ADD A LITTLE HEATTHIS WINTER

...PAGE 4

WIN TICKETS TO THE DIA NEW YEAR’S DAY ELEGANT BALL... SEE PAGE 4

WHY 2016 WILL SEE ONE OF THE MOST HOTLY CONTESTED ELECTIONS IN JAMAICA’S HISTORY. PORTIA VS ANDREW...WHO WILL TRIUMPH?....Page 8

GENERAL ELECTIONS DUE EARLY 2016

MS JAMAICA UK 2016

By St. Aubyn De Mario Clunis

JAMAICA TIMESDecember 20152 NEWS www.jamaicatimesuk.com

A fireArms officer from the metro-politan Police has been arrested and interviewed under caution over the shooting of a man.

Jermaine Baker, 28, was shot dead on 11 December during an alleged attempt to spring two convicts from a prison van in Wood Green, north London.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) told a meeting held to address community tensions that the of-ficer was arrested on suspicion of murder.

The IPCC has opened a homicide in-quiry.

IPCC commissioner Cindy Butts said evidence suggested Mr Baker was in a black Audi when he was shot.

“In that car was what appeared to be a non-police issue firearm,” she said.

She told the meeting the IPCC was tak-ing detailed statements from a number of significant witnesses but at this stage no relevant CCTV had been found.

Further forensic examinations were taking place on the firearm found in the car and the gun discharged by the police

officer, she added.The Police Federation said it wanted

to find out why the IPCC was “bandying words about” like homicide.

Disregarding the impact the killing has had on Jermaine’s family, spokesman Ken Marsh said: “I’ve never heard of that before. It’s a week before Christmas and this the officer’s life has been thrown into disarray.”

Haringey Borough Commander Victor Olisa said police did not believe Mr Baker was a gang member, as had been sug-gested in some newspapers.

Community spokesman Darren Henry said: “The police officers murdered Jer-maine.

“He was asleep when he was shot. There are witnesses who are afraid to step forward because of the witness in-timidation in the Mark Duggan case.”

Some in the audience raised the fact that after Mr Duggan’s death there were promises that body cameras would be worn by all police but it had yet to hap-pen.

Mr Duggan, 29, was shot by armed po-lice in Tottenham on 4 August 2011. The shooting sparked rioting across London and other parts of England.

An inquest in January 2014 found he had been lawfully killed.

Meanwhile, passions were high at a community meeting held at Tottenham Town Hall, where the main room was filled with people, angry about the shoot-ing.

There was anger whenever the shooting was described as a “death” with calls of “murderers” and “liars” echoing around the room.

Forced laughter was clearly audible when the police and IPCC said they “re-spected all lives”.

The Rev Nims Obunge of the Peace Al-liance had to intervene to try to quell the, at times, hostile mood.

There were also stern words for the many journalists pressed against the

back wall for the way some had described the area and its history and “made up” sources about gangs.

Mr Baker was fatally shot at 09:00 GMT on Friday 11 December close to the back of Wood Green Crown Court.

He died from a single gunshot wound, the IPCC said.

The shooting took place as Erwin Amoyaw-Gyamfi, 29, and Erun Izzet, 32, were due to be transported to the court for sentencing having pleaded guilty to a range of offences, including possession of a sub-machine gun.

The sentencing went ahead a short time later with both jailed for 14 years.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe described the action by the IPCC to launch a homicide investigation as an “unusual turn of events”.

He said: “The difficulty for me, and for us, is that we don’t know what’s led to their conclusion.

“If we got it wrong let’s understand that, if we didn’t let’s understand that and deal with it quickly. I don’t think it should linger on for the community’s sake.”

MET POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED OVER WOOD GREEN KILLING

Jermaine Baker

JAMAICA TIMES December 2015 3NEWSwww.jamaicatimesuk.com

FOR MANY Jamaicans, the Christmas season remains a spiritual one - a time to cele-brate the birth of Jesus Christ and to reaffirm one’s faith.

It is also the time to step back from the stresses of life and to enjoy all that the season has to offer. I encourage you, there-fore, to take a few moments to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas. There is no greater gift than spending time with fami-ly and friends. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and com-mend the many Jamaicans who continue to offer a helping hand

to those in need by supporting many worthy causes in Jamaica. Your dedication and commitment do not go unnoticed. You remain central to ongoing efforts to en-sure that we support each other and build our beloved country.Let me also express sincere appreciation to the many indi-viduals, companies and com-munity groups for consistently supporting the work of the High Commission. Your assistance and encouragement have been enormously valuable to us. We look forward to working with you

in the coming year as we strive to promote the best of Jamaica.Let me close by reminding you that Faith makes all things possible, Hope makes all things work, and Love makes all things beautiful. My wish, therefore, is that you have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of love at Christmas and always.Merry Christmas!!

ALOUN NDOMBET-ASSAMBAHIGH COMMISSIONER

2015 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE:HER EXCELLENCY

ALOUN NDOMBET-ASSAMBAHIGH COMMISSIONER FOR JAMAICAaPPrECiatE thE trUE mEaNiNG OF Christmas

The greaTesT wish among many elderly Jamaicans in the UK is to become winter birds and make that trip home when winter’s dark and dreary days set in. While many achieve that dream, for others it is not a simple ex-ercise, as issues such as health and finances present major de-terrents.

While the thought of spending Christmas alone is not only daunting to Jamaicans, it becomes more pronounced as many elderly people who migrated many years ago find themselves without family sup-port at this time of the year.

For many, like Thomas Blair who lives in a care home, there would be nothing like spending Christmas with family. He told Jamaica Times: I came here more than 55 years ago and made a life. My wife has passed on and we had one child who lives in another country. While we keep in contact, I would like nothing more than to spend time with him and my grand children. I often think back to the Christmases I enjoyed in Jamaica but I can’t travel again. So for several Christ-mases now I have been spending it with my fellow seniors here at the home. I don’t get around much so I make do with what I get.”

Gloria Leslie hosts the Annual Com-munity Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner in association with the New Testament Church in Wood Green, Arcadian Gardens. She has been doing it for five years. She said: “There are many older people who live alone and need a bit of support at Christmas. We are expecting over 100

people this year. We cook and feed them and they mingle and we provide some music. Many of them miss their home and family at this time of year.” That function will be held on the 17th of December.

Another organisation that is playing its part in giving the elderly some joy at Christmas is the Leary Constantine Cen-tre. Chairman Norman Mullings told Ja-maica Times that the event will be held on December 18th this year. He said: “We normally take them for lunch and on av-erage we have about 200 people.

“We have been doing this I came here in 1972 and it has been held every year since. It is unfortunate that some of these people have come here and worked hard to raise their children and Christmas comes around and they are expected to spend it alone. A lot of them get very lonely and it is one of the worst things that could happen to a person. So we try to give them a family environment and encourage them to get out of the house during the season and find activities among other people to occupy them.”

Martha Forbes who is 85 years old says she spends most Christmases with her children, grand and great grand chil-dren and would not have it otherwise. But she empathises with those who feel alone during the festive season and is encouraging children to make the effort to be with their parents particularly on Christmas Day. “It’s not too much to ask. After you have spent many years nurtur-ing, you might expect a bit of love and care, even at Christmas time.

Age UK and The Salvation Army are running campaigns to get volunteers to help make Christmas a better time for the lonely and vulnerable.

SHOW SOME LOVE TO THE ELDERLY AND NEEDY THIS CHRISTMAS

“A lot of the people have children but they seem to be forgotten. We only see some of these children when their parents die and there is a funeral.”

“Many of them miss their home and family at this time of year.”

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The ChariTy Books4Kids Jamai-ca, has presented sponsorship award Plaques to 45 companies and individuals who have helped the charity over the last eight years. Twenty-three Jamaican and Twenty-two international sponsors in europe and the Us received Books4Kids Jamaica sponsorship award Plaques, rec-ognising their contributions to the children of Jamaica. Books4Kids Jamaica Chairperson Ragni Trotta stated that the charity wanted to recognise sponsors and volunteers who have been part of the program for a minimum of three years and have contributed to its fundraising, transportation or distribution efforts. Stated Trotta; “The Sponsorship Award Plaques are a thank you to our spon-sors for making the program possible. We hope to be giving out many more awards next year, as sponsors continue to support our efforts.”

Ten local sponsors and volunteers personally picked up their award plaques from charity founder Bob Trot-ta at an Award Reception on Thursday, December 3, at the Montego Bay Yacht Club, following a short film with high-lights from the 2015 Book Distribution.

Sponsors who attended the event in-cluded Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Grand Palladium Hotel, The Oracabessa Foundation, Golden Eye Hotel & Resort, Billy Craig Insurance Brokers, Jamaica Tours Ltd., Mrs. Garth Ramsay, Christo-pher Clarke and Kathy Dear.

Sponsors of the charity since 2008, Noel Sloley Jr. of Jamaica Tours Ltd. re-ceived a seven year Sponsorship Award Plaque for the company’s continued support and donation of bus transpor-tation during the annual book distribu-tions. William Craig of Billy Craig Insur-ance Brokers, who has sponsored the program since the very beginning, also received a Sponsorship Award Plaque from Bob Trotta.

With airlines key sponsors of the charity’s fundraising efforts through its annual Online Charity Auction, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways were both recognised for their five-year contribu-tions to the annual Online Charity Auc-tion. Several island hotel companies were also honoured for their over-the-years contributions, including Grand Palladium Hotel, Iberostar Grand Rose Hall Beach & Spa Resort, GoldenEye Hotel and Spanish Court Hotel.

Hoteliers Heinz & Elisabeth Simo-nitsch, Minister of Parliament Daryl Vaz and Marylin and Stafford Burrowes were recognised for their donations of items to the charity’s online auction.

Other individuals who were distin-guished for their significant contribu-tions included Garth Ramsay, Tristan and Laura Alvarado from the SJ Foun-dation and Margaret Kerr.

Max Earle of Frame by Frame and Stephen Cooke of Palace Amusements were both recognised for their role in marketing the Books4Kids Jamaica program. While Max Earle has donated his time and expertise to make numer-ous promotional videos, Palace Amuse-ments was recognised for the compa-ny’s on-going donation of screen space and time throughout their theatres across the island, promoting the annual

online charity auctions.Celebrity Personal Trainer Christo-

pher Clarke was recognized for his long term commitment to both the charity’s fundraising and distribution efforts over the last 5 years. An active promoter of the charity’s annual Online Charity Auc-tion, Clarke has distributed books to 9,443 children at 56 schools, contrib-uting hundreds of hours of community service to the charity.

A family affair, Kathy Dear and daughters Ella and Skylar Hamilton have been active volunteers in the an-nual distribution effort for the last eight years, stamping and packing book bags as well as assisting with fundraising. With her natural teaching skills, Kathy Dear has participated in more than 100 school visits, helping to make the book distributions a special experience for thousands of children. This year alone, Kathy Dear distributed books to 2,725 children at 27 schools across the coun-try, including at all the charity’s eleven-Kingston district schools.

Finally, charity Founder Bob Trotta was himself recognised, receiving an Award Plaque from Ophelia Haught-on, Principal at the Cambridge Infant School, St. James. Principal Haughton, whose school is famous for greeting the volunteers with cornmeal pudding, congratulated the foundation on its outstanding service to the children at Cambridge Infant School,.

Other sponsors who were recognized for their long term contribution included Seaboard Freight & Shipping Jamaica Ltd. who has assisted with the shipping of books and materials from Miami since 2010 and Keith Thorpe Customs Broker who have cleared the books every years since 2010.

BOOKS4KIDS JAMAICA FOR KIDS HONOURS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SPONSORS

win win win1. What is Sanchez’s real name, in-cluding middle name.2. Which year was the DIA Awards first held.3. Which company distrubutes Rum Bar and Pickapeppa in the UKThere are four tickets up for grabs for the Sanchez Valentime concert on February 13, 2016.

There are ten tickets up for grabs for the DIA Ele-gant Ball on New Year’s Day

Win bottles of Rum Bar Rum to warm your spirit for Christmas.

Send your answers to [email protected]. Prizes will be awarded based on the order in which correct responses are received - First Come, First Served!

Georgia Young - Delta

Kathy Dear Ella Hamilton and Bob Trotta

Celebrity TrainerChristopher Clarke


THRILLING WIN FOR JASMINE AT MISS JAMAICA UKit wAs a cold and frosty sunday night but it brought great warmth and joy to the heart of a beauti-ful and talented teenager who topped a field of 12 contestants to walk away with the crown of ms Jamaica UK 2016.

The event which was held at the The Venue in Great Portland Street.

Among those present to see Jasmine Day walk away with title was the Ja-maican High Commissioner for the UK, Her Excellency, Aloun Ndombet Assam-ba.

All the contestants put out a great effort and Rica Kelly persevered to take the First Runner-Up title while Jurita Bennet was crowned Second Run-ner-Up.

But it was seventeen-year-old stu-dent Jasmine Day who prevailed on the

night. Standing at an imposing 5 feet 10 inches tall, the confident young lady whose parents hail from Portland in eastern Jamaica impressed the judges during the brief talent segment with a stellar rendition of the Jamaican Na-tional Anthem. Jasmine’s hobbies are singing, boxing, photography, reading, spoken word and makeup artistry. There were other performances on the night by Denese Peters, Shay, The McKoy Family, Hali Hi, Zena Banks and Savanna.

The event which was seeing its 26th installation has served to promote Ja-maican culture over the years and to offer opportunity to young women to pursue careers in beauty and fashion and public life.

The event was sponsored by Waltham Forest College, Gleaner Voice Media Group, Jamaica Times News-

paper, Karen Messam Make-Up, Oh My Gosh Designs, Lime Cafe Brixton, Pempansie, Negril Restaurant Brixton, Design Essential Salon System, Ashan-ti, Flyer Newspaper, Parkway Computer services and Wire Media logic.

The swimwear was designed and supplied by Oh My Gosh Designs and principal Georgiana Williams said it was a pleasure to work with the young la-dies. “I have been supporting the show for a few years and I think it is really important because it helps young peo-ple build their confidence and get pre-pared for a bright future.”

The competition was judged by an esteemed panel comprised of Mary Martin, Dr Danielle Dixon, Simone Fair-weather, Duncan Brown, Sonia Benja-min, Justina Mutale, Leon Robinson and Tony Swann. Jasmine was crowned by outgoing queen, Rianna Simmons.

KARLTON CHAMBERS PHOTOS

DeCemBer 25 or Christmas Day is one of the most notable dates in the Christian church year or of the liturgical seasons, marked by var-ied celebrations. it is a public holi-day in many of the world’s nations and for Christians it’s an annual festival to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas is traditionally preceded by the Advent season, established to sym-bolise the second coming of Christ and waiting for good in this world.

How many of us knew that Advent was originally a period of fasting every-day of December up until Christmas Day?

I suggest not many when our shops are filled with advent calendars offer-ing chocolate treats for simply opening a fictitious door with the corresponding date.

Conventionally Christmas celebra-tions were the Nativity or birth of Jesus, with gift-giving and a meal. Nowadays the traditional Nativity play is being adapted out in many UK schools, in favour of plays called “winter celebra-tions” with less reference to the Chris-tian festival.

The essence of Christmas Day is slowly being eradicated by liberal views on behaviours, alternative inspirations, such as Paganism and commercialisa-tion.

Paganism and its influences on the Holidays

Paganism favours respect for the divine , or God in nature and celebrates sea-sonal changes. So the winter months for pagans simply represents a time when Mother Nature ends its produc-tion and the earth rests and replenishes itself.

Furthermore, paganism is not based on a doctrine or liturgy (any form of

religious worship) and many pagans believe - if no harm is done (in your celebrations), do what you will!

Let’s look at what this allows for a moment. Following the Pagans’ school of thought, consumerism at Christmas-time has allowed lies to be told to chil-dren through the powerful symbolism of Santa Claus!

Santa Claus derived from the Dutch name Sinter Klass, brought to New York in the 17th Century and first appearing as “St. A Claus”, the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas.

Since the 1920’s the Coca-Cola Company has used Santa Claus in ad-vertising campaigns to sell its popular drinks. His image rides through the snow on a sledge delivering his mer-chandise, which alludes to the concept of gift giving at Christmas and making children, especially, happy.

In reality, I pose a serious question. If parents work and save, sometimes all year, to buy Christmas presents for their Children, why do they attribute that generosity to a fictional man in a red suit?

Could it be that parents have being sold and readily buy yet another mar-keting idea, one that tells them that if they follow what the media is publicis-ing, their Christmases and that of their children will be a happy one?

Whilst this may seem harmless at face value, consider the role of com-mercialisation in all the holiday sea-sons.

As spring arrives, we are caught be-tween a crossover of influences vying for our attention.

Easter, which in the Christian sense is for commemorating Christ’s death, for paganism, it’s a time to celebrate the re-birthing of the earth and a time of fertility, as the Earth and wild life starts to repopulate.

However, as with symbolic Santa Claus and the Christmas concept de-scribed above, we now know that all businesses start with an idea; this is the crux of consumerism.

Consumerism mainly targets chil-dren in today’s society, as they have the real spending power in families. Youngsters make it known what they like and are interested in and parents and those with buying power do all they can to provide it for them. With this knowledge in mind, consumerism is also striving for our observance, but with our money!

At Easter, shelves in stores are al-ways readily stocked with chocolate treats and gifts of all descriptions, in-cluding rabbits and eggs for games such as egg hunts and other forms of merriment.

Halloween is another commercial-ised observance which is pagan and also gaining momentum in popularity. It’s a day for dressing up, again most-ly children, as a ghoulish character and walking door to door begging for sweets or enforcing a penalty on the non-giver, called “trick or treat!”

So it’s clear to see that consumerism and paganism go hand in hand at hol-iday times taking the focus yet further away from Christian values, albeit in a Christian country!

the impact of a commercialised Christmas

Christmases celebrated without fore-sight into the implications of what is being taught to the children who partic-ipate can lead to a number of problems later in life.

The idea that constantly giving gifts to children will make them happy, is a fallacy.

Children seek instant gratification and it is up to parents to curb these desires, so self-control is learnt. It is up to parents and responsible adults to be enlightened about what ideas they are cultivating in their homes and in their children, although some may be doing this unwittingly, as it may be what they themselves have been taught or always known.

In a wider context, people may not know the United Kingdom in its busi-ness capacity refers to itself as UK PLC, which means that it is a commercial community, with commerce (or having profit) as its chief aim.

Be aware that trade is for you and your household! As more and more holidays become commercialised, and the real values and meanings of days of observance are lost, be mindful of what messages the youth learn from actions of constant spending and receiving of gifts!

Children learn race awareness at ap-proximately age three. So if their par-enting lessons are of instant gratifica-tion and observance of pagan festivals seeped in commercialism, where will they learn how to set their moral com-passes in life, when they are looking to images that do not represent or relate to who they are?!

After the falsehoods of The Tooth Fairy; the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, what happens to the child that learns these were all lies? They distrust, they accept the realities of overspend-ing; overeating; debt; dissatisfaction; disappointment; hardship when their ever-growing demands cannot be met.

Many will try to carve out a new


Demystifying Christmas

MINERVA SPEAKS

Consumerism mainly targets chil-dren in today’s society, as they have the real spending power in families. Youngsters make it known what they like and are interested in and par-ents and those with buying power do all they can to provide it for them. With this knowledge in mind, con-sumerism is also striving for our ob-servance, but with our money!

A Scene from the Nativity

Attorney-at-Law

ALL ASPECTS OF JAMAICAN LAW

Barbara J. Ledgister

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BJLADVERT.pdf 1 16/04/2014 18:02

reality for themselves, searching for a true identity in a society that sees the black race solely as a minority group. A society whose history is that of once enslaving and colonizing their ances-tors physically and now seeks to do the same to them mentally.

Children without a true understand-ing of self often feel marginalised. They end up searching for friendships and relationships to help them make sense of the fictitious world, which once felt safe, but is now a different place.

So this year when wrapping presents in the season of good will towards all, will we continue giving out the lies and symbolism of pagan and commercial-ised customs and traditions. Untruths that could make lives miserable in the long-term, when it is revealed as a myth.

Only a slave mind shows obsequious behaviour - following a trend without question.

Why not set a new trend? Be trans-parent in your words; actions and be-haviours in your home, take credit for what you give and bring to your family. Remember the real reason for the sea-son and be measured and proportion-ate in your spending.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM

BARBARA LEDGISTER AND THE TEAM...MAY 2016 SEE ALL YOUR POSSIBILITIES

AND PROMISES BE FULFILLED

Demystifying ChristmasJAMAICA TIMES December 2015 7NEWSwww.jamaicatimesuk.comJAMAICA TIMES December 2015 7NEWSwww.jamaicatimesuk.comJAMAICA TIMES December 2015 7NEWSwww.jamaicatimesuk.com


POWER SHOWERIT’S PORTIA VERSUS ANDREW IN 2016

for mAny Jamaicans, not even Christmas is as eagerly anticipated as the big event which looms early in 2016 - the Jamaican General elections.

The poll was widely expect-ed to be called this month (December 2015) but Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has played cat and mouse with Opposition Leader

Andrew Holness and delayed the naming of the date. With campaigning at fever pitch, political analysts now hold that the elections will be held between January and March. General Elections are not con-stitutionally due until Decem-ber 2016, but it is believed the Government wants to go to the polls early to try and secure a second term before the impact of the long-running austerity

program is felt. Jamaica has been under a program of fiscal control by the Interna-tional Monetary Fund and has performed well and passed all tests to date. However, the Opposition has accused the Government of seeking only to satisfy the IMF while failing the people. The Opposition says there are crises in the country with rising crime and major challenges in the health

and education sectors. They also point to problems of high unemployment and difficulty in financing the public sector wage bill.But a major issue for the Government, on the campaign trail, has been the issue of a house that is being built by Opposition Leader Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet, who is also a candidate for the JLP. Questions have been

raised about the source of funding for the house which is located in the upscale Beverly Hills community. This has led to Opposition Leader Andrew Holness declaring that he is willing to make his financial and health records public. Minister of Finance and the PNP’s campaign director Dr Peter Phillips has been the main voice on the issue which has sparked much debate and

tiJAni CHristiAn, a 24-year-old Jamaican, is among 60 young peo-ple from across the Commonwealth being recognised as exceptional leaders in their community and who will receive a prestigious Queen’s young Leaders Award.

Despite a difficult childhood, Tijani excelled at school and went on to win many awards, including the Prime Minis-ter’s National Youth Award for Excellence for 2013 in the category of Leadership. He currently works on an initiative called Plant Jamaica, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which aims to promote sustainable livelihoods through community farms.

The NGO was formed to encourage people to grow healthy produce for their families, as well as to keep their communities clean and tidy. Mr. Christian is also trying to launch an initiative called Commonwealth Emerging Leaders Connect, which will bring young leaders from across the Commonwealth together to share knowledge and ideas.

The Award, which will be presented in London by Her Majesty The Queen in 2016, and is part of The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, celebrates the achievements of young people who are

taking the lead to transform the lives of others and to make a lasting difference in their communities.

This year’s Award winners, aged between 18 and 29, are working to support others, raise awareness and inspire change on a variety of different issues, including education, climate

change, gender equality, mental health and disability equality.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Pro-gramme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society, and in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth. Over the next three years, the Programme will support thousands of young people to achieve their goals.

As part of the Award, winners will receive bespoke mentoring and online learning provided by the University of Cambridge. Award winners will attend a week-long residential programme in the UK in June, when they will receive their Award at Buckingham Palace from Her Majesty The Queen.

Other Caribbean young achievers receiving awards include Regis Burton of Antigua and Barbuda; Shamelle Rice and Firhaana Bulbulia, Barbados; Deidra Smith, Belize; Tina Alfred, Dominica; Ali Dowden, Grenada; Trevis Belle, St. Kitts-Nevis; Tevin Shepherd, St. Lucia; and Dillon Ollivierre, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Two other Jamaicans, Jerome Cowans and Nicole Nation, won the Award in 2014.

Jamaicans Named on Queen’s Honour ListtHe BritisH Government has announced that it will be providing £240,000 towards the erection of a permanent statue of noted Jamai-can-born mary seacole, nurse and heroine of the Crimean war.

The money will come from fines im-posed on banks for fraudulently manip-ulating the foreign exchange markets.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, made the announcement dur-ing his autumn statement and spending review recently.

The funds will cover installation costs and the creation of a memorial garden.

Jamaican High Commissioner to London, Her Excellency Aloun Ndombet Assamba, welcomed the news of the funding of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal.

She said she is very pleased that the statue honouring a worthy and inspira-tional Jamaican will soon be a reality.

The High Commission has strongly supported the Statue Appeal since it was launched in November 2003.

Mrs. Ndombet Assamba is one of the patrons of the appeal and members of staff of the High Commission have donated £500 to the project this year.

Chair of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal, Lord Clive Soley, said

that the new funding means that the installation of the statue can now be completed.

“Thanks to the supporters of the appeal, including trustees and ambas-sadors, the statue has been completed. This new money means that we can now complete the installation next spring. Mary Seacole will finally get the recognition she deserves,” Lord Soley said.

Plans to unveil the statue earlier this year were delayed by an unexpected installation bill of £180,000 for the groundwork and hard landscaping.

The memorial garden will also com-memorate health workers, both civilian and military, who have put themselves in harm’s way in conflict zones, or in combating disease such as the recent Ebola crisis.

Mary Seacole, who was born in Kingston in 1805, was well known as a ‘doctoress’ for her work in Jamaica and in Panama.

She set up the ‘British Hotel’ during the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856, where she fed and cared for wounded soldiers. She was posthumously award-ed the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991. In 2004, she was voted the greatest black Briton.

UK Government to Fund Seacole Statute

Tijani Christian

stoked the political fire in the country. With both parties having a full slate of candidates it is expected to be a closely contested election with 63 seats up for grabs. The JLP has 21 seats and need to pick up another 14 in order to dethrone the PNP.

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller

Opposition Leader, Andrew Holness

JAMAICA TIMESDecember 201510 JAMAICA www.jamaicatimesuk.com

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minister of youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna, says due pro-cess must be followed before any decision can be taken against Child Development Agency (CDA) officers, who were involved in the removal of 34 wards of the state from the sunshine Childcare fa-cility.

“There has to be due process be-fore you can separate someone from a position. You will have to collect state-ments. You have to ensure that natural justice is allowed,” Ms. Hanna said.

She was speaking at a Jamaica House Press briefing held at the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday, December 9.

On December 8, Ms. Hanna told the House of Representatives that an in-dependent disciplinary panel has been convened to look into the conduct of the officers.The disciplinary panel, which includes a retired judge, will begin hearings on December 22.

The convening of the panel came at the instructions of the Minister, who directed the Chief Executive Officer of the CDA, Rosalee Gage Grey, to look into the disciplinary procedures in or-der to apply the necessary sanctions against the officers.

The Minister received a report from the Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) concerning the conduct of the

CDA officers.The report from the OCA outlines

a number of breaches that occurred during the removal of the children.

It cites violations such as disruption in the children’s education resulting from the removal; insensitivity of the officers to the cries of children, who were visibly traumatised; and a cal-lous and chaotic removal process.

Ms. Hanna noted that while “one could hypothetically say the per-son should be fired based on what I have seen in the report…at the end of the day, I….will await the findings of ….the hearings, so that when any decisions come down, it can be trans-parent across the board.”

Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna (left), addresses a Jamaica House press briefing held on December 9, at the Office of the Prime Minister. Listening (from 2nd left) are: Information Minis-ter, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer; Children’s Advocate, Diahann Gordon Harrison; and Direc-tor of Health Promotion and Protection in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sonia Copeland.

HANNA SHOWS METTLE IN CHILD REMOVAL ISSUE

miNistEr of National security, hon. Peter Bunting, says the amendment to the maritime Drug trafficking (suppression) act is not intended to deprive Jamaicans of their rights but to instead, strengthen the hand of the Government in the fight against crime.

He was speaking to JIS News regard-ing concerns raised in the Senate on Friday, December 4, in relation to the Bill, which gives the National Security Minister the option to waive jurisdic-tion over nationals involved in the illicit narcotics or arms trade in internation-

al waters, who have been detained by a treaty state.

Senators, in expressing concerns said there should be some guidelines as to how this discretion is exercised.

They also argued that allowing Ja-maicans caught with contraband on the high seas, to face trial in another country, is taking away their right to be tried in their own country.

Minister Bunting noted, however, that this notion is “completely mis-guided,” explaining that no Jamaican has the right to be tried in a Jamaican court if he or she commits an offence

outside of the country.He said there is no such provision in

the Jamaican constitution or interna-tional law and this is why Jamaica has an extradition treaty.

Minister Bunting noted further that, to the extent that a waiver is given for Jamaicans caught on a vessel trans-porting guns and drugs via the high seas “we would only do that with states with which we have a treaty.”

“These treaty states would have a judicial system, which would guaran-tee the right of fair trial for all occu-pants of that vessel,” he pointed out.

Changes To Drugs Act To Help In Crime Fight


NEWS FROM THE ROCK

tHe JAmAiCA Customs Agency says it is in a full state of readiness to handle the expected increase in cargo shipments during the festive season.

Senior Director of the entity’s Kingston operations, Selina Clarke-Graham, said

the agency is already seeing an uptick in the volume of imported items and measures have been implemented to facilitate the clearance of goods.

“We have moved quite a number of our officers and placed them into main-line operations to assist with the influx of customers that we are seeing at this time,” she said at a press conference held at the agency’s Newport East loca-tion on Thursday, December 3.

“We are also deploying additional roving officers to our air and seaports to ensure that they are there to assist our customers with the completion of forms, especially the elderly (in order) to avoid undue delays,” she added.

Customer service officers will also be deployed in key areas at the sea

and airports and opening hours will be extended in order to have a seamless process in the collection of barrels and other goods.

“As a consequence, the Collections and Accounts Unit, Customs House, New Port East, will be opened on De-cember 12 and 19 from 9:00 a.m. to

2:00 p.m.,” said Mrs. Clarke-Graham.Additionally, from December 7 to 23,

customers will be granted an extra hour on weekdays to do business at the Col-lections and Accounts Units at Newport East and Montego Bay.

Closing time will be 5:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and 4:00 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m. on Friday, informed Mrs. Clarke-Graham.

Commissioner of Customs, Major (Ret’d) Richard Reese, reminded cus-tomers that scheduled bookings for the clearance of goods are available.

He pointed out that a day or half day to clear items is not necessary and is insisting that clearing goods can take a little over an hour.

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THE POLITICAL BATTLE OF 2016: JULIET V IMANI

it is sHAPinG up to be the political battle of 2016. Juliet Holness, wife of the Leader of the opposition, Andrew Holness, has decided to enter rep-resentational politics and has drawn her lot against PnP senator, imani

Duncan-Price.

The developments follow the sudden resignation of JLP caretaker for the con-stituency, Senator Alexander Williams.

The People’s National Party’s Cam-paign spokesman, Delano Franklyn, said he noted Senator Williams’ sudden resig-nation with interest.

In a statement, Mr. Franklyn said that based on the timing, he can only assume that Williams has been scared away by the entry of the PNP’s candidate, Senator Imani Duncan-Price.

He said Duncan-Price had been run-ning a brilliantly organized campaign, and has garnered traction across political lines.

East Rural St. Andrew is among the 22-marginal seats that’ll be closer watched at the next general election.

Meanwhile, Imani Duncan Price has written to her Jamaica Labour Party counterpart, Juliet Holness, inviting her to a meeting on the political code of con-duct.

Senator Duncan Price wrote to Holness a day after the JLP ratified her as its East Rural St Andrew representative.

The Senator said she wanted to meet with Holness and her team to discuss the specifics of the code of conduct on which they will engage the people of East Rural St Andrew.

The political code of conduct which is enforced by the Office of the Political

Ombudsman was signed by the two main parties in 2005 and contains guidelines for political behaviour.

Political watchers say the clash be-tween the two women will be one to watch when general elections are an-nounced.

The constituency is currently repre-sented by Junior Minister of Tourism Damion Crawford. He faced a selection and was defeated by businessman Peter Blake. But Blake was rejected by the PNP executive and replaced by Duncan-Price. Should Juliet Holness win and the JLP win the elections, it would be the first time a Prime Minister would sit on the House of Representatives with his wife. General Elections are widely expected

early in 2016. Speculation was rife that it would have been called this year but that failed to materialise with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller giving clear indica-tions that it will be early next year.

Juliet Holness

Imani Duncan-Price

Christmas is hErE and the excitement of the festive season is not lost on anyone. the lights, the shopping, the Christmas parties are ever-present reminders of what the season brings. many people live for this time of year. Financially, they save all year to be able to afford the finest gifts and the best cuisine. For many, it is simply a season of good cheer. For others, it is a spiritual festival with very deep meaning. the focus is on the birth of Christ and the commemorative activities are usually church-based. For others, the season is about going wild and as one writer has pointed out in this edition, it is the season that epitomises Paganism for some.

What is rather important though, is that however you choose to celebrate Christmas, and whatever the reason you choose, it is the spirit of humanity that matters. if the season helps even one individual to become a little more selfless and give to others in need, then it would have been worth every bit of spending and indulgence.

there are many people in the UK who will be spending Christmas alone. as another story elsewhere in the paper highlights, there is a high number of people who face extreme loneliness at this time of the year. age UK and the salvation army have been very active in trying to drum up support for those who are without loved ones at this time of the year. Within the Jamaican commnuity, there is a much needed effort to try and reach out to those who are less fortunate. Jamaica Times congratulates all those who have recog-nised this and are making the effort to help. it is truly the best gift one can give at Christmas time. many of these associations end up lasting very long times and often prove to be very fruitful.

if you know someone in need this Christmas, give of yourself. sometimes it is just sitting with someone and sharing a conversation. the traditions that have been valued over the years in the Caribbean and elsewhere should be brought to the fore. make Christmas a time of giving. if you can’t give of financial resources then give a bit of cheer. that will mean a lot to someone who might wake up on Christmas Day with no one to even say merry Christ-mas. make it a happy and wonderful season, not just for one’s own family and friends, but for all you can. merry Christmas.

THE GREAT 2016 SHOWDOWNthe event that is being billed as the ‘mother of all Elections’ is set to take place early in Jamaica in 2016. From all indications, it is going to be a highly politically charged affair. there is a lot on the line for both major political parties, the ruling People’s National Party and the Opposition Jamaica La-bour Party. the campaigning has been feverish and it is clear that both par-ties are going for broke.

the country is precariously perched. it is coming to the end of an interna-tional monetary Fund agreement. there has been a long period of extreme austerity measures. the aftermath of such policies is either growth and de-velopment or stagnation. so whichever party wins, there is either going to be boon or bust. Neither Prime minister Portia simpson miller nor Opposi-tion Leader andrew holness can predict what is going to happen. if there is growth and development, the PNP should take all the credit, having passed 10 consecutive imF tests and bringing some level of stability to the economy, even if there has been little or no growth. if there is further stagnation, the PNP has to take responsibility, equally.

For Jamaica’s sake, it is hoped that the JLP is ready to form government and to rule with purpose, should the people choose that path. Whatever hap-pens, Jamaica is going to need committed and purposeful stewardship go-ing forward. this newspaper expresses great hope that violence will play no part in the process and the will of the people will be done.

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JAMAICA TIMES December 2015 13OPINIONwww.jamaicatimesuk.com

HEAR ME NUH MAN!PUBLiC seCtor management is done by policy responses to needs, problems, nuisances, and so on.

In the case of Jamaica there is, for ex-ample, a policy for attracting inward investments, and the implementation of that policy is led by JAMPRO. The

policy for training (not studies) is im-plemented by HEART; the policy for the protection of children against abuse is implemented by The Child Protection Agency; and for the policy for tourism, implementation, is done by The Jamai-ca Tourist Board; and so on.

In 2003/2004, the Government launched a policy for engagement with Jamaicans abroad which was to facilitate reciprocal support between

Jamaica and its Diaspora; and under this arrangement both Jamaica and its Diaspora were to be beneficiaries. Ja-maicans in the international regions of the USA, Canada, the UK and elsewhere were to benefit by having issues, con-cerns, and (project) proposals referred to Jamaica as the only place where ‘Di-aspora problems’ can be solved.

But unlike with other major policy initiatives, mentioned above, no agency was created for the implementation of the Diaspora policy; but is the respon-sibility of a Department for Consular and Diaspora Affairs, with an irrelevant Micky-Mouse twice-yearly Jamaica Advisory Board.

As a consequence of the non-exist-ence of an Agency for Diaspora Affairs, there is deficiency in terms of clarity of policy and its implementation; and what passes for operational activities of Diaspora affairs is to this day is un-measurable in terms of successes and failures. No one can answer the: ‘how-well-have-we-done’ question about the extent to which the Diaspora have benefited from a policy arrangement for reciprocity of support.

Reasons for this quagmire-type sit-uation of confusion about actual pur-pose and, by extension, desirable out-come(s)/benefits are twofold.

Firstly, those in the Department for Diaspora Affairs operate a monopolistic functionality in their self interest. Their sole interest, to date, is to safeguard their occupational/salaried status by

selling the disillusionment of ‘outreach’ to Diasporeans who, in the relationship, are in effect cash-cows who wilfully or unsuspectingly buy into the disillusion-ment with sweeteners such as person-al phone calls from High-Ups in Min-istry/Department of Government and/or a Biennial roadshow called: Diaspora Conference.

Secondly, in the UK and with the ex-ception of a few, the history of those entrusted with the leadership of the Ja-maican Diaspora UK (JDUK), the organ-isation created and launched in 2005, to collect, collate, and refer problems from the natural Diaspora to Jamaica, lacked representational interest, ethos, and/or skills.

Additionally, engagement with the formulation and implementation of public policy, especially where such engagement is with the Brer Nancy culture pervasive in Jamaican public service, require an intellectual astute-ness to be effective.

What is needed from among Jamai-cans in the UK are those with evalua-tive skills who can conceptualise the enormous value of having a policy specifically for Diasporeans; consider themselves as ‘stakeholders’ and ben-eficiaries of such a policy; and engage with representational competence to make the policy truly reciprocal in the interest of Jamaica and Jamaicans abroad.

EditorPaul Hensby - [email protected]

ContributorsEvette Roper, Joyanna Lovelock, Carol Simpson

Kamesha Skeen, David Sortie, Alphanso Clue, Bentley Cunningham

We want to hear from you. Please send your views, comments, suggestions and stories to [email protected]

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Jamaica

The Jamaican Policy Initiative - From where to Where?

By Bentley Cunningham, Former Chair of the

Jamaican Diaspora, UK

this weeks question is from sonia James who states “ i have been in the UK since 2001 with my two

children who are both now over 18 years. i have been told that i now have to pay a health surcharge in order for the Home office to con-sider my application. i am con-cerned as i am not allowed to work and therefore have no source of income.”

The NHS surcharge came into effect from April 2015. As of that date, in addition to the application fee for set-tlement application which is usually around £649.00 per applicant, there is now a health surcharge which is £200 per year for each year of the visas be-ing applied for. In your case, as you state that the chil-dren are over 18 years, the application

fee for all three of you will be £649 x 3 (1947.00). In addition there is the health surcharge which, if the applica-tion is for settlement under the 5 year route, the health surcharge would be (5 years x £200 per year x 3 adults), £3000. Therefore total fees payable would be £4947 for three applicants. If your application is for indefinite leave to remain you are exempt from the surcharge, however if you are granted limited leave to remain, you have to pay the surcharge.

If you are on the 10 year route to set-tlement then the leave being given cur-rently by the Secretary of State is two and a half years ( 30 months) which would mean that the health surcharge

payable on the first application would be (2.5 x 200 x 3) £1500 on the first application in addition to the applica-tion fee of £1947. On top of this you will have your lawyer’s fees to pay.

The application will not be considered if both the application fee and the health surcharge have not being paid so make sure that you pay the health surcharge on line first (£1500) before submitting the application. Once the surcharge has been paid you will receive a reference number which must be placed on the application form before it is submitted. The application fee (£1947) is paid separately to the Home Office with the application.

The only positive about the system is that if you are granted leave, you are also usually given permission to work and therefore by the time the second application for extension of leave is due in two and a half years time, you would have had time to save the second set of fees for the extension, that is, assuming of course that you were able to find a job in the first place.

There are exemptions to the health sur-charge fee however as I have no further details of your case save for what is mentioned above, I do not know if they would apply to you. You are advised to regularly check the home office web-site (homeoffice.gov.uk) for changes to the Immigration Rules.

JAMAICA TIMESDecember 201514 COLUMNS www.jamaicatimesuk.com

IMMIGRATION MATTERSwith CarOL simPsON

MUSING WITH LOVELOCK

Joyanna Lovelock

Let me start off my saying that this country of ours is a Chris-tian country. we respect other faiths.

We respect whatever and however way people wish to practice their faith and religion but we are still fundamentally a Christian country and a hallmark of this Christianity is the Lord’s Prayer. Now, I have never seen this before but in this run up to Christmas the Church of Eng-land produced a film of the Lord’s Prayer, basically it’s an advert en-couraging prayer. But big name cinemas like Odeon, Cineworld and Vue have banned the video from showing at their venues. And the company which sells advertising at these cinema chains said the Church of England film could be seen as offensive’. Offensive? To who? Believe me, everybody prays. At some time. When your house is up for re-possession or your child goes missing or is sick unto death, everybody prays. Interestingly both Christian and Muslim leaders and even those who claim to be athe-ist have called this refusal to show the video ridiculous. Unbelievably these cinemas do not seem to mind showing adverts for alcohol, violent video games and sexualised per-fume commercials and the like to young audiences.

Christmas is not only coming, it’s here. And if you visited some lead-ing department stores, it seemed to have been around since September. Christmas is a time for sharing. And caring. But that seems to be all good if you have someone to share and care with. However, if you

don’t, Christmas can be a very lone-ly time. One way loneliness can be overcome is through volunteering. Especially at Christmas time there are uber opportunities to help out at homeless shelters and visiting and spending time with the elderly and vulnerable. Research published in recent years suggested Black people who want to volunteer for charities are often overlooked be-cause voluntary organisations fail to reach out to black and ethnic minority communities. The research also found that even if people want-ed to volunteer their time, they did not know where to go or who to ask about voluntary work. So we need to be pro-active. Get out there and find it, because the need is out there. Volunteering is one of the best ways to gain new skills and for those in-between jobs, this can increase employability as well as helping the local community. I like volunteering and over the past few years I have volunteered for charities like Crisis at Christmas and met people from all backgrounds. And it’s great fun.

Most people, I imagine, would like to be considered attractive, and a fair few might even want to be regard-ed as beautiful. And some of these people would enter beauty contests to prove just that. But here’s a rar-ity: a contest that seeks to crown the ugliest. True, true. There is somewhere on the planet a Mr Ugly contest and there are people in this world who would kill for such a title. Take the case of Mr Mison Sere a native of Zimbabwe. He was recent-ly crowned the winner of this dubi-ous title but not everyone agreed including the runner-up, Mr William

Masvinu, who claimed that Mr Sere was not a worthy winner as he was not ugly enough and this kicked off a mini-riot. Fighting to be crowned the ugliest? Give me a break.

I have now got the hang of this ‘no free bags’ business at the su-permarkets and now when I leave the house, even if it is only to the post office, I am tooled-up with my bags and I permanently have two shopping bags in my little rucksack even if I am not even planning to go grocery shopping. I learnt to do this the hard way. In the early days of the ‘pay for bag’ ruling, I would only go out with shopping bags, if I were actually going grocery shopping. But as these things go, I often find myself going to the supermarkets without even thinking. In October I had booked tickets to my local the-atre to see the National Theatre Live production of ‘Hamlet’. This was my evening out. Not intending to go shopping at all. Yet, I found myself going into a well-known super-market and leaving with a packet of frozen vegetarian sausages and a packet of wholemeal bread-rolls.

Then it dawned on me that I needed a bag to put them in. However, I was not mentally prepared to spend an extra 5p on a bag that was free the day before. Not to be beaten, and not wanting to parade my sausages and rolls for the world to see, I grabbed a copy of the Evening Standard and wrapped my goods therein. Walking through London, carrying this thing like a new born baby proved more tricky than I envisaged. After awhile the sausages started to defrost. And water running down

my frontage. Not a good look. At the theatre I hid them under my seat and the sausages became so de-frosted that water was now running all around me. Lesson learnt.

Now, here is a real Christmas Story. Imagine this. You have gone to your local church for the nativity and as is the usual, there are the shep-herds, the three wise men from the East and of course Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus. But wait a minute, while the main characters remain mute and lifeless, baby Jesus ap-pears to be alive and even kicking. The members at Holy Child Jesus Church in Queens, New York got the surprise of their lives to discov-er there was a real life new born baby, so new he was still attached to his umbilical cord. He was lying in the manger wrapped in towels. Let’s call them ‘swaddling clothes’ for the sake of authenticity. No one knows how the child came to be part of the Christmas Story but the vicar and parishioners believe he will be adopted by a loving childless couple making it a great Christmas miracle. Lovely.

Top Barrister Carol Simpson is here to answer all your questions on immigration mat-ters. Please send your queries to:[email protected].

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AN AMAZING FAREWELL TO THE AMAZING HITMANsunday 18th october 2015, the world woke to the news that one of the Uk’s foundation reggae DJs, the Amazing Hitman, had been called home to his maker.

Andrew Anderson, known to the UK mu-sic scene as ‘The Amazing’ Hitman, sadly passed away, 52 years young and began his journey to the upper room. We know this is the road for us all, but this knowl-edge does not make it any less of a shock or make it any easier to deal with when our loved ones meet this destiny.

In times such as these we are left only with our memories and with the immedi-ate outpouring of such memories on all forms of social media and other outlets it is safe to say he left behind a vast legacy and infinite memories to comfort us in our time of mourning. Facebook, Twitter, Ins-tagram, various radio stations, whatsapp etc, all trending with the name HITMAN prefixed with ‘The Amazing’.

Born Hugh Andrew Anderson, January 20th 1963 to Gladstone and Pearl Ander-son, he was the youngest of his siblings. He moved to Jamaica at a young age for

just a few years, before returning to the UK and attending Bruce Grove Primary before graduating to Tottenham Coun-ty Secondary School, meeting many of his life long friends during these school years.

In a time now where friendship is be-coming merely a word, many have af-firmed that from a young child in school till his final breath, Hitman embodied the true definition of a friend. Once consid-ered a friend by Hitman you truly had a friend indeed. Very rarely do you hear of a man who had no enemies, a man who truly believed in the concept of loyalty to

his fellow brothers and sisters, a man who no matter whom he encountered, he treated with equal respect, who no one had a bad word to say about. With this said, he still had his close circle of friends whom he ‘trusted with his life’ and knew the same love and trust was reciprocat-ed. Testament to the fact that his amazing qualities went far beyond just his musical abilities.

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none”. A quote credited to William Shake-speare and aptly chosen by Leanne An-derson, the eldest Of Hitman’s daughters to describe her father’s approach to life and people. Sentiments echoed by Adar-na Anderson, the second daughter of Hitman.

Thursday 19th November 2015 was the day the community was called to celebrate the life of and say our final goodbyes to the late Andrew Ander-son. A cold and wet Thursday morning adorned us, showers of blessing as we began our journeys to The New Testa-ment Church Of God, Wood Green, North London. A 10:30am start was advertised, but throwing away the notion of ‘Black People Time’ the church was near capac-ity a little after 9am. Those reaching for

the 10am mark believing they were early, were left standing at the back, round the sides, in the church front garden or on the pavement.

After a musical rendition from the church praise and worship team, the floor was open to the congregation for trib-utes. Kicked off by Bobo El Numero Uno who wowed the audience with a heart filled speech, reminiscent of yesteryears doing road with Hitman, reminding us of his trademark laundry bag or trusted ‘big black grip’ which housed Hitman’s vast collection of music.

DJ Trevor Sax spoke with clarity and emotion on his personal memories with Hitman, highlighting his days at regal re-cords and the pure love he had for music. He also commanded us to keep the unity in the music, as this was what Hitman stood for. Joined on stage by Luther aka cowboy of Hitman’s first Sound ‘Quadra-phonic Sound’.

Hitman’s oldest daughter Leanne gave the Eulogy, a deep captivating account of her father’s life and continued legacy. Fond memories mixed with witty anec-dotes and naturally the emotion of the loss, all present listened attentively as we got an account of the man we came to

lay to rest from one who knew him best. What a beautiful Eulogy it was.

Special mention must be given to Pastor Patrick Powell and Pastor Jeffery Folkes, with the New Testament Of God congregation for ably leading such a powerful service.

The celebrations continued at the grave side. I do not think you have ever seen a cemetery so packed before. Many could not get in and had to make an early diversion to the reception hall. Suffice to say those who had made it to the grave-side were in fine voice and spirit to ‘put him down well’. Singing, dancing and making a joyful noise, before dressing his eternal bed with flowers spelling out Dad, Grandad, Son, Brother, Conscious Radio and Hitman. All names that he would an-swer to.

Finally we head down to the reception at La Royale Banqueting Suite, White Hart Lane. Party, Rave, Dance, Stage Show, Sound Splash. I estimated well over 3000 in attendance. I was corrected and told over 4,500. Again main hall packed, car park full with people even spilling as far out as the High Road. Whatever the his-tory books call it, it was unquestionably amazing.

By Ras Natural Mystic

DevoteD mum-of-two fiona reid was “dubious about leaving her children” and going on holiday to Jamaica where she died in a car crash, an inquest heard.

The healthcare assistant, 31 and from Aston, was killed when the Toyota Yaris she was in was involved in a head-on collision with a Nissan Navara truck.

The Birmingham Mail later helped a suc-cessful community campaign to raise £16,000 to bring her body home.

Fiona’s dad Kevin Reid told the inquest at Birmingham coroner’s court: “She was extremely devoted to her family and her kids. They were the main thing in her life.

“She was talked into having a holiday and was very dubious of leaving her children.”

Mr Reid described his daughter - mother of an 11-year-old son and five-year-old daughter - as “sensible and popular” and added: “Her death has been a great loss to all of us.”

The hearing was told single mum Fiona was a rear-seat passenger in the Toyota which had burst into flames after the late-night crash on May 11.

She was taken to Linstead Hospital in St Catherine, but died two hours later.

At the inquest her family raised the theory the car had swerved to avoid a dog in the road.

Fiona’s sister Gaynor also questioned a Ja-maican police report which claimed there were

three people in the Toyota. But Fiona’s friend Alisha Benjamin, who was in the car, said there were four.

The inquest ruled Fiona died from multiple injuries as a result of a road traffic accident.

Explaining the lack of detail in the Jamai-can police report, coroner Emma Brown said: “In road traffic collisions in the UK police are able to investigate fully and provide us with a comprehensive report including all relevant evidence and documents.

“However, when road traffic accidents occur abroad there is no obligation to provide us with any information.

“We worked with the Foreign and Common-wealth Office to get as much information as possible from the Jamaican authorities.”

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JAMAICA TIMESDecember 201518 ENTERTAINMENT www.jamaicatimesuk.com

STRIKER LEE, THE GORGON DOES IT IN STYLEit Was a night of sublime, vintage music in an atmosphere of true reg-gae authenticity that marked reggae legend Bunny striker Lee’s birthday at the Jazz Cafe in Camden.

The Gorgon was in very high spirits and cut the classic captain’s look, decked in a sailor’s outfit from top to toe. The guest performers carefully selected for the oc-casion and they came to pay tribute to the man who has been responsible for one of the largest catalogues of reggae music.

So nostalgic and enthralling was the affair that the performers had High Com-missioner, Her Excellency Aloun Assamba and visiting Minister of Transport and Works from Jamaica, Dr Omar Davies, dancing all night.

Leading the musical charge was the original Owen Gray, one Jamaica’s first recording artists. He was supported by veteran Dennis Alcapone who was joined by Winston Reedy, Earl Sixteen, Susan Cadogan, Vivian Jones, The Blackstones, Dave Barker of Double Barrel fame, Neville Staple of the Specials, Christine Sugary Staple, Troy ‘Lovers’ Ellis, son of the late Alton Ellis, Johnny Orlando and the ebullient Satchmo Dixon who got

the ‘live’ section of the show going after tracks performances by Zena Banks and General Saint.

It would be difficult, and perhaps even unfair, to try and credit anyone with ‘steal-ing the show’. But it would be remiss not to give special mention to the perfor-mances Satchmo Dixon, Troy ‘Lovers’ Ellis, Johnny Orlando, The Blackstones, Susan Cadogan Dennis Alcapone and of course Owen Gray. At his age, Gray still cuts a fine figure on stage with a voice as rich and warm as it was five decades ago. He put on a stellar show with his hits “Sea Cruise”, “Natty Bongo” and “Darling Patricia”. He is truly of Jamaican mu-sic’s finest treasure and Striker Lee had to make the point on stage that after so many decades of making Jamaican mu-sic, he has never been given a national honour by the Government of Jamaica.

Dennis Alcapone looked like the con-summate star on stage and delivered his DJ/toasting hits with punch a alacrity, well supported by Winston Reedy. Susan Ca-dogan gave a lesson in performance and looked like she has found an age defying serum. She delivered her decade old hits “Fever” and “Hurt So Good” with all the passion she has been known for over the

years. The Blackstones blew some amazing harmonies

and the elder statesman Satchmo Dixon delivered a rendition of “Wonderful World” that would have moved Louis Armstrong’s emotions. The surprise of the night was Troy Ellis who carried the spirit and vibes of his late father with him throughout his per-formance. He looked and sounded uncannily like Al-ton and his choice of songs meant he turned things up several notches and made his set a very hard act to follow.

All said, the performers all gave their best efforts in the name of a man who has given so much to Jamaican music.

It was a night of dancing and sing-a-long from start to finish. It represented the kind of event reg-gae music needs in abundance.

The backing bands were stellar, playing to a standard worthy of one of the greatest reggae pro-ducers. MCs on the night were Bobo El Numero Uno and Mikey.

Veteran producer Bunny Striker Lee shows his gold plaque to High Commissioner Her Excellency Aloun Assamba at the celebration of his 74th birthday at the Jazz Cafe. The award was presented by Tony Williams (left). Below, Owen Gray (left) and Dennis Alcapone (right)

PHOTOS: [email protected]

JAMAICA TIMES December 2015 19ENTERTAINMENTwww.jamaicatimesuk.com

AT LAST, REGGAE GRAMMY IS UP FOR GRABSFOr thE first time since 2013, a marley is not nominated for Best reggae album at the Grammy awards.

This year’s nominees — announced by the National Academy of Record-ing Arts and Sciences (NARAS) – are The Cure by Jah Cure, Acousticalevy (Barrington Levy), Zion Awake (Lu-ciano), Strictly Roots (Morgan Herit-age), and Branches of The Same Tree by Ghanaian singer Rocky Dawuni.

Since the NARAS introduced the Best Reggae Album category (former-ly known as Best Reggae Recording) in 1985, a Marley has been nominat-ed on 17 occasions.

They have won the category mul-tiple times.

The Cure, released by VP Records in July, is the first nomination for Jah Cure. The album, which topped the Billboard Reggae Album Chart on its release, has to date sold over 10,047 copies.

Acousticalevy is also Levy’s first nomi-nation. The acoustic collection of his big-gest hits was released by Doctor Dread Presents, an independent owned by Gary ‘Dr Dread’ Himelfarb of RAS Records fame.

Zion Awake is the second Grammy nomination for Luciano. The album was

released by VPAL Music and has to date sold over 1,054 copies. Luciano’s previ-ous Grammy nomination was in 2002 for A New Day.

Morgan Heritage released Strictly Roots through their CTBC Music Group. It also topped the Billboard Reggae Album Chart upon its release in April.

Strictly Roots is the first Grammy nom-ination for the sibling group. The album has sold over 4,621 copies to date.

Branches of the Same Tree is Cali-

fornia-based Rocky Dawuni’s first Grammy nod. The album was re-leased on the Cumbancha label.

There are nominations for songs and albums with Jamaican connections.

British rock band Florence + The Ma-chine earned nominations in the Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song categories (for What Kind of Man) and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance cat-egory for Ship Wreck. Both tracks are featured on the group’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful album, which was recorded in Jamaica at Geejam Studio in

Portland.American rapper Kendrick Lamar’s

chart-topping album To Pimp a Butterfly earned nominations for Album of The Year and Best Rap Album. It is co-produced by Jamaican Matthew ‘Boi 1Da’ Samuels.

The album contains The Blacker The Berry, featuring Assassin, which was cer-tified gold. Another track on the album, Wesley’s Theory, samples Boris Gardin-er’s Every Nigger Is A Star.

British folk/soul singer Lianne La Ha-vas, whose mother is Jamaican, earned a nomination in the Best Urban Contempo-

rary Album category for Blood. Released by Warner Bros, it is co-produced by Ste-phen McGregor.

Jamaican-born, Toronto-based pro-ducer Nineteen85’s (real name Anthony Paul) Truffle Butter earned a nomination for Best Rap Performance. The song is performed by Nicki Minaj featuring Drake and Lil Wayne.

British producer/DJ Jamie XX got nominated for his album In Colour in the category Best Dance/Electronic Album. It features There’s Gonna Be Good Times by rapper Young Thug and Popcaan.

Dancehall Queen Lady Saw Turns To The ChurchDancehall artiste Lady Saw has been baptised.

In a private service at the Emmanuel Ap-ostolic Church on Slipe Road in Kingston, Lady Saw – whose given name is Marion Hall – was baptised by Bishop Everton Thomas in the presence of close friends and family.

“The Lord has been speaking to me for years and I have been dodging him,” Hall testified. “Today I was at J Capri’s funeral and God spoke to me again and I said to myself I want to be a servant of God,” Hall said: “I was always worried about money and how I would survive without music, but God said to me ‘I have people

and I will make a way’.” The 43-year-old deejay disclosed that she had been baptised when she was 12 years old, but admitted that she had no idea what she was doing then. “I am ready now,” Hall said. “I am more ready than I have ever been.” Hall announced that she was going to cancel all her dancehall shows.

Jah Cure Luciano

Barrington Levy

JAMAICA TIMESDecember 201520 ENTERTAINMENT www.jamaicatimesuk.com

DANCEHALL STAR J CAPRI SENT OFF IN STYLE iN a FUNEraL service fit for a queen, J Capri’s loved ones gathered at the University Chapel on monday Decem-ber 14 to pay their final respects to the late dancehall artiste.

Family, friends and fans of the deejay, born Jordan Joel Phillips, wept openly amid a string of tributes inside the church.

J Capri’s aunt, Carol Aina narrated re-flections from the artiste’s mother, Oradel Carwin, who told the story of her pregnant abdomen, erupting with movement, being quietened only by the soothing rhythms emanating from a walkman.

“This baby had a magical connection to music, her infant years marked by spontaneous eruption in song,” Aina said. “This child needed no encouragement. No prodding to sing. Every request was met with unbridled enthusiasm, followed immediately by Jordan’s voice. The mem-ories of this little superstar climbing atop a coffee table to perform in song, stain our memories with awe.”

Jordan’s love for music came as no surprise to her family. She was influenced by her deejay father, Kenneth Phillips,

who performed under the stage name Mr Murphy. Kenneth played R&B songs in the car when he picked up Jordan and her cousin from school.

“At times he would forget instructions... and even played some of his ‘Glamour Murphy’ selections,” Aine narrated.

Jordan’s extraordinary passion for singing troubled her academic years. She completed high school at Womer’s High for for Girls, but her choice was clear - she wanted to sing. Her journey took her to the Edna Manley School for the Per-forming Arts, where her passion for sing-ing kept burning.

“She wanted to be a superstar but be-ing bridled with music classes such as ‘Music Theory’ and ‘Music History’ she started skipping classes asking “who needs theory to sing?” her aunt said.

Jordan eventually abandoned Edna Manley for the studios, where the star J Capri was born.

While her attempts to break into R&B didn’t go as planned, J Capri embraced and excelled with dancehall. Her Europe-an fan base grew exponentially and she gradually gained recognition in Jamaica

and across the Caribbean.J Capri last summer made her debut

at Reggae Sumfest Dancehall Night. Her performance, on Jamaican music’s big-gest stage, was epic. At the tender age of 23, she was living a dream. Her career was blossoming and she found pure and meaningful love in her craft before that terrible accident on Barbican Road in St Andrew.

Her plans to revert to her most loved genre, R&B, may seem thwarted, but ‘Comet Jordan’ is now giving her best rendition with choirs of angels.

“They have just welcomed a new lead singer whose love of life and soulful voice we will not too soon forget,” J Capri’s aunt said in her narration.

The thanksgiving service was blessed with the voices of Romain Virgo, Cherine Anderson, Alaine Haughton among other tributes in songs and dance.

Jordan Joel Phillips burst into this world on December 24th, 1991 and like a comet blazing through the morning sky, her sole drive was an intense passion for music.

JAMAICA TIMES December 2015 21CUISINEwww.jamaicatimesuk.com

WHAT’S COOKING THIS CHRISTMAS?

There’s no time like Christ-mas! The festivity and the food are worth waiting for all year. The worst that can hap-pen is getting the Christmas dinner wrong. We hope these images will give the chefs on the day some inspiration. You can also try out the recipe be-low and utilise other sources to get the special blends that will ensure that your Christ-mas dinner turns out exactly as it should.

INGREDIENTS

For 10 people

1/2 pound(s) Grace Marga-rine1/2 pound(s) dark sugar 4 medium eggs1 teaspoon(s) vanilla/al-mond flavouring1 pound(s) all purpose flour1 tablespoon(s) baking powder1/4 cup(s) breadcrumbs2 teaspoon(s) mixed spice/nutmeg1 tablespoon(s) Grace Browning3 cup(s) fruit wine1 cup(s) rum3 cup(s) soaked mixed fruits1/2 cup(s) cherries1/4 cup(s) crushed peanuts

DIRECTIONS

Cream Grace Hello Margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.Gradually beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla or almond flavouring.Combine flour, baking powder, breadcrumbs, mixed spice or nutmeg and mix well.Fold the flour mixture into the creamed mixture alternately with the Grace Browning, fruit wine, rum, soaked mixed fruits, cherries

and crushed peanuts.Scrape batter into a greased and lined 325 cm (10 inch) baking tin. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 180°C/350°F or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool.

Note: Serve with Butter Brandy Sauce

Yield: 12 slicesDifficulty: Easy Preparation time: 30mCooking time: 1h 30m

RICH FRUIT CAKE

SportJamaicaTimesDecember 2015

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a thirD of the way through the Eng-lish Premier League season and the ti-tle of ‘the most Exciting League in the World’ remains safely on the shores of Britain.

In recent years we’ve had; shock re-sults, breathtaking moments and exciting league finishes, but the even the events so far this season have left most of us speechless.

A quick glance at the top half of the table and you’re thinking something doesn’t look right, aren’t you? Where are cham-pions Chelsea? Scroll down to bottom half of the table and you’ll find your an-swer. Fresh from winning their first title in Jose Mourinho’s second spell at the club, in May, they have begun the 2015/16 season with the statistically the worst defence of a title in the history on the Premier League. Having started the sea-son as favourites, three months, a dozen games, four wins, two draws and SEVEN losses later, they find themselves just five points above the relegation zone.

So where did it all go wrong? Some will attribute it to the unrest in the dressing room due to the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’s’ touchline and post-match antics, the last of which landed him a one match stadium ban. Other may point to the mishandling of John Terry, the recently departed Frank Lampard and other sen-ior players. And whilst the demotion and successive resignation of club doctor Eva Carneiro was bound to have a negative effect on some of the players, who were reportedly very close to her, I want you to cast your minds back to January 1st 2015.

New Years Day, and Chelsea were fresh from a 5-3 spanking at the home of Tot-tenham Hotspurs, which allowed Man-chester City to draw dead level with The Blues at the top of the table. It was at this moment Mourinho changed the way he managed this undoubtedly talented

group of players. For a manager who, throughout his career, has prided himself on creating organized, well drilled teams, in both attack but more importantly in defence, this was a massive blot on his record.

The events of that day caused Mourin-ho to revert to type and Chelsea lost the swagger or the first half of that season, leaving Player of the Year Eden Hazard to drag him team over the line, many times winning games single handedly, by the odd goal here and there.

Fast forward to today and it seems Jose hasn’t released the shackles he placed on his players but 11 months ago, nor did he strengthen his group in the summer, which could have brought energy and verve to his squad. The players who are so used to exciting audiences, and bringing crowds to their feet have become robots, drilled into following a script of ‘hard de-fensive work’, leaving little or no energy or ideas to attack. Hazard, Fabregas and Oscar have become mere shadows of the players that tore their domestic rivals to pieces last season. The ‘beast’ that is Diego Costa seems to be more a risk to his team than a threat to the opposition.

The result? Chelsea’s title defence is in tatters, and they run the unthinkable risk of missing out on Champions League football. What for Mourinho? Well only the notoriously trigger happy Roman Abram-ovich can answer that.

However, as the saying goes ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ and whilst Chelsea continue to throw away the remaining memories of what was a hugely successful 2014/15, Leicester City are picking up where there left of at the back end of the previous campaign.

Having lost just one game all season (vs Arsenal), the Foxes find themselves one point clear of Manchester United, at the top of the table, having lost just one game all season. This has been, in no small part, down to the incredible form of striker Jamie Vardy who is on the brink of breaking ex-Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record of scoring in 10 consec-

utive games (currently on 10). This, cou-pled with consistent performances from attacking midfielder Riyad Mahrez, under the management of former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, has created renewed op-timism around the city, which was initially sapped away following the sacking of fan favourite manager Nigel Pearson in the summer.

Whilst no Leicester fans will be getting carried away by the prospect of qualify-ing for Europe’s top competition, at this early stage of the season, this electric start should provide the impetus for them to carry through till May. I, for one, cannot see this train stopping for now.

Two teams who can be confident of capi-talizing on what was already bound to be an exciting race for Top 4 are Tottenham and Liverpool. 5th and 6th position last season, respectively, both will be looking for marked improvement in this cam-paign, for similar reasons. The managers.

Whilst Liverpool seemed to be going backwards, ever since Gerrard’s fateful

slip in the spring of 2014 at Anfield, now under the tutelage of eccentric coach Jurgen Klopp there is a sense of excite-ment around the city, which hadn’t been e since Sturrdige, Sterling and Suarez were running rings around some of the best defenders in the league. Time, is what it will take, but time doesn’t seem to be a luxury afforded to many managers in today’s world, as Brendan Rodgers most certainly found out.

Ironically, it is time that seems to be the trick for Mauricio Pochettino at Totten-ham, who is now seeing his young team play in the exact way he would have hoped, when he moved to White Hart Lane in 2014. Two points off the Champi-ons League positions, four ahead of rivals Liverpool and ten ahead of champions Chelsea, things are certainly looking rosi-er in the North of London.

And whilst one North London clubs fights for a top European spot, the other, much more accustomed to sitting at the top Eu-ropean table, is in a fight for what would be their first league title in 12 years.

It sounds like a long time doesn’t it? That’s because it is. This team is a far cry from the one that trampled all and sundry in front of it during the 2003/04 season. ‘In-vincibles’ they were named. ‘Invisible’ is what they’ve been called since, but is the real Arsenal finally ready to return to the summit of English football? Two succes-sive FA Cups and 2 Community Shields ended the 9 year trophy drought, and laid down a marker which suggest this team has come of age and a ready to wrestle with ‘big clubs’ for the big trophies.

Level on points with Manchester City, in their accustomed 4th place (2 points behind Leicester), and on the brink of be-ing knocked out of Europe, this may well represent the Gunners’ best chance in over a decade of landing the big prize, but they will have to battle hard with the two Manchester clubs and, most importantly, themselves.

Whoever does triumph, come May 2016, one thing is for certain, you’ve tuned in to ‘The Most Exciting League in the World’.

ARSENAL FOR THE TITLE? LEICESTER IN FIGHT TOP FOUR CHELSEA’S SEASON CRUMBLES!

JAMAICA TIMES December 2015 23CUISINEwww.jamaicatimesuk.com

WARNE CALLS FOR LARA AS HAPLESSWINDIES STRUGGLE DOWN UNDERBattiNG great Brian Lara has offered his services to his embattled former side after the West indies’ crushing first test loss to australia in hobart.

But it remains to be seen if the open in-vitation issued by fellow legend Shane Warne is accepted by the besieged tour-ists.

The Windies already have their share of big names floating around the side.

Richie Richardson is team manager, Curtly Ambrose is bowling consultant and Courtney Walsh is a tour selector.

Yet Warne reckons Lara would make a good fit after the Windies suffered an innings and 212-run loss in Hobart - their second worst defeat to Australia in Test history.

They have plenty of time to regroup before the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne - and Warne believes Lara should be a part of it.

“Lara is in the country. They need to get him involved, spend some time with the team in Melbourne,” Nine Network commentator Warne said.

Lara is in Australia after playing in a Festival of Cricket Twenty20 match in Western Australia on the weekend - and he warmed to Warne’s proposal.

“I would love to .... there is some hope in what I see,” Lara tweeted to Warne on Saturday afternoon.

Leg-spin wizard Warne may have rev-

elled in sending Windies batsmen to the pavilion during his glittering career but he finds no joy in their present plight.

The Windies have not won an overseas series of note in 20 years.

And they do not look like doing it again anytime soon - based on their Hobart ca-pitulation.

“Cricket needs a strong West Indies” - Warne“I think world cricket needs the West In-dies to be strong,” Warne said.

“What they bring to the table is so ex-citing. They play with emotion, passion and flair.

“The Windies are passionate people and they will be hurting from that loss.”

Windies captain Jason Holder believes they can find inspiration from within.

He cited as examples Darren Bravo’s first innings 108 in Hobart and opener Kraigg Brathwaite’s 94 that dominated their second dig of 148.

“I think you need to look at inspiring performances, like how Darren Bravo played,” Holder said.

“And the way Kraigg Brathwaite played in the second innings was ...a real fight-ing innings.

“We just need to look at those inspiring performances, and probably look back to performances where we’ve done well in

the past, just try to re-live those moments and bring it into this Test series.”

The Windies will add at least one new face to their squad ahead of the Boxing

Day Test.They are yet to name a replacement for

injured paceman Shannon Gabriel who flies home after breaking down with an

ankle injury on day one in Hobart.The Windies’ only Boxing Day warm-up

is a two-day clash with a Victoria Invita-tional XI from December 19 in Geelong.

Chris GayLE has a reputation as a cricketing mercenary who values lu-crative twenty20 contracts over test caps, but he says he is hopeful he will be playing test cricket in 2016.

Gayle, 36, has not donned the whites for the West Indies since 2014.

The hard-hitting opener will play with the Melbourne Renegades in the upcom-ing Big Bash League season instead of the ongoing three-Test series between against Australia.

Gayle suggested on Tuesday a back injury meant he was never going to be fit enough for the recent clash in Hobart, where the visitors were crushed by an

innings and 212 runs.“There’s no way I could have actually

been part of that Test team, I’m just coming back from injury,” Gayle said.

“I haven’t retired from the game. Next year, hopefully Test cricket is on the agenda.”

Despite saying his injury kept him out of the side, Gayle has been playing for the Barisal Bulls in the T20 Bangladesh Premier League since early December.

“I scored 92 in a game and the next day felt like I’d been hit by a bus,” he said.

The body will actually take time to build up gradually.”

Gayle Hoping For 2016 Test ReturnSamuels Banned From Bowling By The ICC

WEST INDIES batsman Marlon Samu-els has been banned from bowling for 12 months by the International Cricket Council after undergoing testing on his action.

It is the second ban for the 34-year-old, whose off-spin bowling is only used on a part-time basis by West Indies.

He was reported for an illegal action following the first test defeat against Sri Lanka in October and had testing at the

ICC accredited testing centre in Brisbane earlier this month.

“The assessment revealed that Sam-uels’ elbow extension exceeded 15 degrees while bowling and, thus, he employed an illegal bowling action,” the world governing body said in a statement.

“As this report constitutes the player’s second suspension within a two-year pe-riod, he is now automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a 12-month period.”

Samuels has already served a near four-year bowling ban from 2008 over concerns with his action but was allowed to resume in 2011 after remedial work.

He was reported again following a test in India in 2013 and subsequently banned from bowling his quicker deliveries but had been allowed to continue with his standard off-break.

He will not be allowed to apply to have his action re-assessed until the ban ends, the ICC added.

jamaica times uk newspaper december 2015

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