|
Making hanging possible
Morris Cargill
Until very recently, there have been two roadblocks on the way to the resumption of hanging.
One is what is known as the Optional Protocol from which, I am glad to say, our Government withdrew. The second roadblock is the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (ICHR) which is still holding us up very considerably. We should also withdraw from this without delay. I cannot help feeling that while it describes itself as an important advocate for human rights, part of it is a conspiracy of the bleeding hearts to obstruct capital punishment. Instead of handling appeals promptly, it holds up its decisions which in the end result in the commuting of the death penalty to life imprisonment.
Jamaica is a sovereign country. Our press is free and we are quite capable of handling our human rights ourselves. It is time we rid ourselves of international bodies which obstruct our sovereignty and prevent us from dealing with murderers according to our own laws.
A while ago, Mr. Oliver Clarke seemed reluctant about our withdrawing from ICHR. On the other hand, I entirely agree with what Mr. Clarke had to say about Cuba's membership in CARICOM. Mr. Clarke's view was that Cuba should not be permitted to join CARICOM until it had a free press. It is absurd to think that a Latin-American communist dictatorship should be part of our Caribbean organisation.
The Great Refund
The Cabinet was very sneaky about the overcharging of consumers by the Jamaica Public Service Company. It knew about this and yet quietly permitted the JPSCo to hang onto the money without telling us a word about it.
When finally the news broke from the annual general meeting of the JPSCo, the Prime Minister then indulged in a lengthy but lame excuse. It is said that the overcharge is $2 billion but some say it is more like $3 billion. The Prime Minister proposes the refund of some piddling amount in January. It seems, though, that nobody knows exactly how much the customers of the JPSCo were in fact overcharged. As soon as possible, a sensible and accurate estimate will have to be made. Though by whom it is to be made is at the moment a bit of a mystery. In the meantime, the JPSCo should hire a few billing clerks or whomever that have passed their 'O' Levels in Maths.
While the refund of the overcharge, whatever it is, will be considered by customers as a victory, it will be a victory of the Pyrrhic variety, for the JPSCo needs the money and it will have to be got from somewhere, perhaps from increased charges in which case, the taxpayers will pay. So, as usual, whichever way we turn, macca jucks us. This is how things go today in our Paradise Isle. We shall simply have to remember that old, old advice of Confucius. When rape is inevitable,`` lie back and enjoy it.
Prayer
I've been meaning for a little while to express my irritation at those who went down on their knees to thank God from sparing us from Mitch. These good people ignored the fact that Mitch played merry hell with other countries. These good people have no difficulty in believing in a God who is at one and same time both benevolent and vengeful.
Prayer breakfasts also irritate me. I do not enjoy the spectacle of those fat cats praying to God to relieve them of the consequences of their own acts and omissions. They are all praying to a God they have created in their own image.
Gratitude
I would like to thank Elaine Commissiong for her kind words about me in the Financial Gleaner of December 4. I see, though, that we are back on our old argument as to when the new millennium begins. I maintain that it begins on January 1, 2001, but Elaine still insists that it should be the year 2000 and said that it has been declared the official start of the new millennium. I would very much like to see her evidence for this.
Beef
I would like to thank Andrew A. Wildish and Ian Parsard of the Jamaica Broilers Group Limited for their very kind letter and for the very welcome information and other delightful items which came with it. My column for this coming Sunday will be
devoted to the subject of beef.
* Morris Cargill is The Gleaner's senior columnist and has been writing for more than forty-five years.
|
|
