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Only those who were around during the 1970s can understand what occurred

Again, people who are not qualified to speak about the 1970s, at a time when Michael Manley was Jamaica’s prime minister for eight years in the decade, continue in their quest to twist the facts.

The lies run unabated, and some refuse to acknowledge the high level of sabotage that was injected into the society by local and foreign interests, which resulted in the economy developing crucial leaks.

The 1970s, in my estimation, remain the most progressive period of Jamaica’s achievements, the list of which is much too long to highlight now, but can be done if naysayers insist.

There has never been another two-term period in which Jamaica implemented so many projects and programmes, and although the term democratic socialism was talked about and continues to be mentioned when arguments develop, that political system was never really implemented to reflect even 20 per cent of its potential.

The best way to measure the 1970s would be to have lived it. So, relying on non-factual information to emphasise potential kinks in the system is not the way to go.

Not even prime minister Andrew Holness, who was born mere months after Manley led the People’s National Party to victory in the 1972 general election and became Jamaica’s fourth prime minister, would understand what went on under Manley’s rule, for by time he had turned eight, Manley had lost the 1980 election. No eight-year-old could have understood the politics of the time, not even if his surname was Einstein.

And to compound the problem, when the matter of the 1970s was brought up recently, the Government’s chief spokesman, Abka Fitz-Henley, in describing the period as “painful” was misled. 

Abka was not even an idea during the 1970s. He was born in 1989. So, for him to speak about the 1970s, others would have had to feed him information – for example Dr Horace Chang, Ed Bartlett, Babsy Grange, Daryl Vaz, Franklin Witter and a few others still active in the parliamentary and political process. Nobody on this land expects any of those JLP stalwarts to tell Abka anything good about the period.

So, in essence, the Government turned Abka, unfairly, into a sacrificial lamb, as he would not have personal recollections that could stand up to scrutiny.

It was therefore not in his best interest to have said:

‘Those of us who recall our history should remind the current generation that during the 1970s, the PNP’s embrace of this democratic socialism experiment led to severe economic decline’…. But who wrote that history of the 1970s?

He went on: ‘The policies created severe energy blackouts and caused supermarket shelves to be empty, leading to public rationing …..’

Abka did not mention that there was a crisis over world oil supply during the 1970s that Jamaica was caught up in. Also, supermarket shelves were empty because the capitalist merchants refused to put commodities onto them, so as to make the Manley regime look bad, especially during the time leading up to the 1980 election.

I still remember what happened on October 31, a day after the election, when those same supermarket shelves were suddenly fully stocked again. Alas, many of the products like flour, rice, bulgar, cornmeal were filled with pests and insects, predominantly weevils, because they were placed in storage and not being sold. The Chinese, Jewish, Arab and Jamaican business communities played a huge role in the hoarding of goods.

All the foods that were ‘married’, like if you wanted a pound of salt fish you had to buy sanitary pads with it, got divorced within a day.

We must speak fairly and honestly about the 1970s, which was the best period of my life.

 

Kingston mayor’s solid move in getting junk off the street

Quite recently, Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby led a mission to rid some of the Corporate Area’s streets of old, derelict motor vehicles that were not only eyesores for so many years, but dangerous to people in many ways.

Last time the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation went on the road to remove the undesirable items, it was revealed that just over 100 vehicles were taken to the pound that the KSAMC runs.

That was a solid move led by Mayor Swaby, and it is hoped that similar activities will follow, as there are more unworkable vehicles that need to come off the road, and instead of going to the pound, the scrap metal trade would be a more realistic beneficiary.

Since he became mayor and chairman of the corporation in 2024, Swaby has done some outstanding work. His rating in my book has skyrocketed, and he is close to becoming one of the corporation’s finest heads in its history, despite his short two years on the job. 

Mayor Swaby’s work reminds me of the performance of Desmond McKenzie when he assumed the role of mayor of the then Kingston and St Andrew Corporation. McKenzie, now minister of Local Government and Community Development, came in as mayor in 2003, succeeding Marie Atkins, who demonstrated limited energy in her capacity of leading the council from 1989 to 2003. He remained mayor until 2012 and did his job with the kind of energy that left many in awe.

McKenzie lifted the covers off so many things at the KSAC that could have been done by others who served as mayor before, but which were never attended to.

I did not, for example, know that there was a charge by the corporation for hosting events like international cricket at Sabina Park, or high-level football at the National Stadium, until McKenzie insisted that those fees must be collected, or else…

McKenzie walked the streets of the Corporate Area without fear, preaching the gospel according to the KSAC, and the idea of him being pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed or harmed by anyone in security at the time was unthinkable.

I have been seeing a whole lot of that in Swaby, and it’s about time, for the two mayors who came after McKenzie, Angela Brown Burke, famous for putting licence plates on handcarts, and Delroy Williams, a misfit, diluted the work of the organisation until Swaby’s arrival. 

If the councillor for the Vineyard Town Division continues to do good things, his stock will rise even further, and not only Kingston & St Andrew, but Jamaica as a whole, will benefit significantly.

 

Dervan Malcolm was exceptional

My friend and colleague of over 30 years, Dervan Malcolm, left the world of broadcasting and journalism in shock with his untimely death last week, although it was known by many that he had been facing challenges, like most, along the way.

Dervan was an exceptional character – brilliant, full of manners, respectful, and always more than a breath of fresh air. Even when something was bothering him, he was not one to show the world that anything was amiss. He would get to work on whatever the challenge was, and invariably, he would solve the issue.

Although we met during the daily grind of media, my deeper association with Dervan came through sport – his deep affection for his alma mater Calabar High, and mine for Kingston College. Later, I found out that he had served Calabar in the capacity of head boy. It was all fun, a natural for the Calabar and KC old boys’ connection.

So many people think that we are bitter enemies. On the contrary, the Calabar-KC link might even be stronger than that of other schools. It’s just that bragging rights are essential, and KC men believe that purple should always conquer green, and the thinking from the other side is the opposite. When the dust settles, we jive the other’s camp and move on.

So was it with Dervan and me. Beyond that though, he was a super special media practitioner who served the profession for over three decades.

He won awards. He did not have to campaign for them. He was never named as a recipient of a national honour, but, although I am not a gambling man, I am willing to wager $100 that before National Heroes Day in October, he will be recognised, posthumously of course, with the Order of Distinction, Officer Class, for outstanding work in media. He would deserve more, but he would have had to be close to the political process for him to be pushed up to the Commander class. That was simply not Dervan.

Another great contributor has left us.

That fire at Superior Parts Ltd

Thursday, August 27 was a sad day. Hearing that a fire had destroyed the headquarters of Superior Parts Ltd, was a distressing item of news. Seeing what the inferno had caused reduced me to the kind of melancholic state that I have not been exposed to in recent years.

Superior’s chief executive and owner is my very good friend. Not only is he genuine, but he is kind and generous to people. Caring too. So, it was tough for him to endure such a painful experience in watching his cherished property burn almost to the ground.

I cannot recall even one occasion on which I asked the owner to search for a part for me at his establishment, and he didn’t treat it as a matter of urgency.

If that part was not available new, he would go to great lengths to find it among used parts. He was that committed, and I know that I am not the only customer whom he treated like that.

The value of the loss must be deep, and I do not know how he will recover from the disaster, because there is no easy solution.

But I do hope that he will rebound from the terrible ordeal and get to a stage again when he can continue to assist people, like the hundreds that he employed over the many years that he has been in business. 

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HG Helps is a veteran journalist