It is one week to Jamaica’s local government elections and — from memory — we have never seen such an ardent campaign and so many independent candidates. So high has been the heat, that words which should have been left unspoken by Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller have been creating a furore. Added to that, Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment Brown has been alerted to plans of vote-buying with a cynical twist: vote-sellers must dip their finger in a type of long-wearing ink that will prevent them from voting come election day.

With 229 divisions being contested in this tiny country — 235km (146 miles) by 84km (52 miles), and a population of three million — every corner of Jamaica should be as clean as a whistle. Instead, our markets are in a sad state, our heavily potholed roads have caused millions of dollars of damage to motor vehicles, and the attempt to dodge potholes has caused countless crashes. The cleaning of gullies and the collection of garbage remains a perennial problem from administration to administration.

Last week’s local government debate has given some clues as to why the important work of parish councils remains largely undone. Additionally, a worker in a parish council — who probably had a little too much to drink — was heard describing how the funds received for road repairs had to be paid out to various middle men, leaving only a small percentage for the actual work.

As we contemplate the slide in our moral values, we wonder how we will ever bring such people to account. Most of us have no idea who our parish councillors are, or are seeing them for the first time in our mail and advertising. Still, let us make the effort to see which candidates have the edge and head to the polling stations next week.

Faithful St Margaret’s seniors

The most faithful cohort of voters are our senior citizens, and we are hoping that the councillors who will be elected next week will pay more attention to our elderly out of the election season. At a meeting with the St Margaret’s Anglican Church Mothers’ Union in Liguanea recently, I was deeply inspired by the work that continues to be done by Jamaica’s retirees through their church organisations.

We signed up new members for the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons, an organisation I founded six years ago as a tribute to my senior mentors. The church members were happy to hear of the affordable, major medical health insurance offered by Sagicor, which has been saving our elderly millions in surgery and hospital fees. Additionally, 63 discount partners have come on board, giving seniors considerable savings. It is heartening that companies are stepping up to support those who have given their whole lives to the building of our country. We cannot do enough for our elderly.

This is National Journalism Week

The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) has every reason to celebrate its contribution to Jamaica’s national development. We can be proud that we are in the top 10 worldwide for freedom of the press, thanks to our tenacious editors and reporters who now have even more strength of numbers. In a show of confidence, the PAJ returned senior journalist and attorney-at-law Dionne Jackson Miller as their president in September, supported by a strong executive.

The annual PAJ Issues Forum takes place today with the topic, ‘Grief Porn: Journalism ethics in the media coverage of mourning’, mounted with the assistance of the US Embassy. It will feature former veteran editor Kevin Z Smith, deputy director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism, former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists in the USA, and chairman of the group’s Ethics Committee since 2010. Local panellists will be CVM TV‘s Managing Editor Irvin Forbes, seniorGleaner reporter Erica Virtue, and assistant executive director of the Broadcasting Commission Karlene Salmon.

Other highlights are the annual PAJ Awards and a veterans’ luncheon, this year honouring Doreen Brown, retired executive director at the Jamaica Information Service; Lloyd B Smith, who recently marked 36 years as founder/editor of the popularWestern Mirror; and Newstalk93 FM News Manager Errol Lee.

LNG — great move, JPS!

The arrival of the first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from New Fortress Energy last month in Montego Bay for the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Bogue Power Plant, heralded a hopeful new phase for Jamaica’s environmental protection. Dynamic JPS CEO Kelly Tomblin described the scale of the initiative: New Fortress has invested US$175 million in the construction of the terminal and will supply the new Old Harbour power plant, as well as cruise and cargo vessels using LNG.

This show of investment confidence has also resulted in the fast-tracking of the Port Authority of Jamaica’s master plan for significant development of the Port of Montego Bay, noted Keith Mitchell, project manager at the Port Authority of Jamaica.

Welcome, Haiti colleagues

It was great to catch up with Digicel Foundation colleagues from Haiti, Su-Yen Simon Ambroise Pinchinat and Cherby Fortune who were winners of a competition designed to promote cultural exchange among the countries in which the foundation operates: Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

The Haitians expressed gratitude for Jamaica’s support after being hit by Hurricane Matthew. They were moved to meet like-minded Jamaicans throughout the island at such projects as Deaf Can Coffee, Liberty Academy, Therapy Plus Ja, New Horizon Outreach Centre, St Patrick’s Foundation, Mustard Seed Communities, Alpha Boys’ School, and Abilities Foundation. So many good folks – they keep hope alive.

lowriechin@aim.com

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