I had not met conscious entertainer Protojé before, but his music had always inspired me to the ‘max’.

He and Chronixx are two of the younger group of reggae stars whose lyrics make absolute sense and so there was always a conscious effort to follow their musical offerings any time the opportunity arose.

So can you imagine my pleasant surprise when Oje Ken Ollivierre, or Protoje, walked into the Delta aircraft bound for Atlanta, Georgia a little over a week ago, looked around at the others who had already been seated, and threw his passport and other papers on the seat next to mine before proceeding to place his bag in one of the overhead lockers?

It reminded me of when comedian Oliver Samuels was travelling to Antigua on a Caribbean Airlines flight many years ago came into the plane and stood over me with his suitcase and started to stare. I looked at my ticket to realise that I was in Oliver’s designated window seat. “Wait, a your seat this man?” I asked him. “You know bout,” Oliver responded.

No such issues with Protoje here. Before long, a conversation started. I knew his father, athletics coach and calypsonian Vincentian-born Mike Ollivierre ( Lord Have Mercy) very well. Mike had had a successful coaching stint at St Elizabeth Technical High School, which included the building of one Bridgit Foster (now Foster-Hylton), a 100-metre hurdles gold medallist for Jamaica at the World Championship. I know of his mom Lorna Bennett, the legendary Jamaican singer, whose 1980s hit song, Breakfast In Bed, was a must-listen.

“How is your father?” was my first question to Protojé who, a little taken aback, responded with the kind of manners and respect that you don’t get these days from such prominent people.

Every question that I posed to him elicited a response ending with the word ‘Sir’. Even at the end of the journey he wished me well on my long trip to South Korea, while submitting that he didn’t envy me at all, considering the distance.

Protojé’s stocks, which were already high in my book, have risen even further.

Eddie Seaga… a one of a kind guy

A great Jamaican man, Edward Phillip George Seaga, has gone on to meet the great architect of the universe after a highly decorated political career.

Seaga’s innings of 89 might be the envy of most West Indian cricketers, and, like him or not, he gave his best for the people of Jamaica generally, and for West Kingston primarily.

He had been involved in the birth of many institutions that continue to assist with the advancement of Jamaicans, although, like many other leaders, there were some things that he got wrong.

I have seen lots of praise showered on Seaga since his death. I have seen the criticisms too, mainly via the dangerous social media — one in particular alleging that he had a hand in the deadly fire at Eventide Home in May 1980, just five months before the general election, at a time when blood in Jamaica was running freer than the Rio Cobre. But Seaga was not associated with the Eventide inferno. The people on the other side knew who did that ugly job, and some have even suffered for it.

Seaga was no saint, but he genuinely cared for this country and did his best to project it even, as prime minister and finance minister, by manipulating the value of the Jamaican dollar during the 1980s when greedy businessmen went after the currency to satisfy their own selfish needs.

My first encounter with Seaga was not the most pleasant. I had walked up to him at the National Arena during a manufacturers’ exposition in 1986 and asked him something about sports, seeing that he was a top sportsman at Wolmer’s Boys’ School and Harvard University. His response was swift: “No sir, I don’t have anything to say about Jamaica’s football.” He then walked away.

Later on, a respectful friendship developed. He was the first man I saw walk as if nothing was happening during a nomination day exercise at Kingston College in 1989, while shots were firing all over. The Jamaica Labour Party and People’s National Party supporters had clashed, and in a bid to disperse the crowd, police and soldiers started shooting. Seaga walked nonchalantly along. To him, there was no incident. He was so fearless.

My fondest time with Seaga was the day of the 2007 General Election when I spent the entire post-vote period at his home in Barbican, St Andrew from 5:30 pm to 2:00 the next morning, discussing various issues, including politics, sports, the arts, etc. It was an unforgettable teaching experience.

Getting to sit on a wooden chair that he had received as a gift from then United States President Ronald Reagan was the clincher.

He also did not hold back his comments on Bruce Golding, who had led the JLP to a close victory over the PNP: “Bruce is always late. That’s one thing I don’t like about him,” were Seaga’s terse words, as Golding belatedly addressed the nation after the preliminary results came in.

In the end he was pleased with Golding: “That’s a fine speech. Well said,” he commended Golding at the end.

Korea and a former Australian prime minister’s cricket prediction

One of the finest countries that I have visited is the Korean Republic, or South Korea if you want.

One of the fastest-growing countries and included in the top 10 strongest economies of the world, Korea is amazingly well off and progressive.

My journey to Korea took me to many places, among them the rich in history capital of Seoul, the Demilitarised Zone which divides South Korea from the North, and Jeju Island, the largest of Korea’s 3,358 islands — a tourism paradise.

The annual Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, with the theme ‘Asia Towards Resilient Peace: Cooperation and Integration’, was held on Jeju island.

Three former world leaders — Malcolm Turnbull of Australia, Heinz Fischer of Austria, and Yukio Hatoyama of Japan — addressed a plenary session and held a world leaders’ conference, diluted only by the absence of former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, whose 100-year-old mother fell ill on the day, forcing him to cancel.

But at the end, Turnbull, Australia’s 29th prime minister who served in that capacity from 2015 to 2018, was in his element when asked about a familiar sport that Australians love to brag about — cricket.

“I can take a wild guess as to which country you will support in the cricket World Cup,” I posed to him in a brief one-on-one. With a broad grin he responded thus: “Oh yeah, Australia’s got a great chance. I fancy them to win,” he said of the defending champions of the tournament now being hosted by England and Wales.

But what about the West Indies? Aren’t they good too? “Oh the West Indies are great. They have some brilliant players, but I’m sticking with Australia. I wouldn’t bet on it, but I’m going with them.”

That mad, mad Clarendon shooting scene

Wow! Straight from the movies! That shooting in May Pen, Clarendon last week when Chinese businesspeople opened their establishment only for men with high-powered weapons to storm them, and in the process injure two policemen who had tried to thwart them, was scary.

There are those who will say, only in Jamaica. But not so! It happens in other places too. The trouble is, for a small country like Jamaica, similar things happen much too often, and it has been going on for too long.

We all see how brazen the criminals in our midst have become, and it is a terrifying situation. As a people we must tell ourselves that enough is enough. The time for shielding gunmen and criminals has passed. Things will only get worse if we allow the same people that we know well, to use their guns against our citizens like that.

While I have, in this space, suggested that there needs to be a new-look police force, run by a true and tried police officer, it will take more than that to curb crime and ease tension.

The people must decide.