Dear Editor,

Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) wishes to join with others in acknowledging the life of service of the late US President James Carter, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 100.

His tenure as president was brief, but his major contributions to the cause of human dignity, justice, peace, and democracy came after he demitted office in 1981.

Through the Carter Center, which he founded along with his late wife Rosalynn, he spearheaded and supported many initiatives to ensure that peace and freedom were enhanced throughout the world.

We at CAFFE are particularly grateful to President Carter and the Carter Center. At the time of our founding in 1997, the Carter Center provided advice and support to assist our fledgling organisation through our first difficult months. In particular, President Carter and the Carter Center used their considerable influence to convince those in Jamaica who were sceptical about the viability and even the impartiality of a local election monitoring group to accept CAFFE. President Carter himself visited Jamaica for the December 1997 General Election during which his team consulted with CAFFE. His presence provided important encouragement and additional support for our work in the furtherance of Jamaican democracy.

President Carter’s efforts in the cause of freedom, justice, and democracy led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2002 – over 20 years after he had left office.

CAFFE celebrates his life and salutes his contribution to a better world.

Lloyd Barnett

Anton Thompson

info@caffejamaica.com