It’s 2011 and I’m still not a big fan of current events. I figure they keep changing anyway, so why chase to keep up? I usually just wait until the ‘brain fuel’ kicks in at my local watering hole and some poor, over-educated, under-paid misguided bar fly starts going off and then I “pick sense out of nonsense,” as Mama would say, and figure out what is the latest in the country’s affairs.

Every bar has its mouth piece which usually varies depending on topic. There are the politics ranters, the sexual ravers, the music buffs and so on. Seems the buzz in the bar last weekend among the ‘political’ debaters was about the naming of the landing strip in Boscobel, St Mary. The majority of them seemed to not be in agreement with the decision. The rest of the bar, including myself, were either not aware or too blissfully engaged in the contents of our cups and the music to care. Since I appointed myself as the reporter of the people’s views and opinions in the streets via this column, I cocked my ears and listened through the haze. Yes, mi faas’ bad. After a couple minutes of heated debate and argument, I tend to want to agree with them, which is rare, but this time warranted. When I really stop and check out the history of our island’s airstrips, plane depots etc, there appears to be a rich cultural and political link to the names given to these landmarks.

In Montego Bay, Donald Sangster was a Jamaican politician born in St Elizabeth (close enough to St James) and the second Prime Minister of Jamaica leading the Jamaica Labour Party. His face is the one on the ‘bills’ or hundred dollar note. So I can see why an airport was named after him (Sangster International Airport.) Kingston has NMIA, named for Norman Manley, a Jamaican statesman and a Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica’s leading lawyers in the 1920s a Manchester parish man (stone’s throw from Kingston) and he founded the left-wing People’s National Party. His second son, Michael Manley went on to become the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica. Even Tinson Pen Aerodrome has some connection to the soil, it was named after the land on which it sits, which if not sold soon by the ruling party, is still 100 per cent Jamaican.

Now I am a loyal and true Jamaican, this is well known, so even though my mumma raise me to respect my elders; I seriously have to question the decision to name the airstrip in honour of an English-born and raised author named Ian Fleming. Really Mr PM? When challenged, the Honourable PM said and I quote “The name Ian Fleming would have some resonance. We genuinely wanted to honour the memory of Ian Fleming because of all that he has achieved and the extent to which he brought Jamaica into that achievement… and we wanted to take advantage of his celebrity status.”

Is what you saying to me Papa B? I’m not the shiniest tool in the shed, so I ‘Googled’ the author and in terms of celebrity status, a whole heap of Jamaican born personalities were way ahead of him, including Oliver Samuels who is from St Mary. No disrespect to Ian, but I wonder if PM ever heard about Bob Marley or Marcus Garvey? Down to Usain Bolt have more mileage. Maybe Papa B was absent that day at school when the lesson was going on. He should hire me with some of that foreign aid money to walk around with the pictures of the author and the musician both here and overseas and do a survey as to who is more recognisable and known. Well my Father always says, we can’t preach to the converted; the name has been changed, the signs erected and travel agents have been briefed so the time for dialogue has passed, just thought I’d chip in my one cent. Continue to be good to each other and email me elvachatalot@yahoo.com with your comments. I’m also on Twitter @ElvaJamaica. Have a great weekend.