Orville Taylor | What a year!

Yesterday was yesteryear. Today is a new year; but what a year last year was. Exactly 17 years to the day, and interestingly, on the same day of the week, while preparing for the Hotline broadcast, the news came that my mentor on the programme, Barbara Gloudon, had died, on the precise anniversary of her welcoming me to share stage with her. Coincidence, that she left us on the same day that we began our relationship? Nah.

Then as we adjusted to the loss, my colleague Francois St Juste left us suddenly. Blindsided,we were; and his ‘help me understand this a little more’ is till resonating. Having to turn up for work as usual on the same day or immediately after a close co-worker died, is as hard as some politicians being truthful.

Finally, as we prepared for the Yuletide season, veteran iconic broadcaster, Henry Stennett, who recruited me, slipped away.

Starting with the worst is perhaps therapy but it actually got worse. It might not be the most homicidal year in our history; but at last count we were hovering around a target of 1,500. Outside of the media space that I frequent, we saw a few stories, that simply horrified us. In February, a son killed his parents in Portmore. A bloodthirsty mob murdered an innocent family man on the assumption that he was a crook. By July, a relative, taken by his compassionate cousin, slaughtered her and her four children as the ice in his veins powered his attack. A police officer has been charged for the murder of his social media personality girlfriend, another female, who met the same fate, triggered her partner’s arrest and two male internet influencers also met their demise.

Seven police officers were killed by criminals, against the background of fewer civilians being killed. Death stalks us even as we keep pulling out the trump card of states of emergency (SOEs). The debate about human rights and stricter measures is yet to be resolved. Truth is, at best the evidence in support of SOEs, anecdotal, because the Constabulary has reaped success in communities without them.

ROAD DEATHS

Road deaths have kept pace with the 487 from 2021. However, it is about time to improve the quality of data, to account for driving time, number of vehicles, drivers by sex and road surfaces. After all, if there are more drivers, more cars, more driving time and more roads, the same number of road fatalities or crashes could be a relative reduction. Death also preyed upon our children and the neonatal deaths in our public hospitals, showed how hypocritical and divided we are, as we recalled a similar scenario a few years ago.

Enough of the bad news. Despite COVID-19 still sniping away our loved ones; the pandemic has given us a break. We managed relatively well and tourism, with its innovative ‘resilience corridor’ the epitome of great consensus, allowed us to have a record year in 2022. As the numbers settle, we may very well bask in the success.

Agriculture has great promise, with a new minister willing to listen to new ideas from farmers and scientists. However, education still has more questions than answers.

An overall assessment of the performance of the government will come in another column, but we have to, at a minimum, caution the minister of finance, that Rome was not built in a day, but trust can disappear in a flashing moment of misunderstanding or inclarity. For all the initial progress, the public sector negotiations are becoming a noisome and noisy matter.

For me, though, 2022’s high points were in the area of sport. Given basket to carry water, Reggae Boyz coach Theodore Whitmore was shown the back door. Having failed to reach the World Cup finals again, the time has come for change and rebuilding. The less said about West Indian cricket, is the better. There are some hands that have the anti-Midas touch in the Anglophone Caribbean and they need to go too.

But for an embarrassing faux pas, junior spring phenomenon Brianna Lyston would have shared the world under 20 4x100 metres record, and it is little consolation that the quartet of the Clayton twins, Serena Cole and Kerrica Hill, reprised their feat of 2020. By one medal we almost won the IAAF U-20 championships.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made 10.6s her home turf as she dismissed her opposition like cases with no evidence. Doubtless, Shericka Jackson’s dominant 200 metres performances make our mouth water. Finishing the year as the number one ranked female team by World Athletics, our women are showing up the men in the post-Bolt era.

Still, there were credible performances, including our 4x100 men barely missing a medal and three young men in their early 20s looking like they will step up.

For me 2023 promises hope, because I am not giving up on this nation.

And for the naysayers, ask yourselves, “apart from the homicides” what else about Jamaica puts us among the worst of nations?

Happy New Year.

- Dr Orville Taylor is senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.