Cops were in the dark that Maroon festival approved – Grange
Published:Saturday | January 8, 2022 | 12:11 AMSharlene Hendricks/Staff Reporter
The Jamaican police appeared to have been kept in the dark about government approval of the Maroon peace treaty anniversary celebration on Thursday and backed off enforcement of coronavirus safety laws after issuing a terse warning that the event was not endorsed by the health ministry.
The fiasco may offer a source of embarrassment for the police force, whose authority in the sprawling Cockpit Country lands has been questioned by Accompong Chief Richard Currie amid a simmering war of words about Maroon sovereignty in the western Jamaica enclave.
Culture Minister Olivia Grange told The Gleaner that the Accompong celebration had been approved by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), contradicting a release by the police on Wednesday that the event would be in breach of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) and should be cancelled.
In a statement issued Thursday in response to Gleaner queries, Grange disclosed that word of the approval appeared not to have been communicated to the police, who were deployed on the outskirts of the community, as patrons flocked the location.
The minister said she had made intercession on behalf of the Maroons prior to the festival, adding that the annual celebration had cultural significance.
“As minister of culture, I wrote to ODPEM and received approval for the ceremonial activities. Today (Thursday) I was in consultation with the minister of national security, the Honourable Dr Horace Chang, and it would appear that the police were not aware of the approval from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
“This is an annual ritual which is among the diverse cultural forms in Jamaica and is not categorised as an entertainment event but recognised as an annual traditional religious and commemorative activity. Because of that, my ministry has worked with the Maroons over the years to give support,” Grange’s statement read.
The statement, however, appears to be out of step with a Cabinet Office directive urging all government ministries, departments, and agencies not to engage with, or fund, any secessionist Maroons asserting sovereignty from the Jamaican State.
“There should be no engagement by Government of Jamaica officials or entities with any entity or organisation that claims to be a separate government within any part of Jamaica,” the Cabinet document said.
Further queries on the culture minister’s apparent departure from official policy of the Holness administration were not answered up to press time.
Vehicular checkpoints
Meanwhile, senior communications strategist of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Dennis Brooks, told The Gleaner on Friday that the police did not enforce public gathering restrictions within the boundaries of the community, but noted that vehicular checkpoints were erected along main road leading to the community.
That inaction signalled a retreat from a warning issued Wednesday by the police information arm, the Corporate Communications Unit, that lawmen would enforce the DRMA, which serves as de facto legislation governing coronavirus health and safety protocols.
Public gatherings exceeding 10 persons are banned. Breaches of the DRMA could draw a fine of $1 million. Gatherings in a place of worship ought not to exceed 100.
Brooks remained tight-lipped on whether the police were made aware of the approval granted by ODPEM.
“The Elizabeth police were on the periphery of the Accompong community conducting various operational activities, e.g., vehicular checkpoints. During these activities, persons were made aware of the concerns surrounding large gatherings and the observance of social distancing protocols, should they choose to proceed,” said Brooks.
Videos circulating on social media since the staging of the event, however, show large crowds flocking the community, with no observance of social distancing or mask wearing.
The development comes amid a meteoric rise in COVID-19 infections in Jamaica, with a record daily count of 1,269 new cases registered on Thursday.
Six persons, including two children, were shot in an alleged dispute involving an off-duty cop at the back end of the anniversary celebrations Thursday night. One man died.
Disputed issue
Maroon sovereignty has been a disputed issue for decades, but the separatist rhetoric of Currie, who was elected chief of Accompong in February 2021, has reignited national debate.
Constitutional attorneys and members of the Holness Cabinet have asserted that Maroon autonomy has no place in Jamaican law.
An August 2021 stand-off between a policeman and Currie, accompanied by loyalists, heightened strife after the Maroons claimed the police were trespassing on a ganja farm.
Responding to the police warning Wednesday that the festival should be cancelled, Currie made a post to his Instagram account calling for Maroons to “stand unified”.
He likened the event to the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
“This is a religious duty of Maroons to honour our ancestors and to show the way forward for the born and the unborn. This is our way of life!” he said.