Global Voices » Skye Hernandez

Guyana: Massacre Suspects Killed

Skye Hernandez — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:24:34 +0000

The killing by joint army and police services of Guyana's most wanted man, Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins, and his “Lieutenant” Jermaine “Skinny” Charles on August 28, has been greeted with relief by the public and by bloggers. (Another alleged gang-member, Sean Grant, was also killed, but there is some dispute over the circumstances of his death.)

Rawlins and his gang, operating from the village of Buxton, had managed to elude police for three years, and are believed to have been responsible for a series of crimes that terrorised the population. Rawlins claimed responsibility for a January 26 massacre at Lusignan, near the capital, Georgetown, in which 11 people, were killed. The dead included five children, and the murders—said to have been a result of Rawlins's rage when his pregnant girlfriend went missing—shocked the country. It was followed a month later by another massacre, this time in the town of Bartica, the “Gateway to the Interior”, where 12 people were killed. There is some difference of opinion over whether Rawlins's people were also responsible for the killing of eight diamond miners at Lindo Creek in the Upper Berbice area in June.

News of the death of Rawlins came when the region's attention was focused on Guyana, host of the 10th edition of the Caribbean Festival of Arts, Carifesta. Signifyin' Guyana and Propaganda Press announced the deaths, but Guyana 360 has been the most prolific blogger on the story of the “Fineman Gang”, giving a series of updates as news came in that the Joint Services had found the men at Kuru Kururu and there had been a “shoot-out”. Finally there is confirmation that the two men have been killed. This is followed by another post with graphic photos of the dead men, published to prove that they had, indeed, perished. The comments that follow show some of the divisions in Guyanese society, most of them in language almost as graphic as the images of the dead young men, a fact noted in one comment:

Wow I'm amazed at the ignorance show by our own Guyanese people on this site. For the person who commented on the graphic nature of the pictures, what are your thoughts on filthy language?

For those who seek to justify the actions of these beasts with cries of marginalization, I pity you for you will forever remain entangled in the web of mental slavery that you weave. There will always be others to whom fingers will be pointed while the guilty will have absolution of their horrendous actions.

To those who doubt fineman's guilt, you have either lost control of your senses or are in such a deep stupor of denial that there is no help for you.

For Guyana, I think this is a day to be thankful that these two are no longer around to create fear. But let's not be complacent for there are still elements out there who share the mentality of fineman, skinny and some of the bloggers here.

For all the relief that people in Guyana may have felt over the demise of Fineman and his gang, several questions remain. There are those who say that Rawlins was more of a victim that a criminal, that he was pushed into crime by the circumstances of his life, and more than that, may have had links to some politicians. Guyana 360 reminds readers that a few months ago, President Bharrat Jagdeo had said he had seen a video which showed “prominent people” meeting with some members of Rawlins's gang, but it has not yet been revealed who these people are. And he wonders whether one will ever find out who helped Rawlins steal 33 high-powered weapons from the Guyana Defence Force, or where are “the millions in cash and gold that the gang amassed during its three-year reign of terror?”

GT … Keep it Real angrily notes that death announcements for Jermaine Charles and other gang members were accepted for broadcast by a television channel, and says this shows a lack of respect for “all those people who died senselessly by the hands of these vagabonds.

Finally, Living Guyana republishes an editorial in the Stabroek News which looks at some of the underlying causes of crime, and warns that the killing of Rawlins doesn't mean the end of violence, since he was “hardly associated with every crime involving firearms” which took place in Guyana. The editorial warns especially about drug trafficking:

which is at the root of so much of our crime – and so much of our gun crime especially. Until the government wraps its mind around addressing that issue and all its ramifications in a meaningful way, there will not be much of an impact on the general statistics of violent crime, as opposed to the high-profile mass slayings with which Rawlins was associated.

As Guyana tries to come to terms with the tragedies of the Fineman Gang, it seems the ghost of its leader may still be lingering: Propaganda Press this week found it necessary to remind the police service to remove Rondell Rawlins from the first page of their Most Wanted bulletin.

Jamaica: “Lightning” Strikes Twice at Beijing Olympics

Skye Hernandez — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:40:52 +0000

Usain Bolt celebrates after his record-breaking win in the 100m on August 16.
Photo by Kerry Gibbons. Used with permission

Jamaica's Usain Bolt continued his phenomenal run at the Beijing Olympics with a record-breaking win in the men's 200m Wednesday. His 19.30 sec time shaved two-hundredths of a second off American Michael Johnson's record made in Atlanta in 1996. In so doing, Bolt became the first man to win both the 100m and 200m at the same Olympics since Carl Lewis's feat in 1984. Not to be outdone, the Jamaican women also made the Caribbean proud, with Melanie Walker making a new Olympic record in the women's 400m hurdles.

Among the first to comment on Bolt's win was Trinidadian blogger Sitting at the Coffee Wallah who summed it all up by saying “Jamaica has certainly made these Olympics his own and here in the Caribbean we are all celebrating again tonight, we have the gold and silver in the 200m as well.” She takes issue with all those who've criticised Bolt's exuberant displays of dominance, however, and especially retired Trinidadian Olympic medalist-turned NBC commentator, Ato Boldon, who deemed Bolt's celebrations “too cocky”:

For years we've had to endure the sight of Americans grandstanding, beating their chests, hurling shoes into the stands, even Ato's bare chest as he hauled his running kit down after every race. Honestly, you get used to sportsmen behaving like a**holes when they do something so you overlook it as the emotion of the moment. Bolt, at 21 is pretty self assured, not a bad thing to be if you're the fastest man in the world. And he just set another world record. Folks, if he wants to do his “lightening bolt”, dance, brush his head, so what.

Or, put another way by Trinidadian blogger Nicholas Laughlin in response to a New York Times article on Bolt's win:

To everybody who disapproves of Bolt's “showboating”: when we in the Caribbean want to show the world how strong we are, we don't mobilise armies. We sing (Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, the Mighty Sparrow, Rihanna), we write poems (Derek Walcott, St.-John Perse), we paint (Wifredo Lam), we run and swim and score runs and goals (Arthur Wint, Hasely Crawford, Merlene Ottey, Ato Boldon, Asafa Powell, George Bovell, Learie Constantine, Garry Sobers, the Three Ws, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Dwight Yorke, the entire West Indies cricket team in the 1970s and 80s, the Jamaican football team in 1998, the Trinidad and Tobago football team in 2006, etc etc etc) — and we go like lightning. Our athletes have always punched way, way above their weight, considering the size of our populations and our national economies. And they do it in style.

The man could dance! So let him dance. Today, all of us here dancing with him.

Usain Bolt talks to the press after his record-breaking win in the 100m on August 16.
Photo by Kerry Gibbons. Used with permission

OwenSoft and Stunner's Afflictions's described the excitement in Jamaica, with people in the streets and offices crowding around television screens and waving the yellow, black and green flag of their country. YardFlex and Living in Barbados added to the growing catalogue of information on Bolt by naming the dancehall moves he put down after his historic win.

Raw Politics Jamaica Style uses the classic poem by Louise Bennett-Coverly “Colonization in Reverse” as a starting point to discuss recent successes of Jamaica and the Caribbean in track and field and the phenomenon of the small axe felling the big tree. By shutting out the Americans, he says “the wily Jamaicans give new meaning to being ‘likkle but (wi) tallahwah!’

Raw Politics‘ post is a belated celebration of Bolt's 100 m win and the achievements of the women's team as well. But even in celebrating the Jamaican men and women, he spared a thought for Asafa Powell, the powerful sprinter who was expected to shine in Beijing too, but who instead lived up to his reputation of being unable to perform in the biggest theatres of sport. He calls Powell a “trailblazer” who paved the way for Bolt and others:

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has aided the process by taking a decisive step in leveling the playing field in some way, it is now up to us to carry the baton all the way to victory. I am confident we will! Powell’s loss poignantly counterpoints Usain’s victory and underlines the twinned paradox of life in Jamrock.

The international media is perplexed by the rampant new sprint champions, but the fact that Jamaica and the Caribbean are on top of the world in athletics is for Bajan Global Report a sign of the times—a diet of ground provisions instead of steroids may well be the Jamaicans' secret weapon.

St Vincent & The Grenadines: Bollywood Magic

Skye Hernandez — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:41:28 +0000

From St Vincent and the Grenadines, Lullabies, Fairy Tales and Other Self Delusions sees Jane Austen through an Indian film director's eyes—that's when he begins to realise he can't resist the attraction of Bollywood movies.

Trinidad & Tobago: Polluted Olympics

Skye Hernandez — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:16:08 +0000

Looking ahead to the Olympics next month, Trinidad's Life from a caffeine hyped point of view says pollution is a sobering reality of these Games. Seeing photos of pollution, she says “makes you almost wish that Beijing was still The Forbidden City, and one cannot help but be saddened by what has taken place in the name of progress.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Internet Connection

Skye Hernandez — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:00:35 +0000

Trinidadian blogger Four Fingers and a Thumb 2.0 learns a few things about music, and discovers there's a lot she still doesn't know about her mother.

Jamaica: Press Freedom

Skye Hernandez — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:43:07 +0000

Jamaican blogger Diatribalist uses news clips showing an ugly interaction at a council meeting to illustrate how the media self-censors itself.

Jamaica: Conference Call

Skye Hernandez — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:34:03 +0000

Active Voice gives an insightful report on a number of note-worthy academic gatherings, including the conference held in honour of the eminent Jamaican-born sociologist and poet MG Smith.

Trinidad & Tobago: Survival Strategy

Skye Hernandez — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:34:03 +0000

Trinidadian blogger, The Coffee Wallah, isn't impressed by the G8 leaders' tree-planting exercise, and says our approach to the environment reminds her of a Hollywood action movie. “Are we really going to wait until we have four minutes to save the world?”, she asks.

Barbados: Mottley Declares Assets

Skye Hernandez — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:20:29 +0000

In the follow-up to Prime Minister David Thompson's first Budget Speech, Opposition Leader Mia Mottley declares her assets, becoming the first Barbadian politician to do so. De Standpipe and Bajan Global Report give the details of this surprise move.

Barbados: Trini Invasion

Skye Hernandez — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:56:03 +0000

As Barbados gears up for its annual “Crop Over” carnival, Boyce Voice protests the inclusion of several Trinidadian performers as headliners in the festival's biggest event.

Bermuda: Tourism Outsourced

Skye Hernandez — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:37:35 +0000

News that the Bermuda Department of Tourism is retrenching workers at its New York office, and outsourcing to an unnamed US sales company, leaves Vexed Bermoothes asking a lot of questions.

Jamaica: The Need To Take Responsibility

Skye Hernandez — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:21:22 +0000

My View of JamDown From Up So uses recent international news events to illustrate how the Jamaican authorities and media may handle—or not handle—similar stories.

Grenada: Election Upset

Skye Hernandez — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:24:03 +0000

The National Democratic Congress has won a landslide election victory in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique. Blah Bloh Blog reports on the results of the polls, which dramatically unseated the incumbent Prime Minister, Keith Mitchell, and his New National Party.

Cuba: Family Travel to Cuba

Skye Hernandez — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:59:32 +0000

The US Congress has approved a 2009 fiscal spending bill containing a controversial provision that lifts family travel restrictions to Cuba. Uncommon Sense believes this would “restore some humanitarian sanity by helping break the barriers between Cubans who have been able to leave the country and loved ones they left behind.”

Bermuda: Funding Dilemna

Skye Hernandez — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:42:36 +0000

Vexed Bermoothes is sceptical about his government's decision to subsidise the University of the West Indies. He says it “would make far more sense to simply boost the scholarship funds available to Bermudian students by the same sum.”