News bites

Gov't to print Braille readable birth certificates

The Registrar General's Department will this year begin the process of introducing birth certificates in Braille for members of the visually impaired community.

Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Floyd Green, made the announcement during Wednesday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in St Andrew.

"Members of our society who have particular challenges, such as our visually impaired community or those who are blind, have said we need to develop ways that they are included in everything we do. So, this year, we are working to start producing birth certificates in Braille, and this is specifically for our visually impaired, our blind community, and this will be pioneering work," Green said.

---------------

Elderly woman dies in fire

Seventy-year-old Lillian Grey died as a result of injuries she sustained in a fire at her home on Mare House, Buxton, St Ann, on Wednesday.

Reports from the Alexandria police are that about 1 p.m., Grey was at home when smoke and fire were seen coming from a section of the house. The police and fire department were contacted and the fire was extinguished.

During the cooling down operation, Grey's charred remains were found among the debris.

The scene was processed and the remains removed to the morgue pending post-mortem.

----------

Private sector groups want job description for parliamentarians

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) say they "do not object to an increase in principle" to the massive pay rise which have been given to the country's politician.

The organisations, however, said that salary increases for members of the political directorate should be in keeping with the country's macroeconomic realities and accompanied by a transparent accountability system that will allow citizens to assess the performance of their representatives.

The PSOJ and JMEA said they firmly believe implementing key performance indicators and job descriptions for all parliamentarians and ministers is crucial.

"Although this matter has been long discussed and promised, it must now be treated as a matter of urgency to ensure that our officials are performing effectively and commensurate with the investment from the Jamaican public," the powerful private sector groups said.

-------

Bishop blasts politicians for mega pay package

Bishop Dr Alvin Bailey, head of the Holiness Christian Church and president of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance, has described the decision by the government to substantially increase the salaries of parliamentarians as a "blatant and unconscionable assault on the country's recovering fiscal standing".

"This move shows insensitivity on the part of government, especially as the [finance] minister cited economic constraints as the reason he appealed to members of the public sector to accept the recent compensation packages that were below their expectations," Bailey said.

Bailey has called on the Minister of Finance, Dr Nigel Clarke, to withdraw the plan, which he said was a "shameful and immoral decision".

Bailey noted that the acceptance of the pay rise by parliamentarians at this time has seriously compromised their moral authority.

"This latest round of proposed salary increases, guaranteed over three years, has demonstrated that both government and opposition members are seeking to secure their standard of living in the coming years, which will be way above that of the average Jamaican," Bailey said.

--------

Mother charged for failing to report son's alleged crime

A St Catherine woman who allegedly failed to inform the police that her son may have killed a man in the parish has been charged with accessory after the fact and misprision of a felony.

Police said that the woman, Asharie Grant, a shop owner from Glengoffe, fled the area with her 20-year-old son Ronaldo Marriott, and his alleged accomplice Aundre Bryan following the murder of Bryan Blackwood on March 12.

The 50-year-old Blackwood, otherwise called 'Bigga,' a sales representative of Mount Concord in Glengoffe, was chopped to death in the community.

Reports from the police are that about 6 p.m. on the date of the incident, a dispute developed among the three men during which Bryan used a board to hit Blackwood to the ground. It is further alleged that Bryan and Marriott then used machetes to inflict chop wounds to Blackwood's face and neck before fleeing the area.

The police said that its investigation has so far revealed that Marriott informed his mother of the incident. However, she made no report to the police and all three accused fled the parish.

Bryan, Marriott and Grant were apprehended by the police in Montego Bay, St James, on May 9. The men were charged with murder.

All three are slated to appear in court on May 24.

------

Chuck talks tough

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck said the Andrew Holness-led government intends to send the strongest signal to potential killers that their "hideous and dastard acts will be punished severely".

Chuck, in outlining the reasons for legislating mandatory minimum sentences for crimes such as murder and gun-related offences, said violence has damaged the Jamaican society, and it continues to cause pain and suffering to far too many citizens.

"A court sentence must appropriately express the anger, revulsion and the sentiments of the society," the minister said.

He said when a murder is committed, the victim's families feel strongly that the killer should be imprisoned for a long time.

"If the truth is to be told, many want the death penalty to be imposed," Chuck said, while noting that the death penalty, which has not been carried out since 1988, is still an available sentence for capital murder.

"The proposed alternative sentence for capital murder is life imprisonment with a minimum mandatory period of 50 years imprisonment before consideration for parole," Chuck said.