In 1865 the peasants sought to occupy Crown lands in order to survive widespread hunger. This attempt to destroy the seed of freedom and justice in Jamaica continued for another hundred years. The British army destroyed these freedom fighters and executed their leaders. In Jamaica the enslaved led by Sam Sharpe tried to abolish slavery themselves three years before your Parliament acted. Indeed, the facts speak to a different explanation. Where is the prior confession that Britain fashioned, legalized, perpetuated and prospered from the slave trade? You argue that Britain abolished the slave system and the credit for this resonates in the British Parliament today and shows British compassion and diplomacy. How can we simply forget it and move on to the future? If there is no explicit admission of guilt now, when will be the proper time? To reject this living experience is to repudiate the very meaning and existence of these people’s lives. For our communities its legacies are still present in their memory and emotions. To speak of slavery as something from the Middle Ages is insufficient. The scars of this oppression are still alive in the minds and hearts of million Jamaicans. Those 180 years were followed by another 100 years of imposed racial apartheid in which these families were racially oppressed by British armies and colonial machinery. There are people alive in Jamaica today whose great grandparents were a part of the slavery system and the memory of slavery still lingers in these households and communities. The 180 years of slavery in Jamaica remain fresh in living memory. The attempt to trivialize and diminish the significance of 300 years of British enslavement of Africans and the trade in their bodies reflect the continued ethnic targeting of our ancestors and their progeny for discriminatory treatment in both the annals of history and in the present. This is a crime in accordance with International Law. Those who perished in the Middle Passage and the fatal victims on the sugar plantations were the victims of genocide. It was and still is a most heinous crime against humanity – a stain which cannot be removed merely by the passage of time. Mere acknowledgment of its horror will not suffice.
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You chose instead to throw down the gauntlet. Portia Simpson-Miller, in her gracious welcome referred to the difficult issue of reparation which should be discussed in “a spirit of mutual respect, openness and understanding as we seek to actively engage the U.K.
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The most noble intentions were jarred by those portions of your address which asserted that slavery was a long time ago, in the historical past and “as friends we can move on together to build for the future.” Given our vulnerability and the danger of climate change, this donation was highly appreciated.ĭespite your recognition of not being “the only show in town”, the words of strengthening the bonds of friendship and the down-payment you brought would have been well received throughout the entire Caribbean. You wisely chose instead to add there the announcement of ₤30million to make our hospitals more resilient to natural disasters. You rightfully appreciated that its inclusion would have been premature as the framework Agreement has to be followed by further intensive negotiations and then the requisite legislation. That was understandable, as what exists constitutes no more than a Non-binding Memorandum of Understanding. Only the shrewdest observers of Parliamentary custom would have noticed that the package you offered there discreetly omitted any mention of a ₤25million contribution for the building of a Prison. The gifts you presented in Gordon House were both welcome and timely.
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As I watched your presentation, knowing them on both sides of the aisle as I do, their good behaviour which you commended ought not to be interpreted as acquiescence in everything you said. Given the honour which you were afforded to address the Joint Sitting of Jamaica’s Parliament on Tuesday, September 30, 2015, the traditional Parliamentary right of debate and reply could not be exercised by any of our Members who were in attendance. We who belong to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and cherish the value of the Westminster tradition should seek continually to foster rather than diminish it. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica (1992-2006) – Open letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron on the Reparations issue In a law abiding world this is not acceptable. The refusal to apologize is a refusal to take responsibility for the crime. The UN has deemed slave trading and slavery as crimes against humanity. The international community and international law call for formal apologies when crimes against humanity are committed. “Mere acknowledgment of the crime is insufficient.