A Jamaican In Exile

JPS readies for EV demand Before JPS starts to count its chickens.... There are electric vehicles on the way that actually charge themselves using renewable sources of energy. Vehicles like the Sono Sion come with 456 photovoltaic cells seamlessly integrated into the bodywork all over, and its makers claim that it’ll generate up to 150 miles of its own power every week. Most people do not drive more than that every week. That means, you would never plug in! Other innovations being developed include diverting the lost energy from the friction when braking and also self-charging when going downhill. By 2030, EVs should be almost self sufficient i.e. they will have solar panel bodies getting energy from the sun as well as from braking and going downhill. So, JPS should not count their chickens just yet.... Raymond D. Grant

 Privy Council vs CCJ Time come! Since my teens, I have been advocating for Constitutional Reform in Jamaica. During those years, I was a part of a group of youth led by a recipient on this email list. We advocated for constitutional and legal reform and focused on lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. In 1976, Michael Manley's PNP lowered the voting age to 18. We did it! There seems to be a perception that the whole constitution needs to be changed at one go. I disagree with this perception. Like moving our bowels, changing our constitution will have to be an ongoing, gradual process. To try and do it all in one go will 'constipate' the process as Lloyd B. Smith said (see below). For example, the US constitution has been changed numerous times throughout history - one thing at a time. The Jamaican Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms also came into effect because there was general agreement about it. As the above article says, there seems to be general agreement abo

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/apathy-the-real-opponent/ What this author ignores is that the non vote option has been chosen by most people because the voters are faced with two corrupt parties both of whom are terrible choices. Faced with this Hobson's choice, most voters stay away from the polls. Because of the way our political system is set, it is practically impossible to successfully form a third party without vast financial resources and serious security protection as it takes money to go into politics and any serious person who becomes a political threat would be killed in Jamaica. The United Independent's Congress (UIC) is trying but without corporate support and media interest, they do not have much traction. The UIC leaders live under constant threat and their leader and some supporters were arrested in a protest. Unable to form a new political movement and unable to protest without being arrested, Jamaicans have chosen the only weapon they have - refuse to