O’Marde said the British PM’s offer to spend £25 million to construct a jail in Jamaica – so that 600 Jamaican convicts can be sent home to complete their time, was not a “gift” from “Santa Claus” – but a contribution to their global commitment in other areas and was not an act of tokenism towards reparations.
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Prime minister Cameron on Tuesday also announced that Britain will provide funds to help Jamaica build a new prison, which immediately sparks heated debate across the island.
Jamaican parliament member Mike Henry even urged his colleagues to turn their backs on Cameron unless the issue of reparation was placed on the agenda for his visit.
An agreement was reached to build a new correctional facility in Jamaica, as part of measures to improve the country’s criminal justice system. I believe that we had a shared interest. “It has no place whatsoever in any civilized society, and Britain is proud to have eventually led the way in its abolition”, Cameron said when addressing Jamaican MPs.
Travelling on to Grenada on Wednesday, Cameron and the Grenadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell saw the long term after-effects of natural disasters when they visited the small town of Gouyave. The bridge is already earmarked for DFID/World Bank support but it demonstrates the kind of project that could benefit from the new UK-Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund. He went on to say, “On the issue of slavery, slavery is abhorrent, and as we remember the past we should also remember the extraordinary work that Britain did to wipe slavery off the face of the earth”.
It was also announced that the UK Chevening Scholarships for the Caribbean would be doubled and support in the fight against serious and organized crime in the region would be enhanced. “With a few of the highest energy costs in the world, it is hard for businesses to compete in global markets, leading to decades of slow or declining growth”, Greening said.
The UK Prime Minister said he hoped the Caribbean region could “move on” and help to eliminate modern slavery around the planet.
But while Mr. Cameron planned mainly to discuss trade issues between the two countries, calls by Jamaican leaders for slavery reparations have reportedly taken centre stage during the visit. The letter recalled that United Kingdom and other European nations amassed large fortunes and strengthened their economies through the wealth extracted from the Caribbean territories and through the exploitation of Caribbean people and land.
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“We can not be satisfied with official releases, photo-ops and hand-outs – a process that undermines our hard-fought gains in reporting the news through independent lenses”, the spokesperson continued.
