NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, OCT 10 – OCT 16, 2019 | VOL. 16 NO. 40
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Track & Field Deeply Misses Usain Bolt by Sheri-Kay McLeod
CORRUPTION Will Ruel Reid's Arrest Make A Difference? evidence in the criminal investigation. The arrests came just two days after the PNP threatened public protests if the government did not provide an update on the investigations. According to a local newspaper, the PNP believes the arrests are an important step in the effort to clean up corruption in Jamaica and bolster public trust. The PNP, it said, thinks the situation that went on for well over a year in some of the agencies involved should come to a close, and that Jamaicans should receive the necessary information that is uncovered.
cnweeklynews.com
At a time when corruption seems rampant among governments in Caribbean countries like Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica, the recent arrest of former Jamaican Education Minister Ruel Reid may mark a significant turning point in Jamaica—a signal that politicians who flout the law will be held accountable. At least that is what the opposition People's National Party (PNP) is hoping. Police arrested Reid, his wife, Sharen, and their daughter, Sharelle at their home on Wednesday morning on charges of fraud, corruption, and misappropriation of public
Tip of the Iceberg
funds. Professor Fritz Pinnock, president of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) and Kim Brown Lawrence, Brown's Town Division councilor were also apprehended at their homes. Police seized several documents and electronic devices that could be used as possible
While the PNP might be happy with the direction the investigations are going, those in Jamaica and in the diaspora, while showing some level of support, were largely unimpressed. The younger Jamaicans CNW interviewed believe the arrests are only “the tip of a very pointed iceberg.” IT specialist Jackie, 26, told CNW, “Corruption is so rampant among Jamaica's top politicians and business leaders, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more arrests
They say lightning never strikes a place more than once, one arresting moment—or in the case of Usain Bolt, a career—that captivates your attention and then disappears. “Lightning Bolt” as the retired Jamaican sprinter is aptly called is still the greatest ever, and his presence was deeply missed at the recently concluded 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Since 2008, when the charming 21-yearold from Trelawny grabbed the world's attention, he has been the face of not only Jamaican athletics, but the sport of track & field. No one else managed to exude his charisma and confidence while consistently entertaining audiences on the track for almost a decade. Bolt announced his retirement from the sport after the 2017 World Championships in London. While fans around the world were distraught at the thought of never again seeing the “lightning bolt” pose on the tracks, perhaps the most distraught and nervous were Jamaicans and Jamaican athletes who knew that the retirement of Usain Bolt meant that Jamaican tracks could be changed forever. continues on A7 – Missing Bolt
continues on A8 – Corruption
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Moïse: STANDING FIRM AMID POLITICAL CRISIS A3
STEP UP THE WAR AGAINST CANCER A6
BUJU’S ‘TIL SHILOH’ ALBUM GOES GOLD 24 YEARS LATER B3
SOUTHSHORE UPSET 5-TIME CHAMPIONS LAUDERHILL JAMMERS IN SFLA T20 C3