Carib Scope

作者： admin

  • Candidates defend net worth increase

    Candidates defend net worth increase

    Multiple political candidates from the Bahamas’ ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) have pushed back against growing scrutiny over sharp jumps in their declared net worth this week, offering a range of explanations tied to personal finance, business gains, and life events even as several others declined to address questions about their wealth increases.

    The debate over candidate financial disclosures emerged after new filings revealed substantial growth in the net assets of dozens of PLP candidates since the last disclosure round in 2021, with some seeing their total net worth multiply by as much as three or five times over the three-year period.

    Leslia Miller-Brice, the PLP’s candidate for the Seabreeze constituency, told reporters her current $8.7 million net worth – up from $3.1 million in 2021 – reflects jointly held assets with her husband, accumulated through the couple’s shared private business ventures. Her disclosure filings show the vast majority of her assets are tied up in residential and commercial real estate and market securities, with no reported outstanding liabilities, $81,000 in savings, and $187,000 held in a checking account.

    Keith Bell, the party’s candidate for Carmichael, saw his net worth jump from just over $1 million in 2021 to $3.9 million in the latest filing. Bell attributed the sharp gain to proceeds from a life insurance policy held by his late wife, who passed away recently, as well as natural appreciation in the value of long-held family real estate holdings. He noted that his experience underscores the critical role of long-term financial planning and life insurance in protecting family financial stability during unplanned life events.

    For Kirk Cornish, the PLP’s North Abaco candidate, net worth grew from just under $145,000 in 2021 to more than $819,000 this year. Cornish forcefully rejected any insinuations that his wealth increase was obtained through improper or unethical means tied to his public office, explaining that the 2021 disclosure reflected an artificially low net worth after he was forced to draw down his savings when placed on unpaid leave by the Water and Sewerage Corporation board that year.

    Since his election to Parliament, Cornish said, he retired from the Water and Sewerage Corporation and received his full retirement payout, which he saved in full. He added that he has continued to save a portion of his parliamentary salary and has built up additional value through personal real estate investments. “I worked for that,” Cornish said. “I didn’t steal it. It didn’t come about suddenly. I earned that.”

    Other candidates saw equally large jumps that have not been explained publicly. Clay Sweeting, candidate for Central and South Eleuthera, saw his net worth rise from $1.5 million in 2021 to $4.5 million, but declined to comment on the gain when reached by reporters. Two other PLP candidates, Leon Lundy of Central and South Andros and Leonardo Lightbourne of North Andros, also reported double-digit percentage increases in their net worth but had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

    Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper recorded the largest overall increase among PLP candidates, with his net worth doubling from $14.8 million in 2021 to $28 million in the latest filing. Cooper also declined to comment on the growth of his assets. Dozens of other sitting PLP officials and candidates, including Myles Laroda, Pia Glover-Rolle, Glenys Hanna-Martin, McKell Bonaby, Wayne Munroe, and Jobeth Coleby-Davis, also reported higher net worth in their latest disclosures.

    The sudden, unexplained jumps in candidate wealth have prompted renewed calls for stronger regulation and oversight of public official financial disclosures from governance advocacy groups. Matt Aubry, executive director of the Organisation for Responsible Governance, said the current disclosure framework fails to deliver the transparency that Bahamian voters deserve, and candidates running for public office must be held accountable for their financial interests to prevent conflicts of interest and misuse of public contracts and funds.

    Aubry explained that advocacy groups have long pushed for revisions to the existing public disclosure law to expand public oversight, mandate regular, detailed reporting, and add clear context to asset declarations. The current law, he argued, relies on an overly opaque process for collecting information, with minimal public access to full details, no requirement to reconcile changes in net worth over time, and no meaningful penalties for non-compliance or inaccurate reporting.

    Without clear, verifiable information about candidates’ financial interests, Aubry warned, the public risks losing trust in elected institutions and civic engagement in the democratic process will erode over time.

  • WATCH: Man dies in Manchester crash, five injured

    WATCH: Man dies in Manchester crash, five injured

    MANDEVILLE, JAMAICA – A devastating late-evening collision on the Winston Jones Highway in Mandeville has claimed one life and left five other people hospitalized, according to official law enforcement updates. The victim, identified by police and family members as Dave Ebanks Jr, widely known by his nickname “DJ”, worked at Holsum Bakery located in the Manchester community of Williamsfield. He died after succumbing to critical trauma suffered in the head-on crash that unfolded on Monday.

    Preliminary law enforcement accounts place the time of the incident at approximately 9:00 p.m. Reports outline that Ebanks was operating a Honda Integra heading uphill along the highway when he lost control of his vehicle. The car then collided head-on with a downhill-bound Toyota Wish, a vehicle registered as a public passenger taxi that was carrying five passengers at the time of the crash.

    First responders including local firefighters and police officers arrived at the crash site promptly, where they extricated Ebanks from his heavily damaged vehicle and coordinated emergency transport for all injured parties to a nearby medical facility. Ebanks was pronounced dead by medical staff shortly after arriving at the hospital, while the five occupants of the taxi were admitted for overnight care for their injuries.

    Investigating officers at the scene noted that the crash occurred in an area with solid unbroken white lane markings, an indicator that passing is prohibited. Based on initial site assessments, law enforcement says speeding and illegal improper overtaking are the most likely contributing factors to the fatal collision. The case is currently being handled jointly by the Manchester Traffic Department and the Area Three Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Unit, which are conducting a full probe to confirm the exact cause of the incident.

    Local authorities have reminded motorists to obey all traffic markings and speed limits, particularly on winding or hilly highways, to prevent similar tragic incidents.

  • Pintard tells PM to ‘take a look’ at Cooper’s $13m wealth jump

    Pintard tells PM to ‘take a look’ at Cooper’s $13m wealth jump

    A recently published round of mandatory financial disclosure filings for Bahamian politicians has sparked heated political friction, with Opposition Leader Michael Pintard calling out a striking surge in Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper’s declared net worth and pressing the prime minister to review the assets of senior ruling party officials.

    According to the newly released documents, Cooper’s reported personal net worth now sits at $28 million — a nearly 90 percent jump from his 2021 declaration of $14.8 million, and a more than threefold increase from the $7.9 million he reported in 2017. Pintard highlighted this dramatic growth in comments to reporters on Wednesday, arguing that the size of the increase, when paired with what he calls inconsistent disclosure practices among the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), demands internal scrutiny from the country’s top executive.

    “One cabinet minister saw his net worth double in a single term? That’s an extraordinary gain,” Pintard told reporters. “I truly believe that if a government chooses to, it can investigate these disclosure filings. I would recommend the prime minister take a closer look at a few of his colleagues. If someone can double their wealth in one term, they should have been the minister of finance!”

    Pintard also drew a direct contrast between the opposition Free National Movement (FNM) and the ruling PLP, claiming FNM members have always fulfilled their annual disclosure requirements on time, submitting complete details of the prior year’s assets and liabilities without delay. He accused the PLP of operating under a persistent “pattern of darkness” when it comes to financial transparency for its elected officials.

    Notably, Pintard’s critique included a false claim that no PLP parliamentarian had ever submitted their required disclosures. Local newspaper The Tribune, which first reported on the disclosure filings, has previously confirmed that multiple members of Prime Minister Philip Davis’ administration have submitted the required financial documents in past years.

  • Henfield slams civil servants for wearing PLP campaign gear

    Henfield slams civil servants for wearing PLP campaign gear

    A political firestorm has erupted in The Bahamas after a former cabinet minister exposed apparent violations of longstanding political neutrality rules by senior public servants, throwing the integrity of the upcoming electoral process into question. Darren Henfield, who previously led the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is raising urgent concerns after photos circulated last week showing two of the country’s top public officials wearing branded gear from the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).

    At the center of the controversy is Melvin Seymour, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—the most senior non-partisan civil servant in the department. Consul General to Toronto Clayton Fernander, a former police commissioner, also appeared in photos in a PLP-branded shirt. When contacted by reporters this week, Seymour declined to address questions about his public display of partisan affiliation. Current Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell also declined to comment on the record about the allegations.

    Henfield’s concern extends far beyond the public display of party apparel, rooted in the critical role foreign service officers play in managing the country’s overseas voting process. Ahead of upcoming elections, the government has stationed foreign affairs staff in overseas missions to oversee ballot security and ensure all balloting procedures are carried out fairly. If the most senior leader of the department is openly aligned with the ruling party, Henfield argues, that creates an unacceptable appearance of bias that erodes public confidence in the integrity of overseas voting.

    “That’s a very grave concern for me,” Henfield told reporters. “I read some memorandum recently that said that officials will be put in place in overseas offices to ensure that the voting is done properly, but with the permanent secretary wearing PLP paraphernalia, we don’t know what that means.”

    The former minister added that the main opposition Free National Movement cannot trust the electoral process if public officials tasked with its oversight are openly displaying partisan loyalty. He went further to allege that members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force have also been spotted campaigning alongside National Security Minister Wayne Munroe while wearing his campaign merchandise, though he had not shared supporting evidence by the time of this report.

    Under Bahamian regulations, all senior public servants are bound by strict rules that limit partisan political activity to protect the neutrality of the civil service. General Order 94 categorizes senior foreign affairs and other public officers as members of the “Politically Restricted Group”, which bars them from canvassing voters or distributing political materials on behalf of any party or candidate. While the rules do allow public servants to hold private membership in a political party, they require all public officers to maintain a strict code of reserve when it comes to public political expression, noting that open partisan displays can undermine the public expectation of impartial service.

    Henfield, who recalled his own experience discreetly engaging in political activity earlier in his public service career, said the open violation of these norms by senior leaders signals a worrying shift for the country. “I used to tie my hair down in one scarf, and go incognito and participate in the rallies,” he said. “It is forbidden. But to see a PS, a permanent secretary in the government, wearing political paraphernalia openly, is disturbing. What have we come to in this country? Permanent secretaries in the government wearing PLP paraphernalia? That’s unacceptable.”

  • Davis: Lottery would benefit private operators rather than public

    Davis: Lottery would benefit private operators rather than public

    Thousands of energized Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporters packed the Bahamas Beach Soccer Stadium on Wednesday evening for a raucous pre-general election rally, where Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis launched a scathing attack on the opposition Free National Movement (FNM), questioning its policy agenda and leadership credibility amid mounting domestic and global uncertainty.

    Opening his address to the crowd, which filled the venue’s bleachers with supporters clad in the party’s signature blue and yellow “Choose Progress” apparel, Davis framed the upcoming election as a critical juncture for the island nation. He emphasized that The Bahamas is navigating a complex web of interconnected challenges, from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and accelerating climate change risks to volatile shifts in the global economy, all of which demand steady, experienced governance that only the incumbent PLP can deliver.

    Davis reserved his sharpest criticism for the FNM’s flagship proposal to introduce a national lottery, arguing the plan is structured to prioritize private profit over public good. “They want the government to underwrite their numbers game, but all the profits go to their connected private operators,” Davis told the cheering crowd. He went on to accuse the opposition of plotting to roll back landmark social programs introduced by his administration, including the widely popular National School Breakfast Programme and the National Youth Guard, while suppressing wage growth for working Bahamians.

    Turning his attention to Opposition Leader Michael Pintard, Davis mocked Pintard’s grip on his own party, claiming the FNM leader is pushed in whichever direction political winds blow. “Poor Pintard. I actually feel a little sorry for him,” Davis said. “He doesn’t lead his party. His party leads him, and that wind is kicking up some very big waves.” Multiple other PLP candidates and sitting Members of Parliament echoed this criticism throughout the event, questioning Pintard’s ability to unify his fractured party and lead the country, dismissing him as inexperienced, petty, and prone to what speakers called deceptive “politricks.”

    The rally drew a massive show of support from across the country’s constituencies: colorful motorcades stretched for blocks along the roads leading to the stadium, with supporters riding on open trucks, waving PLP flags, and chanting for their local candidates. Motorcyclists weaved through nearby traffic, party emblems flying behind them. Along with speeches from a slate of PLP candidates including Mount Moriah hopeful McKell Bonaby, Freetown candidate Wayne Munroe, and Fort Charlotte newcomer Sebastian Bastian, the event featured lively musical performances to rile up the crowd. Bishop Lawrence Rolle delivered a moving rendition of “It Is Well,” while Geno D performed an upbeat rake n’ scrape track encouraging voter turnout. Former Prime Minister Perry Christie, a towering figure in PLP history, received a roaring welcome when his iconic campaign anthem “Sound of a Victory” played over the stadium speakers.

    Davis also took a moment to target FNM’s St James candidate Rick Fox, a former PLP ambassador who switched party affiliation to run for the opposition. Jabbing at Fox’s conduct on nomination day, Davis joked: “People were asking me what kind of Junkanoo dancing that was, if he had some kind of issue. I didn’t know what to say. But don’t be too hard on him. He’s still got a lot to learn. He’s just a First Time Voter.” Davis added that Fox and other FNM candidates frequently launch aggressive personal attacks against him and the PLP, but cry foul when their own weaknesses are pointed out, falsely claiming bullying.

    Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper closed the formal policy remarks by urging voters to return the PLP to office to allow the current administration to continue delivering on its development agenda. In his closing remarks, Davis framed the upcoming election as a clear binary choice for Bahamian voters: either continue on a path of consistent progress under the PLP, or reverse course and return to the old pattern of halting critical infrastructure and social projects every time a new administration takes office. “This election isn’t just about changing personalities. It’s about choosing whether we move forward together, or fall backward into the same old cycles that have held our country back,” Davis said.

  • Harvey Weinstein rape retrial hears opening arguments

    Harvey Weinstein rape retrial hears opening arguments

    More than six years after explosive sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein ignited the global #MeToo movement, a Manhattan state supreme court jury has begun hearing the disgraced Hollywood film mogul’s retrial on a third-degree rape charge brought by actress Jessica Mann.

    The 74-year-old former producer, who uses a wheelchair due to chronic poor health, already remains behind bars serving a 16-year sentence for a separate 2022 rape conviction in California stemming from an assault on a European actress more than a decade ago. He is currently appealing that conviction, as well as a lower-court conviction from his first 2023 New York trial. Regardless of the outcome of this retrial, Weinstein will not be released from custody.

    This retrial marks a second attempt to prosecute the Mann case, after a mistrial was declared last June. The initial proceeding collapsed when the jury foreperson withdrew amid internal conflict within the jury room and refused to continue deliberations. In that first trial, the jury did convict Weinstein of sexual assault against former film producer Miriam Haley, while acquitting him on the same charge brought by Polish-born actress Kaja Sokola.

    For this new proceeding, Weinstein has assembled an entirely new defense team led by prominent high-profile attorney Marc Agnifilo, who currently represents rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in his own ongoing legal battles.

    Weinstein, who is being held at New York’s Rikers Island jail complex, has previously claimed he faces constant threats and harassment from other incarcerated people at the facility, forcing officials to hold him in almost permanent solitary confinement. In an interview with *The Hollywood Reporter* earlier this year, he stated, “I’m constantly threatened and derided. I wouldn’t last long out there.”

    Long before the 2017 reckoning, Weinstein’s reputation as a powerful, temperamental industry kingmaker was paired with open industry rumors that he abused his position to sexually harass and assault young women seeking careers in Hollywood. Those rumors became public in October 2017, when *The New York Times* and *The New Yorker* published blockbuster investigative reports detailing decades of alleged abuse from more than a dozen accusers. The publication of those reports triggered a wave of additional allegations from more than 80 women total, and sparked the #MeToo movement that reshaped global conversations about sexual harassment and gender-based power abuse across all industries.

  • Florida man faces execution after 35 years on Death Row

    Florida man faces execution after 35 years on Death Row

    RAIFORD, Fla. – A Florida man who has spent more than three decades awaiting execution for the 1990 murder of his neighbor is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the state’s Raiford prison on Tuesday, marking one of a growing number of executions carried out across the United States in recent years.

    Chadwick Willacy, 58, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the killing of 56-year-old Marlys Sather during a home burglary at Sather’s property. His 35-year stint on Death Row places him among the longest-serving inmates awaiting capital punishment in the state.

    Willacy’s upcoming execution will be the seventh carried out across the U.S. in 2026 to date. Of those seven, four have taken place in Florida alone, with two more in Texas and one in Oklahoma, according to data collected on national capital punishment usage.

    Last year, the U.S. recorded 47 executions nationwide, the highest annual number recorded since 2009, when 52 inmates were put to death. Florida led all states in 2025 with 19 executions, far outpacing the next highest: Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each carried out five executions over the same 12-month period.

    Lethal injection remains the most common method of execution nationwide, accounting for 39 of last year’s 47 executions. Three inmates were executed by firing squad, while five were killed via nitrogen hypoxia, a relatively new method that pumps pure nitrogen gas into a sealed face mask to cause suffocation.

    Nitrogen hypoxia has faced widespread international condemnation, with United Nations human rights experts labeling the practice cruel, inhumane, and a violation of basic human rights standards. Despite this criticism, a growing number of U.S. death penalty states have adopted the method as an alternative when lethal injection drugs are difficult to source.

    Capital punishment remains a deeply divided policy issue across the U.S. To date, 23 of the country’s 50 states have abolished the death penalty entirely, and three additional states – California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania – maintain formal moratoriums halting all executions. However, capital punishment retains strong support among conservative political circles: former President and current 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly positioned himself as a vocal backer of the death penalty, and has publicly called for expanding its use to target what he describes as “the vilest crimes.”

    The upcoming execution of Willacy comes as conservative-led state legislatures in a number of death penalty states have pushed to speed up execution timelines and expand the list of crimes eligible for capital punishment, reversing decades of gradual decline in the use of the practice nationwide.

  • US official says gas prices have peaked despite Iran war

    US official says gas prices have peaked despite Iran war

    Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump publicly called out his top energy official for a more muted assessment of volatile fuel costs, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has offered a sunnier outlook, telling a Senate committee Tuesday that national gasoline prices appear to have already hit their highest point following a jump tied to escalating tensions around the Iran conflict.

    Speaking before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Wright acknowledged that long-term forecasts for energy markets remain uncertain, but pointed to early market indicators that suggest the recent upward price spike has already run its course. “I don’t know the future of energy prices — often I will speculate or look at those things. I would say, gasoline prices, it looks like they peaked about a week or so ago,” Wright told the panel during the oversight hearing.

    Wright also drew a direct comparison between current price levels and the record peaks recorded under the prior administration of Joe Biden, noting that this year’s highest per-gallon price remains one full dollar lower than the all-time record set during Biden’s tenure. He framed the current price trajectory as a notable win for the administration even amid ongoing geopolitical upheaval in one of the world’s most critical energy-producing regions. “Yet we’re in the midst of ending a 47-year conflict in the Middle East, a major energy-producing region,” he added, positioning the administration’s handling of energy markets as a strong point amid widespread public concern over household fuel costs.

  • Seiveright urges college students to adapt in rapidly evolving world

    Seiveright urges college students to adapt in rapidly evolving world

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — At a youth-focused forum held last Thursday on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), organized by the Mona Campus Youth League in partnership with the UWI Guild of Students, Delano Seiveright, State Minister for Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, delivered a rousing call to action for the island’s emerging workforce. Seiveright challenged attending students to abandon rigid, outdated career planning and pivot toward agile, forward-thinking strategies, stressing that the accelerating pace of global transformation has rendered traditional, slow-moving approaches obsolete.

    Seiveright opened his address by emphasizing that the world is evolving faster than at any other moment in recorded human history. Where major paradigm shifts once took centuries or decades to reshape global society, he noted, meaningful change now unfolds over mere months, meaning missed moments of opportunity rarely come around again. Tracing the arc of technological progress from the 15th-century invention of the printing press through the breakthroughs of electricity, automobile manufacturing, broadcast radio and television, cellular communications, and the modern internet and social media era, Seiveright argued that today’s young people face a unique requirement for constant adaptation that previous generations never needed.

    “Static skills and a fixed 40-year career plan can no longer carry you to success,” Seiveright told the crowd of students. “The leaders and achievers of this era are those who act quickly, commit to lifelong learning, and adjust their paths at the first sign of shifting tides.”

    Beyond adaptability, Seiveright pressed students to expand their professional horizons far beyond Jamaica’s national borders. With Jamaica’s population sitting at roughly 2.8 million, he noted, the island is embedded in a far larger regional and global marketplace: the broader Caribbean counts 45 million consumers, North America adds more than 390 million, and Latin America contributes an additional 660 million. Voluntarily limiting one’s ambitions to the local market, he argued, is an unnecessary restriction on personal and professional potential.

    Crucially, Seiveright pointed out that digital innovation and the rise of remote work have removed historic barriers to international economic participation. Jamaican workers and creators no longer need to relocate abroad to access global markets and earn foreign currency, opening new pathways to prosperity that were unavailable to previous generations.

    A core highlight of the minister’s presentation centered on the under-tapped economic potential of Jamaica’s creative industries, a sector he identified as one of the country’s most promising untapped growth areas. From globally renowned music to large-scale entertainment events and digital content creation, Seiveright noted that the global creative economy generates massive revenue, pointing to Jamaica’s own world-famous events including Reggae Sumfest, Dream Weekend, Best Weekend Ever, Sandz and Zimi as proof of the sector’s local capacity.

    He held up three prominent Jamaican creative entrepreneurs — Andrew Bellamy, Romeich Major and Kamal Bankay — as models for young people to follow. Notably, both Bellamy and Bankay are UWI Mona graduates who built their successful companies from humble beginnings, proving that creative culture is far more than artistic expression: it is a viable, high-growth business. Seiveright also pushed back against the cultural default of relying solely on traditional 9-to-5 employment, noting that in an era of rising living costs, global competition, and rapid technological change, a single full-time job is often no longer enough to sustain financial security. Instead, he encouraged students to pursue multiple streams of income, building side projects and independent ventures alongside traditional careers.

    Seiveright also emphasized two underrated skills that drive long-term success: intentional professional networking and emotional intelligence, noting that the vast majority of valuable career opportunities emerge through informal professional connections rather than formal job application channels.

    Turning to one of the most transformative modern technologies, artificial intelligence, Seiveright framed the AI boom as one of the most significant economic shifts of the 21st century, not a passing fad. Global corporate and venture investment in AI is projected to hit $2.5 trillion by 2026 — a sum more than 100 times the size of Jamaica’s entire annual gross domestic product. “Those who learn to leverage these AI tools will expand their opportunities and reach exponentially,” he said. “Those who ignore them will be left behind.”

    Closing his address, Seiveright urged students to take decisive action immediately, rather than overplanning or waiting for the “perfect moment” to pursue new opportunities. Opportunities already exist across every core sector of Jamaica’s economy, from agriculture and culture to professional services and technology, he said. The only question is whether young people are prepared to seize them. “No one is going to build your future for you,” Seiveright concluded. “Start where you are, use what you have, think globally, and move.”

  • 60 years since Selassie’s visit: Some notable Jamaicans who crossed paths with the Emperor

    60 years since Selassie’s visit: Some notable Jamaicans who crossed paths with the Emperor

    April 21 marks six decades since one of the most culturally transformative visits to Jamaican soil: the state arrival of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. When the small-statured monarch touched down at Kingston’s then-Palisadoes Airport, tens of thousands of onlookers flooded the tarmac to catch a sight of him — among them throngs of passionate Rastafarians, who have long revered Selassie I as the divine incarnation of God.

    Selassie I’s four-day Jamaican tour in 1966 formed part of a broader Caribbean itinerary, which included stops in Trinidad and Tobago ahead of his Jamaica visit, followed by a trip to Haiti after departing Kingston. For Jamaica’s large Rastafarian community, the visit was far more than a routine diplomatic stopover: the movement’s beliefs center on Selassie I as the Supreme Being, tracing his ancestral lineage directly back to the biblical King Solomon.

    The groundwork for the Emperor’s visit was laid years earlier, rooted in growing cultural and political connection between Jamaica’s Rastafarian community and Ethiopia. In 1960, Rastafarian leaders partnered with three academics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) — M G Smith, Roy Augier, and Rex Nettleford — to conduct the first formal major study of the Rastafarian movement. The following year, the Jamaican government authorized a three-person Rastafarian delegation, including Mortimo Planno, Douglas Mack, and Philmore Alvaranga, to conduct a fact-finding mission to Africa, where the group met Selassie I in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. A second government-funded technical research delegation also traveled to the continent that same year, deepening the ties that would lead to Selassie I’s historic 1966 visit.

    For context, Haile Selassie I was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, ruled the East African nation for more than four decades, and was ultimately overthrown by a communist military junta in September 1974. He died in state custody in August 1975 at the age of 83. To mark the 60th anniversary of the Jamaican visit, Jamaica’s Observer Online collected firsthand recollections from figures who either met or witnessed the Emperor during his 1966 tour. Below are their accounts, which preserve the enduring cultural impact of the visit:

    ### Mortimo Planno
    Born in Cuba, Planno was one of the founding pioneers of the Jamaican Rastafarian movement, best known for his revolutionary open-air “binghi” teaching gatherings in Kingston’s iconic Trench Town neighborhood. Many of his students went on to become global reggae legends, including Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer (born Bunny Livingston), the core members of The Wailers. Planno was part of the 1961 Jamaican government-sanctioned delegation that met Selassie I in Addis Ababa, and during the 1966 arrival, he was the figure who greeted the Emperor at the aircraft door to guide him down the stairs to Jamaican soil. Planno, widely known by his Rastafarian name Kumi, died in 2006 at the age of 76.

    ### Justice Ronald Small
    Born to parents who were followers of the pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, Ronald Small made history as Jamaica’s first Black Supreme Court justice. On April 21, 1966, he was the first person scheduled to greet Selassie I at an official reception at King’s House, Jamaica’s official government residence. His youngest son, Robin “Jerry” Small, who was 18 and a practicing Rastafarian at the time of the visit, told Observer Online that Selassie I personally extended an invitation for his father to visit Ethiopia — an invitation Justice Small never acted on. Jerry Small recalled, “He told me that was the biggest mistake of his life. He said meeting Selassie was the proudest moment of his life.” Two of Justice Small’s other sons, Hugh and Richard, went on to become prominent Jamaican lawyers. He died in 2005 at 97 years old.

    ### Bruce Golding
    During Selassie I’s visit, Bruce Golding was a student and head boy at Jamaica College, one of the island’s most prestigious secondary schools, which hosted a brief stop by the Emperor on April 22, 1966. Golding would go on to become a Member of Parliament and serve as Jamaica’s Prime Minister from 2007 to 2011. Recalling the visit in a 2021 interview with the Jamaica Observer, Golding explained: “In my day, the head boy had significant authority as well as responsibility in terms of discipline. Not only was I informed of the visit, but I was involved and we greeted His Imperial Majesty as he stepped out of his vehicle. He didn’t spend a long time. As a matter of fact, he was on his way to the University of the West Indies. He inspected a guard of honour of the cadet corps and when he was leaving, I said, ‘Three cheers for the Emperor!’”

    ### Dr Peter Phillips
    Dr. Phillips was a sixth-form student at Jamaica College when Selassie I stopped at the campus, the alma mater of former Jamaican Prime Minister Norman Manley and other national luminaries. In a 2020 interview with the Jamaica Observer, he reflected on the immediate impact of seeing the Emperor: “We were just there mesmerised by the very powerful presence of this African monarch. One of the things that the visit did was to impel us to learn more, and part of that learning more was through contact with Rastafarians in Jamaica.” Shortly after graduating from Jamaica College, Phillips converted to Rastafarianism. He went on to become a UWI lecturer, a cabinet minister for the People’s National Party, and eventually led the opposition party until 2020.

    ### Copeland Forbes
    Forbes, a member of the Boy Scouts of Jamaica, was assigned the official role of opening the car door for Selassie I throughout the visit — a role he had previously filled for Britain’s Princess Margaret during Jamaica’s 1962 independence ceremony at the National Stadium. Recalling the chaotic, joyful scenes at Palisadoes Airport in an interview with American author David Katz, Forbes described the arrival as a nearly spiritual experience: “That experience is something I will never forget. I don’t know if you want to call it a miracle, but it was raining heavy, and when the plane popped over the clouds, the sun came out. When the plane touched down on the runway, the pilot pulled the window open and put out an Ethiopian flag, and the plane was surrounded by hundreds; I saw people leaning up by the plane wheel, smoking a chalice, and drum beating, so the official welcome party had to be abandoned.” After the visit, Forbes became a leading figure in the global reggae industry, managing iconic acts including Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru, Dennis Brown, and Luciano.

    ### Fred Locks
    At 16 years old, the aspiring reggae singer was living in East Kingston’s Harbour View neighborhood when he heard the radio announcement that Selassie I’s motorcade was approaching the local Harbour View roundabout. Overcome with excitement as the procession arrived, Locks recalled running into the street to get within five yards of the Emperor, who returned the moment with a warm salute. “I find myself running and reached out like five yards in front of him. And His Majesty was saluting, and I was hearing in my head, ‘Oh ye of so little faith’. I said, ‘wow! I was astonished, I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t want to go home,’” he remembered. Locks went on to build a successful decades-long career in reggae, and his 1975 anthem *Black Star Liner*, centered on the Rastafarian call for repatriation to Africa, remains one of the genre’s most iconic tracks.