Quote Originally Posted by onthecorner View Post
as I stated...it is important for jamaicans to remember....i wasnt talking about tourists. I agree with you that a tourist to jamaica certainly doesnt need too know its history too enjoy the beauty of the island or have a wonderful vacation. But i am not a tourist, i am a travelor. Sorry i struck a nerve with you, that was never my intention. I was simply pointing out the importance of history and the study of it. Upon deciding too visit Jamaica for the first time more then 15 years ago i did read the history of the island from the indians to the spanish. the english to the pirates. independence to bob marley. For me, the study of the history of the island and its people gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for what I was seeing. To understand a place and the people who live there what better way then too study their history? The same would true whether you were planning a trip to china or italy or ghana. Even if visiting the usa. I respect your point of view and didnt mean too upset you....i just disagree with you. The adversity and trials the jamaican people have had too overcome to get where they are at is what makes them who they are and why i respect them and admire them as i do. And i wouldnt had i not decided too read their history first.


btw....congrats on your success with this web site, Its very clear you also love the people and the island. As i stated, no disrespect was intended at all.
Onthecorner,

Thank you for the kind words about Negril.com. This has been a great 20 years for us on the Internet. I do care about all aspect of Jamaica.

No disrespect meant either, but I do get puzzled when people would even imagine that Jamaicans dont remember 1980. It comes up in conversations all the time when elections are getting close. It is something that cannot and will not be forgotten, but it is spoken of in an historical manner now, not as a current topic as it is not.

Those old enough remember Jamaica being used as a pawn between the USA and Soviet Union during the Cold War and have passed that information to their children. It is taught in school and obviously still in the newspapers. How can Jamaicans not remember?

As the article states "The leftist Workers Party of Jamaica (WPJ), led by Dr Trevor Munroe, had been quietly supporting the PNP, which ushered in more rumours of a Communist takeover — a claim Manley consistently denied, even though his friendship with Socialist Cuba strengthened."

And it goes on "It was an election in which the East/West tension played out in all forms,” Dr Davidson said yesterday.

That East/West tension was in reference to Manley and the PNP’s embrace of Cuba and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on the one hand, and the right of centre JLP, which was closer to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom."

And the article ends "It was time for the Boston, United States-born Seaga, a Harvard graduate in anthropology, to take charge as Jamaica’s fifth prime minister and the healing process begun in earnest."

Jamaicans remember why all those killings took place and where all those guns came from and why the power went out and the aftermath. After the JLP's victory, why do you suppose that Ronald Reagan was the second sitting US President to visit the island? He supported Seaga in that bloody general election in 1980.

The events that happened 35 years ago cannot be repeated unless two major powers once again want to use Jamaica as a pawn. As a "travelor" and studying the history of the island, you know these facts and it would be impossible for 1980 to reoccur without outside intervention.