CaribPress: How did the idea to start Travelwire Global, Inc, a worldwide online travel and tour company, come about?

Oliver Huie: Having worked in the travel industry, I felt the personal touch was missing.  A desire to bring back the personal touch to travel, while providing quality services to travelers, led me to launch this online travel business.

CPress: Tell our readers about the experiences that you bring to Travelwire Global.

OH: Travel savvy – A passion to travel, coupled with a wealth of knowledge about the Caribbean infrastructure and the back-end of travel Information Technology (IT).  The experiences that I bring to the company includes over fifteen (15) years experiences working as an IT Engineer, as well as a few years as a travel agent.

CPress: Travelers are looking for deals.  There are other online travel companies providing deals as well.  What types of deals do Travelwire Global offer that sets the company apart in the industry?

OH: We are focusing on the Caribbean market, we are from there.  This is advantageous because we know the demographics of that market better than our competitors. We are bringing back the customer support and service aspects to the travel industry.  Our staff at Travelwire ensures that your travel experience is smooth by providing comprehensive customer service from the time the trip is booked.

CPress: In today’s tight economy, travelers are looking to cut costs and save money.  Savvy travelers are looking for a luxury vacation on a low budget.  Tell us about how a family can benefit from the “Make Your Own Deal” program?

OH: Travelers can get a lot for their money with the Make your Own deal program.  Our business resources on the ground are able to provide great deals for hotel rates.  We are from the Caribbean and we know the suppliers.

CPress: In light of the cruise ship wreck in Italy, your thoughts on how this devastating accident could impact the travel industry?

OH: According to some of the reviews, they are expecting an impact to first time cruise travelers.  At the same time, we have to market the safety of cruise.

The advice to travelers is that when you are going on a cruise, the first thing you should do when you board the ship is to attend the safety drill within the first day of the cruise. It is important that every cruise passenger attends this safety drill;

CPress: What travel spots are on your bucket list for the 2012 travel season?

OH: Cancun – Spring Break; Negril; Jamaica – Spring Break; Jamaica, Virgin Island – Carnival – April; Jamaica – Reggae Sumfest – July; Barbados – Crop Over festival – July; Jamaica 50 – August; Trinidad 50 – August;

CPress: What is Travelwire Global ‘Fab Five’ travel destinations and why?

OH: ‘FAB FIVE’ Destinations are the following:

1. Jamaica — have the beach in the Caribbean, in Negril you have 12 miles of white sand beach. The food, culture, people and the best adventure experience.

2. Dominican Republic — This Island is a hidden treasure, is lost somewhere under the blanket of green felt that coats its densely forested hills. It has some of the best rates in Hotels and attractions.

3. St. Lucia — St. Lucia is quickly gaining steam as the best destination in the Caribbean – and rightfully so. The island has the perfect mix of what one desires in a Caribbean getaway; a vibrant port city surrounded by tall, sweeping, rainforest covered mountains.

4. Barbados — Barbados clinches the number two spot for being a country that has truly established its own identity since breaking away from the British rule in 1966.

5. Mexico – Mexico is the most visited destination and receives over 3 million visitors each year. Its modern hotels, gorgeous Caribbean coastline and proximity to US makes it a destination anyone can enjoy.

CPress: As Jamaica move towards 50 years of nationhood, what are the most significant milestones thus far for the black, green and gold?

OH: Jamaica becoming an independent nation, our national heroes and the influence of reggae music globally are significant milestones.

CPress: In terms of the Jamaican diaspora, what plans are in the pipeline for Jamaica 50?

OH: I am excited to say that there are many special events planned within the diaspora in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Jamaica.  The events kick off in January.

Visit the Consul General of Jamaica web site for more details at: www.congenjamaica-ny.org

CPress: With the age of smartphones, tablets, other portable devices and social networking, what role will this play in the travel industry?

OH: Technology is changing how travelers book their flights.  Social media has played a major role in internet booking.  Everything is geared to twitter, facebook LinkedIn or a website.

CPress: Elaborate on the future for Travelwire Global.

OH: We foresee Travelwire to be a leader in the travel industry, while positioning our self as one of the top leaders in the travel industry by offering good prices, good packages and good customer support.  And build our customer base on word of mouth referrals by family and friends.

Detectives arrested Elephant Man late Monday and charged him with grievous assault and rape.

Police say a woman has accused the 36-year-old entertainer of assaulting her at his home in St. Andrew parish. They gave no further details Tuesday.

The entertainer known offstage as Oneal Bryan is expected to appear in court this week.

Defense attorney Linda Wright could not be reached Tuesday.

The dancehall rapper is best known for the track “Willie Bounce” and for his collaboration with recording artists such as Wyclef Jean and Busta Rhymes.

Jamaican Ambassador Audrey Marks

“I have offered my resignation as is the normal protocol in these circumstances,” Marks told the Observer via cellphone from Washington yesterday evening.

Marks, Jamaica’s first female ambassador to the US capital, offered no further details. However, an Observer source said she tendered the resignation letter early January but has not yet received a response from the People’s National Party Government, which took office following the December 29, 2011 general election.

According to the source, Marks gave the administration three months’ notice, therefore her resignation will take effect in March.

Last night, Government ministers dodged Observer queries on the issue.

When contacted, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator A J Nicholson directed the Observer to speak with the permanent secretary in his ministry.

“You are asking the wrong person. You need to speak with the permanent secretary,” Nicholson said.

However, the acting permanent secretary, Vilma McLish, did not respond to an e-mail sent to her up to press time.

A check with the minister with responsibility for information Senator Sandrea Falconer also did not shed any further light as she said she was not aware of the matter and referred the Observer to the foreign affairs minister.

Marks is the founder and chief executive officer of the bill payment agency, Paymaster, for which she received an Observer Business Leader nomination for the year 1999.

She was sent to Washington in May 2010 by the Jamaica Labour Party Government to replace Anthony Johnson, who was dispatched to the United Kingdom as Jamaica’s High Commissioner to that country.

Johnson had replaced the former PNP Cabinet minister Burchell Whiteman as Jamaica’s top diplomat to the United Kingdom.

Prior to assuming office as ambassador, Marks served as deputy chairman of the Urban Development Corporation. She also sat on the boards of RBTT Securities Jamaica Limited, Jamaica Trade and Investment Company Limited, National Health Fund, Mona School of Business, as well as a number of private and public sector bodies.

A graduate of Immaculate Conception and Marymount High schools, Marks holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in business administration from the University of West Indies and Nova University (Florida), USA, respectively.

Riley died Thursday at University Hospital of the West Indies, where he had been a patient since November, when he was shot at his house in an upscale neighborhood in the capital of Kingston, his son Kurt Riley said Friday.

Riley also had been shot in August and was stabbed in September last year. His record store in Kingston’s downtown business district also was burned down several years ago. Police have said they know of no motives and have not arrested anyone.

Kurt Riley told the Jamaica Observer newspaper that the family did not know what motivated the attacks.

“Unfortunately, Daddy didn’t wake up so we could talk to him to find out if there was something he was not telling us,” he was quoted as saying. “He was a straightforward man who was allergic to hypocrisy.”

As a teenager, Riley founded an influential harmony group, The Techniques, which recorded for pioneer producer Arthur “Duke” Reid. Riley also toured with Byron Lee and later gained fame for producing songs such as “Double Barrel” by Dave Barker and Ansell Collins.

He worked with musicians including Gregory Isaacs, Johnny Osbourne, Sister Nancy and Buju Banton.

Musicologist Kingsley Goodison, who knew Riley for more than 40 years, said he was one of the people responsible for introducing reggae to England.

“Winston Riley is an unsung hero,” he said. “He was one of the hardest workers in the business.”

Riley also is credited with creating the stalag rhythm, which later influenced hip-hop and dancehall. Unlike his contemporaries who shunned dancehall music, Riley embraced contemporary reggae and had several big hits during the 1980s.

One of his biggest productions was singer Tenor Saw’s “Ring The Alarm”, which has been sampled by several hip-hop artists.

Riley is survived by several children and grandchildren.

Jamaican legislators sworn in

During the ceremony, Member of Parliament for South Manchester, Michael Peart, was chosen as Speaker of the House of Representatives, while MP for Central St. James, Lloyd B. Smith, will serve as Deputy Speaker of the Lower House.

Member of Parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal, Phillip Paulwell, is the new Leader of Government Business in the Lower House, with Member of Parliament for North East St. Andrew, Delroy Chuck, serving as Leader of Opposition Business.

Meanwhile, 20 members of the 21-member Senate were sworn in. Reverend Stanley Redwood was elected President of the Senate, while Senator Angela Brown Burke will serve as his deputy.

Opposition Leader Andrew Holness is yet to appoint an eighth senator, having named seven on January 16.

Senator A.J. Nicholson is the new Leader of Government Business in the Upper House, while Senator Arthur Williams will serve as Leader of Opposition Business.

In her remarks, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said her administration is committed to accountability and responsibility.

“We commit to serve with humility and dedication to the principles of fairness, justice and equity. We will apply ourselves with diligence in tackling the challenges confronting us for the good of all people. We will uphold the laws of the land and conduct ourselves and the people’s business with integrity, sensitivity and sincerity,” Simpson Miller said.

For his part, Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Holness, vowed to “rabidly seek out the welfare and benefit of the people of Jamaica.”

The Simpson Miller-led People’s National Party won 42 of the 63 parliamentary seats in the December 29 polls, with the remaining 21 going to the Jamaica Labour Party.

Jamaica began the day with a clinical 50-run win over English county Sussex, while Barbados was even more dominant in a 10-wicket victory with 12.3 overs to spare against the Netherlands.

Jamaica’s victory was its second in succession and took it to the top of the Zone B table.

The Jamaicans were led by opener Nkrumah Bonner’s unbeaten 66, which anchored a challenging total of 152-5 off 20 overs.

The 22-year-old, who appeared in one Twenty20 international for the West Indies last September in England, lashed seven fours and one six off 57 balls.

He and Kennar Lewis (23) shared an opening stand of 51 that set a solid platform.

West Indies players Carlton Baugh (20) and Andre Russell (24) supported Bonner well in the late overs.

Sussex was set back badly when it lost opener Matt Machan for a duck in the first over.

Chris Nash (26) and Joe Gatting (20) added 45 for the second wicket to lift the Sharks, but once Nash was bowled by legspinner Odean Brown, the innings subsided swiftly and the Englishmen were eventually bowled out for 102 in 19.2 overs.

Brown took 3-17 while there were two wickets apiece for left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie and off-spinning all-rounder Marlon Samuels.

Barbados, the last of the ten teams to start its campaign, gave notice of its title ambitions with a dominant win over the Netherlands in the day’s final match.

The Dutch failed to make any impact after batting on winning the toss. Only three batsmen made it to double figures as they folded for 73 all out from 20 overs.

Offspinner Ashley Nurse had figures of 3-7 from four overs, while pacemen Carlos Brathwaite and Tino Best claimed two wickets each.

The victory target was wiped off in just 7.3 overs as openers Dwayne Smith and Kirk Edwards produced a volley of boundaries.

Smith cracked six fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 49 while captain Edwards made 22 not out with three fours.

___

Summarized scores:

Match 1: Jamaica beat Sussex by 50 runs.

Jamaica 152-5 off 20 overs (Nkrumah Bonner 66 not out, Andre Russell 24, Kennar Lewis 23, Carlton Baugh Jr. 20).

Sussex 102 all out off 19.2 overs (Chris Nash 26, Joe Gatting 20, Chris Liddle 16; Odean Brown 3-17, Marlon Samuels 2-15, Krishmar Santokie 2-23, Nikita Miller 2-23).

Match 2: Barbados beat the Netherlands by 10 wickets.

The Netherlands 73 all out off 20 overs (Michael Swart 16, Tom de Grooth 15; Ashley Nurse 3-7, Carlos Brathwaite 2-15, Tino Best 2-24).

Barbados 76-0 off 7.3 overs (Dwayne Smith 49 not out, Kirk Edwards 22 not out).

Since returning to Jamaica in late October from the United States where he plays for Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Portland Timbers, Palmer has been training as many as two times daily as he prepares for a return to the grind in mid-January.

Workout sessions with his former local Premier League club Harbour View, training sessions with the MVP Track and Field Club and frequent trips to the gym are part of Palmer’s daily routine as he prepares for a third season in the MLS.

“I have to go back in some kind of shape, so I train with MVP and Harbour View trying to get some condition before I go back,” Palmer told the Sunday Observer in a recent interview.

The brother of 2009 100m hurdles world champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Palmer said his sibling facilitated his stay with the Stephen Francis-conditioned MVP group.

The 27-year-old has spent the last six months adjusting to life in wet, cold Portland, following a season-and-a-half in a city with the most contrasting of climates — the arid, hot and humid Houston, Texas where he played with the Dynamo until July this year.

“I know of the conditions before I went there so you just have to go there and adapt as soon possible,” he said of the change.

Shortly after Palmer was traded to Portland, his former club made the finals of the MLS against the Los Angeles Galaxy, which, he admitted, was particularly painful to watch.

“Any athlete who likes to win, who is a competitor, they would feel a way; especially the fact that you were there and as soon as we left, the team reached the finals; especially since we didn’t have a good season when I initially went there, and to make the finals the following year after I left, I felt bad,” he said.

“My sister called me because she watched the final. I guess she just knows, being an athlete herself, she called and was like, ‘Hey, I don’t even have to ask, I know you feel bad, I know you’re probably watching the game saying, ‘oOh why as soon as I left they reach the finals, but don’t worry about it. It don’t change the player you are or the person you are’,” Palmer recalled.

“But as an athlete, you will definitely feel bad because you start to wonder to yourself ‘Was I the person who was holding back the team, why?”

Portland Timbers were edged out by New York Red Bulls by three points for a spot in the play-offs and Palmer said despite his disappointment elsewhere, he felt like he had made a useful contribution to that effort, although he only arrived at the club in the middle of the season.

“I went to Portland and I think I had a great second half of the season. So I think I made a difference in going to Portland because before I went there, the team was kind of struggling. So I think I went there, helped stabilise the team, got a few points, challenged for a play-off spot.

“I think the fans appreciate the performance from me personal and the team. I’ll be going back to Portland for the 2012 season and so hopefully, we’ll have a good season,” he added.

Having played professionally both in Jamaica and the USA, Palmer said there is not much that separates local players from foreign ones by the way of talent, but that the locals are outmatched in one key area.

“It’s just the discipline that they instil in you when you’re away,” he said. “You can’t miss training for any reason. If you’re injured, you have to turn up to the locker room to watch the training session to get treatment (so) the coaches can see the progress that you’re making.”

He added: “When you see the surfaces that we play on here, the stuff that the guys do here on these surface, if they get to play off those surfaces like we do in the States, they could play with their eyes closed.

“The talent here is way, way more than I’ve seen anywhere else that I’ve played. It’s just for the guys to apply themselves… respect the game, because ability-wise they can match anybody toe for toe,” he said.

Caribbean Islands

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) apart from Guyana, Suriname and St Lucia – each of whose economies grew by 4.4% in 2010 – the other 12 CARICOM countries experienced no meaningful growth and the economies of most of them contracted, including oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago (-0.6%).

Although official figures are not yet available for 2011, it is clear that economic and financial conditions continued to deteriorate with rising debt and weak fiscal performance in the majority of countries. In the seven Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) there is increasing concern about the quality of assets in the banking system, particularly of indigenous banks with urgent action required to improve the situation.

The debt burden of many CARICOM countries – and the region as a whole – is quite alarming. Apart from Suriname, no CARICOM country has a debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio below 50%. The ratio is over 100% in St Kitts-Nevis, Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada. It is pretty close to that figure in Antigua and Barbuda and Belize.

It is significant that while Caribbean countries watch, with increasing unease, the unproductive debates in the European Union (EU) over its crisis in sovereign debt, and in the US on its rising debt and fiscal weaknesses, regional authorities have not even started a discussion about their own encircling predicament.

Of paramount importance is how can CARICOM countries achieve a higher sustainable rate of growth to help reduce their serious debt burden and improve their peoples’ living standards? IMF programs are in place in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Jamaica and St. Kitts-Nevis, but these are aimed at preserving economic stability, they cannot produce the required economic growth.

The solution to the problem lies in both national and regional approaches. The government of each country has to devise programmes of recovery and growth linked to creative utilization of its resource endowment. They also have to stop the pretence that, acting alone, they have the capacity to overcome their overwhelming difficulties.

The seven small member-states of the OECS, in particular, have to turn words into action by intensifying their proclaimed integration arrangements at every level. Not one of them will recover or prosper by clinging to barren sovereignty. For them, it should be more not less integration including joint Regulatory authorities for onshore and offshore banks, and for insurance companies. They should also establish joint missions for overseas representation and, where this cannot be achieved at institutions such as the UN agencies and the World Trade Organisation, joint support offices should be put in place manned by the best available persons.

Donor countries and regions, such as the EU, Canada and the United States have grown tired of waiting for the region to propose sustainable projects and programmes for which they could provide financial support. They are unwilling to continue to prop-up the region’s traditional uncompetitive production in circumstances where they too must be watchful of the cost of living in their own countries, and the use of tax dollars.

The region has to forget the idea that Europe, America or anywhere else owes it help because of past relationships. The decision of the British government to maintain the oppressive Air Passenger Duty on travel to the Caribbean despite regional protestations should have made that reality crystal clear. Even if it is true that some European countries do owe the region, they feel that debt has been paid and, while they remain willing to be helpful as part of their assistance to developing countries, they want Caribbean countries to demonstrate that they are overhauling their arrangements to make themselves more competitive and less reliant on aid. They would also like to see the Caribbean put up regional projects to utilise 200 million Euros (US$258 million), set aside for the area over the period 2006 to 2011, that has been languishing in the European Development Fund.

CARICOM as a whole requires new external diplomatic/economic planning strategies and initiatives in order to be effective. Old ways of doing business are no longer viable.

These strategies and initiatives, including re-thinking the priorities of the Caribbean Single Market, should be part of a new policy direction that takes full account of the changed global dynamics. But, where is the leadership to produce them coming from? Where is the new thinking responsive to the new realities? In 2011, both the technical and political leadership of CARICOM failed to inspire the people of the Caribbean with a sense of hope in fulfillment of their desire for improved standards of living, for more employment, for greater food security, for personal safety and for the assurance that their countries could compete in the world and be respected.

Regional authorities, such as the CARICOM Secretariat, the OECS Secretariat, and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) should have already provided new policy directions for the consideration of the political leadership. At least by now, they should have posed the relevant questions about what new direction, and how its elements can be financed. But, this has not happened. The regional private sector has also not produced proposals for new arrangements that could diversify and expand the region’s production and make it competitive. Too many companies continue to rely on governments to protect them from competition and to subsidize their operations either directly or through donors.

The regional ship needs extensive overhaul and the regional journey needs a revamped chart to guide it through the turbulence which lashes it on every side. It also urgently requires dedicated captaincy at the highest political level not only to pilot it, but also to inspire all its crew and all its passengers to work together for its safe passage.

In 2012, it cannot be business as usual. The passengers on the regional ship – the Caribbean people – expect better.

Islands Picture

Made world famous by the so-called “flower children” of the hippie generation, the approximately seven-kilometre stretch of powdery white sand and crystal clear waters, authorities say, accounts for just over 25 percent of the island’s tourism earnings.

But the industry that placed Negril on the map, and on which the town depends, has been destroying the fragile marine ecosystem it needs to survive.
Now, Jamaican authorities are turning their attention to Negril, where decades of unplanned development is destroying the local ecosystem and eroding the famous beach.

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the agency responsible for the management and protection of the island’s 1,022 kilometres of coastline, has begun the replanting of sea grass beds and mangrove forests in Negril as well as Montego Bay and Portland Bight. The agency said these areas have faced severe negative impacts from the large-scale removal of coastal vegetation.

The replanting is one of several activities in an “integrated” multi-sector, multi-donor effort to halt the decline of the ecosystems that are crucial to the preservation of Negril’s prized beaches, project manager Mary Gooden said.

Partially funded by a 4.13 million-euro grant from the European Union, the project is expected to provide alternative livelihoods for those whose activities negatively impact the environment and to
enhance the resilience of Negril and other vulnerable coastal areas to the impacts of natural hazards.

Gooden, who works with the Planning Institute of Jamaica, which coordinates climate change mitigation actions on the island, noted that the restoration of Negril’s marine wetlands is expected to boost the ability of the ecosystem to protect of one of Jamaica’s most valuable coastal areas from impacts of severe weather. Healthy wetlands dissipate wave actions and minimise their impacts on the shoreline.

The world famous white sand beaches “have been experiencing severe and irreversible shoreline and retreat” for more than four decades, a 2010 report from the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Methodology Development Project (RIVAMP) warned.

The problems have been exacerbated by inland activities that continue to impact the reefs: unsustainable fishing practices, and the removal of mangroves to increase the number of hotel rooms and to provide material for charcoal and fish pot production.

Jamaica’s State of the Environment (SOE) report 2010 stated that between 2007 and 2010, 2,560 hotel rooms were added, with Montego Bay and Negril accounting for most of the new development at 29 percent and 12.8 percent, respectively.

In 2010, tourism was estimated at 20 percent of Jamaica’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), just over 50 percent of the island’s foreign exchange earnings and a quarter of all jobs. Some say that Negril’s ecosystem may actually account for much as 40 percent of GDP.

In recent decades, Negril has recorded some of the highest rates of coastal erosion in the Caribbean. Studies by the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Smith Warner International for the Negril Coral Reef Protection Society indicate that Negril’s coastline eroded at an average rate of between .5 and one metre a year between 1968 and 2006.

Observers have predicted a strong challenge from the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) led by Portia Simpson Miller, this state’s first female prime minister.

In his final national broadcast ahead of the poll on Thursday, Holness urged the 1.64 million registered voters to support the JLP, stating that that party has “taken the country through some tough times.”

“We give God thanks that we have been able to prevent the type of instability that wealthier countries have experienced,” he said.

In her final hours of campaigning, Simpson Miller, the PNP president, questioned Holness’ ability to run the country, and warned Jamaicans against voting for an inexperienced leader.

“I don’t know if you would put your children in a car with someone who has just learned to drive,” said Simpson Miller, who headed government from March 2006 to September 2007.

Holness, 39, was appointed in October following the resignation of then Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

The PNP has predicted it would win at least 37 of the 60 seats, up from the 28 it won in the 2007 polls.

The latest Jamaica Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll shows that the JLP and the PNP are in a statistical dead heat.

The election would be monitored by national, regional and international observers.

A 25-member team from the Organisation of American States (OAS) was scheduled to be deployed here today.

The Caricom Secretariat has announced that its team arrived in the country December 26 and would remain here until month end.

A police statement said the bloody head was found Wednesday along a commercial strip in Spanish Town, a southern city where violent gangs are deeply entrenched and authorities impose frequent curfews.

The head, which investigators say matches Navardo Hodges of the Clansman gang, had a bullet wound in the middle of the forehead, common of gangland executions in the troubled area. A headless body with gunshot wounds was found splayed on a nearby street.

Detectives suspect the twenty-something Hodges was butchered in revenge for killing the sister of Chan Tesha Miller, the reputed Clansman leader who was sentenced in April to 15 years in prison after being convicted of robbery, assault and weapons possession.

Miller’s arrest set off protests in Spanish Town, where the Clansman have long had a powerful presence.

Authorities said the latest decapitation appeared to be related to an ongoing power struggle within the gang, which has been at war for years with the police and another group, the One Order gang. Over the past year, the Jamaican government’s offensive against crime has created power vacuums within the Clansman.

Police had linked Hodges to a dozen slayings and offered a reward of nearly $6,000 for information leading to his capture.

In mid-July, a churchgoing mother and daughter were beheaded by attackers who invaded their home in the Spanish Town area, near where a wanted 18-year-old Clansman member was found with his head chopped off.

To avenge a death, Jamaican gangs sometimes will murder someone who lives in a neighborhood controlled by perceived enemies, and not specifically target a member of a rival gang.

Holness, 39, ended months of speculation last night when he announced the December poll at a massive political meeting of his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in Central Manchester.

Nomination Day is December 12.

“I want you to have a happy Christmas, a merry Christmas. So we break for the Christmas period, but by the 28th you back on the road, and by the 29th you put your vote in the box, happy New Year, government in place, back on track, ready for work, ready for progress, ready for development, ready for a positive future,” Holness told JLP supporters.

He also made a pitch for undecided voters.

“I want to assure those at the crossroads tonight. I want to assure you that in this leader you have a fair leader, one who understands the issues,” he stated.

Holness, the former Minister of Education, was sworn in as prime minister in late October following the resignation of veteran politician Bruce Golding.

The JLP’s main challenge will come from the Portia Simpson Miller-led People’s National Party (PNP), which declared on Saturday that was ready to go to the polls.

“I have the best team. I have a blend of experience and wisdom and you are looking at not a weak, weak leader,” Simpson Miller stated.

The JLP and PNP will each field 63 candidates for the country’s 16th general election since Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944.

There are just over 1.6 million voters – 300,000 more than was registered for the 2007 poll in which the then Bruce Golding-led JLP won 32 of the seats to the PNP’s 28.

A Jamaica Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson national poll shows both parties locked in a statistical dead heat with 29 per cent of Jamaicans saying they would vote for the JLP, while 32 per cent would vote for the PNP.

A bandmate says Barry Llewellyn of the Heptones died Wednesday at age 64. Lead singer Leroy Sibbles said Friday that Llewellyn died of unknown causes at Kingston Public Hospital.

Llewellyn founded the Heptones with Earl Morgan in the late 1950s. The group was considered highly influential during the island’s rocksteady era in the 1960s.

The Heptones reunited in the 1990s after a nearly 20-year absence during a worldwide ska and rocksteady revival.

The group comprising Llewellyn, Morgan and Leroy Sibbles produced a number of hit songs throughout the 1960s and 1970s which included: Fattie Fattie (1966); I’ve Got a Feeling (1966); Get In the Groove (1967); Equal Rights (1968); Ain’t Nobody Else (1968); Party Time (1966); Pretty Looks (1969); Our Day Will Come (1972); Mistry Babylon (1977); and, Sufferers’ Time (1978).

Leroy Sibbles left the trio in 1979 and migrated to Canada where he began a solo career. Sibbles was replaced with Naggo Morris and group continued to make music producing their last album — Rainbow Valley — in 2007.

Llewellyn is survived by his wife, Monica, and several children.

It has increased the maximum age limit of certain categories of imported used motor vehicles from three to five years and from four to six years for light motor vehicles.

The extended age limit, which takes effect December 1, 2011, will affect motor cars, sports utility vehicles, pick-ups and cargo vans.

The policy shift was announced yesterday by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr Christopher Tufton, who explained that the industry had declined significantly, hitting an all time low in 2009.

“The used car industry was hard hit by the global recession, increased demand from other markets for 3 year-old cars as well as unfavourable movements of the Japanese currency. This resulted in a decline of over 57 per cent between 2008 and 2009,” he stated.

Dr. Tufton pointed out that while the duty reduction implemented to stimulate the industry at the beginning of the financial year resulted in an estimated 14 per cent increase in the importation of all vehicles for the period April to September, 2011, relative to the corresponding period in 2010, sales in the used car sector has since tapered due to cost considerations.

He emphasised that the policy modification is being implemented, “to make motor vehicle more affordable to lower income groups who cannot afford to purchase new cars as well as to boost activity in the used car sector.”

President of the Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association Lynvalle Hamilton has welcomed the decision.

He said consumers should begin to experience the cost benefits from early next year.

Aris was found unconscious at a People’s National Party campaign rally and was taken to the hospital where he died late Thursday, the IAAF said. No cause of death was given.

“Saddened at the passing of the JAAA President, Mr. Howard Aris… The track and field fraternity has lost a man who cared for the sport,” Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt wrote on Twitter.

Aris was president of the island’s athletics association since 2003. He guided Jamaica to its best showing at the 2008 Olympics and 2009 world championships.

“Aris’ lifelong passion for our sport was legendary,” the IAAF said. “(He) had a distinguished career of over 30 years at the forefront of sports administration, sports development and planning, management and physical therapy in Jamaica.”

Aris, who was affectionately called “Fudge,” also was a confidant of former prime minister and PNP president Portia Simpson Miller, who was speaking at Thursday’s rally in Portland.

“His passing has left a shell,” former Olympian Grace Jackson said. “We have lost one of our soldiers.”

Aris is survived by his wife and two children.