North-Western Clarendon's By-election
Yes friends, a by-election took place in North West Clarendon, today. The JLP's Micahel Stern ran against the NDM's Eaton Williams.
(The Supreme Court found Michael Stern unfit to sit in the House of Parliament, as a Member of Parliament (MP), since at the time of his nomination for the September 2007 General Election, he was a US citizen.
This is disallowed by the Jamaican Constitution, as no MP can be a citizen of a non-Commonwealth State and sit in the House of Parliament).
The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) did not contest the election, as a result of their defeat in previous by-elections resulting from dual-citizenship cases. However an Independent Party - the National Democratic Movement (NDM), did.
The likely winner is Mr. Stern, so many people have chastized the NDM for allowing the Electoral Commission to spend money that the government can hardly spare right now ($30 million), to run a by-election, knowing very well that they will lose.
However the NDM claim that they have offered a candidate as a matter of principle, seeing that the PNP did not contest the by-election.
GWAP Blog will keep you updated re the results, which should be known by 7:00 p.m. today.
The Latest re the Five (5) Athletes who had Adverse Analytical Findings in their Urine Samples
One of the five, Sheri-Ann Brooks, has been cleared of all charges (by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal), seeing that, due to a misunderstanding between the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) and herself, neither she nor her representative were present when her B sample was being tested at the testing facility in Canada...thus making the results of that test, null and void.
(This means that JADCO has upheld the previous decision by their own Disciplinary Panel, made on August 12,2009. The Appeals Tribunal was set up to review the decisions made by JADCO's Disciplinary Panel, regarding all five athletes, in August of this year).
The other four (4) athletes: Yohan Blake, Allodin Fothergill, Marvin Anderson and Lansford Spence, have pleaded guilty to taking banned substance, 4-Methyl-2-hexanamine and will have their sentencing hearing before the Jamaica Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal on September 14,2009.
The decision is to be made as to whether:
1) They'll get a public warning
Or
2) They'll be suspended for up to two (2) years.
Brussels Golden League (Van Damme Memorial) Meet, September 4,2009
Brussels was all the rave earlier this evening, as Jamaicans again, represented us well in athletics.
This was the final IAAF Golden League event for the year.
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Brigitte Foster Hylton had a nail-biting finish of 12.48 secs in the 100m Hurdles (women) to just edge Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, by a centimetre, who ran 12.49 secs.
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Asafa Powell won the 100m(men) in 9.90 secs ahead of an injured Tyson Gay of the USA, in 10.00 secs.
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Carmelita Jeta took the 100m (women) in 10.88 secs, ahead of Shelly-Ann Fraser (2nd in 10.98 secs), Kerron Stewart (3rd in 11.05 secs), Veronica Campbell-Brown (4th in 11.10 secs) and Sherone Simpson (8th in 11.39 secs).
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The USA's Sanya Richards (400m women), Russia's Elena Isinbaevo (Pole Vault), Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele ( 5000m men) all won their six (6) events and each shared the $1 million Jackpot.
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Usain Bolt ran the 200m (men) in 19.57 secs setting a new Meet Record!
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Other results from this meet, can be found at the IAAF's website here.
Will Dudus be Extradited?
Talk of the extradition of West Kingston strongman, Christopher Coke (also known as "Dudus"), has been big news this week.
The United States claim that he's he a drug kingpin, who acts as consultant to US-based gangs, and distributes guns to gangs in Jamaica, from a wharf near Tivoli Gardens.
His supporters in the community of Tivoli Gardens, say no...he's a community leader who has uplifted the community of Tivoli Gardens to internationally renown status.
One thing we know is that he's been able to keep that community 'calm'...you don't hear of the warring that goes on in other inner city communities, in Tivoli Gardens.
The Jamaican government is to decide on whether or not they'll extradite him to the USA.
It is said that he's a friend of the governing Jamaica Labour Party-JLP (Bruce Golding, Jamaican Prime Minister, is the MP for West Kingston - the constituency within which Tivoli Gardens is situated), so the government's loyalties may be divided, as the USA is also a friend of Jamaica.
However, the USA does have an extradition treaty with Jamaica. (A copy of that document can be found on the OAS's website, here).
So, who will win?
Who do you think?
The USA of course!
They're the big players here.
We've heard media stories that there are US Marshalls here just waiting for the Jamaican government to give their go-ahead for the extradition.
But noted Jamaican lawyers are saying that probably "Dudus" may be charged in Jamaica, tried by a Jamaican court and if found guilty, extradited.
Well, we'll see how this plays out...
Everyone deserves a fair trial. The thing is whether or not Dudus will get this fair trial in Jamaica or the USA...
Will let you know how this turns out!
Gillian
Sources Include
1) Television Jamaica's coverage of the Brussels Van Dame Meet, September 4,2009
2) Article, "Four Jamaican runners admit using banned substance", Associated Press - via Canadian Press, September 4,2009
3) Iaaf.org - Results of the IAAF's Golden League's Van Damme Meet, September 4, 2009
4) Television Jamaica News at 7:00 p.m., September 3,2009
5) Article, "'Tread Carefully - Law professor warns that 'Dudus' case has consequences", Jamaica Gleaner, September 3,2009
6) Article, "Jamaica's sprinter Sheri-Ann Brooks 'freed'", by Laurie Foster, TrackAlerts.com, September 2,2009
7) Article, "Brooks cleared - Appeals tribunal upholds decision of JAD disciplinary panel", by Anthony Foster, Gleaner Writer via SportsJmaiaca.com
8) Various Jamaican Radio Talk-Show Programmes, September 1-4, 2009
9) Article, "No-contest - Supreme Court orders by-election Pnp opts out of September 4 polls" - Jamaica Gleaner August 13,2009
