If the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, thought the nation dodged a bullet when his party was declared winner of the controversial general elections held on September 3, by now he should be absolutely certain that the island was blown to smithereens when the artillery, in the form of Hurricane Melissa ripped through its heartlands on October 28.
Party propaganda may excite Holness and his followers, but when God judges a nation, it is beyond political banter. Melissa was like a massive tornado on steroids, walking leisurely through the west of Jamaica, taking businesses, homes, vehicles, churches and everything in sight. Longstanding colonial and historical relics did not stand a chance, neither did tourism edifices, the pride and joy of the north coast, go untouched. Beaches were brutalised and bread basket overturned.
Journalists and storm chasers from all over the world rushed to see the spectacle unfold. As far as they were concerned, the Jamaican super-power brand was no match for a massive Category 5 storm packing 185 miles per hour punch. It was a deadly face-off and everyone wanted a ringside seat in the arena.
Pride comes before a fall, and the Holness government has enough of it to fill and overflow Jamaica. This is a government that is perceived to be the most corrupt the country has ever seen. They had a very slim chance of winning a third term in a closely-fought general election, yet somehow they managed to pull it off.
With puffed-up chests and oversized egos, they parade themselves at press briefings and on social media, pretending to be invincible in the eyes of a doting public. This government, led by Holness, intends to transform Jamaica into a fully digital economy. Recently they boasted that robots will replace domestic workers and security guards in some places. No platform is spared the constant chest-beating and bragging about digital advancement.
They readily sign questionable international agreements to hasten their march towards the beast and plans are constantly announced to uproot the country from its righteous heritage and Christian underpinnings.
Holness and his government have been courting God’s judgement for some time, rejecting the persistent call for national repentance and prayer. In recent months, the call had taken on a tone of urgency, but Holness, his friends in the church and his government were deaf to it. They watched with expressed cynicism, and hoped that the storm that had been developing in the Atlantic for weeks, like so many others, would fizzle and Jamaica would be spared.
But as soon as Melissa made landfall, Holness hastily declared Jamaica a Disaster Area, with the hope that his friends overseas would send financial help, just as they did when Beryl brushed southern parishes last year.
With this disaster declaration, Holness has formally admitted that his government is no match for Melissa. It is a firm admission that the destruction across the island has overwhelmed the nation’s ability to respond from the public purse. In other words, Jamaica is broke and cannot pay its own recovery bills. But know this, the Disaster declaration is packed with emergency powers, which immediately provides a good excuse for Holness, his government and his beast allies to advance their digital push.
This government has mastered the art of public relations and frequent press conferences and information overload will be used to camouflage inefficiencies and shield secret agreements that will naturally come with overseas aid.
The Prime Minister must understand that he was placed in Jamaica House to walk righteously and not rebel against God and bring harm to the nation. Holness was positioned to keep Jamaica on the straight and narrow. But, his pride would not allow it. The picture of the Prime Minister, clad in national colours, merely mumbling about the need for prayer, when the nation faced possible decimation, will never leave our mind.
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Holness is a spiritually compromised man. He was raised in the Seventh Day Adventist church and taught the ways of God in Sabbath school. Somewhere in the years as personal assistant to former Prime Minister Edward Seaga, he was exposed to Revivalism, which was the religion Seaga practised.
Holness made his first official visit to India at the end of September last year when he desperately needed a strategy to win a third electoral term. He met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a third-term prime minister, whose underwater trip to consult with the marine kingdom ahead of his election win is plastered all over social media. While visiting with Modi, Holness explored and engaged in various Hindu rituals. Only days ago, Holness was sending Dwali greetings to Modi and showcasing his knowledge of the lighting of the diya (Hindu spiritual lantern) on social media.
Shortly after his return from India last year, Holness and his close associates were preparing to host Hindu spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Jamaica. Shankar met many persons including Holness and his ministers.
This Prime Minister has overseen a government that has erected peace benches in schools, hospitals and other key places, encouraging our children especially to engage in suspicious meditation practices.
This government, egged on by unrighteous elements of the society, has led the country into some dark deadly places, engaging false gods and embracing corruption with no letting up. The nation has moved so far away from its Christian roots that witchcraft, homosexuality and other ills are normalised and moves are afoot to legalise same.
When a Christian nation has positioned itself to face the wrath of the Sovereign Lord, it must repent. God showed us some mercy with Melissa, but if we continue on our current path, it could be fire next time.
Jamaica is a Goshen, a place of absolute charm and infinite abundance. The natural beauty of the land, its white sandy beaches, flowing rivers, lush mountain range, wide variety of flora and fauna and the eco-rich Cockpit Country are evident of divine intent.
Hurricane Melissa, with superpower wind speed, muscular gusts and giant-sized storm surges did not change the fact that Jamaica, with its lush topography of mountains, fruitful valleys, rainforests and reef-lined beaches, is Goshen-material in God’s hand.
Despite the ravages of Melissa, the Goshen, called Jamaica must emerge at latitude 18° North longitude and 77° West, south west of Cuba, exactly as God intended. A righteous Prime Minister, leading a righteous government will lead this nation to its divine destiny.
