Mahogany CoConut Blog

The Caribbean Is One Nation. Submitted by the Mahogany Coconut Group National Flag Of Jamaica Jamaicans go to the polls on Thursday, February 25 th 2016, to elect a new government. We at Mahogany Coconut do not as a rule endorse political parties or candidates in the region because all evidence suggest, at least to us, that they are six of one and half dozen of the other. In the case of Jamaica, we have been less than impressed with the Leader of the Opposition and the Jamaica Labour Party, Mr. Andrew Holness, who has not demonstrated any firm commitment to the regional integration movement. His positions on the Caribbean Court of Justice and his negative comments about CARCOM, in general, have convinced us that he has not grasped what a vibrant CARICOM really means to the region. His stringent opposition to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) replacing the London Privy Council, as our final appeal court, does not endear progressive thinkers to him. On the other hand, ther...

The Caribbean Is One Nation. Submitted by the Mahogany Coconut Group Asami Nagakiya with friends during carnival The murder of Japanese national, Asami Nagakiya, in the Trinidad capital Port of Spain, during the Carnival activities, has thrown Trinidad and Tobago and indeed the Caribbean, into the international limelight for all the wrong reasons. While many will question our adding the Caribbean to this unfortunate incident, we at Mahogany Coconut believe that when any one country in our region achieves positive international recognition, it redounds to the benefit of the entire region. When one of our countries is highlighted for any negative action, it therefore reflects negatively on all of us. Asami Nagakiya was not only a carnival reveler because from many reports, she was also a kind of cultural ambassador, who had mastered playing the steel pan which is the indigenous musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. She was actively teaching and encouraging the playing of ...