Our National Heroes Day is this Monday 23rd January at 9am and is the islands’ largest national celebration. The theme of this year’s celebration is education. Traditional elements include uniform parades, choirs, live music and laying of wreaths in remembrance. Primarily it is the day to honour Cayman’s heroes. It is people who make a country great and not buildings nor the land and the sea that surrounds it. It is the day when all the people who have been previously named to be honoured this year are to be awarded their badges and certificates. It is done to much pomp and applause. So it should.

But what of the past recipients? Especially those who previously received the Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour? Are they recognised again or do they just disappear into oblivion? Sadly, we never hear of them again. It was as if they had never received anything. Most, are not even invited to the ceremony ever again, let alone having a set place in the stands where they can all sit together; where we citizens of the Cayman Islands can see who have been honoured and learn from these great heroes WHO ARE STILL ALIVE!!

It is a disgrace, a total lack of respect to these men and women and devalues the honour that was once bestowed upon them. I have complained about this privately to the government body responsible and their response has been either silence or “they will look into it”. Not one of the persons I spoke to made any comment as to whether they agreed with me but to be fair these were only ‘messengers’. I hope other members of the public and past honourees will make their voices known.

On the Government web site it says:

“It is a unique occasion for the people of the Cayman Islands to unite in celebration of a proud past and a future filled with hope.” Show us.

The best place to obtain ganga is our very own Northward Prison. And you can smoke it without anyone noticing just before you give evidence as a witness in a murder trial.

This was confirmed by Joseph Hurlson, an inmate at Northward, who was called by the crown to give evidence in the Raziel Jeffers murder trial on Wednesday (18). He told the court that he did not have a good memory as he smoked a lot “day and night” and could not remember anything about the murder incident. Despite being in custody since April 2010, he said he was still using the drug and he had a “spliff just a minute ago” before he came to the witness stand.

How many of you are shocked at this news? How many of you are angry? How many will demand this must stop? How many of you are friends and family of the inmates who supply them with drugs? How many of you are officials who “turn a blind eye”?