KINGSTON, Jamaica, Leader of the prominent opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Mark Golding, has called on Maroon chiefs to advocate for the rights of Maroons.
Golding commented on Friday as he spoke at the 285th-anniversary celebration of the Accompong Maroons in the southern parish of St Elizabeth.
On January 6 each year, the Accompong Maroons celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty between the Maroons and the British led by their late hero, Cudjoe.
The Accompong Maroons, led by Chief Richard Currie, are currently seeking an order from the Supreme Court stating that the lands in the Cockpit Country, where Accompong and other settlements are located, belong to the Maroons.
This conflict has led to public disagreements between the Maroon chief and Prime Minister Andrew Holness. In January last year, Currie was left out of a meeting with government officials and other Maroon heads.
In his message, Golding also urged Maroon chiefs to stand together.
“Do not allow yourself to be set against each other by politricks, petty egoism, or other personal consideration,” he said.
The opposition leader added that “history will not be kind to those who fail to stand together in unity, especially at a time when there are clear and present dangers to your historical rights of autonomy and your way of life.”
Golding also chastised the Government for failing to comply with the recent ruling of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) regarding the human rights complaints raised against bauxite mining on the periphery of the Cockpit Country in the parish of St Ann.
“To the best of my knowledge, the Government has not taken any significant action to remedy this situation and the threat to Maroon life in the Cockpit Country,” he said.
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