Maroon colonel threatens purge

MOORE TOWN, Portland:

Emboldened by the aborted challenge by an 18-year-old upstart that aimed to loosen his decades-old grip of the Moore Town Maroons, Colonel Wallace Sterling has threatened to root out dissidents in the Portland settlement, arguing that many detractors have no bona fide ethnic links to the community.

His tough stance came after teenager Lomorra Dillon failed to attract sufficient support to trigger an election in the eastern Portland Maroon enclave, with Sterling and his backers insistent that the convening of a poll was unconstitutional in clan law.

As it became apparent that Dillon’s bid had scuppered, the elder statesman, who has reportedly received death threats, stamped his authority.

“There are people living in Moore Town who are not Maroons and have no link or claim to any Maroon history who will be served a letter to vacate the area as they are the ones spearheading the initiative to create unrest,” Sterling said in a Gleaner interview.

“I am expecting them to comply, but failure to do so will see us taking additional steps in escorting them out of the community to the boundary line of the Maroon settlement. This is what the Maroon law says, and that is what will be applied. I have no problem with anyone seeking to challenge me as they have the democratic right to do so, but they must abide by the legal process,” he concluded.

There has been robust debate in Jamaican society about the relevance and power of Maroon law, with legal experts adamant that the island’s Constitution supersedes any stipulation or guarantee linked to historical treaties or agreements - a notion that Maroon historians and elders reject.

Sunday’s on-again, off-again election drew a strong presence from the security forces.

But George Harris, a Maroon councillor at Moore Town, said any such election would be illegal and urged “those seeking to disrupt the peace of the nine Maroon communities in the Rio Grande Valley to desist”.

“I think the council members should meet along with the colonel and then we have a township meeting before any form of decision is made. To have a township meeting or a council meeting is the best way to decide whether there should an election,” said Harris.

And as the turnout grew rapidly, it wasn’t until about 4 p.m. that Dillon, who was seeking to unseat Sterling, appealed for a change of the guard.

“I am challenging Colonel Wallace Sterling for the position,” Dillon said.

“Is there anyone here that feel Colonel Wallace Sterling is doing a good job for the Rio Grande Valley? Do you guys feel that it is time for a change and you should elect we as leader of the Rio Grande Valley?” she questioned.

Those queries by Dillon were directed to an audience comprising not more than 10 people who converged near the monument of Jamaica’s national heroine, Nanny of the Maroons. Dillon then proceeded to request the handful of supporters to sign a petition demanding a change in leadership.

Ironically, the large gathering appeared to be more focused on a football game that was in full swing at a nearby playing field.

A supporter of Dillon’s who gave his name only as ‘Touch’, who was once a close ally of Sterling’s, explained that the exercise was never to stage an election but to nudge the sitting colonel to the negotiating table in varied Maroon settlements to address what Touch claimed were long-standing grievances.

Sterling has been at the helm of the Moore Town Maroons since 1995.

Earlier, it emerged that international reggae artiste Buju Banton had reportedly been prevented from entering the upper Rio Grande Valley by police-military personnel at the main checkpoint in Fellowship, which was later confirmed by Superintendent Kenneth Chin, head of the Portland Police Division.

Police sources also revealed that chief of the Accompong Maroons in St Elizabeth, Richard Currie, who was intercepted at an undisclosed location, was warned not to enter the Rio Grande Valley.

Currie has divided public opinion since his election in 2020, stoking a public confrontation with Prime Minister Andrew Holness about sovereignty claims. His bravado has, however, won him commendation in some quarters, where he is seen as a modern-day rebel with a cause.

gareth.davis@gleanerjm.com