RETURN of the JEDIS

Friday, February 12, 2009 marked the last and final TV news anchoring that Jackie Woods would deliver to Belizean viewers.  More symbolically, though, it marked the end of an illustrious career of one of Belize’s most acclaimed radio and TV journalists.  Indeed, the short tributes aired at the end of both Channel 7 and Channel 5’s February 12, 2009 news broadcast provided but only a ‘’snapshot’’ of Jackie’s extensive journalistic work in Belize.

Throughout her career, Jackie earned the respect and admiration of her peers both locally and regionally, the latter of which is evidenced by the various journalism awards bestowed upon her by regional broadcasting institutions.  Among her peers in Belize, Jackie set herself apart with her ability to provide stories that were well researched and comprehensive.  No one could deny that Jackie had a passion for what she did.  Lest anyone does, though, he need only refer to one of Jackie’s recent stories in which she challenged the Governor of the Central Bank to bring pressure to bear on the commercial banks regarding their unconscionably high interest rates.

The departure of Jackie Woods from Belizean media no doubt leaves a void especially when one considers the growing number of amateur journalists in Belize today.  Thus, it was with much eagerness and anticipation that I waited to see who would replace Jackie at Channel 7.  Lo and behold and much to my amusement, there he was on the TV screen, during the news broadcast for Tuesday, February 16, 2009 – the recycled and washed up journalist, Jim McFadzean.  At first glance, I actually thought that it was a news reel Jules had dug up from his archives but no, it was LIVE.  Now, for a man who has long proclaimed to be a “veteran” journalist, McFadzean, or Jim as he prefers to be called, subjected himself to much laughter and ridicule when his return to the big screen was marked by his reporting of a mere ‘’fender bender’’ between two Belize City transit buses.  There he was notebook in hand.  I swear if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought that Jim was the traffic warden issuing tickets to the two bus drivers.

Now, if Jim’s replacement of Jackie were limited only to news reporting, I could live with that but then, the “Brian Jennings Wannabe” appeared the Friday of that same week, this time, anchoring the news broadcast.  All I could conclude is that Jackie’s departure has caused Jules and Net to become a pair of very desperate men.  Everybody knows that Indira does not understand 99% of the hypholluted garbage her News Director places on the teleprompter for her to read but surely, Jules could’ve asked her to anchor the Friday news broadcasts.  And what ever happened to Deidra Isaacs?  Poor Jackie, she must be feel so insulted and disrespected to know that she’s been replaced by the recycled, washed up Jim.  And, perhaps, Jim may want to consider using a neck brace for his next anchoring because unless my eyes were deceiving me, that brother’s head was shaking more than Haiti.

You see, Jim McFadzean is part of a group of sore losers that include among others Faith Babb-Stuart and Rev. Rudolph Anthony.  Babb-Stuart currently works as the Manager of the Constituency Office for the UDP Collet Area Representative.  Anthony is the General Manager of Government Primary Schools at the Ministry of Education.  Ask the residents of Collet and the government primary school teachers and principals and they’ll tell you that both these individuals are always ‘’M.I.A’’.

McFadzean, Babb-Stuart and Anthony are your “typical” UDPs.  When their Party lost the General Elections to the PUP in 1998, they wasted no time in boarding a jet plane to the US.  It’s anybody’s guess what these three rolling stones did during their time in the Land of Opportunity.  February 7, 2008 saw their Party return to government; and, in similar fashion, they wasted no time in boarding a jet plane back to their homeland, Belize.  No high rises and bright lights could keep them from returning to the ‘’good life’’ under the UDP.

And so it is each and every time the UDP becomes the Government of Belize.  It’s a time of “mass exodus’’ back to Belize of incompetents and losers – RETURN of the JEDIS!  And therein lies a fundamental difference between UDPs and PUPs.  When in Opposition, the UDPs flee their homeland en masse.   When in Opposition, the PUPs stay put and ‘’weather the storm’’.  And by Dean Oliver’s own admission, one hell of a storm it’ll be in the months and years ahead but we PUPs aren’t going anywhere.

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