Chinese community celebrates 150th anniversary of the JCF
THE YEAR 2017 marked the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). As one of the many events for the month-long celebration, the JCF extended the hand of cooperation to the Chinese community with the idea of an event to encourage social and cultural exchange.
The various stakeholders in the Chinese community – the Chinese Benevolent Association, the Chinese Freemason Society, the Dongguan Hometown Association, the Fujian Association, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the Association of Chinese Enterprises (ACE) in Jamaica – welcomed the idea.
As a result, 68 members of the JCF Chinese Culture Club and JCF liaison officers, along with 130 members of the Chinese community, came together on Sunday, November 26 at the CBA Centre at 176 Old Hope Road to share a meal, engage in conversation, to learn about t he JCF’s efforts t o better understand the Chinese community, and find ways to address the issues that affect the Chinese community and the wider Jamaican society.
MAIN SPEAKERS
Principal among the main speakers at this social setting was Bishop Dr Gary Welsh, assistant commissioner of police, who introduced the JCF liaison officers and the JCF Chinese Culture Club, and outlined initiatives to improve the effectiveness of police patrols in the downtown shopping district, of which the Chinese-owned establishments are a significant proportion.
The JCF Chinese Culture Club was formed by the graduates of the Mandarin programmes at the National Police College of Jamaica at Twickenham Park, part of a police initiative to learn Mandarin, the official language of China.
Speaking in the context of efforts to develop a dynamic and enhanced relationship between the recently arrived Chinese community operating small establishments across the island and the JCF, Bishop Dr Gary Welsh observed, “As the guarantors of ‘ordered liberty’, the police must be seen as a trusted and valued partner in nation building. The core of our message to the Chinese community is that there is an abundance of economic value in effective policing.”
Valton Simpson, health, safety and environmental engineering manager of China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd, delivered the key presentation on behalf of the recently formed ACE. According to Simpson, ACE is a 15-member, non-profit organisation formed by Chinese companies incorporated in Jamaica, which are primarily involved in construction, production, sales and trade.
Also in attendance was Ambassador Niu Qingbao of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, who expressed warm greetings to the men and women of the JCF, congratulating them on their 150th anniversary.
NOTABLE JAMAICAN-CHINESE
Complementing the discussions were video presentations on the influence of t he JamaicanChinese on Jamaican society, including, for example, Byron Lee, who was instrumental in bringing more exposure t o Jamaican music on the worldwide music landscape; while retired lecturer Dr Victor Chang presented ‘Lessons from the Past: Chinese Jamaican Relations’.
The camaraderie of the afternoon saw senior police personnel as well as members of the JCF rank and file sharing traditional Chinese fare from Ching Tung Restaurant, which included everything from honey-roasted chicken and sweet and sour fish fillet to chicken chop suey and fried rice – an opportunity for the JCF officers to enjoy Chinese cuisine.
The event came to a close with t he vote of t hanks by CBA’s immediate past president, Damian Chin, and a tour of the CBA’s Chinese Museum, led by CBA past President Vincent Chang, featuring a display which included Chinese costumes, books, artefacts and other items of traditional Chinese heritage.