The Power of the People – Jamaican Pastor encourages moving from defence to attack on COVID-19

BY PASTOR AL MILLER

In crisis, it is acceptable to have more questions than answers. … In crisis, we should all be learners. H.R.H. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands

These are difficult and dark days for the world from the effects of COVID-19! It is a virus, which some say is a man-made dilemma unleashed on us. Some expect the vaccine to bring a ray of hope. Others believe it will not end the dilemma any time soon. Many fear that it could create its own crisis.

Is there a ray of real hope? Yes, there is! Mankind, with God’s help, has survived many epidemics, pandemics, and wars. Some of those disasters had much greater levels of devastation. In the days of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, one of the songs that kept hope alive in the worst of times was the anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”

We too shall overcome this COVID crisis and sooner than later, if we unite in our own interest, apply critical thinking, analyse everything; take right responsible action; break the fear barriers and take an offensive approach, WE SHALL OVERCOME!

Fought too long and hard to give up
Our forefathers fought long and hard for our freedom. They took a stand for our rights, for justice, for independence, for self-government and the ability to choose and chart our own destiny.

Bob Marley penned this concept and sang:

Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny,

And in this judgement there is no partiality.

(Brother, you’re right,) you’re right,

You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right!

We gonna fight (we gon’ fight), fighting for our rights!

We must not surrender our rights to anybody, internally or externally, for any price. Unfortunately, too many weak leaders in other countries around the world are content to hand over on a platter the liberties and legacy earned by the blood, sweat and tears of their forefathers. We cannot follow them! They are handing hard earned rights over to the sons of our oppressors and neo-colonial enslavers for a loaf of bread or simple pride of place. No! No! We Jamaicans cannot be of that ilk!

Positive Action Time!
COVID has devastated our nation on many fronts; frustration levels are high; the education of our children is being compromised. Business, social and economic life is waning. No longer can we as leaders and citizens simply observe the process, take a fatalistic approach, or sit back and fasten your seat belts and hope for the best. It is action time. It is time for an aggressive, objective, and offensive approach.

I must applaud our Government and their team of elected officials and civil servants for a continued excellent job in dealing with the COVID crisis. They have carefully and ably led us in observing the protocols and the dictates of external powers. This has been useful.  However, that approach has been primarily a defensive approach, which has never and can never win a game or a war. Victory only comes by the offensive approach. You must attack to defeat or sit back and be defeated.

I pose it to the Hon. Prime Minister of Jamaica and fellow citizens that the recommended passive defensive approach to date, after one year of Covid’s negative and destructive impact on our nation and world, may suit and serve the interest of our oppressors, but not us!

The defensive approach serves only their interest, as they are the sole beneficiaries of this status quo. It certainly has not worked for us. The evidence is evident; rising cases of infected citizens, death tolls climbing, medical services being overwhelmed and consequently negatively impacting on other medical cases (look no further than the precious seventeen year old who died from an asthma attack).

Evidence for current status quo is flawed!
A preponderance of evidence shows many international organizations, companies, interest groups and their spokespersons have demonstrated the consistent inconsistency in the status quo arguments. There have been repeated double standards; the withholding and hiding of valuable information; denials of obvious truth. We have all seen conflict of interests and excessive attempts to censor and suppress any opposing or alternative opinions. This drives suspicion that all is not right in the current status quo camp!

Integrity of information, motives and actions seem suspect. After a year and little change, it is time for open forums to discuss the contending views and shape a path with the support of the people. That’s what free democracy is about. We cannot alter when it suits. Principles stand and must inform all areas of governance at all times.

All knowledge and wisdom does not rest only in one narrow camp of a few minds. History and experience have shown that whenever a position rejects, silences or discredits any alternative view, something is not right. Truth can always stand up to questions and scrutiny.

I must speak; we all must!
It is an accepted fact that the efforts of our Government in this crisis are sincere. No sane government would govern with the motive to destroy or annihilate their citizens. Our government is not insane.

But an equal fact of governance is the difficulty they face in trying to hold everything in balance: to keep the economy going with the least disruption; while having to observe international agreements, honour international arrangements and world accepted protocols.

Governments sometimes have to support the narrative of their alliances and their related leadership, which in many cases can be questionable. These external alliances, forces and loud voices cannot be always trusted to speak truth. For it is not always that our interests, as a small developing nation, are their interests.

Therefore, I am obligated in my office as a Pastoral leader for the people of my nation, to raise and address some concerns that affect their best welfare. You also are obligated as a business leader, civil society leader or opinion leader (journalist)!

My Faith demands of me to speak truth as I have always done, and declare truth to power on all matters, especially in the public domain and when danger lurks.

I cannot be silent anymore on this COVID matter! Neither can you in your own leadership capacity. Silence cannot be the prerogative of any leader who realizes that there seems to be duplicity and untruthfulness in much of the status quo evidence, arguments and demanded actions so far. Martin Luther King said it well when he said, “The silence of the good people is more dangerous than the brutality of the bad people.”

Good people, we can be silent no more! As citizens of this nation, we must radically speak and move to defeat this COVID crisis. We must now move from defensive play to offensive play as the attack strategy to win.

Truth is what sets people free. Let me share the truth of months of my research and experience to assist us as a nation. May it serve as a recommendation as part of the national strategy to attack this COVID monster: It can be defeated without negative and disastrous effects on the body or continued crippling of the society.

• We must, as our new era Prime Minister and government has asked us to commit to observing the protocols.
• All citizens must work hard and be taught how to build up their greatest possible virus defence, the immune system. It is our best offensive approach to ward off COVID. Yet it has not formed the centre of our international public education focus. This means eating fruits and vegetables, getting adequate rest and taking additional vitamins like C, B-Complex, D and others recommended.
• We must cease throwing out and discrediting proven medication that doctors have used and are using that have helped millions, cured thousands and reduced the need for hospitalization for many.
• Then there are the homeopathic and alternative modalities that have contributed. What has cured the 99.7% of infected persons to date? I suggest for most it is the wonderful God designed Immune system, known drugs, plus the tremendous supportive care to symptoms by our brilliant doctors worldwide. It must not be lost on us that the 99.7% recovery rate has been without a vaccine.

Let’s talk: There are other ways (Alternative Medicines)

Great care must always be taken not to lightly do anything or apply any approach that infringe upon the rights, freedoms and liberties of a society. Free people in a free law-abiding society must be given the truth and options and allow them to choose their courses of action. Moral suasion should always be the preferred options.

It cannot be successfully argued or denied that with the tremendous scientific and medical advancement of the last fifty years that there are not known tested and proven existing medications that although may not be perfect can considerably contribute to contain and control most viruses and bacteria.

There are available drugs that are both preventative and highly curative. There are many people here in Jamaica and overseas who these drugs have helped. Many local doctors and hospitals used them to treat many Covid positive patients, particularly in the upper echelon of society.

A personal friend of mine, and Pastor of one of the largest churches in New York City had one of the worst attacks in the early COVID-19 outbreak in New York. He nearly died as he had a lung problem. He was hospitalized and his doctors tried everything to no avail. In desperation his doctors agreed to try alternative strategies, as he had nothing to lose.

Although they knew a medication had antiviral properties there was no medical evidence that it would work for Covid. As a last resort, they, with his approval, tried it.

In his own testimony he declared, “It saved my life.” No one can say it does not work. Scores of doctors have been using it and have had no fatalities; all have been cured. The drugs combined of which I speak, are hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and zinc. The American Journal of medicine now recommends their use for treatment of COVID-19 outpatients. Hundreds of millions have used it around the world since 1955. It is sold in many countries as an over the counter drug with a high safety profile.

The Virology Journal, the official publication of the National Institutes of Health published what is now a blockbuster article on August 22^nd, 2005. Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus injection and spread. “We report… that chloroquine has a strong antiviral effect on SARS-COV injection of primate cells. These inhibitory effects are observed when cells are treated with the drug either before or after exposure to the virus suggesting both prophylactic and therapeutic advantage.”

NIH continued, “Concentrations of 10vm completely abolished SARS-COV infection. Chloroquine can effectively reduce the establishment of infection and spread of SARS-COV.”  It is of interest to note that Hydroxycholoroquine is a much milder form of Chloroquine.

Another known drug being used by doctors in many nations with all successful results is IVERMECTIN. Data abounds on the great results in prevention and its aid in the curative. An attack approach as a nation involving some of these tried medicines should begin by deliberately educating and equipping our people to the efficacy of these alternatives. We could possibly break the back of this Covid monster with this approach.

We cannot continue the defensive fear filled approach being driven by external forces with their own agendas. On what basis are we being told they cannot work when others are seeing results?  All this, while the recommended vaccines that have been rushed to the fore, are not yet tried and proven.

There are many other such anecdotal and alternative medical testimonies. Some of you reading this have the evidence in front of you, right there on your desk, in your medical journals, or electronic device. It’s undeniable!

Let the people choose
In an OpEd article in The Guardian newspaper of Britain, titled “Watching New Zealand’s Covid success from bungling Britain has been torture,” author Todd Atticus said, “It is clear to me that these alternate realities aren’t just dumb luck or geographical good fortune. They are the result of different political choices.

Let’s be the next commonwealth country role model to beat this dreaded virus!” Atticus continued, “Everyone in the world has been reminded of the power the state has to reshape our lives.”

Let the world experience the power of the Jamaican state, combining with the power of the Jamaican people to allow for CHOOSING life-saving alternatives as we battle the virus and positively reshape our future together.

So, I suggest Hon. new era PM, allow our citizens to be educated on possible options and methods that can prevent infection and let them choose. When people feel a part of the solution, as part of a strategy to attack and conquer, the compliance rate will increase to make us win the war.

In a modern democracy issues that affect the survival and direction of a people must engage the people in dialogue. Let’s together attack Covid on all fronts and beat it.