The imminent launch of an unemployment insurance (UI) scheme is a welcome development with, as Nigel Clarke observed, profoundly positive implications for Jamaica’s socio-economic development. Such schemes, as the finance minister noted in the...
At a lecture on March 21 at The University of the West Indies on connecting the African diaspora with CARICOM, Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s minister of international relations and cooperation, spoke about Jamaica’s contribution to the liberation...
Next month, Antigua and Barbuda will be host to a bevy of international diplomats, civil society experts, and policymakers – all working together to define the development pathways of small island developing states (SIDS) for the next decade....
It took ages. So Fitz Jackson, the opposition member of parliament, is allowed to enjoy a sense of relief and vindication over the central bank’s announcement of service standards to which Jamaica’s financial institutions must adhere with respect...
Last week Jamaicans for Justice, one of the most impactful civil society groupings, drew attention to the number of undebated motions on the Order Paper of the House of Representatives. It has long been so and is unlikely to change given the way...
In an age dominated by screens and sedentary lifestyles, the call for physical activity has never been more urgent, especially for our school-aged children. The mental, physical and cognitive benefits of physical activity have been unequivocally...
On March 27, in Dominica, as the chair of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSAD), a subcommittee of CARICOM, signalled the start of the meeting to consider the adoption of Caribbean Moves, a regional response to lifestyle diseases (...
Born in New Nanny Town in the hills of Portland, Bryan McFarlane is a visual artist whose work manifests a global African identity. The naming of McFarlane’s birthplace reflects the history of colonisation in Jamaica. The original name of the town...
It is “as symbolic as it is progressive”; newly minted Commissioner of Police Kevin Blake has removed the ‘W’ from before females federated ranks in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF); finally eliminating the ‘woe’ that distinguishes them from...
Jamaica has two major political parties, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP). However, if people happen to disagree with, criticise, or complain about anything that has to do with a political party, the ruling...
After nearly three decades working in Jamaica’s Parliament – the last three years as its Clerk – Valrie Curtis retired yesterday. Her final act was a gracious memorandum, sent by email to all members of the legislature, thanking them for having...
Like many well-thinking Jamaicans, I watched in horror recent CCTV video footage of individuals dressed in police uniforms who appear to order a male to kneel down after which a single gunshot is heard. While we do not know if the video in question...
Sewage flowing in downtown Kingston communities has become such a commonplace occurrence it does not even merit a news story these days. It only becomes news when it affects institutions like the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH). We recently learnt...
The escalation of violence in Gaza by Israel has prompted a global outcry, marking a rising disgust, particularly among the young, for what is widely regarded as a hugely disproportionate response to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023....
Why were the teacher’s eyes crossed? She couldn’t control her pupils. One of the boys, son of a very rich man, threw his watch out of the school window because he wanted us to see time fly. I was one of the others and my partner in crime was...
There is much that is worthy of comment in the public domain, so here are my observations on three current issues. The Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) has announced new service standards to be met by commercial banks which operate automated banking machines...
The current government has often been characterised as being tone deaf to the sentiments of languishing Jamaican poor, and is accused instead of being in the pockets of the wealthy. Some Jamaicans continue to face the brunt of poverty, but if we...
Joe Biden’s declaration of outrage and heartbreak over the killing by Israel’s military this week of seven Western aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza rings hollow. Not only was the American president’s anger over these deaths...
Jamaican farmers are likely to welcome Nigel Clarke’s promise to impose additional stamp duties on imported raw foods in compensation for his planned removal of the general consumption tax (GCT) from those products. But the finance minister will no...
I HAVE deliberately stayed away from the Bob Marley biopic, One Love. Not because I’m not a fan of Bob Marley or his music, but more so because, as a law enforcement official, I get to spend a lot of time up close and personal with the dregs of...
On March 26, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, delivered his closing presentation for the 2024/2025 Budget Debate. One issue which has garnered much interest is the proposed removal of General Consumption Tax (GCT) on...
It is disturbing that there is still no clear government policy or programme to address the problem of mentally ill people who come into conflict with the law and find themselves in jail and unable to plead. If there is indeed a policy, it appears...
This week, I am taking a detour into history. My knowledge of Haiti’s history was limited to the revolution of 1791-1804 in which a slave rebellion in then Saint Domingue led to independence from France. I heard about the involvement in the early...
“We want France to leave us alone!” – Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye “Africa belongs to African,” Senegal’s President Diomaye Faye said, as he basked in his recent earth-shattering triumph over the corrupt, Western-backed Macky...
As we made clear at the announcement last month, this newspaper welcomes the Government’s elimination, as promised, of the need for borrowers from its Students’ Loans Bureau (SLB) to have guarantors. It is expected that this policy change, which...
