The most important race for Jamaica today is not any of those being run by its great athletes, but that between its income and its planned expenditures.
On May 19, 2009, Bruce Golding declared in Parliament that Cabinet had decided to pass laws to require the inclusion of the father's name in the registration of birth.
Given the appointment of Professor Donald Harris as consultant to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) on "growth inducement strategies" and the ongoing nationwide "series of consultations...
Jamaica's financial sector has received both criticism and accolades for the way in which it has played its increasingly critical role in national development and contributed to growth, or lack thereof, in our economy over the years.
The present administration has used every opportunity to seek political mileage from the long-term sale agreement for alumina from production at the Jamalco plant at Halse Hall, Clarendon.
If Information Minister Daryl Vaz did speak abusively and used expletives in expressing his disgust to Christene King over her newspaper's reports on him, then his action should be roundly condemned by all decent persons, including our 'chief servant'.
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) went into its 67th annual conference at the National Arena in Kingston last Sunday under a heavy media cloud of gloom and doom. Journalists, commentators and analysts in the last few weeks, and even more so in the days leading up the event, gave the distinct impression to the Jamaican public that the conference would be a definite flop.
The first Commonwealth Conference, organised by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies was held November 10-12, at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, United Kingdom, at which many of the current award holders, from across the Commonwealth member states were in attendance.
It was not a bad week for the Jamaica Labour Party and its embattled leader, Bruce Golding. Moving from the disastrous week preceding, the Labourites held their love-in at the National Arena on Sunday, pulling out the big crowds and, reportedly, tears of joy from a highly-appreciative leader who needed all the love he could get.
From whatever angle it is viewed, fly high or fly low, the J$31-million gift from a Dutch company doing business in Jamaica, to the People's National Party (PNP) in 2006, was nothing more or nothing less than a campaign donation, ineptly handled.
The Member of Parliament for Central Kingston has raised again the need to settle the question of dual citizenship. I share his anxiety, perhaps for different reasons, to have our tardy representatives address the subject with dispatch and good sense.
Recent press reports of the dramatic deterioration in the Irish political economy such as: 'Irish grasp at EU, IMF lifeline' by David Enrich and Charles Forelle, in the Wall Street Journal of November 17; 'Ailing Ireland accepts bailout', by Marcus Walker, Charles Forelle and David Enrich, Wall Street Journal (November 22)) serve as a timely cautionary tale, full of meaning and truth for the Jamaican political economy.
Two Sundays ago, my colleague, Martin Henry, headlined his column 'Making sense of development statistics'. His focus was the Planning Institute of Jamaica's (PIOJ's) handling of the recently announced country rankings in human development, suggesting that Jamaica's position had dramatically improved (our position at number 80 has actually declined by six points since 2005).
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) held its annual conference last weekend. It would have wanted to have a conference under better circumstances. Instead, it found itself in a defensive, even embarrassing position. The public session of the conference, which the party leader addressed, was devoted to defending the selection of the commissioners...
Consumers of Jamaica's mass media have come to expect the social pages of the dailies to convey the popular definition of the 'sexy', the 'sexual' and the 'sensual'. Oftentimes these concepts are depicted by the drooping arm pits, double chins and welted cheeks of the middle aged and dowager queens of questionable vintage.
Cuba has said that 16 hurricanes have struck the island between 1997 and 2009 at a cost of $20 billion. Over the same time, the country lost $10 billion due to lower world prices for its sugar, tobacco and nickel, and rising import costs for oil and basic foods.
The apology of the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago for the expressed hurt that was caused by her statement concerning the twin-island republic's assistance to sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) territories in the wake of the Hurricane Tomas devastation is certainly encouraging.
It has been a disastrous year for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and every time its leaders think it can't get worse, it does. JLP leaders must be asking, "When will our terrors cease?" Last week gave no indication that would be anytime soon.
This weekend the Jamaica Labour Party is in conference with both itself and the Government it now forms mired in difficulties. The Coke extradition/Manatt, Phelps, Phillips matter refuses to go away. Indeed, the belatedly announced commission of enquiry by the prime minister and party leader has unleashed fresh storms of controversy.
Ken JonesContributorSunday columnist Robert Buddan has suggested with astonishing audacity that the governor general "has a responsibility, at the very least, to invite the leader of the Opposition in for consultation" to pass judgment on the prime...
Informed by the research data that have emanated from the many studies, commissions and high-level debates, the United Nations has made a concerted effort to refocus on the outstanding issues of women and girls' unequal status. This inequality has historically and contemporarily been reinforced by the strength of the patriarchal dispensation...
The recent discussion by Jamaican economists at the Gleaner's forum, "Economic Growth and the Role of a Pegged Exchange Rate", about whether Jamaica's economic growth would be better promoted by a fixed or floating exchange rate seems to have missed the point completely.
