While there can be no disagreement that macroeconomic stability is necessary for economic growth, equally, it must be stressed that it is not a sufficient condition for economic growth. The Harvard economist-turned-strategist, Michael Porter, puts it well in his contribution to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report.
Wykeham McNeill has characterised the way we are being governed as a "systemic failure of governance". As Opposition spokesman on tourism, he targeted the governance of the sector as a case in point. Up to March 24, he said, there had been no official response to the February 24 charge of the contractor general...
In big political-economy terms, what does the Government hope to achieve from this year's Budget? The Standing Finance Committee of Parliament, which is the whole House, has laboured in futility over the Estimates of Expenditure in the days running up to Easter.
I have decided to take up the challenge of the indefatigable Anglican Internet minister, Dr Lucien Jones: "This Sunday ... we are celebrating Easter - the time of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Now it is time to put away the celebration of the greatest and most competitive high school athletic competition in the entire world ... Champs. It's time to shift focus away from extradition matters. It's time to change gears and get away from IMF agreements, the new budget and other pressing national issues.
Glorious students running on the field of sports have made us proud and pleased. Sadly, there are many others being schooled to run when they should be standing up to challenges.
"But those who wait for the Lord shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired." - Isaiah 40:31"Macka a juk...
In 1899, imports from the United States first exceeded those from the United Kingdom, the Handbook of Jamaica, referenced in the National Library of Jamaica, tells us.
Henry Stewart and I were in high school together. He was a year ahead. Stewie was Olympic material. Although short and thick, he was a speedball on the track in the sprints, making his house a terror to the others.
Many Jamaicans are aware of the many peace agreements, peace accords, codes of conduct and lofty statesman-like pronouncements which have been made denouncing political violence and garrison politics.
The year 2010 can be deemed to be the 50th anniversary of Jamaican popular music. While a couple of recordings were composed before that date, notably by Laurel Aitken, there was little commercial thrust of any magnitude. It was in 1960 that Jamaican popular music became sufficiently energised to emerge as a promising cultural medium.
On September 20, 2005, then prime minister P.J. Patterson and leader of the Opposition, Bruce Golding, signed a Declaration on Political Conduct in Parliament amid their parliamentary colleagues and in the presence of the political ombudsman, Bishop Herro Blair.
As Farmer Joe looked down at me, his furrowed brow could not escape attention. There we were, way up in the skies, aboard an Air Jamaica flight from Fort Lauderdale to Kingston. He said that he had already taken his seat when he saw me in the aisle, trying to find space for my small suitcase in one of the luggage compartments.
On February 4, the latest instalment of Jamaica's relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was made official. A year and a half after the crash of Lehman Brothers, signalling the world financial and economic crisis, the support under the IMF programme was a welcomed move, and the attendant other multi-lateral support should be useful as Jamaica pursues economic and social prosperity, at least in the short term.
The Spokespersons' Council (Shadow Cabinet) of the Opposition People's National Party held an important retreat on March 6 and 7, last weekend. This was part of its preparation to resume its role as government, whenever the electorate asks it to.
Dennis Chung has abandoned the usually narrow economistic concerns of financial analysts and is focusing almost exclusively these days on Jamaica's urgent need to fix our social problems, particularly crime and the lack of respect for public order. That's priority number one for Jamaica, not balancing the books.
The University of the West Indies (UWI) Faculty of Law hosted a seminar on the need to modernise the arbitration framework in Jamaica. The article below puts the discussion in context.
