The 54th Annual World Economic Forum (WEF) was held in Davos, Switzerland, January 15-19 under the theme ‘rebuilding trust’. I mentioned this in my article of January 3 on ‘the 2024 trade and economic agenda’. I noted that this forum would address...
It is almost certain that the long-postponed – by more than three years – local government elections will be held next month. Both the Jamaica Labour Party, which controls the national government and the majority of the municipal councils, and the...
It’s becoming harder and harder to be witty or satirical about Jamaica’s violent crime. These days, as I sit before my magic rectangle staring at its blank facsimile of a page, I try to channel any of Jamaica’s satirists including legends like Mass...
The death of Melissa Silvera and the subsequent developments arising from the investigations into the circumstances surrounding her demise have become not only a popular topic of conversation in Jamaica, but also one that has caused much outrage....
More than six decades ago, in 1960, when Lawrence Rowe was a prodigiously talented, 11-year-old batsman, the great West Indian thinker C.L.R. James, in the preface to Beyond a Boundary, his book on cricket and life, posed this question: “What do...
Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ signal of his government’s intention to remove for all borrowers from Students’ Loans Bureau (SLB) the need to have at least one guarantor will no doubt be popular. For even that minimal requirement is difficult...
What is the purpose of human life and human society anyway? Is it whatever suits your interests or pleasures me? Does it matter if I choose to live from one titivation to the next until capacity, money or breath run out? Is the principle of mutual...
The voices and concerns of developing countries in the UN, collectively referred to as the “Global South”, prioritise peace, security, and development. These objectives require an integrated framework for international cooperation, with the Global...
The claim by trade unionist Rudolph Thomas that fixed-term contracts are being “weaponised” against workers is another reminder of the government’s lagging labour market agenda, including its failure to seriously engage Jamaicans on a labour...
CHAKA-CHAKA SPELLING Mi column bout how Rockfort Mineral Bath lock down mek one “Portmore citizen” email mi bout di Two Sisters Caves: “The caves, which for years were an attraction for locals and tourist alike, have been closed for quite some...
“Without favour affection malice or ill will.” As simple as this sounds, it is one of the most beautiful professional oaths anyone can live by. Recognising that the larger good can only be accomplished, when we accept that the rules apply to the...
It is blatantly obvious that, unless something is catastrophic, or monumental enough to provide positive ‘optics’ or is beneficial to the ‘narrative’ that they wish to portray, the authorities often choose to be conspicuously silent (I call it...
It is clear cut! There is a glaring symbiosis between the present administration’s approach to Jamaica embracing the globally acclaimed, accessible Caribbean Court of Justice and their settled modus in pursuing Jamaica’s foreign relations...
Justice Minister Delroy Chuck is not about to see anyone hanged. Even though he wants to send a signal to the criminals who are wreaking havoc in society, Mr Chuck has declared that he is against the death penalty. So when Delroy Chuck rises in...
The Organization of American States (OAS) demonstrated its continuing relevance and importance to member states by playing a constructive role in ensuring the transition of government in Guatemala, despite numerous attempts to disrupt the process....
After my column last week on ‘Trump and follow suit’, one of my female Facebook friends was upset, and rightly so. She wrote, “Tony, you bigging up men but we women not easy either, you know. And it is not just the obscene language, or where we put...
Last week was the 60th anniversary of my entry into high school. After “passing” the Common Entrance Examination I won a “free place” to Campion College, and as a 10-year-old took my seat in first form in January 1964. In those days the school...
This and many other societies today have a strangely selective sense of justice. Particularly baffling is the hypocrisy in how we view murders committed by children as opposed to those committed by adults. Children who murder are considered...
Mikael Phillips, the Opposition spokesman on transport, is proceeding on the same path as most aspirants to government. Which usually sets them for failure if they became ministers. He might have a mish-mash of ideas, mostly focused on the small-...
THE TERM ‘corruption’ has become so generic, so overworn and over-used these days, that it has almost become utterly meaningless. Over a coffee recently, I was chatting to a law-enforcement colleague about Jamaica’s travails in combatting public-...
AT THE invitation of Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, Wang Yi, member of the political bureau of the CPC Central Committee and minister of foreign affairs of China, is to pay an official visit to Jamaica...
So far, discussions on the visit to Jamaica on Saturday by the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, have been mostly low-keyed – anodyne almost. Which misses its potential significance. Mr Wang’s stop in Jamaica, after a visit to Brazil, is likely...
Massive protests are taking place in Argentina against newly elected President Javier Milei who says his goal is to abolish the state sector. The new president says he intends to pursue unbridled capitalism in Argentina. Mr Milei has not been the...
Recently, in Jamaica, the matter of the direction of the country’s foreign policy has been raised again and in the context of actions by other CARICOM member states. There is the view that Jamaica is losing its standing in foreign policy, both in...
In finding their way around the labyrinth of Mark Golding’s shadow Cabinet, Natalie Neita-Garvey and Patricia Duncan Sutherland, especially, will have to be careful against tripping over each other. Gabriella Morris, too, has to be wary. For...
