A gun-trafficking czar in the US Department of Justice, to be created by the Joe Biden administration, is expected to add momentum to the growing calls by Caribbean leaders for help to staunch the flow of guns which continue to create...
On May 31, the Organization of American States (OAS) faced a prolonged and contentious debate that lasted from 2:30 in the afternoon until well past midnight. This episode, marked by acrimony and political undercurrents, which was webcast publicly...
In my smoking days one of my friends wanted me to try a hookah. “You mad or what?” I asked, “You want me to get some kind of venereal disease?” My friend replied, “What kind of stupidness you talking? You always smoking. Only when you sleeping you...
It would be amusing – even hilarious – if it wasn’t so tragic. The purpose and function of the Auditor General of Jamaica (AG) is to conduct audits of various kinds (e.g., financial, efficiency, environmental) of all the ministries, departments,...
We tried. Despite protests, pleas and proposals for more equitable remuneration across the public sector, the government seems to have put on its blinkers and its earmuffs and is moving full-speed ahead with its decision to grant increases well in...
That Marlene Malahoo Forte’s mother rejected advice to terminate her pregnancy and the child she birthed is now Jamaica’s legal and constitutional affairs minister is a personal, heartwarming story for the people involved. It, however, is not a...
IT’S GREAT seeing my old friend and colleague, Professor Don Robotham, continuing the ‘struggle’ in his recent article in The Sunday Gleaner titled, ‘Jamaica as a developmental state’. But there’s a massive prevailing fracture to the Jamaican...
To paraphrase James Carvelle’s directive for Bill Clinton’s successful presidential campaign two decades ago: it’s reading, stupid. If you cannot read in primary school, it is unlikely you are learning much else, including absorbing technical and...
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM would suggest that countries with a free press tend to have lower levels of corruption compared to nations under authoritarian rule. The rationale behind this notion, of course, is that a free press acts as a watchdog, exposing...
In a country bedevilled by cynicism and pummeled by the persistent devastating news of criminality and with an undercurrent of government tyranny, to act with courage against government overreach and spark it in others is a countercultural act of...
This newspaper was an early proponent of the removal of the auditor general from Jamaica’s Integrity Commission (IC), which had nothing to do with the current auditor general, Pamela Monroe Ellis, who we hold in high regard. But operators of hen...
As an update on my article from last week on plastics pollution, it was announced by the UN that agreement was reached on preparing the first draft of the plastics pollution treaty. This first draft should be ready by the end of this year....
O’Neil Grant’s warning of the likelihood of workers at executive agencies jumping ship for jobs in central government requires a response from Nigel Clarke, including what that would mean for the public sector transformation project. Should Mr...
It’s that time of year (again) when the Old Ball and Chain goes berserk at Government’s inadequate water harvesting and distribution efforts. That’s all she’s going to allow me to write. Old BC: Old Grey Balls can say whatever. All he ever does is...
It was a horrific crime. The married couple, the husband in the union being a cop, apparently had been having a tumultuous relationship for several years. However, they had their last spat last week, and it ended in murder. The victim was shot...
Having removed its reservations to Densil Williams’ appointment as principal of the Mona campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI), the Jamaican Government will hopefully not place obstacles in his way. It should not attempt to...
Oral health and mental health are two vital aspects of overall well-being that are often overlooked or underestimated in their interconnectedness. In Jamaica, where the prevalence of dental diseases and mental health disorders is significant,...
Last Sunday at the Catholic Assembly, both Andrew Holness and Mark Golding expressed reverence and appreciation for the sturdy Christian values based education which they had received at St Catherine High and Campion College, respectively. Both...
Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness reprimanded conspiracy theorists at a forum on digital transformation in Jamaica. He vigorously contested the claim that the global spread of digital currency is a sign of a catastrophic New World Order...
Fayval Williams’ plan to make technical and vocational education and training (TVET) a critical part of the curriculum of Jamaica’s primary schools must be subject to deep analysis and serious discussion with stakeholders. For not only is Ms...
In response to rising unemployment, two leaders of the emerging national movement called for the expansion of industrial development. In 1934, Marcus Garvey, founder of the People’s Political Party, convened a six-day conference to discuss plans...
Erica (not her real name) was born in Spanish Town, November 1968. Her father was a hard-working forklift operator, a farmer, and an excellent cook. Her mother was a dedicated housewife who took good care of her family. She also assisted her spouse...
We have hope. My young colleague, Corey Robinson, in a story carried in the current issue of this newspaper, sought my comment on a survey conducted by Paul Bourne on behalf of the paper. Not surprisingly, we Jamaicans believe that there is...
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is haemorrhaging and Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson appears resigned to the fact that the revolving door of policemen and women heading to greener pastures will continue over time. The JCF...
Tuesday was Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad. Although I believe that while the politicians, contractors, doctors, lawyers and “business” people have all arrived, but the rest of us have not reached, I found one Indian who without ever reaching...
