A large number of Jamaicans are not only barking up the wrong tree, but, as a politician said years ago in referring to another matter, they are also in the wrong jungle! Their priorities are in the wrong place, mixed up, skewed re-education/...
On Friday, May 12, 2023, The Gleaner published two articles titled ‘Census workers restive’ and ‘I feel like a slave’, which highlighted concerns of census workers about their conditions of work. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) would...
António Guterres’ latest highlighting of the inequities of the global financial system in Jamaica this week was timely and appropriate. Hopefully, it will further focus attention on an important issue, add pressure to demands for major...
The decision to pursue nuclear power in island states, particularly those in archipelagos like Jamaica’s family of Caribbean Sea islands, requires careful consideration of various factors. In this analysis, I will assess the pros and cons of...
A new global currency may soon formally challenge the American dollar hegemony if the BRICS countries have their way. This is part of an ever-expanding trend in which many countries are now dropping the American dollar and trading in their own...
Jamaicans were largely surprised at last week’s announcement that vehicles imported from the European Union (EU) were no longer subject to import duties under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and Caribbean countries. What,...
This is an important week for Jamaica. UN Secretary General António Guterres was here on a working visit on Monday meeting with Prime Minister Andrew Holness. As chair of the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), Jamaica...
Among the array of impressive technologies the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) had on display at its recent exposition was a facial-recognition system the police intend to soon deploy in crime-fighting. The authorities must, however, proceed...
It was so ridiculous that I had to read it twice. Last week, People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament for Clarendon South Western, Lothan Cousins, said the Government should stop “pussyfooting around” and start putting plans into action...
On Saturdays I don mask and cape as stuporhero The Terrible Tout and hand out unwanted advice on sports betting. My alter ego, married to a nagging, eternally suspicious wife known as She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO for short), repeatedly teaches...
The Caribbean Sea is considered the second-most polluted sea in the world, after the Mediterranean, with up to 2,000 waste items per kilometre of coastline, 80 per cent of which are plastics, found across our shores. From abandoned fishing...
Having made clear its intention to make nuclear power part of Jamaica’s energy mix, the Holness administration must urgently open a robust conversation with the public to explore the economics of the plan and address any fears people might have...
Mutty Perkins used to sneer at The University of the West Indies (UWI), calling it “the intellectual ghetto”. I thought he was wrong then, but I am less sure of my disagreement now. Knowledge and generosity of spirit applied to human concerns are...
The Speaker of the House, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, is no pussycat. She’s in the posse of the most ferocious felines: lion, tiger, leopard, cougar, cheetah, lynx etc. The power of the Speaker’s office enables Dalrymple-Philibert to put her foot...
Membership in the world, in a group, in a society or anything larger than oneself, is never determined by the individual itself. In a series of conversations that I have been conducting, regarding sexual harassment, over the last few months, the...
Saint Lucia, with former Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, an architect of the creation of the Caribbean Court of Justice leading the charge, has now joined Guyana, Barbados, Belize and the Commonwealth of Dominica in the visionary rebranding of the...
The Government’s broad acceptance of recommendations for big pay hikes to judges will hopefully further bolster the independence of Jamaica’s judiciary as well as spur judges to be more efficient in their jobs. And even as we appreciate that...
Being able to play musical instruments and even record music while incarcerated as part of the rehabilitative process is one thing, but the ‘new releases’ from an incarcerated popular dancehall icon is quite another. The thick cloud surrounding...
New garbage trucks, while sorely needed, will not solve Jamaica’s long-standing solid waste problem. A snapshot of many streets in Kingston will depict a city choking in garbage, thereby presenting a potential health hazard to residents. But no...
John Kerry, former US secretary of state and current US special envoy on climate-change matters, told the world’s ambassadors at a meeting in Washington, on May 10, that “there is no way” of keeping the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees...
“Tony, I just hear that somebody asking people on Facebook whether our prime minister is a so-so path,” said a very worried friend who called me on WhatsApp. I laughed and then replied, “Well I tried to be a sociopath once when I worked for Prime...
This week I enjoyed three particularly good experiences. On Tuesday – Read Across Jamaica Day – I was invited by the chairman of the Marcus Garvey in Slhools Foundation, Major (Ret’d) Effiom Whyte, to read for the children at Crayon College, an...
This week’s accession by St Lucia to the criminal and civil jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will widen access to justice for that country’s citizens. It is also a timely reminder to Jamaicans of their limited access to their...
Another baby left for dead… The recent news of how a newborn was found in a bag hanging from a fence in Vineyard Town has, for many, generated a strong feeling of disappointment regarding our sense of humanity. What we, the consumers of the news,...
If Christopher Tufton’s data on the health of Jamaicans are followed to the logical conclusion, it seems that the island is at risk of reversing one of its more significant achievements of recent decades: life expectancy at First-World standards....
