My wife and I were present last Monday in the public square of Albert Town, Trelawny, along with a large crowd in a militant mood, protesting the impending mining in the Cockpit Country. Residents of Trelawny and St Ann who will be affected...
Prime Minister Andrew Holness had made it clear that he sees the use of states of emergency (SOE) as a long-term strategy, of up to seven years, in the fight against crime, especially murders. So Jamaicans can assume that these powers, for the...
We are encouraged that the Integrity Commission acted on our admonition to, as required by law, publish forthwith the integrity filings of Jamaica’s top political leaders, although it didn’t completely fulfil its obligation. Now, it needs to give...
I was amused to read The Gleaner editorial of Monday July 22, 2019, which “notes with satisfaction” the announcement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative in Jamaica, Mr Constant Lonkeng, that the IMF will maintain its...
It is not at all that surprising that again it is a woman in Jamaica who is shining that unwelcome light on us, and exposing the festering parts of us that urgently need healing. Paula Llewellyn, the director of public prosecutions (DPP), stands...
Luther Gibbs was described by Karl Johnson, general secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU), as an icon within the pastoral team of the JBU. Gibbs was ordained to the Christian ministry in 1950, and spent 44 years in active full-time...
Two weeks ago, I asked whether there was a strategy beyond states of emergency (SOEs) and zones of special operations (ZOSOs). The silence has been deafening and the absence of any new initiatives has also been telling. Consequently, I have now...
At the PSOJ/JMMB annual economic forum held July 16, 2019, Mr David Marston, former International Monetary Fund (IMF) employee and expert on global economics and risk management, made a strong case for the local financial sector to be more...
Your editorial, ‘A staff monitoring with IMF may be necessary’ on July 22, 2019, opined that Jamaica needs a staff-monitored programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a follow-up to the soon-to-be-completed precautionary Stand-By...
It has been suggested that Boris Johnson (who becomes the prime minister of the United Kingdom, UK today) is what you would get if Donald Trump had been educated at Eton and Oxford. Maybe, although there is a great gulf between Trump’s bombastic...
The World Trade Organization (WTO) held its seventh Global Review of Aid for Trade (A4T/AfT) from July 3-5 in Geneva under the theme ‘Supporting Economic Diversification and Empowerment’. The Aid for Trade initiative arose from the discussions on...
THE EDITOR, Sir: At the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) trials in June, there was a mishap in the 100 metres hurdles final. Danielle Williams was disqualified for a false start, and, despite her prolonged protest, the...
And they said a reggae show needed foreign acts to be successful. They said it needed American headliners to pull a crowd. Goes to show just how much ‘they’ knew. The Reggae Sumfest venue was so full on Saturday night, the fire marshal had to...
On July 13, the Old Ball and Chain had her nose out of joint. Why? When she put Sunday lunch on the table, the family gathered (sans the Ampersand, who’s away) didn’t notice. Legendary commentator John Arlott once painted a word picture of iconic...
Lingering environmental concerns notwithstanding, the Government, through the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), is barrelling ahead with the long-standing plan to build a cruise ship facility on the Port Royal tombolo a few hundred metres east of...
Recently a thought came to my mind. I asked myself, if I had to choose one organism to eliminate from the planet, to make Earth a better place, which would it be? The first creature I thought of was the cockroach. I rarely use the word hate. It is...
This newspaper notes with satisfaction last week’s disclosure by the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) resident representative, Dr Constant Lonkeng Ngouana, that the Fund will maintain its Kingston office for another two years after its US$1.6-...
Born into a very rural community that hardly anyone knew, Little Billy felt that he was destined for much greater things. The other children always seemed to be two steps behind him, and all the elders did was chew their cuds and graze all day....
The House of Representatives continued its slackness last Tuesday. Proceedings started one hour late. Disrespect is shown for the members, staff and a gallery full of invited guests, including the British high commissioner. Waiting on a special...
My plan was to talk about the great news coming out on the economy recently. The idea gestated when I read a tweet by economics professor Damien King (@DamienWKing) that said: “The unemployment rate has now fallen further to 7.8 %. 29,000 more...
There used to be a way people thought about the United States, of which yesterday’s 50th anniversary of the moon landing reminds us. You knew they weren’t perfect; that America sometimes did bad things. It was understood, too, that their union was...
He had a wife and couldn’t keep her. It might sound like a nursery rhyme but the PNP’s problems are about how they misused or simply lost the ability or the focus on the Ps. Perhaps because it believed that the P’s hold on power would have...
Sunday gone, mi go a MoBay fi gi speech fi di PNP woman conference. Same day Peter Bunting im a launch fi im campaign fi turn PNP president. Wa mek im go clash wid di woman dem conference? It look like seh Bunting no want...
The shiprider agreement between Jamaica and the United States has as its principal objective the suppression of illicit maritime drug trafficking. This agreement is a natural consequence of our geographic location, with Jamaica laying as close as...
