The claim of being "taken out of context" is the frequent, almost reflexive, response of politicians having been caught making statements they would prefer the public not to hear or to know about.Ruddy Spencer, the junior minister of finance and the...
The recent unanimous decision of the Court of Appeal in the case initiated by the Police Federation and others against INDECOM puts it beyond doubt that on a literal interpretation of the INDECOM Act, the Independent Commission of Investigations has...
Given its launch on the eve of his formal assumption of the job of police commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson obviously not only endorses, but had a heavy hand in, Prime Minister Andrew Holness' promulgation of a state of public emergency in...
On Sunday, I exploded the myth that Government's massive tax hikes imposed on the poor and vulnerable in 2016 and 2017 were driven by a policy shift to 'indirect' taxation.Indirect, schmindirect! GCT on petrol is paid by every Jamaican, whether or...
My layman's mind doesn't quite see how last week's judgment by the Court of Appeal is a win for the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). Commissioner of INDECOM, Terrence Williams, claims to see it clearly. He did the media rounds...
We note the unanimous decision by the Court of Appeal that INDECOM, the agency that investigates complaints against the security forces, not being a juristic person, doesn't have the power to arrest or prosecute any person for a criminal offence,...
There have been so many anecdotes about abuse of power, unprofessional behaviour, and extrajudicial killings that I concur with the formation of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).However, the police say that INDECOM causes them...
The loss of virtually a week of school on the eve of examination time was totally avoidable and the responsibility has to lie with the Government.The wage cycle, which is still unsettled, dates back to April last year. Do you expect anyone to...
One day at my office, a patient visited me for her annual gynaecological examination. I discovered that she had a vaginal infection, prescribed medication for her, and advised her to abstain from sex until after the course of treatment was...
Rex Tillerson did not suffer fools gladly. He called Donald Trump a "moron" in a private conversation after one meeting at the Pentagon, and did not take the opportunity to deny it when a journalist asked him in public.In meetings with the president...
The teaching profession has always been the backbone of our society. Teachers are vital in our thrust to move this country into prosperity. Amid reports of increased agitation by teachers over salary negotiations, Audley Shaw, minister of finance...
History is an amazing teacher and, like the current educators, will strike when ignored or disrespected. However, sometimes unwilling and hard-eared students either skulk away from school or are simply just too stubborn to learn the lessons.Founder...
Peter Phillips in his Budget Debate intervention last week came close to a full embrace of an idea championed by this newspaper for using National Housing Trust (NHT) money to finance urban renewal, except that the opposition leader's focus was on...
The current standoff between so many public-sector workers and Government, the extent to which negotiations have dragged, and promises made and not kept is a failure of leadership.Hopefully, effective leadership on both sides will produce a...
Di Akan people dem eena Ghana got nuff Adinkra picture weh dem draw fi show fi dem philosophy. All like Sankofa. Dat a one bird wid one egg eena di mout an di head turn backways. Dat miin se yu no fi figet weh yu a come from....
Port Royal, with a unique and fascinating story to share with the rest of the world, has never lived up to its true potential.Indeed, the people of Port Royal have heard repeatedly from the mouths of officials why their community's rich history...
I can't recall seeing this level of support when the hundreds of police officers were 'sick' and asking for better pay. The sentiments being uttered suggest we are only interested in the livelihood of some people - the 'hard-working' people who we...
You could hear the 'mike' from a mile away. True, what you were hearing was the 'mike', or microphone, through the very loud horn-type speakers mounted on the top of an old jitney or van, but in the same way Nipper, the RCA dog in the gramophone...
After an overlong gestation, across administrations, Jamaica is having a serious go at using something akin to a nationally integrated camera surveillance system in its crime-fighting arsenal. Robert Montague, the national security minister,...
Everyone knows that the mission of schools everywhere in the world is not just to educate in subject areas like language, chemistry and history, but also to socialise students in the appropriate norms and values necessary for a modern society,...
Listening to the news and various public commentaries over the past few weeks, I lost count of the number of times the word 'discipline' was used. Sadly, in all cases, reference to the word was in the context of a lack of discipline or the need for...
Will Billy Graham, world-renowned United States evangelist, make it to heaven? Last Saturday, this was the question posed to me by a friend of mature age with whom I play football. He cited allegations that were new to me.It is reported that as an...
Many people will claim that Rex Tillerson's most insightful observation during his tenure as America's secretary of state was his reference to President Donald Trump as "a f.... g moron". That is why, rather than for the reason she perceives, Kamina...
Recent Don Anderson polls have shown that while both political parties are in the doghouse, the People's National Party (PNP) also occupies the lower levels in the fowl coop where it is presently enduring all of the 'blessings' which fall from above...
IN ALL likelihood, several hundred schools where the Government pays the teachers will be closed today for a third straight day, as part of a wage dispute with the Holness administration. Most of the 20,000 teachers have been out since Monday,...
