Basil Dawkins, in one of his better plays, uses the biblical parables of the prodigal son and Noah's Ark as the backdrop to his newest play, Pressure Drop. Pressure Drop is the title of a song by reggae icons Toots...
The story is told in hushed tones of well-known journalist Evon Blake, who jumped into the pool at Myrtle Bank Hotel, a whites-only facility in downtown Kingston."One summer day in 1948, as tourists and elites casually colonised the poolside deck...
Recently, I read an article in The Guardian newspaper titled 'Trinidad's jihadis: how tiny nation became ISIS recruiting ground'. The article reported that more than 100 of Trinidad's citizens have left to join the Islamic State (ISIS), "including...
There is a deepening consensus that Jamaica needs not only a new police chief, but one with skills not usually perceived as being the most critical for the job. It should be someone of high intellect, versed in the modern techniques of management...
When I attended secondary school in 19 (mumble, mumble), Jamaica's education standards were exceptionally high.From then, the Campion College template was best. Campion focused on development of the mind and emphasised analytical thinking. Teachers...
One of the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching experiences is for a parent to have to deal with is the death of his or her child. A pastor I know of had to face such an ordeal. His daughter became ill and eventually died. But instead of supporting...
After its bungle that allowed an interregnum, though brief, between the end of tenure of the previous Police Service Commission (PSC) and the naming of their successors, the Government has appointed a new five-member commission. Gordon Shirley, the...
I found it incongruous that someone who the prime minister described as possessing "extraordinary legal insights, clarity and erudition", along with, "discipline, structure, efficiency and timeliness", all of which highly recommended him for the...
Will we listen to Doreen Dyer? We were outraged to watch her beating her girl child with the machete. What is our reaction to her remorse and distress now that she has been punished?"I want the fathers to take care of their kids, because probably if...
With the sudden departure of Police Commissioner George Quallo, the country is on the hunt for a new victim to fill what must be one of the most thankless jobs in the Western Hemisphere. What happened to Quallo? We hardly got to know you, sir!...
Last weekend, family and friends of Dr Donna McFarlane gathered from the Caribbean, North and South America, Europe and across Jamaica to celebrate her life. As we stood in the garden at Liberty Hall on Friday morning, pouring libations...
The recent call for the resignation of the regional and internationally recognised criminologist, distinguished academic and co-author of the last National Security Strategy, Professor Anthony Harriott, by the newly appointed chairman of the Police...
The state of public emergency imposed by the Holness administration in St James last month has staunched the bloodletting by criminals there.In the first 37 days of 2018, a dozen homicides were recorded in the parish. That's nine, or 43 per cent,...
Debates over access to education and the dynamics, financial challenges and best policies to pursue for the sector have been matters of public discourse for decades. Some of these issues were again brought into sharp focus in the State of the Nation...
"You want to hear a dirty joke, Tony?" my friend asked. "You wake me up at five in the morning to tell me a dirty joke? Man, what get into you," I responded. "You want to hear it or not?" he demanded.I was already awake and not as angry as I...
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) (rights) movement in Jamaica has myopically focused a whole lot of its attention and resources on the buggery law and the impact this archaic piece of legislation has had on discrimination and...
Are we seeing the tip of the iceberg in the Michael Troupe suspension? The councillor and former deputy mayor of Montego Bay has been slapped with a three-month suspension for bringing the Montego Bay Municipal Corporation into disrepute.Section 44...
So the Lower House finally passed the Road Traffic Bill 2016, which replaces the Road Traffic Act of 1938. With some 131 amendments, this new bill is supposed to create stiffer sanctions for drivers who break the road code and should, therefore, in...
One of the huge disadvantages of an absolute monarchy is that the sovereign may appoint whoever he wishes to any post in his government, producing what is effectively a crony government. The monarch is thus able to effectively impose his will. He...
The fact that Richard Byles, who we proposed as the next police chief, may not take the job doesn't mean that the Government shouldn't be engaged in radical thinking about who should lead the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).General Antony Anderson...
It is not entirely George Quallo's fault that he failed as Jamaica's police chief, although as a decent human being and a good Christian he ought to have been better aware of his limitations. He should have turned down the job, in which he lasted...
Sustainable responses to criminality, underpinned by credible deterrent strategies, can only be achieved if we fully understand the dynamics of the problem. The repeated application of band-aid fixes to this festering problem is symptomatic of our...
The delivery of justice in Jamaica has to be at the top of the list of this nation's great failures. Nowhere was that more aptly demonstrated than in the Supreme Court where a matter is currently being adjudged with a man accused of killing six...
In the era of Donald Trump, the world is confused about what America stands for and with whom it stands. And no one is certain of who speaks for the United States. That is why people's attitude to today's visit to Jamaica by Rex Tillerson is so...
Dr Fenton Ferguson has been one of my favourite People's National Party (PNP) politicians. He has been in my good books, as I have not found him to be politically toxic or overbearingly tribal in his approach to politics.This, in part, may explain...
