I was quite encouraged by what the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Manifesto had to say about the environmental portfolio. There, the JLP recommitted itself to sustainable development, defining it as being "about reconciling our development interests...
Over the past few days, there have been two high-profile sports personalities who have been implicated in drug-related issues. The two cases have forced us once again to put the issue of doping on the front burner. In both cases, there are a lot of...
A notable and surprising aspect of Andrew Holness' ministerial appointments is the absence of a deputy to Kamina Johnson Smith at the foreign ministry and, apparently, someone dedicated responsibility for Diaspora affairs, unlike with recent...
It appears many of us are of the belief that children, as 'human beings [...] born free and equal in dignity and rights' (Universal Declaration of Human Rights), should have no claim/access to their rights or they and their...
Recently, some persons who offered themselves for representational office in the 2016 deneral election and lost for another time were described as "distinguished commanders of the 'Order of Born Electoral Losers', having lost four or more...
Published:Wednesday | March 9, 2016 | 12:00 AMTyrone Reid
I've always thought that the way to fix Jamaica's broken political process was to devise a way to vote out the electorate. By this I mean concocting a strategy that would rid the political process of the powerful influence and stranglehold of the...
Andrew Holness' placing of industry and agriculture under the same ministerial management is an interesting experiment of understandable logic which, if it works, could be transformational for both sectors and a boon to Jamaica's economy.According...
While voters have calmed down from the political fervour of the campaign and the elections, Prime Minister Andrew Holness knows that at the heart of the recent change of government was a dissatisfaction and impatience where the people saw themselves...
Until now, I never understood where some men got this notion that women could, and should, be hit. It's such a spineless, cruel act that sickens me to the very core. Cowardly, insecure men hit their women. Immature men who communicate poorly hit...
The Sunday Gleaner of March 6, 2016 carried a very compelling article ('End prejudice against Patois) by Professor Hubert Devonish, coordinator of the Language Unit at UWI, Mona. He implores the incoming minister of education to consider ending the...
Workings of asuperministryAmong the more intriguing aspects of how Andrew Holness has structured his Government is the creation, in the Office of the Prime Minister, of a superministry for the economy, job creation and growth. Its portfolio, it...
The last time my pen visited the subject of Lisa Hanna was when Dr Dayton Campbell launched his broadside against her. On that occasion, I opined that the time would come when she would find herself with a path to the presidency of the People...
Published:Monday | March 7, 2016 | 12:00 AMNovlette Myers
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)I was in the vicinity of the tax office on Constant Spring Road, St Andrew, near a basic school one morning. In a strident voice, an...
Anyone with fanciful notions about the job Andrew Holness' administration faces in managing Jamaica's fiscal affairs would have been jerked from their reveries on only a cursory read of the statement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after...
The People’s National Party (PNP) has a rich and distinguished history. Founded in 1938 by the brilliant Norman Washington Manley, it is the oldest political party in the English-speaking Caribbean, providing Jamaica with the first prime...
The conciliatory tone of both political parties is, indeed, a welcome change in our political history. I wonder if the close polling results might actually be presenting us with an unexpected opportunity for humility, consensus, and mutual...
The world's ways are designed to judge a person and determine their future by looking at their past. This is particularly clear in the business sector and the credit system. Furthermore, this is also found to be true about the media. Additionally,...
Prime Minister Andrew Holness struck mostly the right notes at his swearing-in on Thursday - especially when he reached out to his political opponents for cooperation for the national good."I believe the mandate is saying that we may not be on the...
Published:Sunday | March 6, 2016 | 12:00 AMGarth Rattray
My disappointment with the recent general election is that only 870,663 out of 1,824,000 eligible voters (47.7 per cent) exercised their franchise. Universal adult suffrage is a hard-fought right, not just a privilege reserved for the fortunate few...
As my former lecturer John Bloom said about prophecy, it is rare in all holy books except the Bible and has a few markers; clarity (so that failure or fulfilment can be recognised, unlike the vagueness of the Delphic oracle in ancient Greece or some...
Published:Friday | March 4, 2016 | 12:00 AMMark Wignall
There is a certain sameness about the swearing in of a new prime minister and his speech inspiring hope and promising transparency and a new engagement with our people. Were we all societal neophytes, we would be more moved by the emotion invoked...
In his mostly conciliatory, inclusive and uplifting inaugural address last Thursday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness pointedly declared the new Government's intention to implement, almost immediately, its campaign promise to eliminate personal income...
Last Tuesday, Mutabaruku gave a riveting talk on 'The Business of Reggae Poetry' at the University of the West Indies, Mona. It was the first in a series of 'Reggae Talks' this month to celebrate the work of the Department of Literatures in English...
There's a photograph of Mr and Mrs Holness' family circulating, and honestly it's a good look. Jamaica could do a lot worse than having this family unit as its symbol and ideal. That image is, for me, a sweet positive.Also, a new administration has...
On February 25, Jamaicans participated in a general election for representatives to the Lower House. Only 47 per cent of the electorate took part. Only 5,000 votes separated the two major parties, but the constituencies won represented the massive...
