Jamaica would perhaps be reluctant – especially on its own – to bring a legal case against powerful countries whose greenhouse gases contributed to its recent climate-related crises. However, the island has good reasons to find itself at the...
Each year on March 25, the United Nations commemorates the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This year’s theme, ‘Justice in Action’, calls on the world to confront history with honesty,...
Since its establishment in 2010, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) has signalled the enduring value of a unified Latin American and Caribbean voice. It remains the only forum in which all developing countries of our...
The recent decision by the Jamaican Government to terminate its arrangement with the Cuban Government regarding its Medical Brigade has created a furore. However, the complexity of this multifaceted issue is unappreciated by many. After the Cuban...
Then there was the day The Dunce took too long to play. In dominoes unless you want to be labelled a cheat, you’ll play quickly unless you have a legitimate problem. Any delay is considered “talking the game”. Mark you I’ve met some champion coders...
Cricket West Indies (CWI), the administrator of the sport in the Caribbean, hasn’t as yet disclosed the decisions taken at the annual meeting of its shareholders held on Saturday. But the outcome hardly matters. For it is clear that the...
…After 60 years of anti-discrimination legislation, lives are still being ruined As I approach 62 years in Ole Blighty and reflect upon my 60 years in the struggle for racial equity and social justice, I am alarmed at this nation’s continuing...
Each year, on World Water Day, we are invited to reflect on conservation, climate resilience, and sustainability. These are safe conversations. Necessary but safe. What is far less comfortable is confronting a harder truth: in many societies,...
The 2026/27 budget debate opening speeches forced Jamaica to examine the question we have postponed having: what exactly is the most credible path to faster growth and better development outcomes in a country that has achieved a good measure of...
How long can we can go on ignoring the new reality? Backra Massa has declared about the plantation next door, “I can do anything I want with Cuba”. It won’t take much for that conviction to extend to the fraidy-fraidy island in sight of Guantanamo...
Recently, China’s ‘two sessions’ (the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress and the Fourth Session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) were successfully held in Beijing. This...
“Every child can learn, and every child must learn” is the mantra for the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information. Long before the term inclusive education became the clarion call of the world, Jamaica has been engaged with the...
No! This is not some attempt to have people dropping on their knees and shouting “Lord! Lord!.” Neither is it intended to increase the flock who gather on Sundays and Saturdays, worshipping a man, nailed on what looks like a stylised plus sign....
Red flags concerning our plummeting total fertility rate (TFR) are being waved by many experts. The media reported that, “Prime Minister Andrew Holness recently indicated that with 21,000 deaths and 21,000 migrations, the declining birth rate is...
That the Government is developing a policy to address Jamaica’s long-standing crisis of low productivity is, on its face, good news. But the administration is reminded this problem won’t be solved solely by, or an excessive focus on, the...
The Caribbean has often been described as a zone of stable democracy. This has been evidenced by regular elections, peaceful transfers of power and comparatively credible electoral administration. This reputation has generally distinguished the...
With the raft of issues, domestic and global, competing for people’s attention, March’s observance as ‘Nutrition Month’ hasn’t received the focus it clearly deserves. That Jamaicans should have access to healthy and nutritious foods at affordable...
The war in Iran is already at Caribbean doors. The attacks in Iran and the Gulf are being justified by some on the grounds that Iran’s record on terrorism, nuclear ambition, and regional meddling leave the “free world” with no choice but to act...
When I reached 80, I was still laughing and joking. My colleagues and even a few neighbours were upset. They made jokes about my being over the hill. One said, “Tony boy, I know that you can still live without sex, but not without your glasses.”...
Today, as the world observes International Day of Happiness, the celebration feels, for many, both necessary and paradoxical. How do we speak of happiness when headlines are saturated with conflict, displacement, grief, and uncertainty? How do we...
The National Housing Trust (NHT) has reached a point of systemic exhaustion. In 2026, the Trust functions less like a social safety net and more like a mortgage bank for the middle class and a surplus fund for the Treasury. Meanwhile, the...
In many educational institutions, teachers are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, care, and responsibility. They are entrusted with the safety, development, and well-being of children, often working beyond their formal...
Mid-discussion, during a recent Standing Finance Committee meeting, Dr Alfred Dawes looked across the aisle and mockingly asked Desmond McKenzie “Why are you still here at your age?”. He went on further to tell McKenzie that he should go home and...
I find Donald Trump to be disturbingly honest! In days gone by, when the United States (US) wanted to depose a demagogue – or even a democratically elected leader – they would send in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to engineer regime change...
The intention of the Government’s Generation Procurement Entity (GPE) to soon open bids for 220 megawatts of renewable energy is an important development at a critical time, which the authorities must not allow to falter. Indeed, they should...
