From April 16-19, 2024, there was a large turnout at the third session of the Permanent Forum for People of African Descent (PFPAD), held at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. At that session, Ambassador June Soomer of Saint Lucia was...
On a chilly spring day, I arrived in the salubrious setting of Wellesley College in Massachusetts to honour towering Trinidadian Pan-African scholar, Selwyn Cudjoe, who was retiring from the liberal arts institution after 38 years, having earlier...
THE JOURNEY to the transformation of Jamaica’s health system has been paved with challenges, not the least of these a high level of scepticism and doubt over our ability to succeed, plagued by a too-long history of inertia. Over the last eight...
To those who had chalked up overtime hours in peering deep inside the tainted part of the soul of Jamaica, May 2010 would have been a perfect match for the word apocalypse. The heavy-booted members of the security forces had used their excess of...
Belize, Jamaica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines are being recognised for the remarkable achievement of having eliminated mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis, which is one of the greatest global public health achievements of...
The recent surge in deadly violence, shocking incivility, and shameless entitlement within Jamaican schools, from West to East, is a stark reminder of the need for a fundamental shift in our educational approach. While law enforcement plays a...
Discussions on the contribution of tourism sector earnings vis-à-vis diaspora remittances to Jamaica’s economy continue to be topical, at least for members of the Jamaican diaspora who demand fulsome, meaningful engagement with the Jamaican...
A reader reminds me that it has been over a year since the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) imposed the massive salary increase for members of parliament (MP’s), cabinet members and other officials. I distinctly remember the PM stating that with such a...
The following were key highlights noted by EPOC: • End-March 2024 Tax revenues significantly underperformed budget • Inflation of 5.6 per cent for March 2024 signals a return of the rate to the bank’s target range • Net International Reserves (NIR...
The forecast of the La Niña phenomenon for the second half of 2024 revives the urgency of strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems against extreme weather events in Latin America and the Caribbean. After a year marked by El Niño, which...
Silly Season has started early this time around which contradicts the argument that fixed election dates would result in longer campaigns. Reactions to the latest Panderson Polls have ranged from the smugly satisfied to the dangerously delusional....
Over the last two years, the Caribbean has witnessed an unprecedented response to the region’s demand for reparatory justice for the crimes against humanity committed against African people, in particular those trafficked and subjected to chattel...
Haiti, a land steeped in history and vibrant culture, stands at a crossroads. While currently, catastrophic challenges persist, beneath the surface lies a wellspring of potential waiting to be unleashed. This presents a compelling opportunity not...
At the time years ago when the complaint arrived in my inbox, the politician was an elected representative, a member of the Cabinet, and a lawyer. According to the complainant, in her private capacity, the politician had done legal work for the...
Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) is making another appeal for the Government to reconsider its legislative policy on excessive mandatory minimum sentences, especially for children. While we acknowledge the severity of murder and other grave offences,...
There were no drum rolls or blaring bells to mark Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s pronouncement late in the day on Tuesday, April 23, that his country must apologise and assume its outstanding responsibility for colonial crimes...
Government has tied itself into unyielding legal and political knots to keep one public servant, former DPP Paula Llewellyn, in office for two more years. Let’s break that down starting with a brief history of DPPs. • William Swaby (1962-1965);...
Climate change dominates news headlines globally – we see endless weather-related catastrophes, geo-political upheavals, and increasing environmental injustices. The Caribbean is not immune to the deadly impacts of climate change and is facing...
CAPRI’s reports Zero Murders: Searching for Lessons from Two Decades of Anti-Violence Interventions in August Town, and Testing, Testing: Challenges to Measuring Social Programmes for At-Risk Youth, introduced a critical perspective to the citizen...
Some behaviours are now amplified by social media thus causing a great deal of misinformation and drivel to spread unchecked. An example is the stupid error on the part of the junior minister of foreign affairs which has triggered a discussion on...
“I am now 41. When I was 14 to 15, I used to kiss up some girls in school. I don’t have an ounce of lesbian in me. But, when I was in my early teens, I could barely control my sex urges. Our teachers made us believe that boys were pure trouble and...
It seems the human resources issue created by the Speaker’s appallingly callous treatment of former Clerk of the House isn’t going away soon. The Speaker’s distribution to MPs of her written reprimand reportedly before it was seen by the Clerk was...
Robert Nesta Morgan should learn how to give more power to the already powerful name he has. As the minister responsible for information, he is quite au fait with the power of raw political propaganda, a state dear to his heart. When fire came...
This article looks in two parts at the erosion of trade policy space in global trade. Part I focuses on the incompatibility with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules of GCT levied solely on imports. Part II observes that regional and inter-...
To me, Maureen McGovern’s haunting melody of There’s Got to Be a Morning After, from the film The Poseidon Adventure (1972), resonates with hope, a powerful sentiment needed as we face the challenges currently afflicting Haiti. Inspired by this...
