The murder of George Floyd by a policeman in the USA gave rise to worldwide protests and an awakening and consciousness re race that hitherto, had been unknown to many of us. It has energised a number of actions, including where monuments,...
In 2011, Audley Shaw, who was then the finance minister in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration just before the party was booted from government, had reportedly advised the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) that it should...
The Government of Australia has just announced plans to increase university tuition fees for students studying the subjects of the humanities and to reduce them for students who are studying so-called STEM courses – science, technology, engineering...
For obvious reasons, I cannot hint at the man’s name, give the year it happened, and I cannot tell you to which political party he was attached. On top of that, the matter would be much too embarrassing for both entities (the man and the party), so...
In my column last week, I made the points that the COVID-19 pandemic would have serious and significant economic consequences. I wrote that while Jamaica is better placed than ever before to absorb and recover from the shock, there will be little...
As we approach another anniversary of Emancipation Day, everyone should take this opportunity to honour the men and women, enslaved and free, whose activism forced the colonial British Government to pass the Emancipation Act of 1833 (effected in...
The COVID-19 pandemic is the most serious global public-health threat in a century and is easily the most damaging global economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is wreaking health, social, and economic havoc in every country;...
On September 12, 2020, there will be an election for the next president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the most important regional development finance institution of the Americas. This election will present a choice between a 21st-...
In the 1950s when I was a child growing up, it used to be the norm that during summer holidays, children would contract all sorts of bodily undesirables. Ticks, lice, ‘bruken out’ (a scaly condition of the scalp), worms, foot conditions (most...
Here again is another case in which the celebration of the life of a dearly departed brings the family together to reflect upon its existential oneness. The Caribbean family is giving thanks for ten years of Weekes, the life of Sir Everton, who...
On page 196 of the Integrity Commission report, one section goes as follows: “Based on the documentary evidence provided herein, the director of investigation questions whether the strategic placement of certain individuals in key positions at...
The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest crisis to hit humanity since World War II. Not only has it cost the world more than 500,000 deaths, it has also led to a sharp economic downturn and countless job losses. In March end India imposed a lockdown to...
All opinion polls in the latter part of 2019 and in the months before COVID-19 crashed into Jamaica with a loud bang showed the Opposition PNP lagging way behind the ruling JLP. When both leaders are compared in various areas, Andrew Holness stands...
A famous adage states that we cannot defeat death, but we can defeat death in life. For far too long, too many Jamaicans have been robbed of the ability to adequately enjoy a meaningful life. Simply traversing the streets of downtown Kingston, Half...
I had a long and challenging journey to acceptance and would love to see Jamaica embark on that journey. As a teenager growing up in Jamaica, I had similar sentiments to many reading this article. I believed it was wrong to be gay. I was...
Investors should stay invested and take advantage of the opportunities that have been presented by the COVID-19 crisis. There is opportunity in every crisis and this one (the COVID-19 pandemic) is no different. Now is therefore an opportune time to...
Two weeks ago, I wrote in a column that the 2020 general election was too early to call, which is in contradistinction to being ‘too close to call’. Indeed, reactions varied, mainly because some people are confusing a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)...
On June 18, the high-level videoconference on Belt and Road international cooperation was held in Beijing under the theme ‘Belt and Road International Cooperation: Combating COVID-19 with Solidarity’. It was attended by the foreign ministers or...
It was summer of that year, August 1965, to be exact, as I entered Parade from the north-east end. I was on the way from school to catch a bus home. I was almost 15 and could quickly sense that something was wrong, and fear was taking over....
India and Jamaica, and the wider Caribbean share many commonalities from their colonial past, emerging as sovereign nations, vibrant democracies, and the deeply embedded Indian culture. There are numerous layers which provide a heady mix and...
In many ways, Kingston embodies the spirit of Jamaica. It is the hub of commerce, a centre of creativity, and the nexus of public administration. It is also a fact that our nation’s capital is a microcosm of society as within this urban space exist...
It is said that in every crisis, there is opportunity. As such, one should never waste a good crisis. In as much as this is true of those engaged in honest enterprise, it is also true for those who are involved in enterprises which society, through...
Since the spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic, health professionals, government officials, and health organisations worldwide have been imploring people to take precautionary measures to guard against the risks of the deadly virus. People with...
On Monday, June 15, 2020, on the anniversary of his death (in 1991), eminent scholars gathered virtually in a public seminar to celebrate the life and work of W. Arthur Lewis. Most know that Lewis was born in St Lucia on January 23, 1915, of...
Don’t you ever be fooled by the title of this column. I was actually trying to meld the immediate political desires of politicians with the rest of the society they are supposed to represent. At this time, they are all on the same page. The two-...
