In Focus

It was a moment of nervousness for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), not just because armed suspects were adding to the crime statistics. Rather, it was because a well-spoken senior officer was once again at the public mic and, more so, he...

The celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of national icon Louise Bennett-Coverley are now in full swing. On cue, dolls, dignitaries, and dancers appear at each of the official events swathed in bandanna. This reddish plaid madras...

Small businesses have a unique and critical role in Jamaica’s Special Economic Zone (SEZ) regime. The SEZs in Jamaica may not be for everyone, as I established in a previous article, ‘Is the SEZ for you?’. However, what I failed to mention, but...

Based on media reports (I stopped watching West Indies play Test cricket years ago), Jason Holder trotted out his standard template during a post-match interview after losing the second Test match against India last week: “Obviously we are...

Tobacco was brought to Jamaica by the Taino Indians from South America. It is said that two of Columbus’ sailors came across natives in Cuba rolling the leaves of maize or corn, burning and inhaling it. Not quite, it was tobacco leaves, and the...

On September 7 when the contest to elect the president of the PNP is held at the National Arena, delegates of the PNP will speak. But while they are at it, they may also speak back to those who have dared to speak for them. Nationwide News Network...

Dr Peter Phillips of the PNP is the JLP’s dolly baby. Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his JLP administration would all like to buy Peter Phillips a fluffy teddy bear, give him a lollipop, sing him a lullaby, and send him back to bed. Long before...

It is unsurprising that Ministry Paper 51, which was discussed in the Jamaican Senate on August 2, 2019, showed that the incidence of poverty rose in Jamaica in 2017. Data from STATIN show that Jamaica had incidence of poverty at 24.6% in 2013, and...

Jamaican farmers could soon have the chance to grow hemp. Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries Audley Shaw has said that he will be looking at hemp production. He hopes that banks will be more open to dealing with hemp farmers...

It’s always sad to see religious dogma laying waste to high-quality intellect. Take Peter Espeut, for example. He keeps reminding me that we attended the same excellent Roman Catholic-run secondary school. So I know he’s grounded in one of the most...

Earlier this year, the decision was taken to disband the current configuration of the Mobile Reserve. This was a crucial step in the ongoing process of the internal restructuring and expansion of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Since then,...

When I came back to Jamaica in the 1970s, I was shocked to find out that de facto discrimination existed in local advertising in the print and electronic media. I came home ready to hang up my shingle as a filmmaker-cum-communications consultant,...