In recent times, I have had conversations with persons with disabilities and others within the society about the Disabilities Act that has been enacted in Jamaica. Some of these individuals have concluded that the legislation is not impactful on...
So, last week ( A very Private Public Service) I complained about the reaction to my critique of the JPS “loan”. I wrote: “….I’m told to shut up because I’m safe in Kingston and don’t feel what western-based Jamaicans feel.... Based on this puerile...
Driving into West Green, Montego Bay, the damage from Hurricane Melissa even a month later was still unmistakable. Dried mud crusted the roadway and, in front of almost every house were piles of damaged furniture, appliances, and mattresses -...
Jamaica’s public procurement system was built to protect taxpayers and ensure value for money. But, alongside these strengths sits a stubborn problem: delay. Too often, our own rules slow us down, dulling the impact of the very projects designed to...
If you travel far enough into St Catherine, past the bustle and the quick talk of the capital, you’ll find Wood Hall. It’s a quiet place, the kind of community where yards feel like open hands and children learn early that neighbours are family....
In 2019, as Hurricane Dorian literally sat on Abaco in The Bahamas (between 27 and 36 hours) and achieved a consistent 185mph, none could know that it was sending a message to Jamaica about the monster to come: Melissa in 2025. Old-time Jamaicans...
When the president of the United States (US) announced that he was closing the airspace of Venezuela, I got the proverbial whiplash. With intense war threats a daily occurrence, this kind of escalation was expected. However, the bold declaration...
With winds stronger than those required for Category 5 designation, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in New Hope, Westmoreland, on October 28. Forecasts pointed to eastern Westmoreland and western St Elizabeth, but the storm shifted at the last...
Climate change is a pressing global issue, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Jamaica are among the most vulnerable to its devastating impacts. At the start of the 19th century, the human population exceeded one billion for the first...
Neither Government nor private developers should continue taking over Jamaica’s good farmlands with either simple or sophisticated housing schemes. The use of highly productive agricultural lands for housing should be severely restricted and...
The quote by John Muir ‘When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.’ or by Chief Seattle, that “All things are bound together. All things connect”, is in every way the reality of the environment....
So, after the fact, Jamaica learned that Government decided to take US$150 MILLION of our money out of the Consolidated Fund to “lend” to JPS. Let’s try to contextualize. First and foremost this “loan” sum represents about 0.8% of Jamaica’s GDP. So...
I have never been to a psychiatrist in my life but, once, way back when my wife ditched me, I wanted to head east, knock on that big gate, and volunteer my mental insides to the skilled professionals occupying the premises. The thing which did it...
On Monday, the world lost another musical legend as Jimmy Cliff passed away at the age of 81. Although, as James Chambers, he was born in Adelphi, a hillside community in Somerton, near Montego Bay, by the time he died Jimmy Cliff belonged to the...
Hurricane Melissa ravaged the birthplace of so many of us, and, in the aftermath, a harder question has emerged: do we simply protect what remains of Black River, or commit to transforming it into something very different? It is not an easy choice...
Hurricane Melissa, a Category Five storm, made landfall at New Hope in Westmoreland, cut across the southwestern parishes, and exited Jamaica via St Ann. At least one-third of the island has been devastated, with the poorest hit the hardest. The...
Beaming with pride but without the hint of a boast, a key part of the human component leading the super ministry; Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, Robert Morgan recently told us that none other than the World Bank had showered...
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is on November 25, reminds us that women’s right to justice is an essential component of the right to live free from violence and discrimination. Without justice, equality...
Before a new constitutional reform committee comes to be established, the justice minister has a case to answer. A ten-page-long paper titled Against The CARICOM Court of Appeal by Delroy Chuck has resurfaced. Early reliance on the “broad ground”...
Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic Category 5 assault has ravaged Jamaica, laying bare – yet again – the fragility of an overly centralised system of government. As we confront the worst hurricane disaster in our history, we must assess whether our...
Last week (“Do the Math”) we discussed some previously unspoken long term consequences of the devastation wrought by Melissa. It’s time to face another reality check. There are also some very acute short term consequences we must tackle as a nation...
Hurricane Melissa disrupted previously held notions of normality in Jamaica. The education sector is now about the haves and have-nots. More than half of the island’s schools have suffered severe structural damage, compounded by ongoing loss of...
When Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, it didn’t just flatten homes, it exposed deep fault lines in our disaster-response systems. Weeks later, families still wait for relief, some communities remain marooned, and institutions continue to...
We know that a main factor of politics is psychological manipulation of people politicians claim they love the most. And, also remember, during the moments of our darkest sorrows, they share with us and feel our pain. They rely on our believing in...
The planning profession in Jamaica has long been at the forefront of shaping the nation’s physical, social, and economic landscape. It expanded significantly after Hurricane Charlie devastated the country in 1951. The British colonial government...
