Columns

It's probably too early to put the JLP on a suicide watch

(L)HOLNESS...won leadership but party still in turmoil election & (R)SAMUDA... the biggest backer of Andrew Holness in the JLP

WHEN a political party becomes the joke of every gathering and the butt of every joke one would believe that is the best time to pack it in and just make the best of the moment. Just walk away and disappear into the sunset. Well, it appears that the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party has no intention ... Read More

(L)PHILLIPS...suggests he is not aware of a final budget and the numbers being used are without a sound foundation & (R)GOLDING... claims the hourly cost of the West Kingston enquiry is roughly the same as the hourly cost of the enquiry into the collapse of the financial sector 'There are lies, and there are statistics'
THE minister of justice, Senator Mark Golding, on several occasions in recent days, made the claim t ... Read More

The people of Jamaica employ the security forces, in particular the police, to serve, protect and reassure our interests. They have that fundamental responsibility and any aberration would have deleterious effects on the proper functioning of a democratic society. Social partnership needed against crime
In the fashioning and implementing of an effective law-enforcement strategy there has to be a partne ... Read More

(L)Leader of the Opposition Andrew Holness & (R)Member of Parliament for West Kingston Desmond McKenzie Calls to end Tivoli Enquiry condemn us to tyranny
AS I opened my computer this morning and hit the links to the two major newspapers in Jamaica I was ... Read More

Are we better off today than before the PNP took office?

Tuesday, January 27, 2015    

(L)Omar Davies & (R) Portia Simpson-Miller

WHEN the Jamaica Labour Party took office in September 2007 the Jamaican economy was in free-fall decline with ponzi schemes, like Cash Plus and Olint, running amok, completely unregulated by the State, and giving vulnerable citizens a false sense of financial security. The worst global recession the world had experienced in over 80 years then snuck up on the Jamaica Labour Party in September 2008 and placed the Jamaican economy in a more perilous state. Thankfully, the Administration of the da ... Read More

A letter to Justice Minister Mark Golding

Tuesday, January 27, 2015    

Minister of Justice Mark Golding

Dear Minister Golding: I crave your indulgence regarding my thoughts on the enquiry into the security forces' operation of 2010 into Tivoli Gardens which resulted in the death of over 70 citizens. I believe that, while the commission is necessary, it could have been accomplished at a much lower cost to our overburdened and underserved taxpayers. Despite confusion on some basic issues, I believe most of us understand that, under the law, an individual is presumed innocent until he/she is proven ... Read More

Speaking the language of success

Monday, January 26, 2015    

MAHFOOD... I think, in the future, will we [never] see an opportunity, like now, to invest in the country

IT was good to learn that the recent business survey sponsored by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce showed a resurgence in confidence. More of us are understanding that positivity is energising, while negativity is draining. Positivity demands energy to follow through on one's resolve, while negativity robs us of our will to succeed. A JIS report mentions the response of PSOJ President William Mahfood to the survey: "Mahfood says he is optimistic about Jamaica's continued economic recovery and gr ... Read More

Why I am visiting Israel

By Ruben Diaz Jr | Monday, January 26, 2015    

KING JR... Peace for Israel means security

The people of the United States have stood strong with the people of Israel from the day that country was founded in 1947. As the only democracy in the Middle East, and as our key ally in the fight against terrorism, Israel holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Americans. This is especially true in New York City, which has shared a unique and significant relationship with the Jewish people and the state of Israel for decades. At the time of writing I intend to travel to Israel with t ... Read More

Free speech supporters should still criticise Charlie Hebdo

By Daniel Pryor | Monday, January 26, 2015    

This combo shows handed-out photos released by French Police in Paris early yesterday of suspects Cherif Kouachi (left), aged 32, and his brother Said Kouachi, aged 34, wanted in connection with an attack at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in the French capital that killed at least 12 people. (PHOTO: AFP)

I was first made aware of the horrific attack on Charlie Hebdo employees by my mother. She was watching the rolling news coverage, phone in hand, trying to contact my father who was travelling on the Eurostar at the time. A wave of panic rushed through me; the sense of being far removed from such events evaporated. My dad was absolutely fine. The same cannot be said for the poor souls who lost their lives that day. As ever, social media's armchair commentators were on hand to give their take on ... Read More

Changing pervasive culture of violence critical to any crime reduction strategy

Professor Basil Wilson | Monday, January 26, 2015    

WILLIAMS… has adopted new protocols in the use of firearms, which, thus far, have reduced the incidents of extra-judicial killings

THE hope was to end 2014 under 1,000 homicides, but instead, at the close of play in 2014, a total of 1,005 homicides had been reported. Nonetheless, there is some sense of relief that homicides and other serious crimes are trending down. Crime trends can be bewildering, but it is the responsibility of criminologists, law enforcement personnel and the larger society to continuously struggle with theoretical explanations as to why crime is trending up or down. The murder toll peaked in 2009 at ... Read More

Jamaica does not need any more 'rubber teeth' commissions of enquiry

GARFIELD HIGGINS | Sunday, January 25, 2015    

Security forces on operation in Tivoli Gardens.

"The use of specialist commissions and committees of inquiry serves a number of valuable purposes. These include: immediate action on a wider range of issues than would otherwise be possible ... availability of specialised skills ... providing a ... channel of communication between Parliament and the people." Australian Prime Minister E G Whitlam, Garran Oration 12 November 1973. THE Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Riots of 1938 (also called the Moyne Commission) was the last time Jamaica ... Read More

Does Caribbean integration have practical value?

RONALD SANDERS | Sunday, January 25, 2015    

ARTHUR… the region figures poorly on virtually all indices and none register in the top 50 countries globally. ROBINSON…the Caribbean could be in danger of becoming a backwater, separated from the main current of human advance in the twenty-first century

THERE is no doubt about the passion of Owen Arthur, one of the Caribbean's foremost economists and thinkers, for the economic integration of the region. As the prime minister of Barbados and the member of the Bureau of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) responsible for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) for 13 years, Arthur worked tirelessly. Regardless of which side of the divide anyone stands, it would be churlish not to acknowledge the contribution that he ... Read More

The continuing failure of "the system" in Jamaica

EVERTON PRYCE | Sunday, January 25, 2015    

The continuing failure of “the system” in Jamaica

THE continuing failure of "the system" in Jamaica that evolved from the dynamics of the social revolution of 1938 to offer redemption to every single Jamaican citizen, if not hope, cannot be good news at the beginning of the New Year 2015 for Jamaica House and those with ambitions to occupy it in the future. In fact, Jamaicans on a whole ought to be greatly concerned that 15 years into the 21st century, and some 53 years since the nation began to "grow beard" after gaining Independence from Whi ... Read More

Petrol price reductions not in line with Petrojam

Sunday, January 25, 2015    

Fuel pump

PETROL prices have been declining at pumps nationwide, but the majority of the prices “have not been falling in line with Petrojam's price reduction,” according to the results of a just-released National Petrol Price Survey by the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC). “The mark-ups gained by the retailers and their marketing companies continue to be higher than the national average”, the CAC said. Between December 23 and January 14, the average pump price for 87 fell by 5. ... Read More



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