Columns

Crime, combat and the militarisation of police forces

The Attica prison riot in September 1971 began as a protest that quickly mushroomed into the murder of a prison guard by prisoners.

Women and money

With a good leg and a good foot,Uncle, and money enough in his purse,Such a man would win any woman in the world,If he could get her goodwill.— Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

On World Water Day last month the United Nations invited us to reflect on an increasingly meaningful question: What is water worth to you? Most, if not all, people would agree that water is invaluable. After all, there's a reason it's called the “vital...

Needed: More diasporic tourism

As we look to recover from the current pandemic and plan for the future we must begin to more seriously look at diasporic tourism for accelerating investments in the country's tourism product.

Should Andrew Holness become a benevolent dictator?

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is increasingly finding himself in a quandary as he seeks to rule over a country that is fast becoming ungovernable. What with the novel coronavirus pandemic and the runaway crime situation, especially when it comes to murders, the governing Jamaica Labour...

Taking away our breath

The case of murder against Minneapolis police officers for the strangulation of George Floyd is currently on its way. Its timing is telling. It is coincidentally being tried during the Easter season when Christians painfully remember the putting to death of Jesus on...

Vaccine nationalism and the spirit of Holy Week

As free societies, we elect leaders to conduct our affairs, but one of the things that has become abundantly clear during this pandemic is the inadequacy of leadership to meet the demands of the day. The most notorious and extreme examples of this can be seen among those who did not take...

Towards a stronger Sexual Harassment Bill

A Bill Johnson poll conducted in the summer of 2020 found that 85 per cent of Jamaicans are in agreement with the Parliament passing a Bill to outlaw conduct which we call sexual harassment. To this end it seems that we all welcome the fact that Gender Minister Olivia “Babsy”...

In the midst of this storm...

The brutal slaying of 20-year-old Khanice Jackson, after she went missing on Wednesday March 24, 2021, is not only unforgettable but also unjustifiable. Mother, if you can hear me through your grief and anguish, I feel your pain. I wish to express sincere condolence to...

The idea of Caricom is not dead

A commentary by Camillo Gonsalves, a minister of the government in St Vincent and the Grenadines, was headlined 'Every island for itself' and published in the Jamaica Observer on March 14, 2021. One of its most poignant lines was unequivocal in stating that, “The idea of Caricom...

Terrelonge is misguided

In a report on a recent conference, entitled 'Black boys' education: Currency, practices and social intervention', state minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Alando Terrelonge was quoted by a news media outlet as saying that online...

Gov't has its mandate... but so does the Church

The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) wishes to reiterate its commitment to playing its role in combating the spread of the novel coronavirus. Even before the first case arrived on Jamaica's shores on March 10, 2020, member bodies of the council placed their constituents on alert and...

Women under siege here and abroad

Thirteen years ago Jamaica went into collective grief after news came that 11-year-old Ananda Dean, who had been missing for two weeks, had been brutally murdered. Both her mother, Nordia Campbell, and her aunt Tamika Campbell fainted when they learned the terrible...

Towards Ja's strong economy

Jamaica needs a strong economy in order to maintain and sustain full independence and be recognised in the international community of independent nations.

Press ahead, Holness!

Last Sunday Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced numerous measures intended to slow the exponential spread of the novel coronavirus. I am not surprised at threats of open defiance and, worst, from crevices and murky quarters that are fuelled by devilment.