Columns

Beneath the Meghan/Harry royalty expos�

While different ones focus on the explosive nature of the disclosures about racist sentiments in the British royal family, and the deep, negative emotional impact it caused on Meghan Markle, now duchess of Sussex, there was no surprise for me in all of this dismal...

Stay safe? Reality check…

The expression “Stay safe” bounces easily off the tongue of the average middle-class person when we close discussions these days. In saying it, I wonder how many people recognise the significance of the burden of care they have for themselves and others when...

The crippling effect of sections 16, 17 of the Data Protection Act

It is our position that the filing of registration particulars required by section 16(2) of the Data Protection Act, coupled with the section 17 requirement of the information commissioner to maintain this information in a public register, will have a crippling effect on a company or...

Jamaica is at a dangerous tipping point with COVID-19

In recent weeks the country has experienced a worrying surge in the number of people being infected by the coronavirus. At the time of writing, over 878 have been affected out of a sample of over 2,000 people. We now have a positivity rate of 36 per cent, which is almost catastrophic...

The mission to equality requires unity

I alone cannot change the world. But I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.— Mother Teresa�

The foetus has rights... but so does the woman

Those who would defend the rights of women to decide for themselves whether to terminate a pregnancy should also engage with the argument that the developing foetus is equivalent to a person who also has rights. Opponents of abortion maintain the view that the right to life of the unborn...

Retooling secondary schooling

In an era when we are seeking to erase all memories of colonialism, our education system, and more specifically the placement methodology, perpetually reminds and reinforces the 'Backra Massa' system. Indeed, nowhere else is the legacy of colonialism intertwined in the...

'There is life beyond this valley'

“There is life beyond this valley,” declared Michael Lee-Chin during a recent interview on a Canadian television station. He noted that “crisis equals danger plus opportunity” and stressed the importance of long-term planning. He...

Betting on women's leadership for a better post-COVID-19 world

THIS year, International Women's Day will shine the spotlight on women's leadership and the need for gender equality in a post-COVID-19 world. Surely, the pace of reform is too slow, and we know that the novel coronavirus pandemic is threatening to push us back into the kitchen, and even...

The Jamaica Observer is 28: A midwife's tale

Exactly 28 years to the day, the Jamaica Observer yesterday marked a moment in time that has changed the media landscape in Jamaica and achieved what only one other newspaper has been able to do — exist beyond 10 years — as it moves relentlessly towards the third...

Now that the COVID-19 vaccines are winning the war...

As more and more people get vaccinated against COVID-19, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom (UK) — the major source markets for Caribbean tourism — regional leaders must begin a serious discussion on how this will impact travel...

Deliver, or else!

I hate to say, I told you so, but the deluge of criticisms that was recently dumped on this Andrew Holness-led Administration regarding the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of its present management of the COVID-19 crisis was visible in the shaking of the political tea leaves from many...

Sound reasoning not visible in recent restrictions

ON various occasions in this medium I have expressed the view that, as a nation, we have not fostered a culture for dialogue on issues of nation import. Instead, we have tended to opt for taking fixed positions and looking at those who have opposing views as enemies, while those...

Small states diplomacy pays dividends on 'de-risking'

It was an odd law into which to place it, but new and welcome directives on de-risking, which has plagued Caribbean countries, has become law in the United States.

We have found the enemy

COVID-19 has become a part of everybody's lexicon. In Jamaica it has been adapted to fit the challenges of teeth and tongue — “covy”, “curry”, “covrid”, “di virus”, or just “di ting”. It is becoming generally accepted that...