THE EDITOR, Madam: Every Jamaican knows that our roads reflect the wider struggle with indiscipline and disregard for the law. While the new Road Traffic Act and improved enforcement have made some difference, the reality is that the Jamaica...
THE EDITOR, Madam: Like many outsiders I am fascinated by US politics but don’t fully understand it, so I decided to read a few books, specifically Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward and The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir...
THE EDITOR, Madam: The teaching profession is the cornerstone of any society, and in Jamaica, critical to national development. Every doctor, lawyer, and public servant begins their journey in a classroom guided by a teacher. Yet, the profession...
THE EDITOR, Madam: Seventeen-year-old Maria Burke (not her real name) should have been celebrating her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results with ease. Instead, she is still reflecting on the uphill battle it took to get there...
THE EDITOR, Madam: As Jamaica prepares to go to the polls, we are inundated with promises about new housing complexes and development schemes. Yet, one of the most significant drivers of dysfunction in the land and housing market is conspicuously...
THE EDITOR, Madam: I recently made a politician aware that, like countless other communities in Jamaica, the Windsor Lodge community is sometimes for days without water. She actually came to see it herself, and made calls to the National Water...
THE EDITOR, Madam: I am writing with reference to the article, “PNP to serve up its ‘Manifesto Lite’,” published in The Gleaner August 23. ‘Manifesto Lite’ was announced on Friday, August 22, and released on Monday, August 25. Manifesto Lite is...
THE EDITOR, Madam: Ahead of the elections, we are highlighting the People’s Agenda, reflecting demands voiced by Jamaicans through polls, protests, and other expressions. Successive administrations have fallen short of Vision 2030 targets,...
THE EDITOR, Madam: There are daily battles that are faced by many people in Jamaica. When survival is the priority, critical thinking about governance and policy can feel like a luxury. But the very issues that keep people too busy to think...
THE EDITOR, Madam: Most of the world’s media is focussed on that always entertaining, often nauseating and frequently irritating guy who resides in the White House. Every newscast, whether local, national or international, has a story about...
THE EDITOR, Madam: According to estimates 48 cents of every Jamaican tax revenue dollar goes toward paying public sector salaries. Therefore, only 52 cents remains, to deal with all the other critical national issues that is demanded of that...
THE EDITOR, Madam: Every five years, the election season brings out, I suppose, the best and worst qualities in us as Jamaican citizens. Whether you’re a candidate, a voter, or just an intrigued observer at home or abroad, the conversations,...
THE EDITOR, Madam: Technical institutions have always held an attractiveness because of their commitment to providing practical and skill-based education over mainly theoretical learning. If this framework is adopted more broadly, it can...
THE EDITOR, Madam: The national debate between PM Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding is a good idea. However, it would be good if a looming general election did not have to be the catalyst for such a debate to take place. That said...
Voter intent turnaround Been wondering if the huge turn outs we are witnessing at the rallies and especially on Nomination day, is a real guide to what will unfold on September 3. I saw a long everlasting caravan of supporters for Floyd and...
THE EDITOR, Madam: As a child growing up in Jamaica, I recall learning about our national heroes. Yet, it was only as an adult, that I came to fully appreciate the true impact of Marcus Mosiah Garvey. This gap in my education feels like a failure...
THE EDITOR, Madam: There is no tree, light post or bridge that has escaped being festooned in ribbons and swaths of green and orange. This is true uptown, downtown, and in rural Jamaica. In one rural constituency that I travelled through...
THE EDITOR, Madam: As Jamaicans prepare to participate in the country’s 19th general election since Adult Human Suffrage granted in 1944, it is imperative that as citizens whose patriotism is to this, the land of our birth and the land we call...
THE EDITOR, Madam: The Gleaner’s ‘Ready for Sprint’”– August 19, offers more than a snapshot of electoral manoeuvring; it reveals the psychological theatre of politics at a moment when Jamaica is poised to decide its direction on September 3....
THE EDITOR, Madam: Freedom of expression cannot mean the right to be disrespectful or libellous. The pending general election has brought out the worst in some Jamaicans at home and abroad. The vitriol and blatant disrespect of not only...
THE EDITOR, Madam: The new academic year is fast approaching. For some children, this means saying goodbye to a summer of fun and fulfilment. For others, it means leaving behind a holiday marked by violence, abuse, or poverty. Regardless of their...
THE EDITOR, Madam: The timing of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s (JTA) current wage negotiations with the Government is nothing short of inappropriate, and it continues to feed the longstanding perception that the organisation is motivated by...
THE EDITOR, Madam: August 17 marked the 138th anniversary of the birth of our first National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Disturbingly, this milestone passed with muted or even non-existent celebrations for a man whose life and work shaped not only...
THE EDITOR, Madam: An assessment of the current CSEC performance by subjects shows a remarkable and stunning revelation. The subjects in which the Jamaican students excel is an excellent profile of resilience. If percentages are the grid of...
THE EDITOR, Madam: The National Housing Trust (NHT) was created to provide affordable housing, not to subsidise banks or fund government projects. Yet today, contributors – whose payments are mandatory – are being pushed into high-interest bank...
