Jamaica's crime dilemma
I can't count the number of times we have been in national emergency mode as a result of a spike in murders, or the times when there have been loud, anguished calls for the Government to "do something" about the escalating crime; or the number of national broadcasts made on security and the number of crime plans launched. (Boyne)
Crime and Jamaican 'livity'
More than 540 persons have been killed since January. The prime minister rightly called an emergency meeting on Thursday last. We need to act swiftly on short-term measures to address this situation. As I have repeatedly argued, the hot-spot strategy would not work. (Robotham)
Jamaica's fiscal crisis
It was popular to talk about a fiscal crisis in the developed countries in the 1970s, one that led to welfare and tax reforms in the 1980s. The crisis was usually explained by a world crisis, such as the oil price increases of 1973/74, or inefficient welfare spending by states causing tax revolts by the overburdened middle class. (Buddan)
Dangers of pre-trial publicity
The saying in Jamaica that, 'fus' wud go to law' runs deep in our society. Recently, there has been an unwelcome development concerning the massive prejudicial pre-trial publicity that is activated, particularly in relation to certain kinds of legal matters, often even before any charge has been laid. (Nicholson)
Human trafficking: modern-day slavery
The ongoing saga of trafficking in persons in Jamaica has again been highlighted in a recent report covered by one of the local media houses. According to this latest account of human trafficking, poverty-stricken Haitians are being exploited as cheap labour in the eastern sector of the island... (Simms)
Power generation strategy (Part VI)
Recently, I attended the 16th Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference (MPGC) in Doha, Qatar. One significant presentation at the conference that caught my interest was made by Dr Marianne Kah, chief economist, ConocoPhillips (COP), of the United States of America (USA). (Mian)
A kinder, gentler society
Hail to Jamaica, the island of springs. Peace on her meadows those radiant springs..." When Claude McKay wrote those thrilling words could he have envisioned the state of things in this "fairest isle" several decades later? (Bingham & Martin)
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