By Richard Hugh Blackford; Fine Artist, Author, and Social Commentator Eric Donaldson 7-time Jamaica Festival Song Contest winner As Jamaicans everywhere wrestle with the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, something remarkable is happening. Across social media, images flood in from New York, Miami, London, Toronto, and beyond; photos of shipping depots stacked to the rafters with barrels, boxes, and containers filled by Jamaicans in the Diaspora. These scenes, overflow

The fact is that in a free society, citizens should be able to comment, criticize and hold their government to account, even during emergencies. Yet when Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness' warning that those attempting to “be famous” by spreading misinformation about the relief efforts for Hurricane Melissa will be “tracked” and face consequences, felt less like caution and more like a muzzle.

By Richard Hugh Blackford; Fine Artist, Author, and Social Commentator In the face of disaster, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. Unfortunately, the recent response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica has exposed a glaring weakness in the country's leadership structure. It would appear that the Prime Minister's decision to assign himself to multiple critical portfolios, including Land, Housing, NWC, NHT, NEPA, and more, has led to a catastrophic failure in disaster

By Richard Hugh Blackford; Fine Artist, Author, and Social Commentator Hon PJ Patterson, Hon Bruce Golding -Former Prime Ministers of Jamaica. The news that Jamaica’s two retired Prime Ministers PJ Patterson , now 90, and Bruce Golding , 77, have been invited to join the island’s hurricane recovery effort has been widely framed as a moment of national unity . On the surface, it’s an image designed to inspire: two elder statesmen, one from the PNP  and the other from the JLP ,