Today marks the beginning of year two of the Jamaica Labour Party’s third consecutive term in office under Prime Minister Andrew Holness. It also marks the start of the Administration’s twelfth uninterrupted year directing Jamaica’s economic management, social policy and political stewardship.That is an important reality, because anyone who only recently began following Jamaica’s politics could be forgiven for believing this Government has just arrived at the wicket—that it i

By Richard Hugh Blackford MR. PRIME MINISTER, WE ALREADY KNOW SQUATTING IS WRONG The question is why successive Jamaican governments have allowed hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans to live in circumstances where squatting became their only realistic route to shelter. It is critical to addressing this problem that this distinction is made. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has spoken forcefully about squatting and informal settlements in Jamaica, particularly against the backgroun

As the dust settles from the recent demolition of squatter-developed housing in both St Thomas and Coopers Pen in Trelawny, the careful observer should be looking beyond the zinc, the concrete blocks, splintered lumber, and twisted steel bars left behind. Take a long look at the land and what is happening around it. Take a look also at the proliferation of high-rise hotels, luxury condominiums, villas, gated communities and premium developments that have been appearing across

For more than a decade, Jamaica's Business Process Outsourcing sector has been sold as one of the great success stories of the country's economic transformation. Thousands of young Jamaicans were employed. Office buildings sprang up in Kingston, Portmore and Montego Bay. Government ministers celebrated new operators and new employment numbers, while millions of dollars of public and development financing were committed to creating the infrastructure necessary to accommodate a

POLITICAL TRIBALISM, DIASPORA EXCLUSION AND THE SILENCING OF DISSENTI grew up in a Jamaica where discussion and debate were integral parts of everyday life. Politics, economics, culture and community affairs were discussed in homes, schools, workplaces, bars, churches, barbershops and on street corners. Jamaicans did not always agree and often disagreed loudly; but expressing an opinion was understood to be part of citizenship. Today, if one were to take a cue from how nation

Vincent Stephen "Franno" Francis The world of track and field has lost one of its true giants. Coach Vincent Stephen “Franno” Francis, founding member and Head Coach of the world-renowned MVP Track & Field Club, has died at the age of 64. He leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond medals, records, and championships. He was a visionary, an innovator, and arguably one of the most successful sprint coaches the world has ever known. For nearly three decades, Francis stood

By Richard Hugh Blackford Mark Jackson - Principal, Ascot Primary School, Jamaica A GRADUATION CEREMONY THAT LOST ITS PURPOSE It is almost impossible to believe that a school serving children between the ages of six and twelve could make a decision such as this, yet the reports surrounding Ascot Primary School indicate that it happened. Students who were not deemed "proficient" in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations were reportedly denied the opportunity to wear gradu

By Richard Hugh Blackford A CRISIS OF PUBLIC CONFIDENCE "Despot." "Dictator." "Sellout." These are no longer words whispered in private conversations. They are now being openly used by a growing number of Jamaicans to describe Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his administration. Whether those descriptions are fair is for history to decide. What cannot be denied is that they reflect a deepening crisis of public confidence. For years, many Jamaicans have watched what they beli

After Eleven Years, Jamaica Deserves More Than Another Lecture For the second consecutive Diaspora Conference, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has lamented Jamaica's low productivity and called for a "revolution" in the country's work ethic. Once again, he has appealed to Jamaicans living overseas to encourage family and friends back home to work harder, become more efficient, and embrace a different value system. It is a message that sounds inspiring, but it is also remarkably

THE MISSING HALF OF THE CONVERSATION At the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, Prime Minister Andrew Holness once again challenged Jamaicans to embrace what he described as a "cultural revolution" centred on efficiency, productivity, accountability, and innovation. His argument was straightforward: Jamaica's future prosperity depends not only on economic policies and investment but also on a transformation in national attitudes and behaviours. He urged citizens to mov

A participant in a recent social media discussion observed that there appears to be no one left in Jamaica willing to tell the emperor that he is naked. His comment was directed at Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his increasingly frequent references to Singapore and Dubai as development models for Jamaica. More importantly, however, the observation captured the essence of my own concerns. Contrary to what some critics have suggested, my commentary is not about tearing down

The Jamaica Constabulary Force has deployed a sophisticated public relations and communications strategy designed to sanitize an institution whose operational culture has, for decades, been rooted in excessive violence. The polished branding, carefully crafted media appearances, strategic social media engagement, and language of modernization may convince sections of the political class and the socially gullible, but no public relations campaign can erase a culture that has b

Veteran Jamaican broadcaster Fae Ellington (Aunty Fae) has publicly expressed discomfort with the modern use of the “Hill & Gully Ride” riddim, particularly the sexually explicit dancehall songs now dominating social media and streaming platforms through its sampling. It would be dishonest of me if I suggested that her concern wasn’t understandable. After all, “Hill and Gully Ride” is not merely another catchy melody. It is one of Jamaica’s treasured folk standards; a song th

Jamaica today is a tale of two realities. On one hand, there is the Jamaica we market to the world which is presented as resilient, vibrant, culturally dominant, “open for business.” On the other, there is the Jamaica many citizens are forced to endure which is economically fragile, politically divided, and socially neglected. The problem is not that the promotions are false, but that they are incomplete. THE ILLUSION OF PROGRESS That there is growth and investment in Jamaica

American content creator IShowSpeed visits Jamaica There is perhaps no country on earth that punches above its weight culturally quite like Jamaica. Our tiny island of 4,400 square miles with a population of under three million people has managed to shape global music, fashion, language, athletics, cuisine, dance, and popular culture in ways far larger nations can only dream about. Jamaican influence is everywhere. It echoes through the basslines of hip-hop, pulses through R

There is a word my late mother used often—sharp, dismissive, and always deliberate. She would describe certain people as “cockity.” At the time, I thought she made it up later learned that she hadn’t. “Cockity” is not just arrogance. It is something deeper. It is the belief that you are above correction, above scrutiny, and ultimately, above the law itself. In recent weeks, I have seen that trait on full display in Jamaica’s leadership most strikingly in the conduct of Deputy

As the debate intensifies over the restriction of athlete allegiance switching—particularly affecting talent-rich nations like Jamaica, Nigeria, and Kenya—it is time to ask a more fundamental question: Where does power in track and field truly reside? Is it with federations, is it with sponsors, is it with agents, or does it sit at the very top with World Athletics? The answer is not as straightforward as it appears. THE STRUCTURE OF POWER; BUILT FROM THE TOP DOWN At the apex

Jamaica's Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang. (NNN Photo) When Horace Chang, Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, rebuked civil society for “trying to direct police policy,” he likely intended to draw a clear line of authority. According to him, only Kevin Blake, as Commissioner of Police, has the mandate to guide operational decisions within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). On the surface, that assertion is administratively corr

Jamaica's Tourism Dependence In 1979, I picked up a job at GraceKennedy Limited, one of Jamaica’s most significant food trading houses. I was attached to the Hotels, Restaurants & Institutions (HRI) Division, which supplied food and provisions to Jamaica’s rapidly expanding tourism sector. Within six years I was appointed Divisional Manager, and by 1991 the division had become the second most profitable business unit within GraceKennedy. At the time of my departure, annual sa

KINGSTON'S GHETTO CRICIBLE It is the late 1940s heading into the 1950s and the city of Kingston had started to creak under the weight of the urban drift as thousands of Jamaicans from deep rural parishes converged on the city in search of better economic opportunities. What they found instead were burgeoning ghettos where survival required ingenuity, resilience, and imagination. In those crowded lanes and zinc-fenced yards, young men and women searched for a way out. For many