In Focus

Jimmy Cliff performs during the Timbre Rock and Roots concert on Friday March 22, 2013 in Singapore.
December 9, 2025

Gordon Robinson | Many rivers to cross

On Monday, the world lost another musical legend as Jimmy Cliff passed away at the age of 81. Although, as James Chambers, he was born in Adelphi, a hillside community in Somerton, near Montego Bay,…
Debris surrounds damaged homes along the Black River, Jamaica, in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie | Building back better after Hurricane Melissa

Hurricane Melissa, a Category Five storm, made landfall at New Hope in Westmoreland, cut across the southwestern parishes, and exited Jamaica via St Ann. At least one-third of the island has been…
Residents gather amid debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa on a street in Black River, Jamaica, on October 30.
December 9, 2025

Jamel Banton | After Melissa: What future do we choose for Black River?

Hurricane Melissa ravaged the birthplace of so many of us, and, in the aftermath, a harder question has emerged: do we simply protect what remains of Black River, or commit to transforming it into…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, interacts with residents of Whitehouse, Westmoreland, during a tour with regional and Jamaican leaders to areas that were badly hit by Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Mark Wignall | Kudos Holness administration

Beaming with pride but without the hint of a boast, a key part of the human component leading the super ministry; Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, Robert Morgan recently told us that…
The police in St Elizabeth overlook recovery efforts in Black River in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Danielle Archer | Why Jamaica needs a public scorecard for disaster recovery

When Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, it didn’t just flatten homes, it exposed deep fault lines in our disaster-response systems. Weeks later, families still wait for relief, some communities…
In this September 2025 photo, members of parliament are seen at a sitting in Gordon House.
December 9, 2025

Rosalea Hamilton | Hurricane Melissa’s lesson for constitutional reform

Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic Category 5 assault has ravaged Jamaica, laying bare – yet again – the fragility of an overly centralised system of government. As we confront the worst hurricane…
The situation demands urgent action by the Government to address the well-being of individuals, while at the same time helping to rev up industry and commerce in western Jamaica. The effect would also be positive for the national economy.
December 9, 2025

Gordon Robinson | The maths not mathsing!

Last week (“Do the Math”) we discussed some previously unspoken long term consequences of the devastation wrought by Melissa. It’s time to face another reality check. There are also some very acute…
A man walks past a business place in St Ann which was damaged by an uprooted tree during Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Imani Tafari-Ama | People-centred approach to development

Hurricane Melissa disrupted previously held notions of normality in Jamaica. The education sector is now about the haves and have-nots. More than half of the island’s schools have suffered severe…
Minister of Justice, Delroy Chuck
December 9, 2025

A.J. Nicholson | Case to answer bravely, Minister Chuck

Before a new constitutional reform committee comes to be established, the justice minister has a case to answer. A ten-page-long paper titled Against The CARICOM Court of Appeal by Delroy Chuck has…