Commentary

Ronald Thwaites writes: If ever there were a time for a true national front to ensure fairness, revive spirits and downplay divisions, it is now.
December 9, 2025

Ronald Thwaites | Opportunity to unite?

The pain and loss being experienced by the western half of Jamaica raises serious questions as to the calibre of national leadership and the ethical basis of public expenditure. Look how there were…
Members of Parliament before being swore at the swearing-in ceremony for members of the upper and lower houses of Parliament held on September 18, 2025 in Gordon House.
December 9, 2025

Lloyd Barnett | Parliamentary cabinet system versus executive presidential system

In the previous article of this series, I dealt with the merits of the Jamaicanisation of our Constitution by removing its monarchical labels and form. One result of this is that Jamaica will become…
Luis Sanchez (centre) sits with other Venezuelan migrants on a boat leaving Gardi Sugdub on Panama’s Caribbean coast.
December 9, 2025

Pía Riggirozzi | Toward COP30: climate change and forced migration in Latin America

Climate change not only destroys territories and ecosystems; it deepens historical inequalities and forces millions of people to move. In Latin America and the Caribbean, where structural poverty,…
Evlin Walsh
December 9, 2025

Evlin Walsh | The costs of cutting down trees

Trees are absolutely vital to all life on Earth. To be blunt, humans cannot survive without them: they are nature’s air purifiers, constantly cleaning our atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and…
A utility pole which broke during the passage of Hurricane Melissa fell on a parked car in Salt Marsh, Trelawny.
December 9, 2025

Editorial | Melissa and the fiscal rules

The government is obviously a far way from concluding its assessment of the damage left behind by Hurricane Melissa, among the most intense storms to have developed in the Atlantic since these…
This photo shows Pond Side Primary School in Black River, St Elizabeth, which has been left without a roof after the passing of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Ruthlyn James | Storms will come, learning must continue

When nature tests a country, its schools reveal the depth of its social fabric. Jamaica’s classrooms, time and again, have proven to be more than spaces for lessons; they are sanctuaries of hope,…
Ambassador Byron Blake
December 9, 2025

Byron Blake | Hurricane Melissa: lessons for policymakers

Hurricane Melissa passed Jamaica by arguably the shortest and least expensive route. Yet, the destruction and deaths must be seen to be believed. It boggles the mind to think of Melissa tracking down…
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December 9, 2025

Orville Taylor | Hard road ahead

At least 75 per cent of Jamaican households lost electricity and property. Most Jamaicans have relatives or close friends living in the affected areas. Therefore, unless you are a fortunate…
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December 9, 2025

Garth Rattray | Some disasters are preventable

I am penning this piece on Saturday, October 25. Currently, Hurricane Melissa is creeping its way towards us with malevolent intent. Almost all the weather experts have predicted that Melissa will…