Commentary

Chief Justice Bryan Sykes
January 13, 2026

Editorial | Court should control budget

The central government’s continued control of where, when and how to undertake major capital works on courts cries out for a reform of, not only this anomaly, but of facets of the justice system.…
January 13, 2026

Gordon Robinson | Law and theology

Two Fridays ago Peter Espeut wrote an entertaining column ( The new builds on the old) challenging my advice to throw away the Old Testament. I’ve always maintained that, among The Gleaner’s mostly…
January 13, 2026

Michael Abrahams | The decline of empathy

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines empathy as “ The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of…
Nand C. Bardouille, Ph.D., manager of The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean in the Institute of International Relations at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus
January 13, 2026

Nand Bardouille | US-Caricom relations: Year in review

As the then-outgoing Caribbean Community (Caricom) chair’s end of year message made clear, “[t]his year [i.e. 2025], Caricom made meaningful progress in advancing regional integration and economic…
CARICOM Heads of Government pose for a group photo at the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.
January 12, 2026

Editorial | Expand partnerships

More than a year ago, before Donald Trump’s formal re-occupation of the White House, this newspaper urged Jamaica and its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners to begin a strategic expansion of their…
Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
January 12, 2026

Ronald Thwaites | The question of morality and power

“No limit except my morality.” You think is joke the man joking about the extent of his power? That statement coming from the commander of the world’s largest economy and most powerful armed forces…
In this 2024 photo, police tape is seen at the scene of a shooting in Porus, Manchester.
January 12, 2026

Nicola Satchell | Falling murders, rising responsibility

Jamaica is experiencing a rare and welcome moment. Murders are falling significantly. Yet, alongside this achievement lies a troubling counter-trend. Fatal police shootings have increased sharply,…
Jamaica does not approach rental housing from a lightly regulated position. The Rent Restriction Act already limits rents and evictions for certain categories of older residential properties, tying permitted rent to assessed values and requiring official a
January 12, 2026

Landlords at a crossroads as England reforms rental law and Jamaica maintains rent controls

Proposed and enacted reforms to rental housing laws overseas are renewing debate in Jamaica about how far governments should go in regulating private property, as England prepares to implement…
Women atop a tractor support farmers as they protest at the Arc de Triomphe against the European Union's negotiations over the Mercosur trade deal with five South American nations.
January 11, 2026

Editorial | Navigating uncertainty

Modern economics used to treat uncertainty like bad weather. When recession threatened, uncertainty rose. When growth returned, it eased. During supply shocks or financial disruptions, you wait until…