Pedestrians’ barefaced disregard of new signal-controlled crossings in Half-Way-Tree is a manifestation of the rampant indiscipline in wider society. Lord Bishop Howard Gregory says Jamaica cannot continue on this slippery slope to chaos. We must catch our children at the earliest stages of development. Alongside literacy and numeracy, we must lay the foundation for the cultivation of discipline. In addition, we cannot give up on our adults. Read more
Stemming the tide of indiscipline
Traffic ticket solution
On the heels of the failed traffic ticket amnesty, Veteran cop Keith ‘Trinity’ Gardener suggests the only meaningful way to solve the traffic-ticketing problem is to appoint sufficient judges and adequate court facilities to adjudicate these matters. Unfortunately traffic is one of those critical infrastructural needs, like the construction of a public morgue and facilities for juvenile offenders, which is not treated with the urgency it deserves. Gardner offers insight and solutions to this issue. Read more
Government vs. The OCG
It’s not the Office of the Contractor General hampering economic development but the corruption that pervades the award of government contracts. Veteran Journalist Ken Chaplin contends we don’t need an OCG with less powers. On the contrary, the Government ought to strengthen the regulatory body. In a country prone to corruption we need the OCG’s intense scrutiny. He outlines recommendations to strengthen the public procurement regulatory framework. Read more
The economics of culture
Columnist Tamara Scott Williams believes Jamaica’s vibrant cultural industry is being overlooked as a key economic driver. Global cultural and creative industries are worth US$2.2 trillion, growing at an annual rate of five percent. Locally, the contribution of recreational, cultural and sporting activities to GDP has grown steadily in the last 10 years and accounted for 2.9% of GDP in 2010. As one of the top 15 brands in the world our artistic expression hold tremendous economic potential. Read more
Looking like Haiti
News that we are exporting charcoal has Forest Ecologist Kurt McLaren extremely concerned. Jamaica cannot afford to support an industry sustained by the destruction of our endangered dry forests. We are already grappling with other potential environmental disasters like the rapid deforestation in the Cockpit Country and the degradation of the Black River Morass. Left unchecked, we could be on the verge of a major environmental catastrophe.
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