Mr. Speaker, a good leader is a good listener. The people speak and you listen.You listen, you reflect and you respond. Sometimes that reflection requires a change but that is par for the course, adaptability is a law of life. After the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting and the ensuing media reports about my Ministry, I listened carefully. I heard...

Mr. Speaker, members of this Honourable House, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, visitors in the gallery - (and let me specially recognise students from my alma mater St. Catherine High School); my fellow Jamaicans listening and watching on TV, radio, and the internet, I must give thanks to God for sparing us as a nation and as a Parliament, that...

This year the Budget Debate discussions can be safely described as ground-breaking. For the first time we have carried out the functions within the context of the recently updated fiscal governance framework. The enhanced framework, established through amendments to the Financial Administration and Audit (FAA) Act and the Public Bodies Management and Accountability (PBMA) Act and Regulations in March 2014...

My fellow Jamaicans, each year Commonwealth Day is observed on the second Monday in March. Fundamentally, it is a day to remember, celebrate and learn about the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 diverse member states that share language, history and culture and believe in the values of democracy, human rights and respect for the rule of law. This year,...

Notes of Opening Contribution to the House of Representatives Debate on the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) 2015 Act by the Minister of National Security   Introduction It is with a sense of being on the right side of history that I rise to open the debate on the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) 2015 Act, a very significant piece of legislation, which has...

My Fellow Jamaicans,   There is something about Christmas which retraces our childhood days and floods our hearts with memories of family and friends. It makes us wish for joy and happiness and that indeed, there will be peace on earth and goodwill among mankind.   That is what we call, “the spirit of Christmas;” that spirit of Love which...

It’s the season to be jolly! I totally understand if we may not all feel this way. Against the backdrop of our difficult economic situation many Jamaicans are finding it hard to see the festivity in the season. It has been a rough year for all of us, but let this not blind you to the virtue and meaning of...

It is an interesting coincidence that the debate on the three Bills to establish the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as Jamaica’s final appellate court and the debate on the Reparations motion are occurring contemporaneously, because both address the impact of slavery and colonialism on the societies of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. While the Reparations debate focuses on receiving...