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INTRODUCTION Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, I begin by expressing my appreciation to all who have worked tirelessly in the preparation of this budget. a) To the Prime Minister and the members of the Cabinet who have nipped and tucked their budgets and kept them lean. b) To my fellow Ministers - Senator Wehby and Senator Nelson. (Team work) c) To...

INTRODUCTION Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, I begin by expressing my appreciation to all who have worked tirelessly in the preparation of this budget. a) To the Prime Minister and the members of the Cabinet who have nipped and tucked their budgets and kept them lean. b) To my fellow Ministers - Senator Wehby and Senator Nelson. (Team work) c) To...

You have assembled today to begin the new legislative session. As you deliberate, please be mindful of the trust that the people of Jamaica have reposed in you and the responsibilities they have placed on your shoulders. Strong and Mature Democracy The general elections last year resulted in a change of administration. The relative smoothness of this change is a...

It is very difficult to follow in the footsteps of two outstanding sons of the Region in the persons of the Hon. Owen Arthur, former Prime Minister of Barbados and Dwight Nelson, himself a giant in the trade union movement and now Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, both whom gave the first two...

We have just completed the first Cabinet retreat of the new Government and it was originally scheduled to last over three days. We had to extend it to a fourth because of the volume of matters that had to be dealt with and the weightiness of the issues we had to grapple with. 58 Policy SubmissionsIndeed, in the course of...

"Cuban President Fidel Castro today announced to the Cuban people that he would not be seeking re-election as President of the Cuban State Council and as Commander in Chief of the Cuban armed forces. It is a very significant announcement as it marks the end, not just of an era, but the end of eras; because President Castro remains the...

As Minister responsible for the grant and revocation of cable licences, it has come to my attention that one of the major cable operators in Kingston and St. Andrew, Entertainment Systems Limited, has suddenly ceased operation and that its cable business has been acquired by island-wide operator, Flow. I am aware that the thousands of customers affected by this change...

Today I visited the house where five young men were killed. Let me make it quite clear, the security forces have the authority to conduct operations as their intelligence determines that they should. And nobody, not the residents of Tivoli Gardens, not the Member of Parliament, not me as Prime Minister..none of us can prevent them from conducting those operations...

As the New Year looms before us, and as we face the many challenges that confront us at the national, regional and global levels, it is time for us to make solid and achievable resolutions that will guide our personal and national actions towards the achievement of our stated objectives. Nationally, ours is the task to create dynamic synergies that...

Following consultations with the Leader of the Opposition, as is required by the Constitution, Prime Minister, Hon. Bruce Golding, has advised the Governor General to terminate the appointment of the members of the Public Service Commission. This decision, according to Prime Minister Golding, has become necessary because of the persistent misconduct and unlawful behaviour of the Commission in carrying out...

Today has been a very bad day for Jamaica generally and specifically for the Constabulary Force. This morning at approximately 1:30, we lost Constable Campbell who was attacked shot to death. I'm told some 30 spent shells were found on the scene. This is in the area of Slipe Pen Road. Within 12 hours after, the body of assistant commissioner...

The nation will be as saddened as I am to learn of the passing of the Honourable Herb McKenley, OM, one of Jamaica's greatest sportsmen and role models. He will be best remembered for his role in winning Gold and silver medals in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games in the 100 and 400 metres events that for the first time...