More Speeches

Let me pay special tribute to our host, that titan of Caribbean integration and magnificent international statesman, the Most Honourable Percival J. Patterson. We simply thank you for your work and Almighty God for your inspiring life. Today January 30, 2006, we reach and pass a milestone of historic proportions as the maturation process of our Caribbean Civilisation continues. This...

Today, 1st January 2006 the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) takes one of its most significant steps in the process of regional integration, as the CARICOM Single Market becomes a reality. It is my privilege and honour that on this historic day I assume the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community until 30 June 2006 during which time Trinidad and Tobago will host...

My brothers and sisters, I am sure you will agree that Christmas 2005 is an extra special one for all Jamaicans because it gives us the opportunity to celebrate our victories. Christmas is also the right time to recall the strengths of the past, and identify and share the good that exists around us. Unquestionably, this Yuletide Season affirms that...

Last Monday, we held a number of Christmas treats for the children of west Kingston. Included in the treats were toys for 2,000 children. At one of the treats, I saw a little boy, 5 or 6 years old, crying uncontrollably. It turned out that he had not received a toy. By the time he had got there they had...

Fellow Jamaicans,On the eve of the Christmas Holiday, families and visitors alike are engaged in a variety of activities to enjoy what the country has to offer. It is a time when we all look forward to exchanging gifts, enjoying cultural presentations and visiting friends and family. As Minister of National Security I have had discussions with the Police High...

Jamaica, like the rest of the world faces an uphill battle against one of the most formidable enemies of mankind. This year the world has seen 5 million more infections pushing the number of persons living with HIV to over 40 million almost a 10% increase since 2003. Countries are forced to contend with declining life expectancy and increasing infant...

I greet you in the spirit of the millennium anthem One Love composed by the Jamaican Bob Marley. The Government of Jamaica is pleased to pledge its active support to these crucial Summit deliberations, aimed at generating greater economic, cultural and social benefits for our peoples, from the burgeoning global advances in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs ). Our gathering...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is concerned at what appears to be the increasing number of Jamaicans who are being denied entry into Cayman even before the imposition of a visa regime on 1st November by that country. The Ministry notes that in some cases, Jamaicans, who have settled in Cayman have been denied re-entry. The Ministry...

Our populations are admittedly small - our domestic markets are fledgling. The Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) however represent two-fifths of the membership of the hemisphere. The Community has accorded great importance to the Summit of the Americas process since its inception in Miami in 1994 because of the promise it seemed to hold not only for hemispheric...

Mr. Speaker It will be recalled that last July in response to questions posed to me on the implications of the recent decisions by the WTO and the European Commission on our sugar industry, I indicated that the would be advised by the end of this month on the way forward for the Jamaican Sugar Industry. I intend in this...

It is a great honour for me to address this historic meeting of water specialists drawn from across the hemisphere and I must thank you for the invitation to deliver this address. This evening I want to speak on the global water and sanitation crisis; the challenges to ensuring reliable water availability and improved sanitation; the focus of the international...

Volatile market conditions for the demand and supply of petroleum products continue to impact Gulf Reference prices, resulting in increases in the prices of most petroleum products. However, because of the importance of kerosene as a domestic fuel for many Jamaicans, Minister of Commerce, Science & Technology, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, has directed Petrojam, Jamaica's energy company, to absorb the increase...