More Speeches

PRESENTATION TO PARLIAMENT ON THE 1ST SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET - FY 2011/12 By THE HON. AUDLEY SHAW, M.P. Minister of Finance September 7, 2011 Introduction Mr. Speaker, in March 2010 Parliament approved a most profound amendment to both the Financial Administration and Audit (FAA) and the Public Bodies Management and Accountability (PBMA) Acts - the Fiscal Responsibility Framework (FRF) for Jamaica....

Once again, we pause to pay homage to our mother of Jamaican culture, the late Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverly O.M., cultural icon par excellence. Miss Lou, as we fondly call her, is one of those Jamaicans whose life’s work and worth have caused us to understand who and what we are and led us to ultimately believe in ourselves.  Her long...

Government is to  give due recognition to  Mrs Christine Allison Lindo, formerly Mrs Eugene Mapletoft Poulle, as  one of the persons who had a direct hand in the creation of the Jamaica National Anthem Prime Minister Bruce Golding in a release from Jamaica House on September 3 said documentation deposited in the National Archives in 1963 confirms the integral role played by...

Good evening, parents, teachers, learners, administrators, Jamaicans, all. It is that time of year again, when, tomorrow the metaphorical school bell will ring… and Jamaica goes back to school. Pencils are well pointed, bags are packed heavy with books , and uniforms sharply pleated  for the first day. Curious minds, will be met by steady and safe hands  in the...

Members of this Honourable House would be aware that telecommunications providers, Digicel and Claro, have entered into an agreement under which Digicel would acquire 100% of Claro's shares and, hence, assignment of Claro's licences. This agreement, as required by section 17(3) of the Telecommunications Act, is subject to ministerial approval and a joint application to this end dated March 17th...

KINGSTON — Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding is expected to make a statement on the pending  merger  between telecommunications companies Digicel, and Claro, by next week. Making the disclosure at yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz said Mr. Golding would speak to the deal in a...

Today, we celebrate the 49th anniversary of our independence. Next year, God's willing, we will celebrate our golden jubilee – 50 years as an independent nation. We have already started planning the series of events to commemorate that significant milestone. We hope to make it a grand homecoming for thousands of Jamaicans who live overseas but for whom Jamaica will...

It will be recalled that Jamaica's sugar was for many years exported to Britain under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement, that provided certain preferential arrangements with respect to access and price.  When the United Kingdom joined the then European Economic Community (EEC), it persuaded the EEC to adopt the basic tenets of the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement, to treat with sugar exports...

EMANCIPATION DAY MESSAGE BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA THE HON. BRUCE GOLDING AUGUST 1, 2011 We have a truly remarkable history. We were not the original inhabitants of the land we now call our own. The indigenous Jamaicans were the Taino or Arawak Indians, not dissimilar to the population of South America. They were constantly invaded and attacked by...

I welcome the convening of this Third Global Review of Aid for Trade which focuses attention on the very important issue of the impact that Aid for Trade funded programmes and projects can have on the economic prospects of developing countries, including small, vulnerable economies like Jamaica. Trade, i.e., imports and exports of goods and services, is indispensable to small,...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries would like to make clear that on average some 60,000 tonnnes of sugar is supplied to the domestic market on a yearly basis, with monthly consumption averaging 5,000 tonnes. It is traditional that we import sugar to make up for short-falls in our production after fulfillment of our overseas obligations.  This was the case...

Mr. President As I see it, the state of the nation is that of a house under renovation.  A caution sign immediately comes to mind: “Pardon the inconvenience as we improve conditions to serve you better." When you reconstruct, rehabilitate or renovate, the inconveniences you face are infuriating, but you suffer them because you know better will come. I know...