分类： politics

MONTEGO BAY, St James – Against the backdrop of the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, a senior government official has made a forceful case for centering young Jamaicans – both domestic residents and members of the global diaspora – in the island nation’s policy development and growth agendas. Speaking at the opening commencement session held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on the event’s opening day, Alando Terrelonge, Minister of State in Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, laid out a clear vision for expanded youth participation in shaping the country’s future.

Terrelonge opened his remarks by celebrating the strong representation of young professionals, students, and emerging leaders in attendance at the four-day gathering, which runs from June 15 to 18 under the overarching theme “Diaspora Partnerships: Rebuilding a More Climate-Resilient Jamaica”. He referred to these young attendees as Jamaica’s “young kings and queens”, stressing that their active involvement in national efforts is non-negotiable for meaningful progress.

The state minister emphasized that young people bring unique, irreplaceable value to national problem-solving: they carry the creative drive, relentless energy, and unfiltered fresh perspectives required to tackle not only Jamaica’s most urgent domestic challenges, but also pressing shared issues facing the global community. “The future we seek to build belongs to you,” Terrelonge told the young audience. “It belongs to your ideas, your creativity, and energy, which are indispensable to that effort.”

Against the backdrop of an increasingly interconnected and complex global landscape, Terrelonge argued that young Jamaicans must be intentionally empowered to contribute across four critical pillars: policy design, entrepreneurial innovation, technological advancement, and sustainable development initiatives. To unlock this potential, he said, the government and broader stakeholders must consistently build intentional pathways that open doors for youth, regardless of whether they live on the island or abroad as part of the diaspora.

Crucially, Terrelonge pushed beyond the common practice of token youth consultation, noting that genuine engagement requires far more than just hearing young voices. Young people must be integrated directly into decision-making processes, he insisted, so their input directly shapes the policies and initiatives that will define Jamaica’s long-term trajectory. “Your voices must not only be heard but actively incorporated into the decisions that shape our future,” he said.

Terrelonge highlighted the biennial diaspora conference itself as a model of the kind of opportunity that should be expanded for young leaders. The event brings together hundreds of stakeholders, including diaspora members, government policymakers, private sector leaders, global development practitioners, and innovators, creating space for cross-community dialogue that would not otherwise happen. This exposure to a wide range of diverse perspectives and lived experiences, he explained, helps young people build the skills, connections, and professional networks they need to drive impact at both the national and global level.

He urged all attendees – especially young participants – to make the most of the conference’s full slate of programming, including plenary discussions, skills-focused workshops, and structured networking sessions. Meaningful, long-lasting partnerships that drive real change often grow out of intentional dialogue and collaborative problem-solving, he noted, and the conference is designed to foster exactly those kinds of connections.

In closing, Terrelonge framed youth empowerment as a foundational priority for Jamaica’s long-term success. Investing in the next generation of leaders, he argued, is the only way to guarantee that Jamaica remains resilient in the face of emerging challenges, competitive in the global economy, and innovative in its approach to national development.

Hosted this year in St James, the 11th iteration of the conference brings together a diverse cohort of stakeholders united around two core goals: advancing inclusive national development and strengthening Jamaica’s capacity to adapt to and withstand the impacts of climate change. The gathering provides a dedicated space to co-design actionable solutions that leverage the resources, expertise, and connections of the global Jamaican diaspora to support progress on the island.

In a bold rebuke of harsh federal immigration policies, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has signed an executive order launching the Maryland Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force, a move that has earned widespread praise from immigrant advocacy organizations across the country.

Based in California, the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), a leading group focused on defending the rights of Haitian and Caribbean immigrant communities, has lauded Moore’s action as a critical stand for justice at a moment when immigrant populations across the United States face growing hostility from the Trump administration.

The 12-month interagency task force will bring together multiple state bodies, including the Maryland Attorney General’s office, to coordinate cross-system efforts to shield immigrant residents from widespread harm, including fraud, economic exploitation, and systemic discrimination. Speaking to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) from San Diego, HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef emphasized that the new initiative arrives at an urgent turning point for vulnerable immigrant communities.

“Across the nation, immigrant groups are facing increasingly sophisticated scams engineered by bad actors who exploit their fear of deportation, on top of the Trump administration’s draconian, racist policies that target and persecute immigrant communities,” Jozef explained. “This task force is both a protection for our communities and a direct response to these harmful actions. Over the next year, its core work will focus on strengthening existing safeguards and enforcing accountability for those who harm immigrants.”

Jozef commended Moore for taking decisive, proactive action to protect immigrant families, noting that the executive order sends an unmissable message: all people residing in Maryland, regardless of immigration status, deserve dignity, safety, and equal protection under the law. “By proactively addressing the unique challenges immigrant communities face and holding bad actors accountable, Maryland is showing the country what courageous, principled leadership looks like,” she added. She also reaffirmed HBA’s longstanding commitment to partnering with policymakers, community organizers, and local leaders across the U.S. to advance policies that protect the rights and well-being of all immigrants.

For his part, Governor Moore highlighted the massive, underrecognized contributions that immigrants make to Maryland when he signed the order. Immigrants make up roughly 17% of the state’s total population and account for nearly 22% of Maryland’s entire labor force, meaning they are a core pillar of the state’s economic and social fabric.

“Despite the enormous contributions immigrants make to our state’s economic, social, and cultural life, many immigrant Marylanders have faced systemic discrimination and substandard access to critical services for decades, from legal support to employment opportunities and housing,” Moore said. “More recently, we have seen a sharp rise in predatory new schemes that target immigrants, who are often too fearful of federal immigration enforcement to report abuse to authorities.”

The governor stressed that this exploitative activity does not only harm immigrant families—it also undermines fair market competition, distorts local economies, and erodes public safety for all Maryland residents. “Our immigrant communities make Maryland a better, stronger state. I have been clear: we will not stand idly by while bad actors prey on members of our community,” Moore said. “By forming this task force, we are demonstrating the unity and strength of our state when we stand together against injustice.”

The new executive order follows Moore’s pledge to address the fraud and exploitation of immigrant residents during his annual State of the State address earlier this year. This is not the first pro-immigrant action Moore has taken: earlier in 2025, he signed legislation designating schools and hospitals as “safe spaces” that are off-limits for federal civil immigration enforcement, and banned state and local governments from deputizing local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration actions. In February, Moore also publicly raised objections to the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to develop and operate an ICE detention facility near Williamsport, in a letter sent to then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The task force will be chaired by Moore’s own Office of Immigrant Affairs, and its work will center on addressing rising exploitation, strengthening anti-discrimination protections, and coordinating state resources to better serve immigrant communities across Maryland.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has laid out an ambitious slate of cross-sector development projects for the parish of St Ann, spanning affordable housing, public recreational space, tourism infrastructure and community upgrades, as a core part of the national government’s push for inclusive, sustainable long-term growth across the island.

The comprehensive development plan was formally presented during a high-level stakeholder meeting held June 10 at the UDC’s downtown Kingston headquarters, with Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, UDC leadership including Chairman Norman Brown and General Manager Bobby Honeyghan, and other key partners in attendance.

During the meeting, Honeyghan detailed the slate of place-focused projects set to transform the popular resort town of Ocho Rios and its surrounding St Ann communities. Upgrades are already underway at high-traffic public and tourist destinations including Ocho Rios Bay Beach and Waterfront, Turtle River Park and Shaw Park, while a major new 9-acre development is proposed for central Ocho Rios. Iconic national tourist sites will also see full redevelopments, including the world-famous Dunn’s River Falls and Park, Belmont Cove (locally known as Little Dunn’s River) and Laughing Waters.

Beyond tourism and public space improvements, the UDC is advancing a large-scale affordable housing program across St Ann, with three new developments planned at Mansfield, Chalky Hill and Malvern Park. Honeyghan confirmed that the three sites will deliver between 1,500 and 2,000 new housing units, a contribution designed to ease the country’s persistent unmet demand for accessible housing.

Prime Minister Holness praised the UDC’s progress and emphasized that the agency plays a critical underrecognized role in advancing the government’s national housing agenda. “Many Jamaicans don’t realize that our national housing policy isn’t delivered only through the National Housing Trust and the Housing Agency of Jamaica,” Holness noted. “We are receiving substantial support from the UDC through projects spread across every region of the country.”

The prime minister added that housing initiatives are already moving forward in parishes across Jamaica, including Portland, St Catherine, Caymanas, Portmore, Westmoreland and St Elizabeth, in addition to St Ann. Across all UDC-managed development portfolios, the agency is on track to deliver roughly 12,000 new housing solutions nationwide, adding significant new supply beyond the units already planned by the NHT, HAJ and the government’s New Social Housing Programme.

UDC Chairman Norman Brown reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring all new development delivers measurable, tangible benefits for everyday Jamaicans while aligning with national long-term growth targets. “At the UDC, our mission is to create opportunity through strategic investments that expand access to affordable housing, upgrade public spaces for community use, strengthen Jamaica’s global tourism offering, and stimulate local economic activity,” Brown explained. “The projects we are advancing in St Ann embody our commitment to building communities where people can live, work and prosper, with development that remains inclusive and sustainable for generations.”

Wednesday’s meeting forms part of the Jamaican government’s ongoing work to accelerate national economic growth, expand housing supply, improve public amenities, and unlock new development opportunities across all parishes. As the UDC continues to advance its project pipeline island-wide, the agency remains focused on delivering developments that attract private investment, create local jobs, strengthen communities, and raise the overall quality of life for Jamaican residents. The St Ann initiative marks another key milestone in the UDC’s ongoing work to build dynamic, resilient, sustainable communities aligned with the country’s core national development priorities.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A major legal showdown between Jamaican Member of Parliament Fitz Jackson and the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) has crossed a critical threshold, with the island’s Court of Appeal delivering a preliminary ruling in the lawmaker’s favor on Monday. Anthony Williams, a member of Jackson’s legal defense team, confirmed the outcome in an interview with local outlet Observer Online, framing the decision as a meaningful early victory for a case that has already reshaped banking practices across Jamaica.

The conflict at the center of the litigation dates back to early 2024, when Jackson visited a Scotiabranch in Portmore to cash a $2,500 cheque. Upon presenting the check for encashment, bank officials demanded Jackson pay a $385 processing fee to access the funds — a requirement Jackson immediately rejected on statutory grounds. Per the legal team’s argument, Jamaica’s Bills of Exchange Act Section 3 explicitly defines a cheque as an unconditional written order for payment of a fixed sum. By imposing a fee to release the funds, the team argues the bank effectively converted this unconditional instrument into a conditional one, a direct violation of existing law.

Monday’s ruling marks the end of a lengthy battle just to secure the right to a full appeal hearing. The case first moved through the Supreme Court, where judges granted summary judgement in Scotiabank’s favor — a decision that allowed the bank to dismiss the suit without a full trial. Jackson’s legal team, headed by King’s Counsel Douglas Leys, subsequently filed three applications for leave to appeal, after having two previous requests denied by lower courts.

In Monday’s decision, the Court of Appeal found that Jackson’s team had presented clear, arguable grounds to challenge the original summary judgement. One key error cited by the legal team in the initial ruling was the fact that Scotiabank itself never formally filed an application for summary judgement. Williams emphasized that under procedural rules, a party that does not seek summary judgement cannot be granted that ruling by default.

“What we have now is approval to move forward with the full substantive appeal, which we could not do before securing this leave,” Williams explained to reporters. “This is a good success for Mr. Jackson at this stage of the proceedings. The case is very, very live, and we will now prepare our full formal appeal filing.”

Remarkably, the case has already delivered tangible change to Jamaica’s banking sector even before a final ruling has been issued. Williams confirmed that shortly after Jackson launched his challenge earlier this year, Scotiabank moved to eliminate all cheque encashment fees for its customers nationwide. That shift, he added, makes clear just how broad the stakes of this litigation extend beyond the single $385 fee Jackson refused to pay.

“This is not a case that affects only Mr. Jackson. This will impact every single person in Jamaica who uses cheques, every player in the domestic banking industry, and even the Bank of Jamaica itself,” Williams noted. “Virtually every institution that handles financial transactions involving cheques and associated fees will feel the impact of a final ruling in this matter. This is a big, consequential case for everyone in the country’s financial system.”

Local municipal authorities in Kingston and St Andrew are extending a final opportunity for Corporate Area business owners to resolve long-outstanding signage fee arrears, as the government body prepares to ramp up formal compliance enforcement across the region.

Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby has announced the rollout of a new multi-pronged initiative that combines on-the-ground mobile payment outstations and targeted public education campaigns, designed to boost understanding of local signage regulations and streamline access to payment services for delinquent operators.

Speaking on the goals of the program, Swaby emphasized that the campaign is far more than a collections push: it is a proactive effort to demystify the signage regularization process, answer real-time questions from confused business owners, and clear up lingering uncertainty about what legal requirements entities must meet to operate public-facing signage. During the outreach sessions, participating businesses will be able to settle any unpaid fees on-site, if they choose to do so.

To remove barriers to access, the mobile outstations will be set up directly at plazas and major commercial hubs across the Kingston and St Andrew municipality, bringing compliance services directly to the doorsteps of the business owners that need them. KSAMC staff will be on hand at each location to respond to inquiries, walk operators through the permit and approval process, accept new applications, and carry out preliminary on-site inspections when requested.

Swaby stressed that the new outreach effort underscores the municipal corporation’s commitment to prioritizing public education, accessible services, and voluntary compliance before moving forward with harsher mandatory enforcement measures. Even so, he issued a clear warning: participation in the education sessions does not replace the legal requirement for businesses to bring their accounts up to date. He urged all operators located in commercial plazas and centers to address any outstanding unpaid signage obligations without delay.

Businesses that fail to resolve their arrears will face formal enforcement action in line with local Jamaican law, Swaby confirmed. He encouraged all eligible entities to come prepared with the necessary supporting documentation to take advantage of the flexible payment and support opportunities offered during the outreach sessions.

This new campaign builds on a previous fee amnesty effort that ran from January through March 2026, which offered delinquent businesses the chance to settle arrears at a discounted 20% rate. That discount was introduced to ease financial strain on operators that faced unexpected costs, halted operations, and increased community burdens in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in the region on October 28, 2025.

While the earlier amnesty saw measurable success – collecting roughly $5 million in unpaid fees by March 5 – Swaby noted that a large share of non-compliant businesses have still not addressed their outstanding obligations. All entities that display public signage, regardless of whether that signage sits on public or private land, are being urged to connect with the municipal corporation and complete the steps required to regularize their operations.

Full information on the locations and schedule of the new mobile outstations will be published to the KSAMC’s official website and social media channels in the coming days. Closing his statement, Swaby reiterated the municipal government’s straightforward call to action: engage with KSAMC representatives, get the clarity businesses need to comply, regularize public signage, and help build a safer, more organized, and business-friendly Kingston and St Andrew for all operators and community members.

A long-simmering debate over constituency-level development financing in Jamaica has gained new momentum, with Opposition Member of Parliament Dr. Angela Brown Burke becoming the latest lawmaker from both sides of the political aisle to push for a substantial increase to the annual Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation.

Established to support community-centered human capital and infrastructure projects across the island’s 63 parliamentary constituencies, the CDF currently provides every elected representative with a fixed JMD 20 million per year to address local needs. This amount has not changed since 2012, a point Brown Burke emphasized during a recent CDF consultation held in her St. Andrew South Western constituency. When 2026 rolls around, she noted, the stagnant funding will only make the already difficult work of constituent representation far more challenging than necessary.

Calling the current annual allocation “a drop in the bucket” that fails to keep pace with soaring living costs and growing community demands, Brown Burke argued that the existing funding structure sets lawmakers up to fail. The wide range of responsibilities assigned to CDF recipients—from supporting low-income households to upgrading public facilities—cannot reasonably be covered with the current budget, placing elected representatives in an unfair position when constituents come to them with pressing needs.

While government guidelines often encourage MPs to pursue supplementary funding from other state agencies to fill gaps, Brown Burke dismissed that suggestion as a purely theoretical solution. Sharing her own experience with public grant programs, she recounted that after she and a local councillor sought support from the Social Development Fund years ago, staff implied that former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller had already secured enough funding for the area, a response that discouraged her from pursuing further assistance from the body. She added that other local councillors have faced similar persistent barriers when applying for funding from the CHASE Fund, leaving alternative state support largely out of reach for many constituency representatives.

Brown Burke did acknowledge tangible support her community has received in recent months, including assistance from corporate partners and government ministries to help families displaced by severe fires in the Majesty Gardens neighborhood. She also confirmed that her appeals for additional housing support to Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness and several cabinet ministers have yielded some positive results. Even with these one-off injections of funding, however, she stressed that the base CDF allocation remains far too small to tackle ongoing critical priorities spanning social housing, welfare assistance, vocational skills training, and local economic empowerment initiatives.

To illustrate the scale of the shortfall, Brown Burke pointed to social housing spending in her constituency: only JMD 1 million is allocated to the area’s three municipal divisions from the annual CDF budget, translating to just JMD 300,000 per division per year—a sum too small to make meaningful progress on unmet housing needs. In addition to boosting the core constituency allocation, she also called for higher salaries for CDF community officers, who carry out much of the on-the-ground work to implement local projects.

Brown Burke’s call comes just over a month after fellow Opposition MP Natalie Neita Garvey of St. Catherine North Central publicly raised concerns about the inadequacy of the current CDF allocation. The cross-party consensus around the need for funding increases highlights growing pressure on the Holness administration to revisit the CDF funding formula, with lawmakers arguing that a revised budget is necessary to equip representatives to effectively serve their communities.

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Against a backdrop of accelerating global change across technology, climate action and economic systems, Jamaica’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge has laid out a clear roadmap for the island nation: leverage stronger collaboration with its global diaspora and international partners to capitalize on worldwide advances in science, technology and sustainable development.

Terrelonge shared his vision during opening commencement remarks at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, hosted this week at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James. He framed rapid global transformation not as a threat, but as a rare opening to drive inclusive national growth and homegrown innovation for Jamaica.

“Across every continent, we are seeing game-changing breakthroughs in science and technology, forward-thinking new frameworks for sustainable development, and creative partnership models that are rewriting how industries operate and lifting community living standards,” Terrelonge told attendees. “These leaps forward confirm what we have long believed: progress becomes achievable when bold vision is paired with unwavering determination, and when collective action backs national ambition.”

A core pillar of Terrelonge’s argument centered on the unique strategic value of Jamaica’s diaspora community spread across the globe. He noted that diaspora members hold unmatched potential to bridge Jamaica to global expertise, cutting-edge emerging technologies, untapped international markets and critical new investment streams. Beyond financial and technological links, he added, diaspora leaders have long served as key facilitators of cross-border knowledge sharing and expanded access to global professional and policy networks that can accelerate Jamaica’s development goals.

Terrelonge emphasized that in an era of increasingly interconnected and complex global challenges, from climate change to economic volatility, innovation cannot thrive in isolation. Meaningful, sustained collaboration across borders and stakeholder groups is non-negotiable for countries like Jamaica to navigate shifting global realities effectively.

“Our world is undergoing rapid, far-reaching change right now. Technological breakthroughs, economic restructuring, pressing environmental threats, and shifting social norms are all reshaping how we think, live, work, and connect with one another,” he said. “Events like the biennial diaspora conference create irreplaceable space for diverse stakeholders to come together, exchange fresh perspectives, and co-develop practical, actionable solutions to the challenges we share.”

Moving beyond talk, Terrelonge stressed that the true success of the conference will be measured not by the volume of panels or discussions, but by the tangible action that emerges in the months after the event closes. “The insights and agreements we hammer out here should shape national policy, guide development strategy, inspire new innovation, and deliver real, measurable benefits for all Jamaican people,” he said.

He urged every conference participant to lean into the week’s activities, including breakout discussions, skills-focused workshops, and structured networking sessions, noting that enduring, impactful partnerships are almost always built through consistent, open dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. This year’s conference runs under the overarching theme “Diaspora Partnerships: Rebuilding a More Climate-Resilient Jamaica”, aligning with global efforts to address climate vulnerability in small island developing states.

Closing his remarks, Terrelonge expressed measured optimism that the conference will deliver on its promises: it will reinforce long-standing ties between Jamaica and its diaspora, while opening new avenues for productive engagement that benefit the island nation for years to come.

On the opening weekend of the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, a powerful call for interconnected global morality and collective care echoed through the halls of Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay, St James. The event, held under the overarching conference theme *Diaspora Partnerships: Rebuilding a More Resilient Jamaica*, drew senior government officials, diplomatic representatives, and hundreds of diaspora delegates from across the world, all gathered for the conference’s official opening church service.

The keynote address was delivered by the Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover and Canterbury, a trailblazing religious leader who made history as the first Black woman appointed as a bishop in the Church of England, and previously served as personal chaplain to the late Queen Elizabeth II. In her remarks, Bishop Hudson-Wilkin challenged Jamaicans both on the island and in the global diaspora to retain their strong moral voice on the world stage, even as they work to strengthen domestic resilience and national development.

She emphasized that building a more resilient Jamaica is rooted in collective uplift, particularly for the most marginalized members of society. “At the core of this work will always be how we lift each other up, and how we care for those who are most vulnerable,” she told the congregation. Extending this logic beyond Jamaica’s borders, she argued that shared humanity demands attention to injustices unfolding across the globe, from the long-standing economic blockade of Cuba to ongoing instability in Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and the Middle East.

Rejecting the common stance that distant crises are “none of our business,” Bishop Hudson-Wilkin used a well-known folk parable of a mousetrap to illustrate the danger of disengagement. She recounted how a rat, facing a set mousetrap, begged for help from the farm’s chicken, pig, and cow, all of whom dismissed the threat as unrelated to their own lives. When the trap snapped on a snake instead of the rat, the snake bit the farmer’s wife. To feed the visitors who came to care for her, the farmer killed the chicken for soup; when her condition worsened and she died, he slaughtered the pig to feed mourners, and butchered the cow for the large funeral gathering. In the end, every animal that claimed the crisis was “nothing to do with me” paid the ultimate price. “We are involved because we are part of the one human race,” she told the congregation, drawing on the South African concept of Ubuntu to frame her argument: “I am because you are. I am because we are. All our lives are inextricably linked together. We must speak out against injustices wherever we see it.”

Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson-Smith, echoed the call for unity in her opening greetings. She noted that the gathering offers a rare opportunity to reflect on the enduring core values that have sustained Jamaica through decades of challenge: faith, perseverance, unity, and mutual service. “As a Government, we strive to apply our God-given talents and wisdom to the service of every Jamaican,” Johnson-Smith said. “We have taken seriously our mission to engender true respect for all and to strengthen our country so that we may care for all, especially the most vulnerable.”

Johnson-Smith highlighted the central role that the Jamaican diaspora plays in driving the nation’s growth and development, noting that even during the most difficult periods in the country’s history, the transnational Jamaican family has demonstrated unwavering love and support for the island. Running from June 14 to 18 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference aims to rethink and reinvigorate collaborative partnerships between the island and global Jamaican communities to build greater national resilience, while strengthening the shared cultural identity that unites Jamaicans across oceans and continents.