分类： politics

Jamaica’s Public Accounts Committee has launched formal contempt proceedings against the chief executive officer of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), after Fitzgerald Mitchell skipped a third summoned hearing for a parliamentary probe into an critical Auditor General’s audit of the hospital’s operations. The disciplinary step was finalized on Tuesday, when Mitchell failed to appear at the committee’s sitting without any advance notice or explanation, despite receiving an official parliamentary summons on June 8.

Committee chair Julian Robinson confirmed that the panel had received no communication from either Mitchell or his legal representation regarding his absence. “In view of his absence from this meeting, there is a process that will be triggered,” Robinson told the assembled committee members.

Mitchell’s repeated refusal to appear has drawn fierce condemnation from cross-party committee members, who specifically asked for his testimony to address red flags raised in the audit. The Auditor General’s performance review uncovered major systemic vulnerabilities at the hospital, including flawed procurement practices, weak institutional governance, and poor record-keeping protocols that create major risks for public funds and patient care.

In a notable contrast to Mitchell’s noncompliance, two other senior former leaders called to give evidence as part of the probe — former UHWI CEO Kevin Allen and former board chair Wayne Chai Chong — have already appeared before the committee and answered questions fully. Robinson highlighted this cooperation to underscore the unacceptable nature of Mitchell’s ongoing refusal to engage with parliamentary oversight.

“It is very concerning that a public official who is in a position of authority, having been invited first, not responded, having been summoned, no response either from himself nor his lawyer, is in contempt and in breach of the Parliament,” Robinson said.

Senior Legislative Counsel Tiffany Stewart confirmed to the committee that all required legal and administrative steps to serve the summons were completed in full compliance with the nation’s Senate and House of Representatives Powers and Privileges Act, as well as the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. She confirmed that Mitchell’s unexcused failure to attend meets the legal definition of contempt of Parliament, clearing the way for the House to initiate formal penalty proceedings.

However, Stewart also drew the committee’s attention to a major gap in the current legislation: the maximum penalty laid out for contempt of Parliament is widely recognized as outdated and insufficient. Under existing law, a person found guilty of contempt only faces a top fine of 200 Jamaican dollars, equivalent to less than 1.50 USD, or up to 12 months of imprisonment only if the fine is not paid.

Robinson emphasized that this weak penalty is clearly inadequate, and directly undermines Parliament’s core constitutional mandate to conduct oversight of public institutions. He warned that allowing senior public officials to ignore formal parliamentary summonses without meaningful consequence erodes the entire system of public accountability. “It can’t be that a committee designed to ensure accountability, transparency, and good governance will have its work subverted simply because a public officer refuses to appear before it,” Robinson added.

After closed deliberations, the committee voted unanimously to move forward with the process. The panel will prepare a formal report for the Speaker of the House of Representatives that details Mitchell’s repeated noncompliance with the summons, and formally request that the House initiate the full contempt process laid out under existing law.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Against a backdrop of rising anti-immigrant violence and unrest across the nation, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a clear rebuke to xenophobic scapegoating on Tuesday, calling on citizens to stop holding migrants responsible for the country’s deep-seated socioeconomic challenges. As one of the most robust and largest economies on the African continent, South Africa has for decades drawn migrant workers from across the region, with many entering the country both through legal channels and without official authorization. But over recent weeks, organized crowds of South African demonstrators armed with sticks, whips, and makeshift shields have taken to streets in multiple regions, issuing an ultimatum that all undocumented foreigners must leave the country by June 30.

Ramaphosa’s remarks came during an official address commemorating Youth Day, a national holiday marking the 1976 Soweto uprising, a pivotal youth-led movement that accelerated the end of apartheid in South Africa. “There are some who blame the problems of the current government, of unemployment and crime and poor service delivery, on foreign nationals,” the president told the gathered crowd. He acknowledged that unauthorized migration poses a measurable policy challenge for the country, one his administration is already pursuing decisive action to resolve, but added: “our problems are… our own problems, and which we have a responsibility to fix ourselves.”

Highlighting the severity of the nation’s unemployment crisis, Ramaphosa confirmed that youth unemployment currently sits at 42%, far outpacing the overall national workforce unemployment rate of 32%. He outlined ongoing policy initiatives from his administration to generate new formal jobs, and issued a public appeal to the country’s private sector to prioritize offering entry-level opportunities to young South Africans who lack formal work experience. “Addressing these challenges does require practical solutions, not the scapegoating of vulnerable people,” he emphasized.

Speaking to reporters after the official commemoration ceremony, Ramaphosa issued a stern warning to organizers of the anti-immigrant marches, who have ramped up public pressure to expel undocumented residents. “There does seem to be an intention to destabilise the country, and the clear message is that we are not going to allow that,” he said. The recent wave of violence, which has included looting of foreign-owned businesses and targeted attacks on migrant communities, has sparked widespread security fears. In response, governments of neighboring and regional countries including Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique have organized voluntary repatriation efforts, which hundreds of vulnerable foreign residents have already accepted.

Data from South Africa’s national statistics agency shows that more than three million foreign-born people currently reside in the country, accounting for approximately 5.1% of the total national population.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A leading cultural body within Jamaica’s main opposition party is throwing its full weight behind a rising grassroots movement to formally establish June 16 as a national day honoring Leonard Percival Howell, the foundational figure of the global Rastafari Movement.

The milestone 128th anniversary of Howell’s birth will fall on June 16, 2026, a timeline that has reignited calls for official national acknowledgment of his transformative legacy. According to the People’s National Party (PNP) Culture and Heritage Commission, Howell stands alongside national hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey as one of the only Jamaican thinkers to birth an indigenous spiritual, philosophical, and cultural movement that has reshaped global discourse.

From the Caribbean basin to continental Africa, across Europe and the Americas, Rastafari has fundamentally altered conversations around racial identity, collective liberation, spiritual practice, and equitable social change, the commission notes. Today, it stands as one of Jamaica’s most enduring and influential cultural gifts to the world.

IB Konteh, chairman of the commission, framed the push for formal recognition as a long-overdue act of historical justice for a figure whose radical ideas reshaped the 20th century. “Leonard Howell was a visionary Jamaican whose ideas challenged colonial domination and inspired generations to embrace African identity, dignity and self-determination,” Konteh explained. “At a time when such views attracted persecution and repression, he stood firmly in defence of the humanity and worth of Black people. The global reach of the Rastafari Movement stands as a lasting testament to the power of his vision and convictions.”

Konteh emphasized that Howell paid a steep personal price for advancing ideas that would go on to shape the lives of millions across the globe. “For his beliefs and advocacy, Leonard Howell endured harassment, imprisonment and sustained efforts to silence his message,” he said. “Yet despite those hardships, his influence endured and grew beyond Jamaica’s shores. It is fitting that the nation where the movement was born formally acknowledges the man whose courage and sacrifice helped lay its foundation.”

The commission argues that an official national day of recognition on June 16 will create a structured opportunity to educate younger generations of Jamaicans about Howell’s far-reaching contributions to the nation’s history, anti-colonial intellectual tradition, Pan-African consciousness, and cultural evolution.

While the proposal explicitly distinguishes a national day of recognition from a paid public holiday, the commission notes that the formal observance is critical to ensuring Howell’s work is retained in Jamaica’s collective memory and granted the prominence it merits.

“As Jamaicans, we have a responsibility to honour those whose vision helped shape our national identity and whose influence continues to resonate across the world,” the commission stated. “Recognising Leonard Howell is not simply about acknowledging one man; it is about recognising a movement, a legacy and a chapter of Jamaican history that continues to inspire millions globally.”

Closing its appeal, the commission is calling on the Jamaican government, national cultural institutions, and all Jamaican citizens at home and abroad to back the campaign to designate June 16 as an official national day of recognition for Howell, securing his rightful place in the country’s official national narrative.

MONTREAL, CANADA – In a high-stakes legal challenge that spotlights growing generational frustration over broken climate promises, three young Canadian women and two leading environmental organizations launched a lawsuit against the federal government Tuesday. The action demands a court order forcing Ottawa to draft a robust, updated action plan to deliver on its legally mandated national emissions reduction targets.

The lawsuit lands at a moment of sharp policy reversal under Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office in March 2025. Carney’s administration has overhauled Canada’s climate and energy agenda, rolling back core environmental protections to fast-track large-scale energy and infrastructure projects. The shift is framed by the government as a necessary step to boost domestic economic autonomy amid escalating trade tensions with the United States under the second Trump administration.

Five years prior, during Justin Trudeau’s premiership, Canada’s federal government enshrined a legal commitment to cut national greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Carney has already publicly admitted the country is not on track to meet this target, following his administration’s rollback of key climate rules, including a national carbon price for households and a legally binding emissions cap for Canada’s large oil and gas sector.

Speaking at a press conference announcing the suit, Shirley Barnea, a Quebec-based university student and one of the lead plaintiffs, emphasized that Canadian authorities have a binding intergenerational obligation to build a livable, sustainable future for young people. “Young people deserve a sustainable economy, good green jobs and a government with a credible plan to get us there,” Barnea said.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), one of the organizational co-plaintiffs, said in a statement that the legal action is designed to compel the federal government to “chart a credible, up-to-date course of action” that protects all Canadians from the accelerating harms of climate change. Equal Justice, the legal organization representing the plaintiffs, confirmed it is backing the three young women in the challenge.

Charlie Hatt, Equal Justice’s climate director, argued that the Carney government has systematically eroded Canada’s core climate policy framework over the past year. “Over the last year, we have watched the Carney government weaken, delay and repeal Canada’s key climate policies,” Hatt said.

Sophia Mathur, a second plaintiff from Ontario, pointed to the growing frequency of extreme weather events that have defined her generation’s experience, including record-breaking wildfire seasons that blanketed much of North America in toxic smoke, catastrophic flooding, and deadly heat domes. “My generation’s first decade on this planet will have been marked by wildfire seasons, floods, heat waves, and constant warnings from scientists that the window for action is closing,” Mathur said. She added that the government’s failure to act on its own legal commitment breaks a core promise to young Canadians: “The federal government made a promise, a legal commitment, to meet its climate targets. Now it must keep its word.”

Court documents reviewed by Agence France-Presse frame climate change as an existential threat to Canada, noting that the country is warming at roughly twice the average global rate. Northern regions of Canada, home to large Indigenous populations and vast critical ecosystems, are warming nearly three times faster than the global average, amplifying risks of permafrost thaw, biodiversity loss, and community displacement.

This is not the only legal climate challenge facing Ottawa this year. In October, the federal government will go to trial in a separate case that accuses the previous Trudeau administration of failing to uphold young Canadians’ constitutional rights through inadequate climate action. The Canadian challenge is part of a growing global wave of climate litigation, where youth and advocacy groups are holding governments accountable for insufficient action in countries including Germany, the Netherlands, and France.