News from the OPM

Prime Minister Andrew Holness will today (April 27) present the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation to Mrs. Violet Mosse – Brown. Mrs. Mosse – Brown is the oldest person in the world. She is also the world’s first verified supercentenarian from Jamaica. Prime Minister Holness will make the presentation to Mrs. Mosse-Brown when he visits her at her home in Duanvale Trelawny. She was born on March 10, 1900. Prime Minister Holness says “the country takes great pride in acknowledging Mrs. Mosse – Brown.” On April 15, Mrs Mosse – Brown became the oldest person alive following the death of Emma Morano of Italy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has indicated that it is fully aware that a Draft Bill entitled “H.R. 1813 – Border Wall Funding Act of 2017” has been introduced to the U.S Congress by Republican Congressman Mike Rogers from Alabama, with the support of eight other Congressmen. The draft Bill seeks to amend the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to impose an additional fee of 2% of the U.S dollar amount for remittance transfers to certain foreign countries including Jamaica. The Draft has been referred to several Committees for consideration, including the Committees (and sub-committees) on Financial Services; Foreign Affairs, the Judiciary, as well as Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations. Jamaica’s Foreign Minister, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, said, “It should be noted that this is the first step in the process of getting legislation through Congress.  We are advised that so far, none of the abovementioned Committees has taken any action on the Draft.” She continued “It is important to note that hundreds of draft Bills are introduced by Congressional representatives every year but many of them fail to make it make it through the extensive legislative process. Nonetheless, the Government of Jamaica, through the…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has broken ground for the construction of an early childhood institution in Olympic Gardens, West Central St. Andrew. During the groundbreaking ceremony today (April 25), Prime Minister Holness who is also Member of Parliament for the constituency said the institution, to be known as the Olympic Gardens Infant School, was very well designed. “This project started in 2011, not 2013, I am the father of this. I remember when this was being conceived. It was in the small boardroom at the Ministry of Education in 2011”, stated Prime Minister Holness. In 2011 at the request of the Government of Jamaica, the Government of the People’s Republic of China agreed to assist the Government of Jamaica in constructing two early childhood institutions. “We were preparing to approach our partners in assisting us with legacy projects for the celebration of Jamaica 50. And we decided that one of the areas in which we would have focus is in the early childhood sector, and that is where we would want to leave a legacy”, said Mr Holness. The project is as a result of two agreements on Economic and Technical Cooperation between both Governments. A grant in the amount of…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says Government will take a closer look at the management and approval process for developments in the country. The prime minister says the flooding as a result of heavy rainfall affecting the country for the past 48 hours can, largely, be attributed to the country’s lack of capacity to deal with these extraordinary weather events. Following a preliminary briefing this morning (April 23) on the impact of the heavy rain, Mr. Holness said it is clear the existing drains in the country were not built to accommodate the large volume of water from the two days of rainfall. He says there are capacity as well as developmental issues in the management of the country’s infrastructure. “We have an extraordinary weather event that is causing problems on our decade’s old drainage system. As a country our development has not kept pace with our ability to deal with run off, solid waste management and other environmental issues. Added to that, past administrations have not managed the development process effectively to ensure that the increased capacity of the drainage systems matches the level of physical development. We now must develop a programme to expand and manage the country’s infrastructure…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has instructed the National Works Agency (NWA) to mobilise its resources to deal with the impact of the extraordinary rain event currently affecting the island. The Prime Minister was this evening (Saturday, April 22) briefed by the NWA on the extent of the damage to infrastructure. He said Government agencies, as well as local representatives, have been mobilised. “The Clarendon Parish Council has activated its Emergency Operation Centre to support residents who may need support. We are also concerned about flooding and blockage of roads in several communities in Clarendon as well as the Eastern Parishes of St. Thomas and Portland,” said the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Holness said respective representatives and state agencies will tour affected areas tomorrow (Sunday, April 23) morning. He said the nation will be updated on the situation as it unfolds. Prime Minister Holness is urging all residents of flood-prone and low-lying areas to be vigilant and listen to the instructions of the authorities, should the need arise to take action.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says that the baseline work for the Special Security Operation Zones continues even while we await the enforcement of the Act. “I have met with the Commissioner of Police and emphasized the need for a programme on human rights training and that they should start now to identify persons within the Force who can act as Area Commanders so that they can get the necessary training to understand the powers that they will have and how to act as Commanders of a Zone”. Prime Minister Holness was speaking at the meeting of the National Partnership Council yesterday (April 20) at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). He said that “this is a piece of legislation that will require intense consultation and public education. The government intends to be very open and transparent”. The Prime Minister also informed the Council that the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, MOCA, is well underway to being its own law enforcement service that’s distinct from a constabulary service. The Bills, MOCA and the Zones of Special Operations, Special Security and Community Development Measures Act, were tabled in Parliament on  March 21, during the Prime Minister’s contribution to the 2017/2018…

The National Partnership Council has named the members of its three Working Group sub committees. The Working Group Committee to deal with Rule of Law and the reform of the justice system is chaired by Mr. Howard Mitchell. Other members of the committee are, Mr. George Overton, Mr. Horace Levy, Senator Lambert Brown, Rev. Burchell Taylor, Professor Anthony Clayton and Mr. Christopher Townsend. The Working Group for the Reduction of Violence against Women and Children is chaired by Dr. Marcia Forbes. Other members of the committee are, Mr. O’Neil Grant, Mrs. Joyce Hewett, Mrs. Diahann Gordon Harrison, Mrs. Rosalee Gage Grey, Mr. Rodjè Malcolm, Mr. Christopher Harper, Mrs. Nekeisha Sewell Lewis and Dr. Michael Abrahams. The committee will also include representatives from the legal fraternity, academic and resource personnel. Mrs. Diana McCaulay is Chairman of the Environment Group. Other members include Mr. William Mahfood, Ingrid Parchment, Senator Kavan Gayle, Danielle Andrade, Mr. Peter Knight, Mr. Dennis Chung and Dr. Donovan Campbell. The Prime Minister, speaking at the Council meeting held yesterday (April 20) at the Office of the Prime Minister said, “a part of the objective of the Rule of Law committee is to build consensus around the various initiatives and…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says that the baseline work for the Special Security Operation Zones continues even while we await the enforcement of the Act. “I have met with the Commissioner of Police and emphasized the need for a programme on human rights training and that they should start now to identify persons within the Force who can act as Area Commanders so that they can get the necessary training to understand the powers that they will have and how to act as Commanders of a Zone”. Prime Minister Holness was speaking at the meeting of the National Partnership Council yesterday (April 20) at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). He said that “this is a piece of legislation that will require intense consultation and public education. The government intends to be very open and transparent”. The Prime Minister also informed the Council that the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, MOCA, is well underway to being its own law enforcement service that’s distinct from a constabulary service. The Bills, MOCA and the Zones of Special Operations, Special Security and Community Development Measures Act, were tabled in Parliament on  March 21, during the Prime Minister’s contribution to the 2017/2018…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the government must make right decisions about its fiscal space, which will secure economic and social prosperity. He says that government must take a 360 degree view of the entire Jamaican landscape to ensure sustainable development. “For too long we have spoken about our advantages based on our geo-strategic location, English speaking population, natural maritime endowments and robust digital infrastructure. Jamaica is ideal in many respects but we have not capitalised on our natural advantages to the full extent”, stated Prime Minister Holness. The prime minister was speaking today (April 19) at the official tour of the new Norman Manley International Airport Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower. “Development cannot happen in a lopsided way, we can’t have development happening in some areas and the other areas are neglected. The good fiscal management of fiscal resources requires that the government ensures that whatever funds that are under the public domain, under public management, are available for the whole development of government”, declared Prime Minister Holness. The NIMA Control Tower was constructed at a cost of CA$10 Million. “This government is ensuring that we do not lose out on this fast growing window of opportunity. We are…