News from the OPM

“The value of your property is preserved if each homeowner preserves it.” - Prime Minister Holness Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that the Government is in the final stages of putting in place legislation for the Gated Communities Act. Speaking yesterday (August 12) at the handing over ceremony for the National Housing Trust (NHT) Industry Cove Manor in Hanover, Prime Minister Holness said the proposed legislation will be brought to Cabinet for deliberations. The Gated Communities Act will provide in greater detail on how gated communities must operate. Prime Minister Holness stated: “In communities like these (Industry Cove Manor) the value is only preserved if each homeowner preserves the value of their property.” In pointing out the claims that could amount from having the communities regulated, the Prime Minister underscored that the Government has a duty to protect homeowners so that the value of their communities does not depreciate hence the proposal for a Gated Communities Act. Therefore, he urged everyone to abide by the rules set by the community organisations.

“The Intention of the New Social Housing Programme is to address the many cases that exist such as the Delano Tucker story” - Prime Minister Holness   Prime Minister Andrew Holness today (August 11, 2022),  handed over a brand new three-bedroom house to the family of Delano Tucker, in Guys Hill, St. Catherine. Delano Tucker whose story of academic excellence amid the grips of poverty went viral and warmed the hearts of many locally and overseas also sparked the interest of the Government to act. Prime Minister Holness underscored that the story led the Government to analyze the situation properly and to find the best solution for the Tucker family. He noted that his mere presence at the time would not have been beneficial therefore the best course was to allow the government system to work which led to the decision of handing over a house under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP). Prime Minister Holness said; “There are hundreds of cases like Delano’s and the Government cannot just act out of emotion. The Government has to always in everything, think about whether the action is fair to everyone. And we decided that there was a programme retrofitted for this circumstance.” The Prime Minister emphasized that through the NSHP, over 84 families who lived under similar circumstances such as the Tucker’s, have received a new home. He, therefore, reiterated that the intention of the NSHP is to address the worst living conditions in Jamaica. In the meantime, the Prime Minister stated that the census take-up which will begin in September is critical to the process of addressing the living conditions that exist in the country. Therefore Prime Minister Holness encouraged all Jamaicans to participate in the process and provide the necessary information to the census takers.

“If we don’t have political consensus, it could be very easily used for political advantage. The use of violence is so deep-seated in our culture that it has to take this kind of consensus to really make the change,” said Prime Minister Holness. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has called for political consensus on the issue of violence prevention in Jamaica. The Prime Minister said in a democratic society, change cannot be made unilaterally, consensus is required. The Prime Minister made the remarks today (August 11) while addressing the first public presentation of the National Commission on Violence Prevention (NCVP) at Jamaica House. Prime Minister Holness was keen on highlighting that this direction is necessary because the data shows that the increase in violence is creating more crime actors. However, the Prime Minister also said that a general agreement on how to deal with it would lessen the number of persons being prone to crime in society. Prime Minister Holness said: “Let us create a space where the treatment of violence is not contested politically, and we share in the victory of overcoming violence.” In addition, Prime Minister Holness shared key examples of how political consensus worked in the past to offer solutions to existential threats of the time. The Prime Minister listed the establishment of the Electoral Commission (ECJ), Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) and the rules on fiscal management as national achievements born out of political consensus and bipartisan agreement. “If we don’t have political consensus, it could be very easily used for political advantage. The use of violence is so deep-seated in our culture that it has to take this kind of consensus to really make the change,” said Prime Minister Holness. Moreover, the Prime Minister stressed that change would not happen with the flip of a switch…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has received official congratulations from the Government of the United States of America on Jamaica marking 60 years of political independence. During a call with Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday (August 8), US Vice President Kamala Harris extended best wishes to the Government and people of Jamaica. Vice President Harris committed to providing support to Jamaica. She announced that the US Government will provide US$ 2 million to support the creation of a Cyber Centre of Excellence in Jamaica for the benefit of the wider Caribbean region. Prime Minister Holness welcomed the announcement and thanked Vice President Harris for the commitment. The leaders also discussed the importance of more significant investment in cybersecurity. The Prime Minister said: “I was delighted to receive warm wishes from the US Government. Jamaica and the US continue to enjoy long-standing close ties, with Jamaica's large diaspora in the US. The Government and people of Jamaica are grateful for the continued investment in and support of our nation.  The enhancement of our cybersecurity capabilities is a priority area for the Government, and I am indeed pleased that the US Government will assist in establishing a cyber centre of excellence in Jamaica which will serve the region.” Both the Prime Minister and Vice President Harris welcomed the progress made on three short-term joint U.S.-Caribbean committees launched by President Joe Biden and the Vice President in June to develop concrete solutions that urgently address food security, energy security, and financial challenges confronting the region. Yesterday’s call follows Prime Minister Holness’ meeting with the Vice-President on March 30, where they discussed security, COVID-19 recovery, and economic growth, among several other issues. The Prime Minister also participated in a virtual meeting that Vice President Harris held with Caribbean leaders on…

In fulfillment of our public commitment to transparency and accountability, the  Government has compiled expenditure related to Jamaica’s candidature campaign for the post of Commonwealth Secretary General. The campaign was efficiently conducted and utilized the existing channels and resources, including already established travel plans and engagements. This significantly minimized, additional and direct expenditure from the Budget for the campaign. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith was offered as Jamaica’s candidate for the post and her candidature launched in London, England in April 2022. There was some assistance for this event from corporate Jamaica. The Minister made strategic use of the opportunities offered by impending official engagements, to carry out lobbying activities.  In that regard, in her capacity as Foreign Minister, Minister Johnson Smith attended meetings of the Economic and Social Council (United Nations, New York, April 2022); the CARICOM Agri-Investment Forum & Expo (Guyana, May 2022); the 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (United Nations, Geneva, June 2022) and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Rwanda, June 2022). Additionally, Minister Johnson Smith was able to meet with Heads of Government and counterpart Ministers on the margins of these programmed activities, to conduct the work of the Jamaican delegation, and simultaneously, to promote the candidature.  This is standard operation in international organisations, particularly by small states like Jamaica, which are conscious of the need to capitalize on these avenues to conduct international relations, in order to minimize costs. A dedicated and intensive travel schedule was pursued specifically across the continent of Africa spanning seven countries (eight governments) in 10 days.  This was…

I have been following with great concern the developments in relation to the major pollution incident of the Rio Cobre which occurred during the period July 26th to August 4th, 2022.The Rio Cobre is one of Jamaica’s most valuable natural assets and plays a critical role in the social and economic lifeline of thousands of residents and businesses operating in the geographical area that the river spans. The Rio Cobre basin ecosystem supports agriculture, aquaculture, artisanal fishing, sightseeing and leisure tours and many other livelihood opportunities.The recent pollution incident is wholly unacceptable and is inconsistent with the standards Jamaica has set for environmental management and protection.The impacts have been devastating for residents living and operating in the Rio Cobre basin; the livelihoods of our farmers, our fisherfolks, persons who utilize the river for leisure and recreational purposes, as well as major government facilities and investments, owned and operated by the National Water Commission and the National Irrigation Commission.The risk is heightened when one considers the Government’s long-standing plan to extract more water from the Rio Cobre, to supply Kingston & Andrew.The National Environmental Planning Agency (NEPA) has concluded its assessments and action will be taken within the current operating legislative framework to prosecute Windalco and to prevent any recurrence of similar pollution incidents.I have directed that NEPA update the country on its findings and next steps in holding the Company to account.I am advised that the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) has already written to the commercial bank holding the environmental performance bond (EPB) posted by Windalco, to recover the full amount in…

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 led a high-level delegation in discussions with a team from the Crime Monitoring Oversight Committee (CMOC). DPM Chang was accompanied by Minister Robert Morgan and Senator Kavan Gayle. The CMOC team comprised Chairman Lloyd Distant, Prof. Anthony Clayton, Marc Ramsay, Helene Davis-Whyte, and Keith Duncan. The meeting coincided with the 2nd anniversary of the signing of the National Consensus on Crime Agreement and provided an occasion to advance deliberations between the Government and the CMOC on charting a path to a more effective, impactful and objective monitoring framework. This was in keeping with the government’s commitment to a holistic approach to achieving sustainable crime reduction. During the discussions, it was agreed by all the stakeholders that the basis of the consensus remains sound while noting that there is need for more specificity in what CMOC measures. The key outcome of the discussions hinged on the agreed position that the CMOC framework should be strengthened around focused, measurable indicators that are informed by critical analysis and expertise in Government policies and procedures. The importance of having public buy-in was underscored as another critical aspect of the work of the CMOC that should be addressed moving forward.

“This investment is a sign that even though the challenges seem insurmountable, this Government and future Governments must be committed to chipping away at the problem with greater and more meaningful investments that are going to create jobs and earn foreign exchange,” said Prime Minister Holness.   Prime Minister Andrew Holness has hailed the new Kingston Logistics Park (KLP) as a big step in developing Jamaica’s logistics industry and creating a new stream of foreign exchange that will make the economy more robust to withstand shocks. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of new and resilient industries such as the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, which continued to bring in foreign exchange even as tourism revenues declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering this, Prime Minister Holness said, “Now we’re trying to develop another industry, similar to BPOs, but it’s a distinct industry in logistics. And this [Kingston Logistics Park] is a big step in that direction.” The Kingston Logistics Park is a $US 17 million investment and it boasts a 200,000-square metre warehouse which can accommodate up to four large clients. Moreover, it is close to other significant terminals and free zones with easy access to a constantly expanding road network. Prime Minister Holness said: “This investment here today is a sign that even though the challenges seem insurmountable, this Government and future Governments must be committed to chipping away at the problem with greater…

“Young people have a role not only to be critical of the incompleteness and failures of ‘Project Jamaica’, but you also have a duty to be involved in the solutions that will make ‘Project Jamaica’ a success,” - Prime Minister Holness. Prime Minister Andrew Holness is appealing to Jamaican youth to consider their critical role in the success of ‘Project Jamaica’. The Prime Minister underscored that while the Government does its part in advancing infrastructural development, our young people also have an essential part to play in guaranteeing a brighter future for our country. Addressing the Government’s responsibility to the youth, Prime Minister Holness said, “In our 60th year of Independence, we have to commit to improving our housing and infrastructure so that our young people can feel like they’re living in a modern society.” In the same breath, the Prime Minister acknowledged the long-standing issue of brain drain and the frustration many young people experience when they compare Jamaica's pace of development to other countries. Considering this, Prime Minister Holness said: “Young people have a role not only to be critical of the incompleteness and failures of ‘Project Jamaica’, but you also have a duty to be involved in the solutions that will make ‘Project Jamaica’ a success.” The Prime Minister emphasized that the Government maintains its commitment to bridging the dissonance he has observed with the younger generation, especially amid Jamaica 60 celebrations. Prime Minister Holness made the comments yesterday (August 3, 2022) during his keynote address at the handing over ceremony for the National Housing Trust Ruthven Towers, Phase 1 units in Kingston.