News from the OPM

The Government of Jamaica strongly condemns the gruesome and horrific murder of a 31-year-old mother and her four children including a toddler, in Clarendon this morning. The horrifying murder of Kemisha Wright of Cocoa Piece, Clarendon, and her four children: Kimana Smith (15 y.o. girl); Shemari Smith (10-year-old girl); Kafana Smith (5-year-old girl) and little Kishaun Henry (and 23 months old baby boy), is an act of savagery, barbarity and brutality of unequal proportions. Ms. Wright was a hardworking and honest young woman who was making a life for herself and her children. The entire country is today feeling immense pain following these bloodcurdling murders, which show extreme contempt for the sanctity of life, and is especially devastated that young, innocent children were viciously cut down. The murder of this family reflects the epidemic of interpersonal violence that bedevils our society and reinforces the need for us to continue to pursue a holistic approach to this disease of inter-personal violence in our society. Horrific murders such as these are shocking to our very core and we must finally resolve as a country to set aside differences and take every action necessary, in an all-of-society effort to save lives and eradicate…

Prime Minister Holness says the increased pace with which New Social Housing Projects are being completed will aid in the transformation of the society. Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government has been moving at a rapid and efficient pace to ensure more Jamaicans benefit from proper shelter through the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP). The Prime Minister stated that with the implementation of an improved process and system, more persons will benefit from the NSHP. He further stated that there will be macro and micro impact stemming from the programme. Prime Minister Holness said: “The technology exists to build a house in just one week. Once we refine it to that level of precision, science and engineering then we will be able to increase the pace at which we transform our society.” In the meantime, the Prime Minister underscored that the NSHP is about giving hope to others and ensuring that the society is rid of pessimism and despair. “If people don’t have hope then despair will set in. If people don’t have hope then they will take a pessimistic view of the future and if people don’t have hope then they will not be reasonable.” Furthermore, the Prime…

A State of Public Emergency (SOE) has been declared for the entire parish of St. Catherine amid the recent upsurge in criminal activities. Prime Minister Andrew Holness this morning (June 17) announced to the nation via a media conference that, acting on the advice of the security chiefs and under the constitution of Jamaica, the Governor-General His Excellency Sir Patrick Allen declared this State of Emergency which will be instituted for 14 days initially. Prime Minister Holness stated that the Government will use all available means within the law and the constitution to protect the lives of innocent Jamaicans. The Prime Minister said: “The main cause of violence that creates the kind of fear and terror that we are seeing in some communities, is the organized criminal activity of gangs and guns, and the young men in particular that they recruit. The Government of Jamaica has to act. The Government of Jamaica cannot sit back and see innocent Jamaicans going about their business on their way to work or from the market and having to be scurrying for their lives.” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang also noted that the necessary laws to remove…

“We want to ensure that Jamaica is a nation full of opportunities for international investors as well as for local entrepreneurs.”- Prime Minister Holness Prime Minister Andrew Holness says Jamaica is taking steps to partner with companies internationally, as the ideal location for nearshoring and friend-shoring as companies and governments start to see the challenges associated with long-distance supply chains. Speaking today (June 14, 2022) at the 8th Annual International Conference and Exhibition (AICE 2022) in Montego Bay St. James, the Prime Minister noted that with Jamaica located at the intersection of the East-West and North-South trade routes and Kingston Harbour being the 7th largest natural Harbour in the world, “Our ambition is to leverage these natural assets and position Jamaica as the 4th global logistics node, comparable to Singapore, Dubai and Rotterdam.” Prime Minister Holness continued: “We want to ensure that Jamaica is a nation full of opportunities for international investors as well as for local entrepreneurs. Trade and business are a part of Jamaica's culture just as reggae, jerk chicken, and our amazing blue mountain coffee, are good for business.” In this regard, the Prime Minister underscored that Jamaica is actively positioning itself to take advantage of facilitating…

“This region of the world has all the resources to secure peace and prosperity for all the people of the hemisphere.”- Prime Minister Holness Prime Minister Andrew Holness today (June 10, 2022) made remarks at the Ninth Summit of the Americas under the theme Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future. In his address, the Prime Minister underscored that the summit must serve as an opportunity to announce a new blueprint for regional cooperation. In this regard, Prime Minister Holness said Jamaica welcomes the announcement of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity. The Prime Minister also noted that Jamaica is committed to the summit process and will continue to work with all hemispheric partners to make a difference toward a better future. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister highlighted Jamaica’s interest to see success in the areas of Food and Energy Security, Climate Finance, Human Capital and Skills Development and Security and Trafficking in Small Arms. The Prime Minister said, “This region of the world has all the resources to secure peace and prosperity for all the people of the hemisphere. We have the leadership in this room to make it happen. Let us commit, to using our best efforts to make the…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has expressed deep sorrow at the passing of Sarah Newland Martin, OD. Ms. Newland Martin was the General Secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), former national swimmer, former sportswoman of the year and social worker.  She was 75 years old. Prime Minister Holness stated that Ms Newland Martin was an exceptional Jamaican who contributed to the development of volunteerism, social work and the community of persons living with disabilities. In 1965, Ms. Newland Martin defied the odds, becoming the only woman with a disability to win the Cross Harbour Swim meet, by swimming the two-and-a-half-mile path in the Kingston Harbour. That same year, she was also crowned sportswoman of the year. Up to the time of her transition yesterday (June 8), Sarah Newland Martin was an active member of several service organizations including the YMCA where she had been serving in the post of national General Secretary for 36 years. “Sarah’s life has been dedicated to service. She has been an advocate for the community of persons living with disabilities and the youth. Her work and impact through her service to several voluntary and social groups have assisted in positively influencing the path of at-risk youth. Her service to the nation through…

“The contractor’s performance should be an important criterion in how contracts are awarded in the bidding process if we are to reach a high level of efficiency in our construction efforts.” – Prime Minister Holness Prime Minister Andrew Holness says improvements to the public procurement process are coming soon, as the Government seeks to make the bidding process more performance-based to ensure greater efficiency in government business. The Prime Minister said; “We must reach this high level of efficiency and quality of output of our contractors, and we are making the necessary policy changes to ensure that performance is a part of the evaluation consideration of the contracting process.” At present, the Prime Minister said, contractors, are not being held accountable for the quality of their output. He said: “Contractors can perform poorly on one job and bid on another job and get it. That should not be the case. The contractor’s performance should be a serious consideration in the works that they are able to bid on and win in the future.” In that regard, the Prime Minister said these policy changes must be implemented for Jamaica to achieve the level of efficiency in construction and other service provisions…

Prime Minister Holness acknowledged that preparation costs may seem great but encouraged citizens to start small. Prime Minister Andrew Holness is appealing to Jamaicans to start preparations for the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on Wednesday (June 1, 2022). The Prime Minister encouraged citizens to begin by identifying safe and waterproof storage for their important paper documents, considering alternative supplies of drinking water should access to water become affected due to storm coverage, store non-perishable food items, and secure their homes and yard spaces. Speaking at the handing over ceremony for a home in Lime Walk, St. Catherine, today (June 3, 2022), Prime Minister Holness also used the opportunity to underscore climate resilience as a central feature in the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP). The Prime Minister said: “We are in the hurricane season. Jamaica is lucky and has been spared serious catastrophe in a number of years, and we hope this continues. However, people living in substandard housing will fare far worse if such bad weather occurs.” In that regard, Prime Minister Holness explained the emphasis placed on making sure NSHP houses are solid structures that can withstand the elements and keep the occupants safe in times of natural…

'We are on the way to making processes more efficient' - PM Holness Prime Minister Andrew Holness today (June 3, 2022) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with deposit-taking institutions for the National Identification System (NIDS) to become the singular identity verification and authentication service. Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Prime Minister said, “This is important in establishing a seamless, robust, integral and efficient National Identification System. We are moving ahead in parallel with the system of digital transfer through the Central Bank with the digital central bank currency so that eventually all our payments, all our social support payments including PATH payments and eventually salaries for the public sector, will be going through our digital system.” In this regard, Prime Minister Holness also noted that the MOU, will bring significant benefits to the Jamaican people including reduced bank charges and using only one form of identification when doing transactions or opening accounts. The Prime Minister also asserted that it is important that the banks “ensure that the promise of digitization does result in a reduced banking cost to the average citizen.” Prime Minister Holness continued: “We are doing our part by providing the NIDS to reduce your cost…