Speeches by the Prime Minister

Mr Speaker, two years ago I rose in this Honourable House to speak about the “brutality and ferocity” of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.  At that time, I reflected on the words of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica whose island was totally devasted when he addressed the 2017 United Nations General Assembly; He said “Let these extraordinary events elicit extraordinary efforts to rebuild nations substantially” and that is the case today particularly for the Bahamas particularly the islands of Freeport and Abaco. Today; Members of this Honourable House will recall the devastating impact of Category 5 Hurricane Dorian on the neighbouring islands of the Bahamas only nine days ago on September 1. Mr Speaker, the intensity of hurricanes in recent times has clearly demonstrated the effect of climate change and the resulting economic impact. Hurricane Dorian packed wind speeds of 185 miles per hour, but what was unique about this Hurricane was that it moved at one mile per hour and therefore hovered for many hours over the area it eventually destroyed. As a result, the hardest hit parts of the Bahamas were the Great Abacos and Grand Bahama. Dorian’s movement over the Great Abacos and Grand Bahama lasted approximately…

Mr Speaker, I wish to thank the Members for their contribution to the statement that I have made, several important points have been made; the leader of the Opposition mentioned that there needs to be a master drainage study nationally and locally, Kingston and St Andrew. I wish to remind the leader of the Opposition that a master drainage study was conducted by the NWA some time ago and was completed I believe last year and I had mentioned it in my budget presentation and that gives a comprehensive overview of the gaps in our drainage system nationally. As it relates to Kingston specifically you've raised another issue which is that the construction of new roadways and not just for Kingston but also for Clarendon in particular where you have in Northern and North Central Clarendon where that new road has been  constructed; those roads literally become waterways and they channel water and the drains that were built, some of these drains fifty years ago cannot carry the volume of water that is now coming down on these roads and therefore when the roads overflow and the drains are undersized the water stays on the road for longer than it…

We're assisting the Jamaica Defence Force in airlift capacity to further assist the people of Bahamas. This is now the second time that the Government of Jamaica and the Government of Canada and the Defence Forces of both countries have worked together to provide airlift for the Jamaica Defence Force Disaster Assistance and Recovery Team. You will recall that this very team was deployed in Dominica and they had an extended deployment where they assisted greatly the country of Dominica to recover. Now, once again they are called upon to be deployed to assist the people of the Bahamas. Let me say that the threat of climate change is real. You will note that this is the second hurricane season in which we've had a category 5 hurricane and the devastation that they have caused is nothing but stunning. The devastation that has been wreaked on two islands in the Bahamas is from what we have seen from the videos and from the feedback, the devastation id almost complete in some instances. The task of rebuilding will fall to obviously the people of the Bahamas, but they will not be doing it alone. The entire Caribbean region indeed the entire…

I suspect I’ll be making closing remarks but just to say don't rush off because since I have you gathered, I have some other things I would like to share with you but just on this matter. The triple threat of guns, gangs and dons continue to exist, that is it. I want to reinforce what the Commissioner has said. The government is not using of state of public emergency as a substitute for regular policing. What the state of emergency does is to provide a respite in the number of crimes in particular murders that are taking place. It helps to expand the number of law enforcement persons that we have on the ground. It helps to restrict the free movement of the criminal enterprise and then that gives regular police and increased ability to do their work so I want you to pay close attention to what the Commissioner has said. Within the spaces that we have the state of public emergency and even outside of those spaces we have been able to interdict, bring before the courts, prosecute and have successful convictions and the commissioner gave you the number of successful convictions that we've had in St…

My fellow Jamaicans, As we celebrate our 57th year of independence, we have much to be thankful for: - The lowest unemployment rate in our history at 7.8% and youth unemployment fell by 6 percent. - The annual inflation rate is low and stable at 4.2% and the consumer price index is trending downwards. - Our credit ratings are positive, and our foreign exchange reserves are historically high levels - We have had record-breaking tourist arrivals for the last two years exceeding 4.3 million visitors with an 8.6% increase in earnings for the industry. - The deposit interest rate is at 3.2% which is a record low. - Our Stock Market continues to perform well, and the consumer and business confidence indices remain high, these are always good indicators of economic health. - The construction industry is seeing sustained growth, right across Jamaica and particularly in Kingston where we see new construction projects going up at a pace not seen in recent times. And the NHT is providing housing solutions for new homeowners like never in its history. By the end of this month, over 12,500 new housing solutions would have been provided to the market since 2017 and we…

Fellow Jamaicans, We are able to celebrate our emancipation because our great forefathers struggled for justice and human rights.  In this period, we come to terms with our past and define our future unchained. We recall the boldness of Nanny of the Maroons; the defiance of Paul Bogle; the strength and moral fortitude of Sam Sharpe who chose the gallows over slavery. We must hold true to the proud heritage they and others have given us. “We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery … others may free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind.”  Those are the words of Marcus Garvey; immortalized in song by Bob Marley. Emancipation was NOT a gift. The end of slavery was an economic imperative but more so it was hastened by the unity of the oppressed in rebellion and supported by people of conscience.   Slavery could only persist because the oppressors were able to divide us. Once there was unity and consensus emerged, freedom was inevitable. In 2009, we embarked on a formal process of consensus building called the partnership for transformation. The 2011 Partnership Code of Conduct and two (2) successive social partnership agreements provided a framework for deepening…

Mr President, Jamaica is honoured to speak at this high-level plenary of the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference, to commemorate the Centenary of this most important global institution. Jamaica’s democracy was born out of the struggle of the labour movement. Labour is a respected and deeply integrated partner in the tripartite collaborative culture that is a feature of our sociopolitical system. Indeed, Labour has been a critical partner in overcoming political and economic crises in Jamaica throughout the last century and certainly since our Independence in 1962. A decade ago, Jamaica teetered on the brink of economic collapse. The global financial meltdown at the time exposed the weak foundations of the Jamaican economy. The truth is for decades we had defied economic logic in the management of our fiscal affairs and now we had to reckon with it. Our national debt reached an unsustainable high of almost 150% of GDP, our net international reserve fell to dangerously low levels, and by 2013 overall unemployment stood at almost 16% and youth unemployment was almost 36%. In the face of this national crisis, Jamaica engaged a tough IMF programme requiring at the time a rescheduling of local debt and a…

Thank you for those kind words, Charlie. Master of Ceremonies Mr Fernando Rivera, General Manager of the Shipping Association Mr Martin Medina, Caribbean Shipping Association Group D Chairman, thank you for the invocation. Mr Juan Carlos Croston, President of the Caribbean Shipping Association And of course, our own Charles Johnston of the Jamaica Shipping Association Mr Marc Sampson, Vice President of the Caribbean Shipping Association Members of the General Council of the Caribbean Shipping Association Delegates Executive Representatives of public and private sector agencies Media representatives Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.   It is my pleasure to welcome you to Jamaica and to the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Shipping Association's 18th Annual Shipping Executives Conference. Jamaica is proud to be hosting this important meeting and I’m pleased at the high level of attendance this morning. Allow me to extend hearty congratulations to the Shipping Association of Jamaica which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The Shipping Association has come a long way since its formation and has set a high benchmark for excellence in its efforts to promote and protect the interest of the Jamaican shipping industry as well of those of the wider region. To the Shipping Association, we express deep appreciation for…

To the debate on the resolution and where points have been repeated, I note them for emphasis. What I believe is being emphasized is what are the strong points of evidence to be considered by Members of the House in making the decision to exercise their constitutional right to approve the extension. Well, you have a right and if you choose to use it, you use it by duty. You may feel that you have a duty not to, but you still have the right. Mr Speaker, the first point to consider is whether or not there is a threat to the right to life in certain areas of Jamaica. The constitution provides a benchmark is it on an extensive scale and if I could get the slide of the murders per hundred thousand for 2017 just to make the point particularly to the member from Central Manchester. When the security forces and the Member from Central Manchester would appreciate this, that when they go to give advice to the government it is not on  a frivolous frolic that they do serious consideration of the intelligence that they have of the evidence that is before them and of certain knowledge…