Speeches by the Prime Minister

International Women's Day is acknowledged, sponsored, supported and endorsed by the United Nations and the Government of Jamaica sees it as an important event on our calendar of activities that the Prime Minister's office should convene/ bring together a representative group of the power of women in our country and it is indeed my great privilege to host this breakfast and I want to thank you all for coming. Some very important things were said and it has been very eye opening for me. There I was thinking that I was the head of the household by virtue of being the head of the household. Thank you my lady. I think what we can agree on is that strong women make strong men and as I reflect on my own experience I consider myself one of  the very fortunate Jamaicans to have grown up with my great-grandmother, my grandmother, my mother and now my wife, so I've always had strong women in my life. I believe that my decision to enter politics was driven by my great-grandmother. I got an opportunity to represent Jamaica at an international conference when I was about fifteen and when I was leaving I went…

Minister Wheatley Minister Williams Mr Phillip Paulwell representing the leader of the opposition and representing himself in his own right as member of parliament for Eats Kingston and Port royal Mrs Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, Member of Parliament for West Rural St Andrew And of course the Most Honourable Mrs Juliet Holness, Member of Parliament in her own right for East Rural St Andrew Mr Winston Watson, well before... Mr Russell Hadid, Chairman of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica Mr Winston Watson Group General Manager And Dr Peter Ruddock, Manager of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Members of the constituencies that are benefiting Members of the media Of course, Lieutenant Colonel Rickman of the HOPE Programme who is also here Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. This year I’ll be a Member of Parliament for 21 years. The reason why I start at that point is that almost every year as a representative, I've had to deal with ‘burnouts’ and MPs would understand what I’m talking about when I say ‘burnout’. Someone's home will be destroyed by fire and it's not arson. It's that you have an aging housing stock that is primarily sometimes of wood, some people make their homes out of…

The Most Honourable Edward  Phillip George Seaga, former Prime Minister of Jamaica and he has still maintained his sense of humour, his deep understanding of the issues that affect Jamaica and his forty-five years in political representation is well spent. Jamaica is indeed grateful for your service and we owe you a debt of gratitude. Dr Angela Brown-Burke, a very fierce representative of the people. You've been a very good representative so far and I’m certain that the people of South West St Andrew are satisfied with you. Mr Karl Blake, long time Councillor of the Greenwich Town Division, again another stalwart and someone who has essentially given their life to politics. I want to acknowledge the pair of father and son team of Eddie and William Lai. You would, of course, have heard about the history of Eddie Lai, his great work in the development of New Kingston. Let me also acknowledge Mr Donald Moore, Senior General Manager for Construction and Development from the National Housing Trust and the National Housing Trust team that is here today. I won't beg of you to say good morning because this is truly a good morning. It is a good morning for…

Ms Valerie Veira, Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation Ms Lisandra Rickards, Chief Executive Officer of the Branson Centre Mrs Imega Breese-McNab, Executive Director of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association and I believe soon to be the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association which I think is an excellent move. Members of the private sector good morning. I want to first commend the board and management of the DBJ for continuing to wholeheartedly embrace their commitment to facilitate economic growth and job creation in Jamaica through supporting the development of an ecosystem where innovation can thrive. The IGNITE Programme; Innovation Grant from New Ideas to Entrepreneurship is one of several initiatives by the DBJ that is creating the necessary inputs for our vision of economic independence. We must stimulate innovation through creating start-ups, increasing the number of start-ups and growing these entities. We must allocate or make investments, which will support our start-ups, and we need to enrich the MSME ecosystem; this is vital for our economic growth and development. In watching the presentation just a while ago in 2016 which seem like yesterday, I made the point that the DBJ plays the role of a market maker. Earlier, the…

The Government will tomorrow (Tuesday May 1, 2018) move a resolution for the extension of the State of Emergency (SOE) in the parish of St. James. The Government takes note of the Opposition’s position of not supporting the extension of the St. James SOE beyond the current request to be brought to Parliament. The Government views the declaration by the Opposition as an indication to criminals that there is no consensus on the fight against crime and that the State of Emergency will end shortly. The declaration signals that the lack of political unity will bring the SOE to an end rather than a consideration of outcomes and results. The SOEs have been yielding significant results in reducing crime. It has created space in which law enforcement is actively degrading criminal gangs and disrupting criminal networks. The fight against crime requires a concerted and unified national effort. To build this unity, the Government has taken various steps to inform, consult and involve the Opposition in critical initiatives for crime fighting.

Prime Minister, my colleague Heads and I welcome this opportunity to meet with you as we continue to strengthen the UK Caribbean partnership.  Our shared history and commitment to promoting democracy, people empowerment, economic development and working together on global challenges are well established. Your invitation today reinforces those shared values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter. We want to thank you and your government for the determination to work with the Caribbean to address the unfortunate situation in which the Windrush Generation finds itself. We were particularly encouraged by your Home Secretary’s statement in Parliament yesterday, which not only recognized the invaluable contribution of Caribbean nationals to the rebuilding of the United Kingdom after World War II, but also animates a process which will ensure that these persons who arrived pre-1973 will have their cases reviewed with haste and with the required sensitivity. We think however that it is extremely important to have procedural steps clearly outlined and widely shared to ensure that people are aware of the requirements; that the evidentiary burden is reduced, the application process dramatically simplified and that pre-1973 Commonwealth Caribbean migrants currently detained as illegal immigrants are released and that those deported are afforded the…

Your Excellency Martin Vizcarra, President of the Republic of Peru; ·   Fellow Heads of States and Government, ·   Your Excellency Luis Almagro, Secretary-General of OAS, ·   Heads of Delegations, ·   Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Buenas tardes. It is my distinct privilege to address this gathering, in this historic and beautiful city of Lima. President Vizcarra, allow me to express my sincere gratitude to you, as well as to the rest of the Government and people of Peru, for the very warm and gracious hospitality extended to me and to my delegation since our arrival. Mr. President, We recognize and commend the role of the Organization of American States (OAS) in faithfully promoting and defending democracy and development in the Hemisphere. In that context, I am pleased that the Summit of the Americas continues to play a crucial role in the sustained development efforts of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Given its focus on the promotion of meaningful dialogue on social and political issues affecting the region, this year’s theme: “Democratic Governance against Corruption”, is well placed, especially considering the challenges that confront our countries in this regard. The imperative of addressing the prevalence of corruption in our Hemisphere arises…

The governing Jamaica Labour Party and the Opposition People's National Party today (April 4) convened the first in a series of Vale Royal Talks at the University of the West Indies Regional Office. The meeting, which is part of a collaborative and constructive dialogue between the Government and Opposition, focused on a number of important national issues. The leaders held frank and in-depth discussions on national security, crime, violence and public safety as well as discussions on important legislation proposed by the Government. The discussions included: Crime and National Security Parliamentary Procedures and Committees Voter Re-verification Prime Minister Holness and Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips found common ground on several important issues of national development and pledged to continue discussions to arrive unified conclusions on the way forward. Particularly, it was agreed that several draft policies and bills would be shared for future discussions. Both sides agreed that the Electoral Commission of Jamaica would provide, a plan within a month on how to ensure the maintenance of clean voters' list. There was also a decision to consider the inclusion of private sector, church and civil society groups periodically to participate in the dialogue on crime, violence and public order. Both leaders spoke…

The Jamaican society is an economy, it is still pretty much trying to transition out of an industrial based society which, we've never really been an industrial based society but, the age in which we exist is a transitional period into a digital age and we are struggling to find our footing for economic growth, job creation, security and prosperity for our people. A large part of the solution to our struggles is how we harness the benefits of technology as a catalyst in the transformation of our society and our economy. What we're doing is creating now a unique ID, a digital ID, a digital platform for communication and exchange of information for government; a single portal for information and using technology to enhance law enforcement and to increase the speed of doing business is one part of the general strategy of public sector transformation and so the loan that Minister Shaw signed today, is a firm step in that direction. It is not without challenge. It is not something that is readily understood by the wide masses of the society and it is something that the government has to take time to explain to people. Many issues arise when we…