Commentary

A lay minister places ash on the forehead of a devotee during Ash Wednesday outside a church in downtown Manila, Philippines.
February 20, 2026

Peter Espeut | From holy days to holidays

Wednesday, February 18 – Ash Wednesday – was a public holiday in Protestant Jamaica, but not in Catholic Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). Ash Wednesday is the opening act in the penitential season of…
From left: Trudyann Bell Williams, niece; Carol Johnson’s twin sister; Yasheima Bell, niece and Toni-Ann Johnson, niece wait as police conduct investigations at Marlin Way, Braeton, Portmore where their relatives were attacked by a man believed to be of
February 20, 2026

Kristen Gyles | Unsound minds cannot be left to roam the streets

Jamaica is experiencing far too many fatal incidents involving persons of unsound mind. Even one case would be too many, but it is alarming how often lives are lost due to the actions of unsupervised…
Finance Minister Fayval Williams.
February 19, 2026

Editorial | Get CARICOM in on digital GCT

While Jamaica has unimpeachable economic and moral logic for applying its general consumption tax (GCT) to digital services provided by firms that have no presence in the island, the island’s…
How do we protect workers whose jobs will be quietly automated without any retraining plan?
February 19, 2026

Basil Jarrett | Pandora, AI and Jamaica’s wake-up call

I’ve always loved Greek and Roman drama. From binge-watching Clash of the Titans on JBC every Easter as a child, to Gladiator, 300 and Troy, Hollywood has never struggled to separate me from my money…
February 19, 2026

Suzanne Soares-Wynter | Sweetened drinks tax: big gains and smaller sips

The recent decision of a Special Consumption Tax (SCT) on non-alcoholic sweetened beverages (SSBs) is a pivotal moment in Jamaica’s public health history. SSB consumption is an established risk factor…
February 19, 2026

Fake IDs, stolen titles and the case for a digital reset of Jamaica’s property system

The recent reporting on an alleged property-fraud scheme involving fake identification and stolen land titles has unsettled property owners across Jamaica – and rightly so. While investigations remain…
People wait to refill their cooking gas canisters in Alamar, Havana province, Cuba, late on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
February 18, 2026

Editorial | Help Cuba!

Jamaica may be fearful to act on its own. But with its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners, it has a moral obligation to speak out, and offer support to the Cuban people in the face of America’s…
Chilean President Gabriel Boric delivers his speech on stage during the opening ceremony of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States at China National Convention Centre in Beijing, Tuesday, M
February 18, 2026

Elizabeth Morgan | Can Jamaica build strong partnerships in Latin America?

Looking at Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness’ recent statement at the International Economic Forum for Latin America and Caribbean held in Panama on January 28, and recent Gleaner editorials on…
February 18, 2026

Norris R. McDonald |Corruption as economic violence

Jamaica may be recording a decline in murders, and that is welcome news. But while the headlines celebrate falling homicide rates, the country is stuck in a deeper, more corrosive crisis: a perpetual…