THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
JAMAICAN FINANCE MINISTER ACTS TO SOOTHE PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES OVER DELAY IN BACK PAY AND NEW SALARIES
Dr. Nigel Clarke, Jamaica’s Minister of Finance, is working to calm the anxieties expressed by public sector workers who have seen delays in back pay and new salaries in December 2022. He stated that the delays should not be considered “a crisis” and advised that disbursements from the Department of the Accountant General to the financial institutions of workers in 47 of 52 ministries, agencies, and departments (MDAs) had been made by December 21, 2022. Payments for the remaining MDAs, which include the Ministry of Health, southern and western regional health authorities, Bellevue Hospital, Houses of Parliament, and Ministry of Education administrative staff, were being subjected to a quality-control process, and everything would be resolved by the afternoon of December 21, 2022. The funds for transfers to these entities were delayed only for one day at most.
GOVERNMENT OF JAMAICA TO PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE TO MEMBERS OF LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL INDUSTRIES
According to Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, individuals in the local entertainment and cultural industries will soon have a dedication health insurance program. Grange said that Eckler Limited, a local actuarial firm, has been hired to help in the tender process. The health insurance plan will provide aid to practitioners in the entertainment and cultural sector who have made major contributions to the development of Jamaica’s brand. Grange noted that some of the veterans of cultural and entertainment fraternities are in need of help having attained advanced ages. She added that providing insurance coverage is one way of giving back to a community that has promoted Jamaican culture around the world to the benefit of the nation.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
REPARATIONS ACTIVISTS IN CARIBBEAN WELCOME APOLOGY OF DUTCH GOVERNMENT FOR SLAVERY
The Kingdom of the Netherlands issued an apology for the enslavement of Africans in an action that was welcomed by reparations activist in the Caribbean. However, the activists also expressed disappointment that the Dutch government’s statement did not commit to holding reparations discussions with the injured parties. Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte formally apologized on behalf of the government for the role of the Dutch State in “abetting, stimulating, preserving and profiting” from hundreds of years of slave labor. Sir Hilary Beckles of the Caricom Reparations Commission said the commission is looking forward to the “next step,” which it defines as a dialogue with those countries and communities that continue to suffer from the impact of enslavement.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
JAMAICAN-BORN JUDGE BECOMES FIRST BLACK CHIEF JUSTICE IN ONTARIO, CANADA
Michael Tulloch, who was born in Manchester, Jamaica, has been appointed to serve as the new Chief Justice of Ontario by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Tulloch moved to Toronto when he was nine years old. Tulloch rose rapidly in his chosen profession of law and was appointed a Superior Court judge in Ontario in 2003, becoming just one of three Black judges in the Canadian superior courts. In 2012, he was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal and became the first Black judge on any appellate court in Canada. Now his has become the first Black appellate justice in the country to be appointed the first Black Chief Justice of Ontario.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
JAMAICA RANKS AS TOP LOCATION FOR VACATIONING MUSIC CELEBRITIES
According to Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, the performance of Burna Boy, the Nigerian international music star, attracted thousands of visitors and residents to Kingston on December 18, 2022, bringing more attention to Jamaica as a desirable destination. Bartlett also noted that the visits of vacationing American music stars Cardi B and Offset also heightened the exposure of Jamaica as a top destination for celebrities. Bartlett said that entertainment is an important value-added product that the Ministry will continue to use in a strategic manner in the tourism industry to encourage growth in the sector. He acknowledged that entertainment is one of the top reasons people travel to Jamaica every year. Delano Seiveright, a senior advisor and strategist at the Ministry, stated that Jamaica is “the Caribbean’s celebrity playground” and that the Ministry will continue to develop and promote the nation in ways that encourage other global celebrities to visit.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT TO BUILD MARCUS GARVEY MUSEUM IN ST. ANN
The government of Jamaica announced it is moving toward opening a museum to honor Jamaican National Hero and Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey in Garvey’s childhood home of St. Ann’s Bay in St. Ann Parish. The plan was announced by Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness at a handing-over ceremony in which two housing units in Seville Heights were given to Jacynth and Carla Johnson, sisters who volunteered to move out of Garvey’s boyhood home so that the museum’s construction can begin. In his remarks, Holness noted that Garvey’s teachings are important and should be studied, adding that in any other country, someone like Garvey, who had made significant contributions to the liberation of an entire people via his work, philosophy, and leadership, would “be a Mecca” and people from everywhere in the world, especially those of African descent, would come to learn and pay respects.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
CHRISTIYANA MARTIN, 10, WINS SILVER MEDAL FOR JAMAICA AT 2022 PAN AMERICAN GYMNASTICS UNION GAMES
Ten-year-old Jamaican Christiyana Martin has won Jamaica’s only medal in Level 2 at the 2022 Pan American Gymnastics Union (PAGU) Games in Melgar, Colombia. Martin, with her teammate Emelia Sharpe, represented Jamaica for the second consecutive year at the PAGU Games. Martin won the silver medal after moving up to the Level 2 category; in 2021, she competed at Level 1 and took home two gold and two bronze medals. With her silver medal, Martin helped Jamaica place fourth in the Level 2 team category. Martin has belonged to the Nishidas Gymnastics group for more than six years and trains at least four days each week for four hours a day, in addition to attending school and starting her own bracelet-making business. Martin’s parents are reggae singer Christopher Martin and dancehall artiste Cecile.
