From St. Thomas Jamaica to Portsmouth, Dominica The Story of Nurse & Nation Builder – Olivia “Olive” Douglas -Nee Bryan Gabriel J. Christian, Esq. (09 October 2023) — Nurse Olivia Douglas nee Bryan was born in the parish of St. Thomas, Jamaica on April 4, 1941. She traveled to the United Kingdom in the late 1950s to study nursing. While at nursing school she befriended and then married the late Michael “Mike” Douglas, who was then a non-commissioned officer in the...
Haiti and the UN Multinational Security Support Mission Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (05 October 2023) — Can the UN succeed in Haiti after failures of the past? Can Haiti be stabilized from within or without or a combination of both? These are valid questions being asked by Haitians on the ground in Haiti and in the diaspora. There is a great deal of optimism that this time might be different. United Nations intervention with the cooperation and collaboration of the Haitian security...
Diaspora group’s mission to alleviate humanitarian needs in Jamaica Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (15 September 2023) — According to one patron and supporter at the annual fundraising dinner and dance staged by Partners of Good Shepherd Jamaica (POGS), “I am here to support provision of assistance to the less fortunate and marginalized back home in Jamaica.” Another said, “It’s another way we can come together and pool our support to have an impact on the needs of the poor.” These...
JAM Honors Jamaican Diaspora Media Pioneer Larry Sindass Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (24 August 2023) — Honoring members of the Jamaican diaspora for their unstinting services, contributions, and values to development of their communities and to their Jamaican homeland during the period of independence celebrations often gets lost in the milieu of events marking the historical achievements of independence. But these honors must be seen as a way for members of the diaspora to say thanks and...
Trump’s Gift to Democracy Ambassador Curtis Ward (10 August 2023) — Donald Trump as president, and since, has shown us in real time how fragile democracy is. We saw democracy’s fragility manifested through Trump’s words and actions during his presidency, yet many democracy advocates looked aside while most Republicans aided and abetted Trump’s slide into autocracy. We also learnt of the ignorance of the threat by many, as well as the silence by those who ought to have stood in...
U.S.-Jamaica Relations then and now, and in between Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (05 August 2023) — The overwhelming favorable response I received to my recent article, “Jamaica-US diplomatic imbroglio over same sex spouse” prompted me to look briefly at the bilateral relations between the two countries under former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and current President Joe Biden. Overall, relations between the two countries have traditionally served the mutual interests of both...
Teach Us True Respect for All P. J. Patterson Former Prime Minister of Jamaica – 1992-2006 [Editor’s Note: The following message from former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson to the people of Jamaica, as we celebrate 185 years of Emancipation from slavery and 61 years of Independence, is timely and desperately needed from our leaders. This message reflects the sentiments of every decent Jamaican at home and in the Diaspora. The recent crassness in our society reflected by the actions and...
Devastating consequences foreseen from UK visa restrictions on Dominicans Atty. Gabriel J. Christian (02 August 2023) — UK visa restrictions Visa restrictions imposed by the United Kingdom on the Commonwealth of Dominica on July 19th, 2023, are set to have profound and far-reaching consequences. This article explores and highlights the devastating effects of these restrictions on Dominica and its people. Despite the protestations of prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit that his government...
Jamaica-US diplomatic imbroglio over same sex spouse Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (22 July 2023) — The brewing threat to the bilateral relationship between the United States and Jamaica is not a mere diplomatic spat as one might deduce from the statement of Jamaica’s minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade on the fallout from the denial by the government of Jamaica (GoJ) of the U.S. government’s (USG) request for diplomatic immunity for the spouse of a U.S. foreign service...
Citizens Exploring Free and Fair Elections In Dominica Dr. Irving Andre* ( 22 July 2023) — On March 27, 2008, a senior counsel and close ally of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit sent an email to Prime Minister Skerrit warning him of the “madness” going on at the Electoral Commission and the grave threat to Skerrit’s “electoral winning legacy” if the Electoral Commission cleaned its bloated voters list and introduced Voter Identification Cards. Thereupon, the Prime Minister...
