National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang has assured the public that comprehensive plans are underway to collaborate with early childhood institutions and primary schools to tackle youth-related violence in the nation’s schools. Speaking on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the Inter-Ministerial School Support Retreat on addressing school violence in western Jamaica, Dr. Chang emphasized the need for significant efforts to positively influence the minds of young individuals before they are exposed to negative influences.
Dr. Chang highlighted the urgency of reaching out to primary school students, citing constituents’ feedback that intervening at the high school level is often too late. He also underscored the threat posed by youths’ involvement in lottery scamming, stressing the need to address this issue.
The minister illuminated the challenges faced by school educators regarding violence, acknowledging that they often bear the brunt of systemic failures. He expressed confidence in the necessity of a different approach to children’s development and emphasized the importance of early engagement. Dr. Chang emphasized the government’s commitment to supporting institutions grappling with this national issue.
In closing, Dr. Chang emphasized the importance of working with early childhood and infant schools to lay a strong foundation for children, expressing confidence that this proactive approach will set them on a more positive and productive path.
Golding Affirms Jamaican Heritage Amidst Nationality Queries.
Opposition Leader Mark Golding definitively declared, “Iman born yah,” on Saturday, May 18, 2024, as he moved to dispel concerns about his nationality raised by members of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) earlier in the week.
In a social media post, Golding reinforced his Jamaican heritage: “I am Jamaican-born and hold a Jamaican passport.”
Golding acknowledged his father’s British roots, “I’ve never concealed the fact that my father, a UK native who settled in Jamaica, obtained a British passport for me in my youth.”
He highlighted that before his government service, which included a tenure as minister of justice in the Portia Simpson Miller-led Administration from 2012-2016 and previous Senate service, he exclusively used his Jamaican passport for travel.
Following assertions from JLP’s St Catherine South West Member of Parliament Everald Warmington urging Golding to clarify his British citizenship status, Golding emphasized his commitment to transparency and addressed the matter. In response to social media calls for him to declare his dual citizenship status, Golding reinforced his Jamaican identity.
Golding’s recent advocacy for the Caribbean Court of Justice and his support for dual citizens’ eligibility to serve in Parliament prompted inquiries into his citizenship. He reaffirmed his stance in a statement, reiterating his dedication to Jamaica alongside addressing the evolving landscape of parliamentary candidacy eligibility and foreign allegiance clauses.