Jamaica enters 2026 carrying the weight of a year that altered our national memory. The Category 5 hurricane that struck on October 28 was not merely a weather event—it was a stress test of our systems, our leadership, and our social fabric. It exposed weaknesses, inflicted loss, and forced a reckoning with realities many preferred to ignore. But it also revealed something unmovable: the Jamaican instinct to endure, adapt, and act.
In the immediate aftermath, there was no waiting for permission. Ordinary citizens became first responders. Neighbours became lifelines. The Diaspora moved with speed and purpose, mobilising resources, logistics, and support at a scale that reminded the world that Jamaica is far larger than its geography. This was not charity driven by spectacle; it was responsibility driven by kinship.
As the dust settled, the harder phase began. Recovery is never dramatic. It is administrative, technical, and often slow. It demands coordination, fairness, and discipline. It demands leadership that understands that relief without accountability becomes disorder, and rebuilding without vision becomes waste.
The Jamaican people also used their democratic voice in 2025 to rebalance Parliament, expanding the role and responsibility of the Opposition. That decision carries weight. It signals a desire for scrutiny, for better questions, and for governance that is challenged to perform, not merely to announce.
Throughout the crisis, the parliamentary Opposition has chosen restraint over rhetoric and contribution over confrontation. This is not a time for political theatre. It is a time for accurate information from affected communities, for policy proposals grounded in reality, and for vigilance over how limited resources are allocated and spent. Accountability is not opposition to recovery; it is a prerequisite for it.
As the country transitions from emergency response to long-term reconstruction, several priorities must remain non-negotiable:
- transparent criteria for relief distribution,
- urgent restoration of hospitals, schools, roads, and utilities,
- targeted support for farmers and food systems disrupted by loss,
- realistic assistance for small and medium-sized businesses struggling to restart, and
- sustained attention to families displaced or financially broken by the storm.
Rebuilding Jamaica is not the task of government alone. It requires partnership with communities, civil society, the private sector, and the Diaspora. It requires citizens who stay engaged after the headlines fade. National development is not a slogan; it is a continuous act of participation.
Leadership, at its core, is not about comfort. It is about consistency. It is about defending the public interest when it is inconvenient, and insisting on standards when shortcuts seem tempting. That commitment remains firm.
As we step into 2026, this is not a call for optimism without effort, nor unity without honesty. It is a call for deliberate action, shared responsibility, and a refusal to allow disaster to define our future.
Let this be a year where Jamaica rebuilds smarter, fairer, and stronger than before. Let healing be matched with reform, and compassion with competence. And let us remember that the country we want is built not only by those in office, but by the choices each of us makes every day.
Walk good. Stay steady. Jamaica moves forward.
