What a year it was! A change of government, electrifying jazz, JDIP, JEEP, Jamaica 50, London 2012, devastating Hurricane Sandy, marriages and more, 2012 was a year to remember. See below 100 memorable moments in order of which they appeared in The Gleaner.
What were your memorable moments? Comment below.
- Portia Simpson-Miller sworn in as Prime Minister.
- ‘Jobs For The Girls’ is how the Jamaica Labour Party responded to the Cabinet announcements
- Once again, Shaggy and Friends Concert was a huge success raising millions for Bustmante Hospital for Children.
- The nation was told by the Minister of Finance that the JDIP budget has been overshot by J$7B
- Dudley Thompson, former Minister of National Security in the Michael Manley Administration, passes away
- Celine Dion wowed at Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival
- The Archhbishop of York, Reverend Dr John Sentamu preached at Webster Memorial Church as part of the Jamaica 50 celebrations
- DK Duncan and Beverley Manley got married
- Mike Henry decided not to put himself up for re-election as Chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party
- Gifton Wright won the Gleaner’s Spelling Bee
- Barclay Ewart, prominent Jamaican businessman, passed away
- Professor Steven Vascianne’s name emerged to replace Audrey Marks as Jamaica’s Ambassador to the US. He was later confirmed.
- Hon. Mayer Matalon, OJ, prominent Jamaican businessman, passed away
- For the first time, a Jamaican appeared in the Super Bowl. Twenty-four year old Jamaican Patrick Chung made his first Super Bowl appearance.
- Reports surface that Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke was hiding at the Government house in Lydford, St. Ann when he was the most wanted man in Jamaica
- Wilmot ‘Mutty’ Perkins, veteran journalist, passed away
- The Private Sector Working Group outlined 145 tax reform proposals to raise J$7.3B annually
- Calabar High School was forced to close temporarily because of rats
- It was reported than more than J$5B has been taken from Jamaicans through various kinds of scams
- Prince Harry hung out with Usain Bolt and Shaggy during a visit to Jamaica where he represented his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee.
- Reports emerged about schools struggling to deal with sexual attacks on younger girls by older girls
- Government and Food For The Poor announce project to build 50 basic schools across Jamaica
- JEEP – Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme – was launched
- After an impasse with the West Indies Cricket Board – that saw the intervention of PM Simpson-Miller, Chris Gayle signed an agreement
- PNP won the Local Government election
- The Rt Rev Dr Howard Kingsley Ainsworth Gregory was elected the 14th Anglican Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands
- Calabar High School and Edwin Allen High School won Champs 2012: Champs 2012 Highlights
- Reports emerged that carcinogenic pollutants were in the air at the Riverton landfill fire in February
- Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) acquired Capital and Credit Financial Group (CCFG)
- Ruby Martin, philanthropist, passed away
- Jamaica won 77 medals at the Carifta Games
- There was a ‘flag fiasco’ – drama over the flag colours used at an official function
- Government announced it will no longer bring in senior police officers from the UK
- 14 Jamaicans were accepted to Ivy League Universities
- JPS got a new CEO – Kelly Tomblin
- Yendi Phillips announced she was pregnant
- On the first day of Child Month, child advocates marched and rallied for children’s rights
- Senator Christopher Tufton, former MP and Minister in the JLP government, was appointed the head of CaPRI
- Aloun Assamba was appointed Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the UK
- For the first time, Jamaica had an Official Children’s Day. It is to be celebrated every third Friday in May from now on.
- Digicel‘s offices were raided by the Tax Administration Department with police. Government defended its actions. Eventually, a truce was called.
- Sean Paul announced he was getting married to Jodi ‘Jinx’ Stewart
- The nation was told that more than 54% of $612B budget was for debt service
- Government announced that it expected to collect more than $1B from traffic tickets
- Mall Jewellers closed after 35 years
- Chantal Zaky was crowned Miss Jamaica Universe 2012
- In May, the nation was told that 23,000 jobs were lost and that unemployment had spiked to 14.1%
- Busy Signal went to jail, was later extradited, served time in the US and came back to Jamaica – all in 2012.
- Canadian fighter jets put on an airshow over downtown Kingston. Some who did not know heard the sounds and thought Jamaica was under attack.
- $19B in new taxes were outlined by Minister Peter Phillips, Minister of Finance. As is customary, sectors dispute the measures and a number were changed.
- Usain Bolt became the face of the Gatorade campaign in 80 countries and was the only non-American of the 34 Gatorade-endorsed athletes
- Bombs On Tivoli – US Cable Reveals Mortars Launched In West Kingston Offensive, JDF Claims Weaponry Used As Diversion
- Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke sentenced to 23 years
- Yohan Blake and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won 100-metre titles at the Diamond League in New York
- Usain Bolt was in a car accident
- PNP Chairman Robert Pickersgill said there was no moral obligation to refund Olint money received as campaign contributions
- The Gleaner launched e-Paper, a digital replica of the newspaper
- Deanna Robins was crowned Miss Jamaica World 2012
- Yohan Blake beat Usain Bolt in the 100m at the JAAA/Supreme Ventures Limited National Senior Championships.
- The Edward Seaga Database was launched
- Christopher Zacca was elected president of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica
- Once again, the nation was engaged in a debate about what Government advisers are paid
- Police raided a nightclub and took several alleged lottery scammers into custody. Many were dressed in drag
- Jean Binta Breeze, the first female to write and perform dub poetry, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- Parliament was in an uproar over members sharing verbal insults
- Jamaica celebrated International Nelson Mandela Day with service
- Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan visited Jamaica as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations
- The Gleaner launched diGJamaica.com – an information resource website about Jamaica as a gift to the nation for the Golden Jubilee
- Alia Atkinson won the swim off that gave her a spot in the Olympic final for the 100m breaststroke
- Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce took home Jamaica’s first gold medal in the London Olympics. Veronica Campbell-Brown took bronze. The event was 100M Women’s Final.
- Usain Bolt took gold and Yohan Blake took silver in the 100M Men’s Final
- Jamaica celebrated 50 years of Independence
- Peter Tosh was awarded the Order of Merit, Jamaica’s third highest honor
- More medals for Jamaica when Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce took silver in the 200M Women’s, Hansle Parchment took bronze in the 110m hurdles.
- The historic Jamaican medal sweep ‘1-2-3’ – Usain Bolt (gold), Yohan Blake (silver) and Warren Weir (bronze) in the 200 M Men’s Final.
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sherone Simpson, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kerron Stewart produced a national record, 41.41 for a silver medal in the women’s 4x100m
- Jamaica became the first country to run sub-37 in the 4 x 100m – Usain Bolt, Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Yohan Blake created history winning gold
- Usain Bolt claimed himself to be a ‘living legend’. This was refuted by IOC boos Jacques Rogge and Bolt hit back asking what else was needed. Rogge later recanted
- Lorna Myers became the first woman named to the PSOJ’s Hall Of Fame
- Campari acquired Lascelles
- Crayons Count made it possible for basic schools across Jamaica to to receive standardized learning materials – for the first time ever
- Reggae Boyz beat the USA 2-1 in a historic World Cup Qualifier
- Zimbabwe President , Robert Mugabe, criticized Jamaica and Jamaicans in an interview urging his countrymen to never be like Jamaicans
- The Health and Family Life Education curriculum caused quite a stir in classrooms. Parents demanded it be removed. Ministry officials claim it had never been approved
- The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra wowed in Jamaica – Mandeville and Kingston
- Retired SSP Hewitt was killed by gunmen
- Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) selected 50 under (the age of ) 50 business leaders
- Following report after report about child abuse, Jamaicans marched to protest
- Francis ‘Paco’ Kennedy became President of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC)
- Windies won the ICC T20 title
- The Patois Bible was launched
- Hurricane Sandy hit Jamaica – the first direct hit since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988
- The rapidly sliding dollar prompted more intervention from the Central Bank
- Security guards who beat a male student allegedly found in a compromising position with another male student at UTECH were stripped of their duties, fired and arrested.
- Gospel preaching was banned on JUTC buses
- The Government spent $60M on new vehicles for Ministers
- Contractor General, Greg Christie, left office
- Ezroy Millwood, who won a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the Government over JUTC, passed away
- Jamaica racked up $12.5 Million in new debt per hour
- It was confirmed: No IMF agreement was to be signed in 2012