Joseph Issa - What's Happening In Jamaica?

It is said that when she passed away in London, England last year at age 84, few Jamaicans knew the name Totlyn Jackson, let alone the fact that she is an iconic figure who had reached out to the second and third generation to remind them of their Jamaican heritage. Totlyn Jackson However, if civic leader Joe Issa has his way, the little known “First Lady of Jamaican Jazz” from Port Maria could become nationally recognised, even if posthumously. “I think she is an unsung hero; an outstanding Jamaican singer and entertainer who helped popularise Jamaica’s North Coast tourism among the rich and famous; people like comedian Bob Hope, Clark Gable and Paul Newman are some of the names I have read. “Yet, so few Jamaicans today know of her and the contribution she made in promoting the country’s culture and heritage,” says Issa, who once hosted Jackson and her family at his home in St. Mary, some distance from the small village of Port Maria where she was born. “She w...

Former commercial bank director Joe Issa has described as ‘doing the right thing right’ the government's commitment to stop banks charging predatory charges by making it easier for customers to switch their accounts to other banks where those charges are more reasonable. Issa, who is a known supporter of a free market system, said “it is all about encouraging competition among the banks to get them to reduce their charges, and not about meddling in the market by dictating what banks should charge. “As the Minister has said, and I agree, if the fees are too high at one bank, then it should be easy for customers to move their deposit accounts to the bank that is charging reasonable rates. “Therefore, the right thing to do is to force them to lower their fees through competition, and facilitating the process by making it easier for customers to switch banks,” Issa said, adding, “It is like doing the right thing, right.” Issa was commenting on a Jamaica Observer report...

Joe Issa, a recognized Ocho Rios civic leader and qualified conflict mediator with the requisite number of hours under his belt, has welcomed the introduction of a mobile legal aid unit to serve the country’s underserved inner-city and rural communities, stating it will assist in bringing closure more quickly and swiftly, which could spur higher acceptability of the justice system.' “I think the idea of a mobile legal aid clinic is a good one when you consider a large number of people who need legal assistance in how to proceed with solving their issues but can’t afford the costs. Moreover, the longer they wait, the more tempers flare and ‘justice delayed’ becomes ‘justice denied’. “Early attention to the needs of people, who are not able to hire a lawyer to advise them and take up their cases, will bring closure more quickly and swiftly, which could spur greater acceptability and confidence in the justice system,” says Issa, who is executive chairman of Cool Group. ...

The story of Joe Issa is often referred to as one of the most voguish rises to popularity in the history of Jamaica by a young man, who wowed everybody with his business innovations, philanthropy and socialisation, for which he was famously named one the country’s most recognisable faces. Moreover, today, even at 50, Joe Issa still retains that youthful candour, reflective of a life of contentment in what he has been able to achieve and share with the less fortunate, as well as the good people he has hosted including world luminaries. There are no scars of struggles and enmity in his boyish grin; just an expression of the joy of living, achieving and giving. T hroughout this seemingly seamless transition from boyhood to adulthood and from business to philanthropy, Issa, like everybody on the face of this earth has had moments of sadness, frustration and stress, perhaps even headaches. But not being one to complain, he manages...

Thinker in business as well as in civic life, Member of the Past Presidents Advisory Committee of the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce Joe Issa, has revealed his latest thoughts on how to reduce crime in Jamaica: build more prisons and the more, the merrier. “It has always been my view that while we are tackling the crime problem from outside the prison walls, we should be doing the same from within it, starting with having separate prisons for first-time offenders, not only so that they do not become further corrupted by seasoned prisoners, but also by one another through separation, and that applies to both male and female prisons,” says Issa, founder of the Cool Group of companies. He also argues, that by having more prisons for first-time offenders they can be more easily segregated based on age and nature of the crime, from non-violent to murder “as we do not want to have a non-violent criminal mixing with a murderer, even if a first-time offender.” “I believe that with ...

The HolyCross Scholarship Committee recent staged a fund-raising walkathon, proceeds from which will be used to sponsor eligible candidates to attend the  Holy Cross University in Massachusetts, USA. The event, a pet project of SuperClubs executive vice president Joey Issa  started at the Hibiscus Lodge on Main Street, Ocho Rios and culminated at Docks Restaurant. Some prominent individuals participated in the event including Rev. Ted Dziak, Mr Issa, Public Defender Howard Hamilton, Michael Benavis and Nicky O.J. Other fund-raising events include a raffle now underway and a golf tournament and concert among others to be staged later this year. Picture caption 1 : (From left) SuperClubs executive vice president Joey Issa , Public Defender Howard Hamilton and businessman Michel Belnavis caught in an engaging conversation following the Holy Cross Scholarship Committee walkathon recently. Picture caption 2 : Joey Issa (left) executive ...