Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Minister Henry awards $2.7 Million in Tuition Assistance
#Kingston, November 12, 2019 – Jamaica – Sixty-two tertiary-level students from Central Clarendon have benefited from tuition support totalling approximately $2.7 million from Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Mike Henry.
The presentation was made at a reception held on Sunday (November 10), at the West Park Community Centre in Clarendon. The occasion was also used to celebrate the recent conferment of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) on Minister Henry.
In his address at the function, Minister Henry commended the students on their educational achievements and encouraged them to continue to do well. He pledged his commitment to the development of the constituency and wider parish, citing a number of projects being undertaken in this regard.
“I am going to make sure that we get work done from Sousop Turn to Guinep Tree and in Canaan Heights,” he said, citing the building of a new infant school at a cost of $160 million; expansion of Hazard and Treadlight Primary schools; and construction of a new water supply scheme in Bucknor, on which work has already started.
The Minister said he is targeting distribution of some 300 land titles in the constituency by year end, and is looking to restart the pushcart derby.
Former Councillor, Merlene Daley, in her address, called on the scholarship recipients to make good use of their education.
“There is nothing in the world except good health that’s better than good education. For those of us from humble beginnings…when you go to school, don’t waste time; focus on what you are there to learn. You want to be the best you can be.
“Some of you who got this stipend are the first in your families to go to university, so demonstrate in a meaningful way that you deserve this help,” Ms. Daley said. She further encouraged the students to help others once they had attained their educational goals.
“It is what you give away to others that will enrich the quality of your lives and will make you a success,” she said.
Final-year medical student at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Kenyata Thomas, expressed gratitude to Mr. Henry on behalf of the recipients.
“Tuition is very expensive, so getting [the assistance] from the MP has been helpful in offsetting the cost and making it easier for me to focus on what is important, and that is my education. I am from Rectory Land and I have an older brother overseas also studying medicine and a younger brother also in university studying economics,” Mr. Thomas said.
Contact: Barbara Ellington
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, Hon. Mike Henry, presents a cheque to University of the Commonwealth Caribbean student, Nackeisha Francis. Occasion was a reception held on Sunday (November 10), at the West Park Community Centre in Clarendon, to present tuition support to tertiary-level students and celebrate the recent conferment of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) on Minister Henry.
1st insert: Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, Hon. Mike Henry, makes a presentation to University of Technology (UTech) student, Michael Hibbert, at a function held on Sunday (November 10) at the West Park Community Centre in Clarendon, to award tuition cheques totalling some $2.7 million to 62 tertiary-level students. The occasion was also used to celebrate the recent conferment of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) on Minister Henry.
2nd insert: Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, Hon. Mike Henry, makes a presentation to University of Technology (UTech) student, Shakeria Johnson, at a function held on Sunday (November10), at the West Park Community Centre in Clarendon, during which tuition cheques totalling some $2.7 million, were awarded to 62 tertiary-level students. The occasion was also used to celebrate the recent conferment of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) on Minister Henry.
3rd insert: Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, the Hon. Mike Henry, congratultes University of Technology (UTech) student, Monique Cole, after presenting her with tuition support at a reception held on Sunday (November 10), at the West Park Community Centre in Clarendon. The occasion was also used to celebrate the recent conferment of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) on Minister Henry.
4th insert: Final-year medical student at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Kenyata Thomas, says thanks on behalf of the 62 students from Central Clarendon, who have received cheques to assist with expenses for the academic year 2019-2020. Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for the area, the Hon. Mike Henry, made the presentation at a function held on Sunday (November 10), at the West Park Community Centre in Clarendon.The occasion was also used to celebrate the recent conferment of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) on Minister Henry.
MICHAEL SLOLEY PHOTOS
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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