Late
reggae singer and cultural icon, Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, joins a
select list of distinguished Jamaicans who have been laid to rest within the
hallowed walls of the National Heroes Park in Kingston.
Toots Hibbert – 1942-2020
He died at the
University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew on September 11 at
age 77, after a bout of illness.
On hand to witness the interment
and bid farewell to Mr. Hibbert on Sunday (November 15) were: Minister of
Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange; his widow, Doreen
Hibbert, and family members, as well as friends and well-wishers.
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Sunday’s ceremony featured musical
tributes from well-known members of the local entertainment fraternity, among
them: saxophonist, Dean Fraser; performing arts company, Nexxus; drummer, Bogo
Herman; and singer, Demario McDowell.
The tributes also
included several medleys of Mr. Hibbert’s vast musical repertoire.
The act of committal was undertaken
by Pastor of Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston, Rev. Merrick ‘Al’ Miller, and
Dr. Carlene Davis.
In an interview with JIS News,
Minister Grange said Mr. Hibbert stood out as one of Jamaica’s most outstanding
singers, songwriters, performers, patriots, and loyalists, while describing him
as a countryman “who was true to his roots”.
“He
embodies everything that you would look for in a true Jamaican of African
descent. You couldn’t find a warmer person, more loving individual, and a
better human being,” she shared, noting that Jamaica and the world will miss
his unique sound.
“His music is a treasure chest. His
performance is something else. No-one else can perform like Toots. We have some
great artistes, we have some great performers and songwriters. But there is
just nobody like Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert… and I will say that over and over
and over again without apology,” she added.
Ms. Grange urged his family to
honour the name of the cultural icon who has performed outstandingly over the
years.
“He loved everyone and his family has a
responsibility to show that warmth and appreciation to each other and to others
who are not family,” she said.
The Minister commended the medical
team at the University Hospital of the West Indies who attended to Mr. Hibbert
after he fell ill and was admitted.
“I just want to commend them for
all the attention they gave him and all the work that they are doing to keep
other Jamaicans alive and to have them survive this COVID-19 pandemic,” she
said.
Dean Fraser, who spoke with JIS
News, described Mr. Hibbert as “one of the real superstars out of Jamaica”.
“His vocal ability was huge… better
than the rest; and this is a real loss which can’t be replaced,” he shared.
Rev.
Miller said Jamaica has lost an icon who has served Jamaica well, noting that
“he means so much to so many of us all around the world”.
“Let us not just look at the loss; it
is real, it is part of the journey of life. But remember Toots [as] the daddy,
the husband, the brother, the friend who you knew, and remember him for who he
is… and give thanks for his contribution to life,” he said
Mr. Hibbert’s
group, Toots and the Maytals, which was formed in the 1960s, was pivotal in
birthing, shaping and popularising Reggae music.
The group’s 1968
single, ‘Do the Reggay’, was the first song to use the word ‘Reggae’, which led
to the genre’s naming and their subsequent introduction of the music form to a
global audience.
Other popular
songs by the group include ‘Monkey Man’, ‘Pressure Drop’, ‘Sweet and Dandy’, and
‘Bam’.
The latter two singles
are among the three that propelled the group to the National Festival Song
titles during the competition’s formative years, between 1966 and 1972.
The group topped
the inaugural competition in 1966, with ‘Bam-Bam’, and replicated the feat in
1969 with ‘Sweet & Dandy’, and 1972 with ‘Pomps & Pride’.
Toots and the
Maytals returned to the competition, which became their signature stomping
ground, 48 years after their last triumph to participate in the 2020 edition with
their entry ‘Rise up Jamaica’, which was among the 10 finalists.
Among the other
notable accolades the group earned were: the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Reggae
Album with ‘True Love’, while Mr. Hibbert was recognised by the Government in
2012 with the Order of Jamaica for his contribution to Jamaica’s music.
Mr. Hibbert was
laid to rest beside another globally-acclaimed Jamaica icon, the undisputed ‘Crown
Prince of Reggae’, singer – Dennis Emanuel Brown.
Magnetic Media is a Telly Award winning multi-media company specializing in creating compelling and socially uplifting TV and Radio broadcast programming as a means for advertising and public relations exposure for its clients.
Haitian media, legal scholars and civic voices did what bullets and barricades couldn’t: they stopped a sweeping constitutional overhaul widely branded as anti-democratic. Editorials and analyses tore into proposals to abolish the Senate, scrap the prime minister, shift to one-round presidential elections, expand presidential power, and open high office to dual-nationals—a package critics said would hard-wire dominance into the executive at a moment of near-lawless insecurity.
The Venice Commission—Europe’s top constitutional advisory body—didn’t mince words either. In a formal opinion requested by Haiti’s provisional electoral authorities, it pressed for clear legal safeguards and credible conditions before any referendum, including measures to prevent gang interference in the electoral process—an implicit rebuke of pushing a foundational rewrite amid a security collapse.
Facing that drumbeat, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council has now formally ended the constitutional-reform initiative. The decision, taken at a Council of Ministers meeting at the National Palace, effectively aborts the rewrite track that has haunted Haiti since the Moïse and Henry eras.
So what now? Per the Miami Herald, the pivot is back to basics: security first, elections next. That means stabilizing Port-au-Prince enough to run a vote, rebuilding the electoral timetable, and empowering the provisional electoral machinery—none of which is simple when gangs control vast chunks of the capital and state authority remains fragile. Recent headlines underline the risk: gunfire has disrupted top-level government meetings, a visceral reminder that constitutional theory means little without territorial control.
Bottom line: Haitian journalists and public intellectuals helped slam the brakes on a high-stakes centralization of power that lacked legitimacy and safe conditions. International constitutional experts added weight, and the transition authorities finally conceded reality. Now the fight shifts to making an election possible—clean rolls, secure polling, and credible oversight—under circumstances that are still hostile to democracy. If the state can’t guarantee basic safety, any ballot is theater. If it can, shelving the rewrite may prove the first real step back toward consent of the governed.
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.
~Sandals Resorts hosts the 32nd Annual World Travel Awards Caribbean and The Americas Gala & celebrates its 32nd consecutive win as The Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand~
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA, October 8, 2025 – Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts have been honoured with 16 awards at the 2025 World Travel Awards Caribbean and The Americas, underscoring their continued leadership across the hospitality landscape.
The Gala Ceremony held at Sandals Grande St. Lucian honoured the visionaries and trailblazers shaping the travel and tourism industry. The evening united government leaders and hospitality professionals for a night of celebration, recognition and inspiration.
Among celebratory toasts, Sandals Resorts International was named the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand for the 32nd year in a row. Beaches Turks and Caicos also celebrated its 18th win as the Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort, a recognition that comes ahead of the debut of its Treasure Beach Village, the resort’s $150 million expansion set to open spring 2026.
Other key wins include Sandals Dunn’s River, recognized as the Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort for the third year in a row after opening its doors in 2023 and Sandals South Coast, awarded the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Resort.
The 16 awards won under Sandals’ portfolio are:
Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand 2025: Sandals Resorts International
Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2025: Beaches Turks & Caicos
Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Montego Bay, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Dive Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Curaçao
Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort 2025: Sandals Grande St. Lucian
Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Dunn’s River, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Most Romantic Resort 2025: Sandals South Coast, Jamaica
Bahamas’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Bahamian
Curaçao’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Curaçao
Grenada’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Grenada
Jamaica’s Leading Adult-Only All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Negril
Jamaica’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2025: Beaches Negril
Jamaica’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Montego Bay
Jamaica’s Leading Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Caribbean
Saint Lucia’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Grande St. Lucian
Saint Vincent & The Grenadines’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Surrounded by the beauty of Gros-Islet, St. Lucia, the peninsula location of Sandals Grande St. Lucian created the perfect backdrop for World Travel Awards’™ guests to enjoy an unforgettable dining experience and breathtaking island views.
“At the heart of every Sandals and Beaches vacation is pure, inviting Caribbean soul, paired with world-class hospitality experiences for all our guests. The recognitions bestowed to our brands tonight are truly meaningful. They serve as a testament to the incredible passion and dedication of our talented team members,” said Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts. “It is yet another reminder of why we will never stop evolving, listening to our customers and refining our experiences year after year.”