Caribbean News
TCI: A Protest to Stop SIPT resulted in a Stop of Traffic; Residents demand an end to the expensive trial
#TurksandCaicos, March 3, 2021 – They say enough is enough and are calling for the UK to stop the ravaging of the Turk sand Caicos public purse after the Director of Public Prosecutions determined the government corruption case and trial, which have dragged on for 12-years to the tune of over $100 million should continue.
“The financial burden and strain placed on our country because of this case that has been going on for over 10 years is funding that could have been injected into major projects, infrastructure, health, funding our police better, giving them better insurance and I mean, all different areas and departments in the country … the unfairness of this case is just too much for us as a people to bear and we have to come together in unity and unify and stand up for something because if we don’t we are going to fall for whatever they feed or shove in our mouths,” said Nikita Skippings, aka Chef Nik, local culinary ambassador.
“And the taste of this is very bitter! We had over a hundred people out there today, strong and it was community people, business people, man and woman who just got tired of just accepting whatever has been thrown at us,” he continued and described the protest as peaceful and serious.
Protestors may have been peaceful in their stance, but it was where they stood which literally created a show-stopping situation in front of the courthouse where the Special Investigation and Prosecution Trial is held. Lined across the street, the individuals bearing placards caused a major traffic was jam which lasted around an hour.
The group shouted its objection to the decision to move forward with the trial, although the “judge and jury” in the matter, Justice Paul Harrison is now deceased.
“We plan to continue on with the protest until we get the results that we need. WE can no longer sit and accept the decisions which are made by these ‘Johnny come Lately” people throw at us. What do they think? They don’t think we have a voice, have a say? This is our country, we are Turks and Caicos Islanders and we should have a say in whatever is passed on to us and today we used our voice in a most positive way and I am very proud of what came from today.”
Some dismissed the protest however; calling the residents an unruly “PNPs” trying to stop Michael Misick, the former and embattled premier of the Turks and Caicos from paying for his alleged crimes of corruption while in office.
“They had a road block, they were blocking the road and stopping the court process. Stopping people from going into the court (house) yard down there and the Police had to come down there; the riot police had to come and stop all of what was going on,” informed a driver caught in the traffic clog.
“I have a message for the UK, who is our overseer and its straight, plain and simple. If you aint helping us, you’re hurting us. Over $100 million dollars could have been injected into this place and could have been used in protecting our borders better from illegal sloops and immigrants entering this country – day and night and night and day. It could gone to our education system and scholarships; healthcare and could have gone to special needs… you need the department and a hundred million dollars could have gone a long way in our country. So the UK needs to let that sink in for a bit,” added Mr. Skippings.
Chef Nik, in response to our question about blocking traffic along the critical section of Leeward Highway that, “I would say there were a lot of stiff legs out there, slow to move.”
In a live stream on Facebook you could hear a female protestor, over the blaring sirens of a police vehicle saying: “…the people are fed up, the people are angry, the people are mad, they’re tired of SIPT! SIPT must go! We had enough! We are not sitting down anymore! Enough is enough!”
High Court judge, Paul Harrison, 85, died on Sunday February 7 in his native Jamaica after a short bout of illness. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had until Monday March 1, 2021 to present a plan for a way forward in the matter to the Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Andrew Mitchell, QC and lead prosecutor made the presentation which included dropping charges against two defendants and proceeding with the trial against the remaining six men, including the ex-premier.
Traffic flow was impacted and by shortly after 1 p.m., Police managed to get it going again. Protestors vow, they will be back.
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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