Caribbean News
JAMAICA: First-Time Father Uses Own Manifesto To Raise His Son
#Jamaica, June 19, 2021 – As a first-time father, entrepreneur Kristofferson Nunes decided to write a Parental Manifesto that guides how he creates an environment for his son’s upbringing.
According to Mr. Nunes, his Manifesto sits in the notepad of his cellphone and is updated daily by inspiration from his past and current life experiences that he believes can transition into principles that will aid his 10-month-old son’s development.
“It’s like my anchor. We all have it, whether it’s religion or not, everybody entwines their own beliefs in their own complex ways, but for me, my written thoughts pull from different philosophical principles and different experiences,” he tells JIS News.
He adds that his Manifesto is not used primarily as a ‘check-off list’ but is rather a tool that keeps him balanced with his approach as a father.
Mr. Nunes says he wants his son, whom he affectionately calls “the Lavender Calf”, to grow in an environment that allows him to inherit the art of creativity, independence, a drive for knowledge, self-discipline and knowing how to balance his approach to life.
“I want him to know you can learn from everyone, that you’re not above or beyond others,” he adds.
Mr. Nunes says that even with those attributes in mind, he believes it is important to give his son the freedom to discover his interests and support him in whatever way he can.
“How we fathered then is different than how we father now [and] I think growing up, I learned it was unfair to expect the father figure to be one person,” he tells JIS News.
Mr. Nunes adds that children can learn from several individuals who take on the fatherly role, and from a personal standpoint, his personal development has benefited from this.
“We all learn from different eras, and for me it’s still a learning experience,” he notes. The 27-year-old entrepreneur says becoming a father also exposed his insecurities.
“I feel like from the standpoint of a male, many of us have egos as an insecurity. Thinking that we may know everything, and following our instincts and dominant male energy can blind us from what’s important,” he adds.
Mr. Nunes says even though becoming a father exposed his insecurity, it also made him become a better listener to his son, his family and his environment.
“It [also] allowed me to be more responsible, more self-aware and more empathetic to the things around me,” he notes.
Mr. Nunes says his son has also taught him to be patient and what it means to slow down and enjoy the simple moments in life.
“[He] gave me a better sense of direction of what is important and what is not,” he shares.
Meanwhile, he says the father-figure role is a necessary instrument to the foundation and preservation of Jamaica’s society, “not necessarily with just money but with the foundation of principles, and if [the right father figure] isn’t there, someone else will play the role”.
Mr. Nunes emphasises that it is important for fathers to be open in asking for advice and support if they need it.
“If you don’t ask for help, you will never get it [and] if you don’t share where you are, people will never see you,” he argues.
Mr. Nunes says that if there are more community-level highlights of fathers active in their roles, then a domino effect of support and more appreciation will occur in the society.
“What do you share with them? How do you encourage them? It comes with momentum and starts with one person,” he says.
Mr. Nunes tells JIS News that he enjoys watching the world through his son’s eyes, observing how he responds to what is happening around him, and his relatives, as they all play a part in his personal development. He intends to continually add to his Manifesto, in the hope that one day his son will not only inherit the principles from it, but will also see the heart of his father.
By: Chanel Spence
Release: JIS
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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