Caribbean News
Grace Bay Beach, Once Again – Ranked The World’s Number One Beach!
#TurksandCaicos, March 3, 2022 – Grace Bay Beach has once again been ranked the World’s Number One Beach! According to Trip Advisor, the beach, located on Providenciales, the Turks and Caicos’s main tourism destination island – is number one of the 10 Best Beaches in the World for 2022.
The beach, noted for its soft powdery white sands, with crystal clear turquoise waters facing it – has continuously been voted Best Beach by many travel and tourism organisations and publications, worldwide. Uncrowded, relaxed and serene – Grace Bay Beach is the go-to destination when on Providenciales.
“Once again Grace Bay Beach has come out on top,” says Pamela Ewing, Director of Tourism, Turks and Caicos Tourist Board. “The beach is by far one of the most, if not the most enviable beach in the world. And, we in the Turks and Caicos are truly proud and humbled to again be crowned world’s number one beach”.
“We take pride in our natural environment and go the extra mile to ensure that we our beaches, coast lines and marine spaces are always pristine and protected. This is important not only for our guests, but also those that live and work in the Turks and Caicos today and years to come”, Ewing added.
In a similar vein – Hon. Josephine Connolly, Minister responsible for Tourism stated that: “Our country is very proud of our Grace Bay Beach and we are committed to maintaining our number one position. Our government takes the protection of our environment very seriously – as it is the foundation of our tourism industry. We are proud of all of our beaches and all those who work hard to ensure they remain safe and secure and, in a condition, to be enjoyed by everyone!
Though the Turks and Caicos have many spectacular beaches, namely Governor’s Beach in Grand Turk, Bambarra Beach in Middle Caicos or Pine Cay Beach, none has come close to the acclaim or accolades received like Grace Bay Beach has. In time, these and others will be recognised and appreciated too.
Four of the world’s best beaches are in the Caribbean according to the TripAdvisor’s global top 10 list. With Grace Bay Beach taking the number one spot, the remaining include: Trunk Bay Beach, US Virgin Islands; Palm in Aruba and Varadero Beach in Varadero, Cuba.
Grace Bay Beach currently holds the position of World Travel Awards’ World’s Leading Beach Destination, and, now – once more – 1st place in Trip Advisor’s World’s Best Beaches. The entirety of Grace Bay Beach is exceptional and breath-taking. With its clean and crystal-clear turquoise waters and unspoiled soft white powdery sand, and no rocks, seaweed, or pollution – the beach is truly ‘Beautiful by Nature’.
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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