Caribbean News
GUYANA: Brackish water shrimp production advancing in Region Six
By Kellon Rover, GPI
#Guyana, March 31, 2022 – The introduction of brackish water shrimp production, which is one of the measures the government has been pushing, is advancing well in Region Six. This measure was taken due to the worldwide issue of low fish catches that have impacted the local fisheries industry.
His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has said aquaculture is a very important component of the agriculture sector, which will never fail under the PPP/C Government. Aquaculture refers to the rearing, breeding and harvesting of aquatic species, both animals and plants, in environments such as oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams.
At Plantation Borlam, Erwin Abdulla praised the initiative, citing that it has the potential to stimulate economic growth, specifically for export and food sustainability.
“Right now, we have four ponds completed and we still have 10 more to complete under this first phase of development of the semi-intensive system. We are now producing close to four times what we used to produce. When those other 10 ponds are finished, we should be producing like 60 tons of shrimp or more,” Abdulla told DPI.
He believes that the project is beyond rearing of shrimps, explaining that the new venture has already created a number of job opportunities.
“We have over 24 people employed on this part of the project and by the time we are in full production, we would be employing probably 50 or more. We are in a process right now of establishing a security firm because stealing is a very challenging thing that we face and now with intensive aquaculture, we will be having much more shrimp, the inducive for people to come and steal will be much greater.”
He added, “the turnaround time to clean the ponds to get all the predators out was very long, but with the initiative by the government, clearing of the sand bank by the pontoon, digging the outfall drains and drainage system, helping us with tubes, have seen our production in this particular farm multiplying four times.”
Like Abdulla, Chairman of the East Berbice Corentyne Aquaculture Cooperative Society Limited, Suedat Persaud, anticipates the region’s shrimp production accelerating up to 450,000 tons per year.
“This initiative has improved the aquaculture sector to where we could actually now take three times the volume of water, and this volume of water will assist in the el nino period where the heat will not affect the shrimps and the fish. And even in the la nina period, the flooding, we have high dams that can combat flooding now,” fisherman Persaud explained.
Persaud also boasted about the upgraded drainage and irrigation systems. “…what has also happened, we received pipes and installed them. The drainage has improved and the overall aquaculture sector has improved in Region Six.”
Balwant Singh is another farmer benefitting from the first ever government sponsored shrimp production in the ancient county.
Just off the Berbice River Bridge at Fortlands East Canje, the budding agriculturist operates four shrimp ponds, all measuring at least three acres.
“This project started last year July and this is because of the government. They actually reach out to shrimp farmers and was offering help to make our farm sustainable and to assist in the community. On this farm we will be hiring a few people after it gets off its leg,” Singh underscored.
The preparation phase of the project was successful, he explained, as he credited the expertise and guidance of the fisheries department. Singh would visit his farm on a daily basis to monitor the production, ensuring there is no leakage of water.
And while he is excited about expanding his production, “…I have never done this before, I am doing it because of their assistance. After this, I would know how to proceed and expand. Right now, we have shrimp in here and I am sure that we will do good because I have seen a lot of fingerlings came in.”
He highly anticipates the harvesting phase within the next four to six weeks.
Since taking office on August 2, 2020, the administration has been paying significant attention to the nation’s fisheries sector, to ensure the livelihood of fisherfolk is maintained.
More than $743.7 million was allocated to advance the fisheries and aquaculture sub sector and ensure continued development of the industry this year.
Some $230 million has been committed to rehabilitate an additional 63 shrimp farms this year. This is expected to increase production to 500,000 kilograms per year, with an estimated value of over $300 million per annum.
The shrimp production is a major contributor to food security and livelihoods in Region Six. The industry has significant potential to be upgraded to produce over 300 per cent of its current production.
Meanwhile, the PPP/C Government will continue the momentum of expanding the fisheries industry. It has committed an additional $200 million to initiate the culture to develop marine cage fish farming in Guyana.
This is expected to benefit over 135 persons, including hinterland communities, fish farmers, and particularly fishermen who are seeking alternative means of earning.
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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