Caribbean News
Journalist and Political Leader among the latest dead in Haiti gang-led crisis
By Sherrica Thompson
Staff Writer
#Haiti, November 2, 2022 – At least three people were killed between October 28 and October 30 in Haiti as the country continues to struggle even more with gang violence. 
On Sunday, October 30, a Haitian journalist, Romelo Vilsaint, was killed after being shot in the head. Reports by The Associated Press are that police opened fire on reporters who were demanding the release of one of their colleagues, who were detained while covering a protest.
Vilsaint is said to have been a journalist for an online news site. This attack happened mere days after a well-unknown Haitian journalist, Roberson Alphonse, escaped an assassination while on his way to work on Tuesday, October 25.
Meanwhile, on Friday, October 28th, a prominent leader and businessman, Eric Jean Baptiste and his bodyguard were killed in Laboule 12, Port-au-Prince.
Baptiste was reportedly on his way home around 9 PM when attackers opened fire on their vehicle. 
Justice of the peace of Pétion-Ville, Clément Noël, told Haitian media company Le Nouvelliste that Baptiste’s car was riddled with over ten bullets.
“I saw 14 bullet holes. The attackers used large-calibre weapons. Some projectiles pierced level 4 (vehicle) armour. I noticed a bullet hole in the back seat where Éric Jean Baptiste was sitting, which would have hit him in the pelvis.
“The driver’s body is unrecognizable. His skull exploded. He received several projectiles,” Noël described to the Le Nouvelliste.
Several Haitian officials and agencies have condemned Friday’s killings.
“We strongly condemn this heinous crime against this patriot, this moderate politician committed to change. We present, on behalf of the government and the people of Haiti, our sincere condolences to the families of the victims, to the RDNP and to the political class, today revolted by this heinous crime,” Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, said.
The embassies of the United States and France in Haiti have also expressed their views on the killing noting that they “strongly condemned the murder” of the former presidential candidate.
“The United States Embassy condemns the brutal murder of Éric Jean Baptiste of the RDNP as well as the murder of 6 people in Juvenat. We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the deceased,” the embassy wrote on Twitter.
“The French Embassy in Haiti says it is horrified to learn and strongly condemns the assassination of Mr. Éric Jean-Baptiste, Secretary General of the RDNP. The Embassy sends its condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the deceased. It calls on the Haitian authorities to take the necessary measures to find and punish the perpetrators of this crime,” the French embassy said.
No motive has been given for Friday’s attack. However, reports are that it might be gang-related.
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.
Caribbean News
Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts celebrate a night of wins, and take home a total of 16 titles at the 32nd Annual World Travel Awards
-
Caribbean News1 week agoHaitian Pushback Halts Controversial Constitution Rewrite — What’s Next?
-
TCI News1 week agoButch’s Island Chophouse Leads Beaches Turks & Caicos’ $150M Treasure Beach Expansion
-
Bahamas News1 week agoPAY STANDOFF: Prime Minister Cancels Talks as Unions Warn of More Protests
-
TCI News1 week agoTurks and Caicos Islands Government Invites Proposals for Affordable Housing Development
-
world news1 week agoA Tapestry of Peace: Humanity, Not Politics, Ends the War in Gaza
-
TCI News1 week agoOvercrowding at Grand Turk Prison Now 30% Above Capacity, NSC Warns
-
TCI News1 week agoPolice Patrols to be Strengthened as Force Adds Ten New Assets
-
TCI News1 week agoMinister Praises Educators as “Architects of the Future” on World Teachers’ Day