Caribbean News
Six Housing Units Handed Over in Clarendon and St. Catherine Under NSHP
#Kingston, Jamaica, November 14, 2022 – Six new homes were handed over to residents in sections of Clarendon and St. Catherine on Thursday (November 10) under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).
Located in Kellits, Clarendon and Cotton Piece, Forte Street, Gordon Pen and Brunswick Avenue, St. Catherine, the
units bring the number of houses now delivered under the programme to 110.
During a ceremony for the presentation of a two-bedroom unit to Jordeen Mason in Kellits, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, reiterated the objective of the programme, which is to deliver quality and secure housing to society’s neediest citizens.
Mr. Holness said that since its inception, the programme has seen significant improvement in building time and efficiency, with an overall enhancement in the procurement process.
“The less time we take [to build], the less money we spend. The contracting has improved, contractors understand what is to be done, and they are able to mobilise very quickly and get the job done. Before, we have taken up to a year to build a unit, now we are building units in six weeks,” the Prime Minister said.
The Government is looking to increase the budget for the programme to boost the number of units delivered from 300 to 1,000 per year.
“When we sit down to figure out what will be the budget next year, this will be one of the programmes that would recommend itself highly because it delivers for the people. It has high visibility and high satisfaction; both the community as well as the beneficiaries are highly satisfied with the project. So, I’m certain that next year we will see a larger budget and we will be able to do more housing,” Mr. Holness said.
An overwhelmed Jordeen Mason, who expressed gratitude for the home she will share with her mother, Joan Douglas, said: “A big thank you to you, Prime Minister, for all that you have done for me and my family. I am so appreciative.”
The NSHP was established in 2018 by Prime Minister Holness.
It is the housing component of the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme, which is implemented through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.
The initiative aims to improve the housing condition and the quality of life for the most vulnerable Jamaicans.
Contact: Mickella Anderson
Release: JIS
Dave Reid photos
Photo Caption:
Header: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second right) listens as Louise Parkes (second left) expresses gratitude for the new home she has received under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP). Occasion was the handover ceremony in Gordon Pen, St. Catherine Central, on Thursday (November 10). Sharing the moment are Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Olivia Grange (right); Government official from Trinidad and Tobago, Ian Pollard (third left) and Ms. Parkes’ granddaughters (from left) Shamilia, Shaneil and Shadae Henry.
Insert: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (third left), presents the keys to a new home under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) to brothers Owen (third right) and Clinton Stephenson (second right ) in Irish Pen, St. Catherine Central, on Thursday (November 10). Sharing in the moment are (from left) Councillor, Theresa Turner Flynn; Chairman of the NSHP Project Oversight Committee, Judith Robb Walters and Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Olivia Grange.
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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