Caribbean News
BTC Fetes Mathematics Champions
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: Beaches Turks and Caicos recently treated talented mathematics champions Shecaniah Robertson and Emilly Charles and their families to a day filled with fun and excitement in recognition of their feat as the champions of the inaugural Turks and Caicos Islands Ministry of Education mathematics competition.
Robertson and Charles, grade six students at Oseta Jolly Primary School in Providenciales, walked away winners in the recently held competition at the Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex turning back the challenge from 13 other
primary schools. Beaches Turks & Caicos were supporting sponsors of the much-heralded academic event.
General Manager, James McAnally in welcoming the students and their families shared, “As a resort, we believe in championing educational advancement and opportunities and it was our pleasure to lend support for the competition with the provision of prizes. We are pleased to welcome our mathematics champions and their families and share the many amenities of our resort with them as a reward for their hard work. We remain excited to encourage future participants to work just as hard and come celebrate with us.”
As the saying goes, to the victors belong the spoils, as Robertson and Charles reaped the fruits of their hard work courtesy of a day pass for four at the luxury-included Beaches Turks and Caicos.For Robertson, it was well received. “WOW… this is a beautiful place. The team members here are kind and accommodating and they made us feel like we are tourists. The waterpark was the most ideal place for us to start and it was so much fun. The activities that we enjoyed included exploring and having fun at the Pirates Island.”
Her teammate and friend, Emilly added, “The food was good. We had the chance to dine at many of the restaurants and the variety was really great. Pirates Island Waterpark with slides, and X-Box room alone can finish the day if we had not gone to the beach to do any watersports or other restaurants or participate in any of the fun activities that were organised.”
Said Ava Robertson, mother of Shecaniah, “I am overwhelmed and very thankful to the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort and its general manager, Mr. McAnally for making this day so special and memorable for us as a family. This is a great motivation as these girls will now see that whenever they work hard academically, these perks will be forthcoming and we hope to be back soon.”
Emilly’s father, Edley Charles, who was a part of the day of frolicking believes it was a day well deserved. This, as he reflected on and spoke proudly of his daughter’s hard work and commitment in studying. “It’s not difficult to support her, in fact, it is quite easy. This is because she is disciplined. When you find a child who listens, parenting and
coaching become a bit easier because her studying habits can develop faster.
“Mathematics is a subject that calls for practice and mental discipline. Emilly is a child who enjoys the challenge and the competition they have won in order to be here. This is a good foundation for what our schools are doing in this subject area. For the Beaches Turks and Caicos to be major sponsor and provide for the champions this reward shows that the resort believes in the development of the children and people of Turks and Caicos. This is a commendable act on behalf of this corporate giant who puts their money where their mouth is, in building the nation, one child at a time,” Charles continued.
An ecstatic Emilly could barely contain her excitement following her first experience at the water park. “This experience is almost magical. These activities were only seen by me in magazines, but Beaches Turks and Caicos has allowed us to enjoy all the fun activities that tourists pay to come to this island to enjoy. As for my friend and I, we have achieved this dream occasion because of our academic discipline and the support that this resort has been giving to the children and for the development of education.”
Emilly’s teammate Shecaniah added, “Winning the competition was a very exciting time, but being here to live out this prize is like a dream come true. We were able to have fun and enjoy different kinds of meals. Emilly and I have been waiting for this celebration and I am happy that we are able to enjoy this treat from this world class resort.”
Release: Beaches Resorts
Photo Captions:
Header: Shecaniah Robertson (left) and Emilly Charles float along the lazy river as they enjoyed their main prize in the primary school Mathematics competition from Beaches Turks and Caicos
1st insert: Shecaniah Robertson (left) and Emilly Charles share a moment with the camera before they decided to explore the BTC Waterpark and the many dining opportunities
2nd insert: Emilly Charles and her sibling (let) along with Shecaniah Robertson and her sibling float along the lazy river during their exploration of the Waterpark at BTC
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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