Caribbean News
BTC Receives PADI Award for 25 Years of Membership
#TurksandCaicos, December 16, 2022 – The watersports department at Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) was recently recognised by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) for its stellar performance in providing mentorship and diver training with over 25 years of membership in the association. The BTC team in celebrating this momentous anniversary, simultaneously certified three Open Water Scuba Instructors (OWSI) to bring the cadre of resort instructors to 14.
BTC’s watersports department is provides diving enthusiasts with two scheduled dive trips per day and has increased the capacity of those exploring the open waters to almost 50 guests per day.
Elvis Grant, dive shop manager was a happy leader as he shared the benefits of being recognised by PADI and the increase in the cadre of open water scuba instructors. Said Grant, “As a team, being able to provide diving opportunities for almost 50 guests each day will greatly enhance our scuba experiences. Many of our guests return for the fantastic diving expeditions available in the Turks & Caicos and for the open water scuba instructors to not only teach those exploring for the first time but also to work with more advanced divers, is part of our commitment to provide memorable vacation experiences.”
With the increase in the number of instructors, BTC which is currently an Instructor Development Centre (IDC) has been able to provide one course per year. Additionally, BTC is able to certify divers, by taking them from the beginners’ level to becoming an advanced scuba diver.
Grant who has more than 28 of years diving experience with Sandals and Beaches resorts sees a bright path for the newly minted instructors. “We are on the cusp of achieving what no other resort has been able to achieve in Turks and Caicos and the Northern Caribbean. Sandals and Beaches resorts have certified more people than any other single operation in the world. With us looking at becoming a Career Development Centre, we expect to be able to create an academy that will undoubtedly allow us to become the resort of choice for guests who have scuba activities as a preference,” Grant added.
General Manager, James McAnally while congratulating the Watersports team shared, “this PADI Instructor Development Centre accreditation for 25 consistent years, makes us the only resort with such an accomplishment in the entire TCI and the Northern Caribbean. This is due to the hard work and commitment of the team. Commendations are in order for them in helping to maintain and establish BTC as the premier resort for guests who have an interest in scuba and other watersport-related activities. These men and women continue to give each guest more than what he or she expects.”
The three newest members to become instructors; Arvin Frayna, Elisee Exumat, and Ruben Manzano all shared their commendations on the work of their colleague and mentor Leonard ‘Johnny’ Suckrajh, dive instructor at BTC, for helping them to be the professionals that they have become. Manzano said, “In October, we were able to certify almost 120 scuba divers. With the passion of each member of the team, we are able to commit to providing e a safe space for learning and becoming certified with PADI here at BTC.”
“Our passion for growth in scuba goes beyond personal development at this level of being an instructor. We value
our role as instructors, as we guide guests to experience advanced certifications and achieve new rankings while on vacation at the resort. As we grew in the industry, Johnny was the first person to guide all three of us to the experiences of scuba diving. As a resort, we live and grow as a team and with the training and development programme available, the opportunities to grow and experience our full potential is always within our reach,” Manzano added.
Michael Clarke, Sandals’ Corporate Director, Watersports and PADI Director shared, “The Sandals and Beaches brand offers so many possibilities from a watersports perspective and diving is just one of them. Our group has over 25 of the best, state-of-the-art dive boats in operation across the region and they are customized specifically for diving and making the entire process of moving equipment and accessibility easy for our guests. We also have 157 highly experienced diving instructors and, overall, almost 700 staff in watersports. Our guests keep coming back because of the service delivery backed by highly-trained staff, a high safety record, and top-tier equipment that we service. We are amassing over 89,000 dives yearly with over 27,000 persons and it shows that people really enjoy this. It speaks to the fact that we’re doing many things right.”
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
-
TCI News4 days agoFrontier Airlines’ Arrival to Turks & Caicos Marks a Game-Changing Connection
-
Uncategorized6 days agoISU Supports Successful Multiagency Demolition Exercise in Blue Hills
-
TCI News6 days agoInvest Turks and Caicos Unveils Categories for The MSMES “A Celebration of Excellence”
-
TCI News6 days agoBeaches Turks and Caicos Celebrates TCI National Heritage Day with investment in youth and culture
-
USA4 days agoNarco-Terrorist Take Down by US Gutting Caribbean Gang-Crime
-
world news5 days ago80% of the World’s Poor Face Climate Hazards — UNDP Sounds Alarm
-
TCI News5 days agoTurks & Caicos Police Commissioner Urges Students to “Awaken Their Sleeping Giants”
-
Education7 days agoBeaches Turks & Caicos Invests in Youth Development