Caribbean News
BTC Team Celebrates Thanksgiving with Gratitude
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: Over 1000 team members at Beaches Turks & Caicos participated in observing this year’s Thanksgiving Day at a special dinner organised by the resort’s Human Resources department. The resort’s culinary experts from the food and beverage department along with the team from human resources ensured that it was a thanksgiving to remember.
With service provided by the resort’s managers at the much-anticipated event, Carlton Salmon, houseman from the housekeeping department shared his reflections of gratitude. “I have worked at Beaches Turks and Caicos for more
than 20 years and of one the reasons for me to be thankful this year, is the opportunity to be a part of this great team who all play a part in ensuring that we can celebrate our growth and progress as one team. The leadership of this resort has made us very comfortable and we thank them for the opportunity to give thanks like this,” Salmon shared.
An equally appreciative general manager James McAnally shared, “I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. This event though tops the list as I am thankful to see these dedicated team members being able to take time out, pause and be thankful. As a resort, we have gone though many trying times over the last two years, but because of the resilient nature of these men and women who continue to give each guest more than he or she expects here at Beaches Turks and Caicos, I am thankful for the grit and determination of this entire team.”
Human Resources Manager, Owenta Coleby said, “The work put into making this thanksgiving dinner memorable has been a team effort and labour of love and gratitude. To plan and execute this event for our team shows that as a company, we are listening to our team as the way forward in building the family and work-life balance is paramount. This dinner helped to continue fostering our relationship as a team, the people we work with, who have become a family. We were able to sense the desire for an event of this style through our continuous open communication channels that we promote among the staff.”
Coleby added, “Our resort is cognisant of the fact that what we are able to accomplish over so many years is primarily because of these dedicated men and women. I am thankful for their commitment and dedication to making the resort one of choice for employment and career development for the people of these beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands.
As different team members expressed gratitude for personal as well as professional development facilitated, encouraged and provided through Beaches Turks & Caicos, several have also pledged their own commitment to be mentors by helping to inspire others to be their best.
Newly minted regional training and development manager for the Northern Caribbean, Julianna Musgrove shared, “I’m thankful for the continuous growth that I have experienced within this company. Being a part of this company, I have become equipped and empowered to be the leader that I am today. This company continues to invest in my abilities and ensure that I have been trained within this global brand to fulfill my current role of impacting not
only the TCI, but resorts in the Bahamas. I am thankful for this vision and the way forward for this resort and every team member.”
Director of Sales, Groups and Conventions Tanya Swann shared, “I’m thankful for the commitment that Beaches Turks and Caicos has given to the Turks and Caicos Islands, the rest of the Caribbean and the wider world. This resort has created a culture of success for every team member at whatever level they may be. I’m thankful for the training and volunteerism opportunities afforded to each team member as this resort continues to give back to its team members, the communities and the countries in which we operate. This is the way forward for all team members.”
Djennie Osias, a relatively new team member who was experiencing this thanksgiving event for the first time beamed, “The purpose here for me is to dream bigger as I join this world class team, my success is now more than just an imagination but something that I am capable of seeing myself achieving. I look forward to many years of growth with Beaches Turks & Caicos”.
Photo Captions:
Header: Human Resources Manager Owenta Coleby (left) shares a happy moment with members of Food and Beverage team as her office express thanks to the team for the hard work that they have done.
1st insert: Executvie Chef Gregg Zeringue (right) shares a thanksgiving moment with Chef Darline Rousseaux
2nd insert: Epix Photoshop Photographer Carlos Brown (right) accepts his meal from one of the managers at the recently held Thanksgiving Dinner at the resort.
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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