Caribbean News
CDB Solid Waste Study Experts in Country and Public Meeting Called
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, March 13, 2023 – Years after it was first approved and subsequently fumbled by various administrations, consultants from the Caribbean Development Bank are finally in the Turks and Caicos to carry out the CDB study, which aims to relieve locals of the solid waste woes that have plagued them for years.
Kyle Knowles, Wheeland MP and Chair of the Solid Waste Task Force shared the information with Magnetic Media last Wednesday.
“As of the end of February, the CDB consultants have been present to carry out the long-awaited consultation in Providenciales – importantly, the consultation takes into consideration all solid waste facilities throughout the country: North Caicos, Middle Caicos, and Salt Cay were all assessed as priority areas for the revamping of solid waste.”
He explained that since the study has already begun, the consultation would run for a span of 12 months. It will see back-and-forth visits to the TCI by experts, who will be collecting data and assisting the government with its technical skill set. Knowles explains that it will be the consultants’ responsibility to use this data to create a
comprehensive plan on how to best collect, dispose of and manage solid waste countrywide.
“They will create the Bill design and come up with the initial concept needed in the Turks and Caicos— creating policy for the country [then] the government will come in on the back end and fund it.”
A meeting was on Friday called for the Communities immediately affected by the Providenciales Landfill in the Wheeland District; the invitation states: “We encourage all interested parties to attend the meeting and contribute to the discussion.”
Acknowledging the sheer size and the mountain of issues associated with the Providenciales dump which he says has been underserved and scandalized for years, and which lies in his constituency, Knowles said a short-term tender is being created that will encapsulate not just solid waste disposal but the actual management of that site. He hopes that it will create immediate improvement in some areas.
“We’re talking about a dump site that has been mismanaged 8 to 10 years and we are trying to fix it in a 2 to 3 year period— the smoke, the stench, the operations themselves and security issues, accessibility, those are the things that we look to have immediate impact on which should ultimately relieve some of the concerns of the public, while still working towards the goal of achieving transformational change.”
Knowles campaigned heavily on the issue, vowing that he would fix it.
Now, the Wheeland MP announces the Government is ready to tackle this vexing issue head-on; at least beginning the process of resolving this solid waste nightmare for all islands.
He said: “The gist of it is this, solid waste remains at the forefront of my Government’s agenda, and we are working towards eradicating this issue in the short term and long term. We are aware of the problems affecting the citizens of Wheeland, and are committed to bringing tangible change.”
The project reveal meeting will be held at Healing Waters Ministries on March 22 from 6:30-7:30pm.
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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