Caribbean News
Belize Central Investigation Laboratory (CIL) receives Lab Equipment to strengthen Fisheries Monitoring and Testing
Bridgetown, Barbados, 17th September 2023 (IICA): A limitation to increasing trade of fish and fisheries products in Belize is the restricted capacity of the sector to conduct tests indicating that products do indeed meet international market standards. Funded by the European Union, a key activity of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures Project is to improve laboratory testing capacity for the
fisheries and aquaculture sector in the CARIFORUM Region. As part of this activity, technical assistance has been provided to the Belize Agricultural Health Authority’s (BAHA) Central Investigation Laboratory (CIL) through training, technical guidance, and the provision of equipment. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is the executing body, and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) is a major partner in the implementation of this SPS Action.
Speaking at the Laboratory Equipment Handing-over Ceremony on 8th September in Belize, Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, and The Bahamas, said, “The Sanitary and Phytosanitary EPA programme in Belize is funded by the European Union, demonstrating its commitment to supporting trade and regional integration, to promote food safety and plant protection in the country. The programme aims to strengthen Belize’s capacity and regulations to ensure the safety of agricultural products such as livestock and food crops or fisheries products and promote safer protection both for domestic consumption and for export.”
As part of this programme, the European Union handed over a Microwave Sample Digestion System, laboratory testing kits, diagnostic tools, and inspection equipment to upgrade CIL’s fisheries monitoring and testing facilities. “These tools will enable Belize to conduct accurate and reliable testing of agricultural and fisheries products, identify potential risks, and ensure compliance with international standards and regulations. The equipment will also contribute to the prevention and control of pests and diseases, safeguarding the health of consumers and ensuring the sustainability of Belize’s agricultural and fisheries sector,” Rodriguez Ruiz said.
In 2020, the most important fishing commodities exported from Belize to the US market were valued as follows, the Spiny Lobster at US$8.4 million and the Queen Conch at US$4.7 million. Dr. Sandra Grant, Deputy Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), shared why improving market entry is important, “Increased market access on the trade of fish and fish products requires that businesses in Belize and the Caribbean
must meet the requisite standards to export, especially for the international markets. Laboratory testing services are often inadequate and pose challenges to CARICOM countries in achieving the certification of products and meeting international market standards. Therefore, the laboratory services for testing chemicals and microbial food safety parameters for fisheries products play an important role in SPS measures. This small action today will contribute to the attainment of CARICOM food and nutrition security goals, sustain trade and economic development, and improve the capacity of our laboratories across the Caribbean to conduct testing for the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the Caribbean.”
CIL will now be able to perform tests relating to environmental and residue monitoring, preparing Belize to meet testing requirements for improved hygiene and consumer safety and to fulfil high standards for exported products. Ultimately, regional and international trade of fish and fish products will be improved in the following areas: inspection, import/export certification, diagnostics, risk assessment, surveillance, and reporting. The private sector will be positively impacted at all stages of the fisheries value chain, including fishermen, fishing organisations, fish processors, exporters and exporters’ associations, and other national and regional private sector fishing associations and entities.
Dr. Natalie Gibson, Laboratory Administrator/Deputy Director of Food Safety Services at BAHA’s Central Investigation Laboratory, also delivered remarks at the Handing-over Ceremony, “Initial plans for the use of the equipment are focused on testing for such substances as mercury, lead and cadmium in fish and fishery products – these metals can harm the health of consumers when they contaminate food or water at levels that are not safe. The equipment also has many broader applications and can be used in the preparation of various sample types for elemental analysis.”
Photo Captions:
Header: From left to right at the Equipment Handing-over Ceremony: Dr. Natalie Gibson, Laboratory Administrator/Deputy Director, Food Safety Services, BAHA Central Investigation Laboratory (CIL); Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, and The Bahamas; and Willie Chan, Technical Coordinator, IICA Delegation in Belize.
insert: From left to right, examining the Microwave Sample Digestion System: Xavier Canton-Lamousse, Team Lead, Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, and The Bahamas; Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas; and Colette EuseyCuellar, Analytical Chemist, Central Investigation Laboratory (CIL).
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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