Caribbean News
Administration Continues to Lobby to Stem Inflow of Illegal Guns – PM
#KINGSTON, February 7 (JIS) – The Administration continues to lobby the United States to provide greater assistance in stemming the flow of illegal guns into the island, says Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Addressing a security seminar at the AC Marriott Hotel in St. Andrew on February 7, Mr. Holness said this would bolster the measures the Government has implemented to secure the country’s points of entry and bring the crime problem under control.
“We recognise that there are still many gaps. One of them is the ability of the State to control the inflow of illegal guns into Jamaica. It is a problem for us to control our borders,” he said.
The Prime Minister informed that massive investments have been made in boosting the capabilities of the security forces to increase surveillance and detect illicit items at ports of entry. This includes investments in offshore patrol vessels and maritime patrol aircraft and boosting scanning capabilities at ports.
“But as an island, you know that we have several informal points of entry, and it’s going to be difficult to control all of them, but we are increasing our surveillance, including making significant investment in a state-of-the-art coastal radar system. We are doing what is necessary, but we could do with some help from our friends from the United States, because what we are seeing is a change in the profile of weapons coming into Jamaica,” Mr. Holness said.
“Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, Jamaica would be getting what we would describe as post-war weapons out of Latin America, post-war conflict weapons out of Nicaragua and El Salvador and other places. Now what we are seeing are AR15 and Glock platforms, which are mostly coming out of North America. This is not America’s problem, let me be clear, this is Jamaica’s problem. Jamaica must take responsibility and not leave our national security up to our partners; we must take responsibility for it. The truth is, it is not Americans, meaning persons without Jamaican connections, that are sending guns here; it is our relatives, our family members,” he noted.
Mr. Holness shared that he has asked the American Government to look seriously into this matter.
“When I visited, I spoke to Vice President Kamala Harris a couple of years ago. I went back two years ago, myself and the Commissioner. We met with representatives of the Department of Justice and I went back last year again, We have been constantly lobbying< and our partners have been very accommodating to us,” he said.
“I must say that our partners have been giving us a listening ear, and I know you know our American partners have so many other challenges that they have to deal with. Little Jamaica’s problem, you know, we really should be dealing with that, but because of where our capacity is versus the magnitude of the problem, we need the support,” the Prime Minister added.
Coordinator for the Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions and Associate Deputy Attorney General, United States Department of Justice, Michael Ben’Ary, said the guns that are being illegally trafficked from the United States is a shared problem.
“We are committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with you in investigating, prosecuting, charging and taking
these networks out of Commission. It is a problem that we view as our own problem as well as a problem here with our very close partners in Jamaica,” he noted.
He said firearms tracing is the United States being able to identify, disrupt and dismantle firearms trafficking networks in the United States that are responsible for sending the firearms that are causing so much destruction and pain and suffering in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Mr. Ben’Ary added that firearms tracing information can be used to further investigate and bring charges.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said a collaborative approach is needed to address the issue of transnational organised crime.
The seminar was held under the theme ‘Organised Violence and the Threat to Peace in Jamaica and the Region’. It brought together high-level government officials, law-enforcement experts and other key stakeholders to discuss and engage on pressing security challenges, including international security developments and best practices; spread awareness about concerns regarding the strategic environment in national decision-making processes, and implementation of national policies and decisions.
It also aimed to support collaborative efforts among institutions to promote policies to confront traditional and emerging threats and understanding the needs of law enforcement and security in the context of the Constitution of Jamaica, among other things.
Contact: Chris Patterson
Release: JIS
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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