Caribbean News
Minister Vaz Recommends Immediate Ban on Ride-Share Apps
#Jamiaca, June 4, 2024 – Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, says he is recommending a ban on ride-sharing apps in the country with immediate effect.
The Minister made the announcement while making his contribution to the 2024 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 4).
The move comes a day after the discovery of a body believed to be that of missing teacher, Danielle Anglin.
It was reported that Miss Anglin had chartered a cab via a ride-sharing app from her home in Hellshire, St. Catherine, on the day she went missing. The suspect was previously arrested on sexual assault charges.
“I want to indicate that my recommendation as of today, which will obviously have to be vetted for legal purposes, is a ban on all of those ride-sharing apps with immediate effect, until such time as we can come to the table and work out properly how these apps will be regulated,” Minister Vaz said.
He said that measures will have to be put in place “in terms of making sure that safety and background checks of the drivers are done not only by the ride-share apps but also by the Jamaican authorities, whether the police or the Transport Authority”.
Minister Vaz noted that the case involving Miss Anglin is just one of many the police have as evidence that these ride-share apps have been used for criminal activities.
“So, with a letter from the police to the Minister, I have a responsibility to act,” he told the House.
“I make no apologies. I have a responsibility as a Minister and an elected representative to protect the lives of the people, and I am saying to you I am prepared to go the end of the world to make sure that that ban is enforced immediately,” he said.
“I will do everything to make sure that whatever is in the way, we clear it until such time we have a proper regulated formula to introduce it,” he pledged.
Mr. Vaz said the Government is aware of the increasing popularity in the use of technology to engage personal transportation services and is not opposed to the measure.
He noted, however, that the Government is “adamant that ride-hailing services must operate within the ambit of the law”.
“We have sought to engage with ride-hailing providers both locally and internationally to streamline their operations within the regulatory regime. I want to publicly state that the only overseas provider that has indicated their willingness to operate within the legal framework is Uber.
“I summoned them, and they came to sit down with me and the team, and the bottom line is that it is a useful discussion that continues,” Mr. Vaz told the House.
He informed that the Transport Authority will be meeting with local ride-hailing entities this week in this regard, while adding that “InDrive remains outstanding”.
He pointed out, further, that in addition to concerns about safety and security, there is the issue of the ride-share services undercutting the market by charging lower fares.
“I took a submission to Cabinet three weeks ago to discuss this very matter because of complaints I was getting from commuters and also from industry players who are playing by the rules and pay their fees for their licence, and these apps are undercutting them in fare, without any form of background checks and no form of monitoring by the Transport Authority,” he added.
The Minister further cited the impact on tourism, the economy in general and the threat of issues such as money laundering and terrorism.
“I want to indicate very clearly that I have today written to both telecom providers on a letter from the assistant commissioner of police, indicating the concerns for national safety of our citizens,” Mr. Vaz said.
Contact: Latonya Linton
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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