Caribbean News
Government Allocated $315 Million For Repairs to Vulnerable Households
Kingston, Jamaica, January 28, 2025 – The Government is allocating $315 million for repairs to the most vulnerable households that were impacted by Hurricane Beryl and unusual weather patterns between July and December.
Each constituency will receive $5 million.
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the disclosure during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (January 28).
“While the amounts to be recommended for the beneficiary are at the discretion of the Member of Parliament (MP), grants should be within the range of $70,000 to $100,000 to make meaningful improvements to roofs, windows and side boarding to ensure that more Jamaican shelters can withstand the next heavy rainfall, tropical depression or hurricane,” Dr. Holness said.
“Persons who are already beneficiaries of the Hurricane Relief Grant will not be able to benefit from this allocation and we’ll be checking to ensure that there are no duplications of allocation across programmes,” he pointed out.
The Prime Minister urged all MPs to work closely with their constituents to identify those households that are most in need of assistance.
He said it is essential that focus be placed on the most vulnerable, particularly those who cannot afford to do the repairs.
“It is crucial that this programme is effective and impactful, ensuring the long-term resilience of our shelters, particularly roofs,” he said.
Dr. Holness pointed out that one challenge that has been encountered in the past with such programmes has been the inability of MPs to identify registered hardware stores in their constituencies that have the capacity to provide the items needed for repairs and are also in close proximity to the households in need.
He said this has often resulted in higher transportation costs and delays.
“I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, through the National Spatial Data Management Branch, has now mapped every registered hardware and haberdashery across the island.
“This comprehensive map will not only provide Members of Parliament with a complete list of all the hardware stores in their constituencies but the data has also been spatially represented,” he noted.
“This means that, at a glance, Members of Parliament will be able to see where each hardware store is located in relation to the households in need of assistance. This will ensure that materials can be sourced locally, reducing transportation costs and improving the efficiency of the programme,” he pointed out.
In addition, Dr. Holness said that staff of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), the Urban Renewal Programme and of the other units of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation will be leveraged to assist in the assessment process.
“I ask for the support of this House in making this programme a success. Together, we can help to strengthen our communities, protect our citizens and ensure that our nation is better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead in the next hurricane season,” he said.
Despite distributing more than 14,000 Beryl Recovery Grants, there are many other households across Jamaica that were impacted by heavy rainfall between July and December.
Leaky roofs were the most frequent complaint.
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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