Connect with us

Caribbean News

Paradise is in Trouble says UN Sec-Gen at CARICOM Meeting in Barbados

Published

on

Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

 

 

Barbados, February 21, 2025 – There is trouble in paradise, and it has not escaped the attention of the United Nations, as Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General on Friday (February 21) commended host prime minister for her unerring words as he acknowledged what is an unequivocal truth for the Region; “wave after wave of crisis is pounding your people and your islands with no time to catch your breath before the next disaster strikes.”

Barbados is host country to the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community and Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados set and unapologetic tone for the session which was held from February 19-21.

“The only way we will make it through these difficult times, is if we are prepared to be more unified and bolder than ever,” said Mottley, chairperson of the CARICOM.

The Secretary General pointed to socio-economic fall out from a string of existentially threatening events, none of which originate within the Caribbean region.

“Geopolitical tensions fuelling uncertainty. The scarring effects of COVID-19 leaving a trail of socio-economic crisis. Soaring debt and interest rates, on top of a surge in the cost of living.  All amidst a deadly swell of climate disasters – ripping development gains to shreds and blowing holes through your national budgets.  And all as you remain locked-out of many international institutions – one of the many legacies of colonialism today.”

It was a central point when host, Mia Mottley spoke to the audience assembled at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

“You have heard everybody on this platform this evening and what is clear is that it cannot be business as usual.  We have come to Bridgetown, in this year of 2025 at a time when the world is reeling,” she said pointing to the heartfelt expressions already delivered by immediate past chairman of CARICOM, Dikon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada.

“We know what it is, each summer, to have to hold our breath and to wait and to hope that this is not going to be our turn.  We know firsthand, how the world has become an awful place since the pandemic, where all of the warts and all of the scars and all of the cuts have become very, very clear and open for all to see and where effectively, the world has said ‘might is right’ and where small states are often excluded because our orders are too miniscule to command attention.”

Guetteres sided with the plight echoing from the CARICOM pulpit at the opening ceremony, listing three area which stack up as top priorities.

“I see three key areas where, together, we must drive progress. First, unity for peace and security.  Second, unity on the climate crisis.  Because, third, we need unity for sustainable development.”

Haiti, and its years of unrest and chaos, which is now fuelling a deadly humanitarian crisis absorbed the lion’s share of the Sec-Gen’s attention in terms of security for the region.

“CARICOM, and the Eminent Persons Group, have provided invaluable support.  We must keep working for a political process – owned and led by the Haitians – that restores democratic institutions through elections.

And I will soon report to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Haiti, including proposals on the role the UN can play to support stability and security and address the root causes of the crisis.”

While an announcement to restore this fledgling democracy through a general election in November has been made, there is doubt expressed that Haiti is progressing enough to hold a national poll.

“It is my intention to present to the Security Council a proposal that is very similar to the one that we have presented for Somalia, in which the UN assumes the responsibility of the structural and logistical expenditures that are necessary to put the force in place. And the salaries of the force are paid through the trust fund that already exists.

And if the Security Council will accept this proposal, we will have the conditions to finally have an effective force to defeat the gangs in Haiti and create the conditions for democracy to thrive.”

A multi-national force deployed to Haiti has had some impact, but those looking on had higher hopes for the Kenyans, Jamaicans, Bahamians and others are fighting against ruthless gangs on the ground.  A mission which is estimated to cost $600 million has also not been fully funded; it is said over 5,600 have been killed and more than a million people are displaced.

Many have lost hope and see peace for the Republic as elusive, even as leaders press on.

“I urge you to continue your work and advocacy to tackle the weapons and drug trafficking that is fuelling violence across the region, including through prevention.”

Crime has been spurned by gun and illicit drug trafficking in the islands; all recording harrowing murder tolls with crippling spikes in violence.  The Secretary General pointed to the push and pull factors sustaining these nefarious industries and the countries where these items, which are outlawed in the Caribbean, are coming from and to where they are going.

“Without their cooperation, we will never be able to win this battle, and the people of the Caribbean are paying a heavy price for the lack of cooperation that unfortunately, we still face,” said Guterres.

Adaptation, in the face of a changing climate is expensive and for the low-lying lands of the Caribbean region, there is an urgency for funding which must remain in the spotlight, according to the UN boss.

“This year, countries must deliver new national climate action plans, ahead of COP30, that align with that goal, with the G20 – the big polluters – leading the way. This is a chance for the world to get a grip on emissions.”

Despite the hearty pitches and persuasive presentations, the effort to fulfill financing commitments to push back against climate change continues to gain little traction.  A shift in presidency in the US is expected to further stifle progress to hit the targets agreed upon in the Paris Treaty.

The Secretary General admonished the small island developing states to “seize the benefits of clean power.  To tap your vast renewables potential and to turn your back on costly fossil fuel imports. But this requires finance.”

Guterres informed, “We need confidence that the $1.3 trillion agreed at COP29 will be mobilized.  And we need the world to get serious in responding to the disasters that we know will keep coming.”

But climate change funding is not the only area in need of resources, according to the secretary general.

“Globally, the Sustainable Development Goals are starved of adequate finance, as debt servicing soaks-up funds, and international financial institutions remain underpowered.  Caribbean countries have been at the forefront of the fight for change – pioneering bold and creative solutions.  And the Pact for the Future agreed last year, together with the Bridgetown Initiative, now 3.0, marks significant progress – and I thank you all for your support.  The Pact commits to advancing an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year.”

The UN also believes debt recovery is a mammoth of a mountain standing between financial stability and unending debt for the Small Island Development States.  The disparities are now legendary, and the changes are slow-going.

There was some advice and assurances offered by the secretary general, one of the specially invited guests at that 48th Regular Meeting.

“A unified Caribbean is an unstoppable force. I urge you to keep using that power to push the world to deliver on its promise.  And I can guarantee that the United Nations and myself are with you, and will remain with you, every step of the way.”

Caribbean News

Haitian Pushback Halts Controversial Constitution Rewrite — What’s Next?

Published

on

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

 

Haitian media, legal scholars and civic voices did what bullets and barricades couldn’t: they stopped a sweeping constitutional overhaul widely branded as anti-democratic.  Editorials and analyses tore into proposals to abolish the Senate, scrap the prime minister, shift to one-round presidential elections, expand presidential power, and open high office to dual-nationals—a package critics said would hard-wire dominance into the executive at a moment of near-lawless insecurity.

The Venice Commission—Europe’s top constitutional advisory body—didn’t mince words either. In a formal opinion requested by Haiti’s provisional electoral authorities, it pressed for clear legal safeguards and credible conditions before any referendum, including measures to prevent gang interference in the electoral process—an implicit rebuke of pushing a foundational rewrite amid a security collapse.

Facing that drumbeat, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council has now formally ended the constitutional-reform initiative. The decision, taken at a Council of Ministers meeting at the National Palace, effectively aborts the rewrite track that has haunted Haiti since the Moïse and Henry eras.

So what now? Per the Miami Herald, the pivot is back to basics: security first, elections next. That means stabilizing Port-au-Prince enough to run a vote, rebuilding the electoral timetable, and empowering the provisional electoral machinery—none of which is simple when gangs control vast chunks of the capital and state authority remains fragile. Recent headlines underline the risk: gunfire has disrupted top-level government meetings, a visceral reminder that constitutional theory means little without territorial control.

Bottom line: Haitian journalists and public intellectuals helped slam the brakes on a high-stakes centralization of power that lacked legitimacy and safe conditions. International constitutional experts added weight, and the transition authorities finally conceded reality. Now the fight shifts to making an election possible—clean rolls, secure polling, and credible oversight—under circumstances that are still hostile to democracy. If the state can’t guarantee basic safety, any ballot is theater. If it can, shelving the rewrite may prove the first real step back toward consent of the governed.

Continue Reading

Caribbean News

Political Theatre? Caribbean Parliamentarians Walk Out on House Speaker

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Caribbean News

Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts celebrate a night of wins, and take home a total of 16 titles at the 32nd Annual World Travel Awards

Published

on

~Sandals Resorts hosts the 32nd Annual World Travel Awards Caribbean and The Americas Gala & celebrates its 32nd consecutive win as The Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand~

 

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA, October 8, 2025 – Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts have been honoured with 16 awards at the 2025 World Travel Awards Caribbean and The Americas, underscoring their continued leadership across the hospitality landscape.

The Gala Ceremony held at Sandals Grande St. Lucian honoured the visionaries and trailblazers shaping the travel and tourism industry. The evening united government leaders and hospitality professionals for a night of celebration, recognition and inspiration.

Among celebratory toasts, Sandals Resorts International was named the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand for the 32nd year in a row. Beaches Turks and Caicos also celebrated its 18th win as the Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort, a recognition that comes ahead of the debut of its Treasure Beach Village, the resort’s $150 million expansion set to open spring 2026.

Other key wins include Sandals Dunn’s River, recognized as the Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort for the third year in a row after opening its doors in 2023 and Sandals South Coast, awarded the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Resort.

The 16 awards won under Sandals’ portfolio are:

  • Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand 2025: Sandals Resorts International
  • Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2025: Beaches Turks & Caicos
  • Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Montego Bay, Jamaica
  • Caribbean’s Leading Dive Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Curaçao
  • Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort 2025: Sandals Grande St. Lucian
  • Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Dunn’s River, Jamaica
  • Caribbean’s Most Romantic Resort 2025: Sandals South Coast, Jamaica
  • Bahamas’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Bahamian
  • Curaçao’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Curaçao
  • Grenada’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Grenada
  • Jamaica’s Leading Adult-Only All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Negril
  • Jamaica’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2025: Beaches Negril
  • Jamaica’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Montego Bay
  • Jamaica’s Leading Resort 2025: Sandals Royal Caribbean
  • Saint Lucia’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Grande St. Lucian
  • Saint Vincent & The Grenadines’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2025: Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Surrounded by the beauty of Gros-Islet, St. Lucia, the peninsula location of Sandals Grande St. Lucian created the perfect backdrop for World Travel Awards’™ guests to enjoy an unforgettable dining experience and breathtaking island views.

“At the heart of every Sandals and Beaches vacation is pure, inviting Caribbean soul, paired with world-class hospitality experiences for all our guests. The recognitions bestowed to our brands tonight are truly meaningful. They serve as a testament to the incredible passion and dedication of our talented team members,” said Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts. “It is yet another reminder of why we will never stop evolving, listening to our customers and refining our experiences year after year.”

For more information about these award-winning resorts, please visit www.sandals.com and www.beaches.com. For more information on the World Travel Awards™, please visit https://www.worldtravelawards.com/.

Continue Reading

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

TRENDING