Caribbean News
Facilities At Black River Fishing Beach Upgraded
MONTEGO BAY, June 19 (JIS): Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, on Wednesday (June 18), officially opened the $3-million gear shed and bathroom facilities at the Black River Fishing Beach in St. Elizabeth.
The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) spearheaded the initiative that forms part of a broader national initiative to rehabilitate fishing beaches and enhance the livelihoods of Jamaica’s fisherfolk.
The renovations included repairs to the gear shed, the bathroom facilities, improvements to the sewer lines and sewerage system, and the installation of solar-powered lighting to bolster safety and security on the beach.
“It is a great improvement from where it was. This is something that was needed for a long time, and the fishers have been saying that we have to help them and upgrade their facilities, so they can continue to do what they love,” Mr. Green said.
He added that the upgrades are not limited to fishers but will also benefit vendors and other operators of the market.
Moreover, Mr. Green said plans are already in motion to refurbish the fish market and restore running water access by settling outstanding arrears and reconnecting to the water system.
These improvements are intended to create a more efficient and sanitary environment for the sale and handling of fish, said the Minister.
In the meantime, the Minister pointed out that the Black River project is just one of six fishing beaches currently undergoing similar upgrades. In fact, he noted that work is actively progressing in Clarendon and St. Mary.
Mr. Green said the NFA has been another key development, noting that staff numbers had increased from about 120 to over 300 personnel that are dedicated to the fisheries sector.
He said the Ministry has promoted long-line fishing techniques that allow fishers to venture farther offshore in pursuit of pelagic species, and to support these efforts, nine Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) are being deployed to attract those species and make them easier to catch.
“So, what we’re doing is providing the training because what we have to recognise is that nowadays we have to do fishing a little differently. We all know that our near-shore fish have been depleted, so you have to go farther out, and we want to help you in that regard,” Mr. Green explained.
The fishers at the Black River Fishing Beach, such as veteran fisherman, Rudolph Jones, welcomed the upgrades.
He told JIS News that the previous gear shed was inadequate and could not provide cover during rainfall.
Another fisherman, Oneil Daley, said he is particularly fond of the lighting and storage units that better serve the fishers.
“This new shed is welcomed [and] bless up the team from the Ministry,” Mr. Daley added.
CONTACT: OKOYE HENRY
JIS REGIONAL OFFICE
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Header: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (second left), cuts the ribbon to mark the official opening of the $3-million gear shed and bathroom facilities at the Black River Fishing Beach in St. Elizabeth, on Wednesday, June 18. He is joined by State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Franklin Witter (second right); Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Dr. Gavin Bellamy (centre), vendors and other stakeholders.
Insert: The refurbished gear shed and bathroom facilities at the Black River Fishing Beach in St. Elizabeth, which was officially opened on Wednesday, June 18.
Okoye Henry Photos
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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