Caribbean News
Ground Broken For US$81M Port Antonio Bypass
Morant Bay, June 27, 2025 (JIS): Ground has been broken for the US$81-million Port Antonio Bypass in Portland, marking the dawn of a new era of mobility, opportunity, and resilience for the parish.
The project, which will be executed in two phases, entails the construction of an 18-kilometre corridor designed to divert traffic from the congested, coastal town centre, thereby reducing travel time and transportation costs.
Phase one will span Norwich to Turtle Crawl Harbour, comprising a seven-kilometre stretch of four-lane roadway with safety-enhancing median barriers, newly constructed bridges, upgraded drainage infrastructure, and designated bus shelters.
Speaking during Thursday’s (June 26) ground-breaking ceremony, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said the occasion marked “the breaking of barriers that have long held back the full economic potential of this beautiful parish and people”.
He noted that the Bypass “represents an investment in Portland’s growth, tourism potential, its ability to attract capital, create jobs and build wealth for its citizens”.
Prime Minister Holness noted that Port Antonio, being a low-lying town frequently affected by weather events, stands to benefit
significantly from the inland relocation of the roadway, which will safeguard the residents’ mobility, assets, land and businesses. “For decades, Port Antonio has been one of Jamaica’s hidden gems, blessed with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, but held back by limited access and inadequate infrastructure. The current route through the town centre, while scenic, adds to the traffic congestion in the town. It is vulnerable to flooding and coastal erosion and it cannot accommodate the scale of development we envision for this area,” he stated.
Dr. Holness indicated that the Bypass will unlock new commercial zones, stimulate land development and create space for expansion, while preserving Port Antonio’s identity as a quiet coastal retreat with a thriving economic hub. He indicated that an additional $521 million will be allocated for land acquisition, with more than 200 parcels to be acquired under phase one. The National Land Agency (NLA) has already commenced the acquisition process.
“This is development that will connect the coast to the countryside, the farms to the resorts and the world to Portland,” the Prime Minister added.
Dr. Holness further noted that the project forms part of a broader strategy to stimulate Portland’s economic growth, which includes developments such as the construction of the Boundbrook Urban Centre in Port Antonio.
The Port Antonio Bypass project is also a continuation of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) – Jamaica’s largest infrastructure development –extending its transformative impact across the eastern corridor.
Contact: Mickella Anderson-Gordon
Release: JIS
Photo Caption:
Header: Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (fourth right), and Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with Responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan (third right), lead the symbolic breaking of ground for the Port Antonio Bypass project in Portland on Thursday (June 26).
Insert: Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, delivers the keynote address during the ground-breaking ceremony for the Port Antonio Bypass project in Portland on Thursday (June 26).
Deron Douglas 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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