Caribbean News
Montserrat Premier Remembers St Patrick’s Day, First Covid Case & Encourages Vaccination
“As a Government it is our intention to provide regular updates on key developments and decisions in a timely manner. We want to ensure that you are kept abreast of what is happening across Government and indeed the wider Montserrat community. That is why I am here this morning, as I wish to update you on a number of government activities taking place now and in the coming weeks.
Tomorrow is Wednesday March 17—a significant day for us on Montserrat for more reasons than one. It is St. Patrick’s Day, but it also marks one year since the Minister of Health and myself had the unenviable task of reporting Montserrat‘s first positive case of Covid-19 last year (in 2020). As we are all aware, following that confirmation, and over the following months we recorded 12 cases and unfortunately one fatality. Our thoughts and prayers are always with families who have suffered loss as a result of COVID-19.
Following that first wave of the virus, the island did not record any new cases for a seven-month period; and we were one of the few countries in the world to boast of such an achievement. But this did not happen coincidentally; but rather a collective effort by the hard working professionals in the Ministry of health and you the law abiding citizens of this country, who in spite of the discomfort caused by the various measures and protocols put in place, understood that they were in your best interest and you complied.
There is a light at the end of those dark days of 2020 which resulted in the disruptions of our lives, we now have a chance for Montserrat to revert to normality. If the border is to be fully opened, if we are to welcome back tourist to our shores and if other economic activities are to take off, we must first protect ourselves, our loved ones and the entire population.
“THE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE”, “IT IS FREE”! And “IT IS SAFE” Together let us restore hope to this country— Please register and take your Vaccine.
As of Friday March 12, a total of 1078 persons have registered to receive the vaccine. 1001 persons have received their first dose and 130 persons have received their second dose. I am included in those numbers.
Now as we are in the St. Patrick’s week of activities, I must end on that note.
This year St. Patrick’s celebration is taking the form of virtual presentations, and the traditional St Patrick’s Day slave feast will have a different approach as announced by the Montserrat Arts Council.
However next year 2022, we are anticipating the return of an in person St. Patrick’s Festival even bigger and better than before, so save the date in your calendars. Once countries around the world begin to reap the benefits of the vaccination roll out then St Patrick’s celebration will return to what it was pre COVID-19! We will be celebrate together.
I also want to go further, Festival 2021 is another date in my calendar and I want you to put it in your calendar as well, we can have Festival 2021 if we adhere to the rules; if we take our vaccine; if 80% of the population is inoculated, then come December 2021 we will all celebrate again. That is the hope I have for you. That is the hope I want you to have for yourself, but you have to help us to help you because together we can.
HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY to all of you!”
Excerpts from National Address Delivered by Premier, Hon. Joseph E. Farrell
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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