St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ national parliament has advanced two pieces of pro-worker legislation designed to strengthen financial protections for the country’s lowest-paid public service employees, sending both bills to a cross-party select committee for in-depth analysis and public consultation before a full parliamentary vote. Spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock, who oversees the Public Service portfolio, the two bills—the Daily Paid and Minor Salaried Officers (Compassionate Gratuity) Bill 2026 and the Pensions Amendment Bill 2026—target longstanding financial gaps for low-wage public sector workers. The Compassionate Gratuity Bill specifically creates a framework to provide one-time compassionate gratuity payments to eligible daily-wage and low-salaried public officers when they retire, or to their families if the worker dies while still in active service. Leacock told parliament that the bill stands to deliver critical financial relief to roughly 2,831 workers across the lowest public service pay grades, including grades L, M, and entry-level grades 1 and 2. The deputy prime minister shared that he would have pushed for an immediate parliamentary debate and vote to deliver the promised benefits to eligible workers as quickly as possible. However, he confirmed that the government, led by Prime Minister Godwin Friday, opted to prioritize broader public engagement by sending the legislation to a select committee, to ensure all stakeholders have an opportunity to weigh in on the proposals. “But it is the considered opinion of the Honourable Prime Minister and our colleagues that to the extent that this important bill that will grant relief to nearly 3,000 of our public servants, we allow for more public listening and interest in the subject matter,” Leacock told parliament. The cross-party select committee will include senior government members: Prime Minister Friday, Attorney General Louise Mitchell, Agriculture Minister Israel Bruce, Family, Gender Affairs and Labour Minister Laverne Gibson-Velox, Housing Minister Andrew John, and government senators Jemalie John and Chieftan Neptune. Three opposition members will also serve on the committee: Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves, and opposition senators Carlos James and Keisal Peters, marking a collaborative approach to reviewing the worker-focused legislation. The second piece of legislation, the Pensions Amendment Bill 2026, will also be reviewed by the same cross-party committee. This bill adjusts retirement rules for public officers holding non-pensionable positions, raising the compulsory retirement age from 60 to 65, while giving workers the voluntary option to retire as early as age 60 if they choose. Leacock explained that the reform responds to repeated requests from public servants approaching the traditional 60-year retirement age, many of whom face significant financial gaps after leaving work at 60 before they can access alternative support. “Simply put, every week we have coming before the Cabinet of this country public servants who attain the age of 60 and can’t take care of themselves between that and the retirement age, asking for extension of service,” Leacock said. He added that the policy change could encourage private sector employers to adopt similar reforms, addressing the urgent question many low-income non-pensionable workers face when they are forced to retire at 60: “How do I live for the next five years?” The bill creates a formal, structured avenue for workers to extend their service if they wish, closing a critical financial gap for this group. Leacock framed both pieces of legislation as core components of the administration’s bottom-up development agenda focused on lifting up vulnerable public sector workers. “We are providing them an avenue, another wonderful piece of legislation that builds a government, a country, the people from the ground up, from the bottom up, a new vision for the development of [the country],” he said. The deputy prime minister confirmed that the select committee will conduct its review and public outreach before returning the bills to parliament for full debate and a final vote, and teased that additional pro-worker reforms may be introduced in the future as part of the government’s commitment to supporting low-income public servants.
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SVG’s medium-term growth expected to converge to 2.7%
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), headquartered in Washington D.C., has released a revised economic assessment for St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), warning that the escalating conflict in the Middle East has exacerbated near-term challenges for both economic expansion and price stability, with significant downside risks remaining to the overall outlook.
The updated forecast was delivered Tuesday by Sergei Antoshin, the IMF’s mission chief for SVG, during a joint press briefing with SVG Prime Minister and Finance Minister Godwin Friday in Kingstown. The briefing marked the conclusion of the IMF’s 2026 annual Article IV consultation, a standard mandatory review of member countries’ economic policies and performance.
Per Antoshin’s presentation, SVG’s economic growth cooled to 3.7% in 2025, as the sharp post-pandemic tourism recovery lost momentum. Even so, key sectors including international tourism and large-scale infrastructure construction continued to post solid gains over the year.
Looking ahead, the IMF projects growth will slow further across 2026 and 2027, dragged down by three key headwinds: elevated global oil prices, a weaker overall global economic outlook, and a normalization of construction activity after recent peak investment. Over the medium term, growth is expected to stabilize at around 2.7% annually.
Inflation, which has been kept largely contained in recent years, is set to climb sharply in the near term, driven by commodity price disruptions stemming from the ongoing Middle East war. Antoshin projected headline inflation will reach 2.9% by the end of 2026 before easing back to a stable 2% target in subsequent years.
On the external front, SVG continues to grapple with a wide current account deficit, which expanded to 20% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025. Despite robust growth in tourism revenue, the deficit grew driven by heavy volumes of construction-related imports and increased repatriation of profits by foreign-owned hotel operators, the IMF found. The gap is projected to remain elevated over the medium term without targeted policy adjustments.
Despite these near-term headwinds, Antoshin outlined clear pathways for SVG to boost its long-term potential growth, centered on three core priorities: upgrading the national business climate, closing workforce skill gaps, and accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Of these, the shift to utility-scale solar energy stands out as an immediate high-impact opportunity, Antoshin argued. Replacing the country’s aging diesel-powered electricity generators with solar infrastructure would sharply cut energy costs for both households and businesses, while also strengthening SVG’s resilience to the volatile global oil price swings that are currently driving inflation. He added that the transition would also boost economic competitiveness and create new employment opportunities, particularly for women. To unlock this development, however, Antoshin noted that SVG must first update its outdated national electricity legislation to create clear pathways for private and public solar energy development.
The IMF also welcomed the SVG government’s existing commitments to address widespread skill mismatches across the labor force, particularly among young people, through targeted education and labor market reforms. Proposed changes include expanding vocational training programs, updating national education curricula to align with private sector needs, and delivering industry-specific training for growing sectors like tourism and construction. Antoshin noted that the government has already begun rolling out targeted training programs to match emerging employer demand, and adding expanded affordable childcare support would further boost female labor force participation to support broader growth.
Streamlining the overall business environment to support private sector expansion is another core pillar of long-term growth strategy, the IMF said. Reforms including cutting red tape for business registration and licensing, simplifying the national tax code, and expanding access to digital government services would lower barriers for new firms entering the market and support the expansion of existing businesses. Antoshin also highlighted the government’s ongoing initiatives to support innovation, including the development of new research hubs, as a positive step that will lift long-term national productivity.
Given SVG’s position as a small island developing state highly vulnerable to the growing frequency and intensity of climate-driven natural disasters, Antoshin emphasized that continued investment in disaster preparedness is critical to reducing long-term fiscal risks and protecting vulnerable communities. He praised SVG’s existing three-layered natural disaster insurance framework, noting it aligns fully with prior IMF policy advice. Additional priorities include updating national natural disaster risk assessments, tightening land use planning regulations, and strengthening compliance with updated building codes to make new and existing infrastructure more disaster-resistant.
Speaking ahead of Antoshin at the briefing, Prime Minister Friday confirmed he was aware of the IMF’s findings and reiterated his administration’s commitment to transparent, accountable governance. The New Democratic Party administration has held office for five months as of the briefing, and Friday framed the publication of the IMF’s assessment and the open press conference as part of a broader commitment to engaging the public on critical economic issues.
“We made a commitment to the people of this country that we would govern transparently, approach every challenge with professionalism and seriousness, and take the public into our confidence on every major decision we make,” Friday said. “Today’s discussion is part of that ongoing process of keeping citizens informed on issues that, while sometimes technical, directly impact everyday lives, and require honest, pragmatic action.”
Friday also noted the forecast is being released just weeks ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, coming as neighboring Dominica continues to recover from severe flooding caused by a recent trough system. The extreme weather event, he said, is a stark reminder of the persistent climate risks the entire Caribbean region faces.
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Vincentian Karen Hinds takes the TEDx stage
On March 8, 2026, International Women’s Day, Vincentian-born global leadership strategist Karen Hinds stepped onto the TEDx stage to pose a question that most people shy away from exploring: “Who actually knows the real you?” This deeply personal talk, rooted in decades of lived experience rather than abstract academic lecture, invites audiences to peel back the layers of social roles, professional achievements, and other people’s expectations to confront the parts of themselves they often hide from the world.
Hinds, who advises C-suite executives across the globe, drew her core insight from a turning point in her own life. At one stage, she had ticked every box of external success: she built a respected career, was widely valued by her colleagues and community, and had reached milestones many only aspire to. Yet despite this widespread acclaim, she realized a quiet truth: no one knew the full, unfiltered version of herself. She had spent years curating a public identity as a strong, dependable, high-achieving leader, tucking vulnerable or unpolished parts of who she was out of public view.
The global COVID-19 pandemic brought an unexpected opportunity for reflection when Hinds relocated to a new area, where she had no pre-existing social ties, no established reputation, and no unspoken expectations from the people around her. This blank slate gave her the space to examine a question that most high-performing professionals rarely pause to ask: what parts of myself have I sacrificed to reach success?
Hinds’ core message resonates with audiences across every region and industry. Countless people navigate daily life surrounded by friends, family, and colleagues, yet still carry the quiet uncertainty that no one truly sees the whole them. Crucially, Hinds emphasizes this disconnection is not a personal failure. Instead, it is a direct product of the unspoken rules we are taught about how to achieve success: rules that pressure people to hide vulnerable or non-conforming parts of themselves to fit in and get ahead. “You can be surrounded by people and still be completely unknown. And at some point, that catches up with you,” she told the TEDx audience.
For the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Hinds’ TEDx appearance is more than a compelling talk – it is a source of national pride. Though Hinds built her global consulting practice based in the United States, she has never cut ties with her home country. Early in her career, she contributed commentary and features to The Searchlight newspaper, and later founded the Karen Hinds Phenomenal Woman’s Conference, a recurring gathering that creates a safe, supportive space for women in the region to connect, reflect on their journeys, and grow personally and professionally.
Today, Hinds is a published author of five books, with a sixth forthcoming work titled *The 5 Commitments to Leading Without Losing You™* scheduled for release later this year. She is also the founder of The RENEW Experience™, a specialized leadership and wellness platform built exclusively for women. Her global work centers on helping leaders navigate high-stakes work environments, improve leadership behavior, and sustain peak performance under intense pressure – all while staying true to their core identity.
Far from a discussion of career accolades or hierarchical power, Hinds’ 2026 TEDx talk centers on a universal, deeply human theme: it takes real courage to let others know the full you, and retaining that authenticity is non-negotiable for long-term fulfillment. This core message runs through every pillar of her work, from one-on-one executive coaching to global women’s initiatives, as she helps people around the world succeed without losing themselves along the way.
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Sandals Foundation takes students on mindfulness nature trail for Earth Day
To mark Earth Day 2026, the Sandals Foundation has brought environmental education and mental wellness together through a groundbreaking region-wide initiative, bringing more than 300 schoolchildren out of traditional classrooms and into the natural landscapes of the Caribbean. Among the young participants were Grade 4 students from Buccament Government School in Dubois, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who explored the Prospect Brighton Mangrove Conservation Park as part of the program.
The immersive outdoor experience was designed to connect children directly to their local island ecosystems through a mix of guided activities: intentional breathing exercises, leisurely nature walks, sensory observation exercises, and group discussions focused on environmental stewardship. Unlike traditional in-class environmental lessons, the program centers on the dual goal of highlighting nature’s proven power to heal physical and mental stress, while empowering young people to take tangible, daily action to protect shared natural resources.
Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, explained the unique philosophy behind the cross-regional initiative. “By combining mindfulness with environmental education, we wanted to encourage students to slow down, be present, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of nature which is around them,” Clarke said. “We also wanted to share with students that sense of responsibility and power they each have to protect their community’s natural resources and the services those resources support.”
Beyond youth-focused outdoor activities, the Sandals Foundation extended Earth Day engagement to resort guests and team members, hosting a suite of complementary conservation-focused events. At Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, guests and the property’s professional dive team joined forces for an underwater cleanup, removing harmful debris including discarded plastic and old tires from the ocean floor. Guests also enjoyed a specially curated sustainable fashion show featuring garments entirely crafted from upcycled recyclable materials, alongside a nature-inspired food and beverage display, all designed to embed environmental awareness into leisure experiences.
Aviar Charles, Public Relations Manager who led the local volunteer team, emphasized the deep interconnectedness between ecosystem health and human thriving across the Caribbean’s island communities. “The beauty of our islands and life as we know it are wrapped in the health of our environment,” Charles noted. “Days like Earth Day give us a moment to pause and reflect on the undeniable relationship we have as humans [to] its wellbeing. The Sandals Foundation is committed to protecting the resources that make our island unique and are always on the lookout for ways we can get our guests and students engaged.”
Students across nine participating island nations – Antigua, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Curacao, and Jamaica – took part in site-specific activities at local protected spaces, ranging from national parks and mangrove forests to resort conservation gardens. The initiative also intentionally created space for young participants to step away from digital devices, decompress from daily academic and personal pressures, and build a personal connection to the natural world.
This Earth Day program is just one component of the Sandals Foundation’s long-standing, broad-reaching conservation work across the Caribbean. To date, the organization has engaged more than 177,500 people in formal environmental education programming, planted over 28,000 native trees, outplanted more than 38,000 corals to support declining reef ecosystems, invested in monitoring programs that have supported the safe hatching of more than 221,000 sea turtles, and provided critical support to 23 marine and terrestrial protected areas across the region.
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Trump breidt sancties tegen Cubaanse regering uit in nieuwe drukcampagne
In a significant escalation of Washington’s campaign against Havana, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday dramatically expanding existing sanctions targeting the Cuban government and its international allies, the White House confirmed to news agency Reuters. The move comes hot on the heels of Trump’s removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, marking a sharp acceleration of pressure on left-aligned governments across the Latin American region.
The newly expanded sanctions regime targets individuals, entities, and associates linked to Cuban security services, those involved in alleged corruption or severe human rights violations, as well as sitting Cuban government officials and their supporters. While the full list of sanctioned actors has not yet been released, the executive order explicitly states that any foreign individual operating in key sectors of Cuba’s economy — including energy, defense, mining, financial services and security — can now be placed under sanctions.
Notably, the new framework also allows for secondary sanctions to be imposed on third-party companies and individuals that facilitate transactions with sanctioned Cuban entities. Jeremy Page, a former sanctions researcher at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, described the provision as the harshest measure targeting non-U.S. businesses since the decades-long U.S. trade embargo on Cuba was first imposed. “Oil and gas firms, mining companies and global banks that previously managed to separate their Cuban operations from their U.S. activities now face major vulnerability to American enforcement,” Page explained.
Cuba has issued a fierce condemnation of the new measures. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, who recently met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, denounced the sanctions as illegal unilateral coercive measures that violate the United Nations Charter. Rodríguez stressed the measures amount to collective punishment targeting the entire Cuban people, emphasized that Washington has no legal authority to impose such restrictions on the island nation, and made clear that Cuba would not be intimidated into abandoning its sovereign policies.
The expanded sanctions fit into a broader, increasingly aggressive U.S. campaign against Cuba, which Trump has repeatedly claimed is on the brink of collapse. The move also aligns with recent shifts in U.S. engagement across the region: just days before the order was signed, the first commercial flight from Miami to Venezuela in seven years was completed, a visible signal of growing American intervention in Latin American and Caribbean affairs.
During Trump’s term, U.S. forces have also carried out military operations targeting suspected drug trafficking originating from Venezuela, leading to the detention of Maduro. At the time, Trump openly warned that “Cuba is next,” accusing Havana of maintaining close ties to Iran and militant groups including Hezbollah. A senior U.S. official further framed the Trump administration’s position, arguing that Cuba provides “an accessible hub for hostile foreign intelligence, military and terrorist activities less than 100 miles from the U.S. coast.”
Washington has long maintained three core demands of Havana: opening Cuba’s state-led economy to foreign and private investment, providing compensation for properties seized by Fidel Castro’s revolutionary government, and holding what the U.S. describes as free and fair elections. Cuba has consistently rejected external interference, reiterating that its socialist political and economic system is non-negotiable for the Cuban people.
Friday’s executive order builds on a series of escalating U.S. measures against Cuba implemented earlier this year. After Maduro was removed from power, the U.S. halted Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba, one of the island’s primary energy sources. Trump subsequently threatened steep tariffs on any country that continued shipping oil to Cuba, prompting major suppliers including Mexico to suspend their oil deliveries to Havana. Those earlier restrictions have already triggered severe fuel shortages across the island, leading to nationwide power outages and the cancellation of most international commercial flights.
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PM Browne sworn into office for 4th consecutive term
In a historic milestone for Antigua and Barbuda’s political landscape, Prime Minister Gaston Browne was officially sworn in for an unprecedented fourth consecutive term as head of government on Friday, mere hours after his ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) secured a landslide win in the snap May 30 general election.
Browne and Attorney General Steadroy “Cuttie” Benjamin took their oaths of office before Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, alongside all other newly elected ABLP candidates. The election, called by Browne nearly two years ahead of the constitutionally mandated deadline, delivered a lopsided result that underscored the ABLP’s overwhelming popular support. Official figures released by the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) show the ruling party claimed 15 of the 17 available parliamentary seats. The remaining two seats were split between the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) and the Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM), with just over 62.5 percent of registered voters turning out to cast their ballots.
Addressing attendees shortly after his inauguration, Browne framed the outcome as a clear, resounding mandate from the electorate. “That was a resounding victory. People spoke, and they spoke with clarity. They spoke resoundingly, and we’re very happy with the mandate that was given to us,” Browne said, noting that the strong victory comes with amplified responsibility he and his party are fully prepared to uphold.
The Prime Minister described his fourth consecutive term as a humbling honor that has only deepened his commitment to advancing the interests of Antigua and Barbuda’s people. He pledged accelerated national development across key sectors, promising to speed up ongoing infrastructure projects targeting two longstanding public concerns: road access and water access. “We’ll make sure that we continue to deliver for the people of Antigua and Barbuda. In fact, in terms of my own commitment, the fact that I was given a fourth term as prime minister, that in itself is a humbling experience, and that has served now to even strengthen my commitment to fight even harder for the people of Antigua and Barbuda and to deliver more for them,” Browne said. “So the people of Antigua and Barbuda will be seeing accelerated growth and development, accelerated infrastructural development, so the roadworks, the waterworks that we have started will be accelerated until we substantially resolve the water and road problems.”
He thanked voters for their patience during ongoing project implementation, noting that the election result confirmed residents trust the ABLP to solve critical national issues and recognize his personal dedication to driving sustained development that lifts living standards for all.
Looking ahead to cabinet formation, Browne announced that the full ministerial team will be named on Tuesday, with most senior roles retained by incumbent officials to ensure policy continuity amid major ongoing projects. “There will be familiar faces because a number of them are handling significant projects, and we want to ensure there’s continuity,” he explained. Highlighting key appointments, he confirmed that Daryll S. Matthew will remain in the education portfolio to continue ongoing sector expansion, while Chet Green will retain his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Browne noted that replacing Green ahead of the upcoming November Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference, which requires extensive advance planning, would be unwise. He also confirmed that his wife, Maria Browne, will continue to serve as Minister of Public Works, crediting her with proven ability to manage multiple cross-constituency projects effectively.
Newly elected ABLP representatives will first serve as junior ministers for a training period, Browne confirmed, a structure designed to avoid an overly large, bloated government while preparing emerging leaders for future senior roles. “Again, we don’t want to have a bloated government by having all senior ministers. We will have some junior ministers, again, as a form of training and development so that they, too, can blossom into senior ministers eventually and to better serve the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” he said.
Prior to the inauguration, Browne — who has already received congratulatory messages from regional leaders across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and other international partners — thanked God for the victory and expressed gratitude to voters for their overwhelming support. “To God be the glory. Great things he has done,” he said. “You have spoken with clarity, you have spoken resoundingly, and you would have certainly spoken with truth, and in essence would have put to shame all of the lies that have been peddled, all of the disinformation, all of the misinformation, all of the vitriolic rhetoric.”
The Prime Minister used his inaugural address to call for a new era of more civil, responsible politics across Antigua and Barbuda, warning that toxic misinformation erodes social fabric and damages the country’s international reputation. As a small island nation in an interconnected global world, falsehoods spread locally travel far beyond the country’s borders, shaping unfair negative perceptions among international observers who lack on-the-ground context, he explained. “I’m hoping that with such a resounding victory that there will be a new dispensation going forward. I’m hoping that our politics will become more civil. I’m hoping that politicians on both sides of the aisle will stand on the truth, because at the end of the day, the misinformation, disinformation, the falsities, they are literally eroding the fabric of our society, and they are destroying our country,” Browne said. “So, I’m hoping going forward that we will see greater loyalty to our state and its people, and that politicians should understand that misinformation, disinformation, and falsities, they only thrive for a short period of time. Ultimately, the truth will prevail.”
Browne argued that his opposition’s poor electoral performance stemmed directly from its embrace of harmful, misleading campaigning during the electoral cycle. He called on the UPP to learn from the defeat and pursue internal reform, noting that a strong, accountable opposition is healthy for Antigua and Barbuda’s democracy. “I would say that, having served in opposition, that I practise responsible politics, and I believe as a consequence that my own credibility within the domestic society would have grown. And I think that UPP should take note and to use this opportunity to reform, because at the end of the day, we want to have a strong opposition. We do not necessarily want to have a weak opposition. We want individuals who have the competence to continue to hold us accountable,” he said.
Repeating that his fourth consecutive term is a humbling honor, Browne reaffirmed his commitment to centering public welfare in all governance, stating that the landslide mandate presents a critical opportunity to unify the nation and advance inclusive development. “It’s about your empowerment, and I give you a commitment that I will work harder, that I will do all in my power to continue to work unrelentingly to advance the living standards of the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” he said. “the results provide a great opportunity for us to unite our nation, and to work towards improving all aspects of our development going into the future.”
Browne closed by taking personal responsibility for ensuring all cabinet members honor the public trust, warning that betrayal of that trust will not be tolerated. He reminded incoming ministers that their roles exist exclusively to serve all Antigua and Barbuda residents, require responsible stewardship of public funds, and demand zero discrimination, division, or corruption. “I can assure you that if it is betrayed, certainly will not be tolerated… it is important for those who will be appointed within the cabinet to understand that they will be appointed exclusively to serve the people of Antigua and Barbuda. Not to discriminate against anyone, not to undermine anyone, not to divide a country, not to steal public resources, but to be good stewards of public resources and to make sure that every cent of public resources is utilised for the development of the people of Antigua and Barbuda.”
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Nieuwe vliegverbinding tussen Guyana en Suriname van start
Starting May 1, cross-border travelers and business operators between Suriname and Guyana have gained a new efficient travel option, following the launch of a direct scheduled charter air connection between the two capital cities Paramaribo and Georgetown by regional aviation service provider MidasSur Aviation Charter Service.
Operating in partnership with Georgetown-based Jags Aviation, the new service runs three round-trip charter flights per week, scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Per the route layout, outbound flights depart from Guyana’s Eugene F. Correia International Airport (OGL) and arrive directly at Eduard Alexander Gummels Airport (EAX), conveniently located closer to central Paramaribo than the country’s larger international airport.
Project organizers note that the direct connection fills a gap in fast regional travel, especially for business owners and leisure travelers who want quick access to downtown Paramaribo. By cutting out layovers and eliminating the longer overland trip from larger, more distant international airports, the new route substantially reduces total travel time for passengers. Early departure times are also tailored to align with the growing demand for seamless, practical travel between the neighboring South American nations.
Headquartered on Cadmiumstraat in Paramaribo, MidasSur maintains two sales outlets: one on Goudenregenstraat in Zorg en Hoop, Suriname, and a second branch on Jackson Street in Guyana. Jags Aviation, MidasSur’s cooperation partner, is a subsidiary of the BK Group of Companies, led by Executive Chairman Officer Brian Tiwarie, with its base of operations in Georgetown.
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Adhin: Ik heb geen afspraak met DIN over organisatie bijeenkomst
A major dispute has broken out over conflicting event announcements tied to Suriname’s National Assembly Speaker Ashwin Adhin’s private trip to the Netherlands, leaving attendees and stakeholders in confusion ahead of two competing gatherings scheduled for Sunday, May 3. Both the Diaspora Institute Netherlands (DIN) and the Surinamese Embassy in The Hague have advertised separate networking events headlined by Adhin, but the speaker himself has explicitly disavowed any connection to the DIN-organized meeting, confirming only the embassy-backed event has his official approval.
DIN leadership has claimed strong public interest in their May 3 event, with DIN chair John Brewster reporting that more than 100 paid participants have already registered for the gathering. According to Brewster, the venue secured for the DIN event is already struggling to accommodate the unexpectedly high number of attendees. The organization frames the gathering as a targeted networking opportunity for diaspora community members, including Surinamese entrepreneurs, investors, elite professional football players, and other industry professionals. The event is billed as focused on advancing cross-community collaboration, unlocking new economic opportunities for Suriname, and coordinating collective action to support the South American nation.
However, when contacted by Suriname-based outlet Starnieuws, Adhin pushed back sharply against DIN’s claims, accusing the organization of creating unnecessary confusion by moving forward with the event without any prior coordination or official approval from him or his team. Adhin confirmed that only one networking event has his explicit consent: the gathering scheduled for Sunday in Amsterdam, organized in coordination with Surinamese Ambassador Panka. “I have no agreement whatsoever with DIN to host an event. My team knows nothing about this gathering. No permission was granted to Mr. Brewster to organize an event using my name,” Adhin emphasized in his statement.
Ambassador Panka subsequently backed Adhin’s account, confirming that the speaker had informed his office that no formal arrangements had been made with DIN. “We are proceeding with our planned event as normal,” Panka noted in a brief response to inquiries.
Despite the denial from Adhin and the embassy, Brewster has stood by DIN’s version of events, claiming the organization agreed to organize the gathering at the request of one of Adhin’s own advisors. To date, however, DIN has not publicly identified the unnamed advisor, leaving the claim unconfirmed. Adhin has held firm to his position, stating he had no prior knowledge of the DIN event, did not initiate any such gathering, and will not be in attendance at the DIN-organized meeting.
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Staatsoliebond waarschuwt voor druk op arbeiderspositie; roept op tot waakzaamheid
On the observance of International Labour Day, the Staatsolie Werknemers Organisatie Suriname (SWOS), the trade union representing workers at Suriname’s state oil company, has issued a stark warning over mounting pressures facing the country’s working population. In a statement released on May 1, SWOS president Roy Caupain outlined the multiple cascading challenges currently confronting Suriname’s labor force: soaring consumer prices, eroding purchasing power, and deepening economic uncertainty, all while critical national infrastructure and strategic assets face increasing strain. For the union, May 1 is far more than a public holiday—it serves as an annual moment of reflection, collective awareness, and renewed commitment to advocating for worker rights, rather than merely a ceremonial occasion. Caupain emphasized that global geopolitical friction, most notably ongoing armed conflicts in the Middle East, has sent ripple effects through the global economy that are being felt directly in Suriname, adding further financial strain to working-class households across the country. The union stressed that the current economic crisis gripping the nation was not created by workers, and it is fundamentally unfair that ordinary laborers should once again be forced to bear the brunt of austerity measures and economic adjustment. SWOS also warned that continued economic deterioration risks opening the door to rising corruption, growing criminal activity, and widespread loss of livelihood security for millions of working Surinamese. Beyond global economic headwinds, the organization raised sharp concerns about internal developments eroding worker representation within Suriname. According to SWOS, the institutional role of trade unions in national decision-making is being systematically weakened, with elected worker representatives increasingly excluded from key governmental advisory councils and policy-making commissions. This exclusion, the union argues, has created a critical gap: decision-makers lose on-the-ground insights into workplace conditions, public support for policies erodes, and essential oversight of state activities is diminished. SWOS also highlighted two additional unaddressed policy challenges that threaten long-term national and worker interests: the uncontrolled influx of foreign labor into the country, and the absence of a clear, cohesive national strategy to manage future revenue streams from key strategic sectors, including oil and gas development and carbon credit sales. Without robust, forward-thinking planning and regulatory frameworks in place, the union warns, the country’s vast natural resource wealth could fail to benefit the broader Surinamese population, slipping away to outside interests rather than driving inclusive growth. Closing its statement, the trade union called on all Surinamese workers to remain organized, maintain collective unity, and stand together to fight for economic and social justice. “We are the driving force of this country. For today, for tomorrow, for 2028 and beyond,” the union said.
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FITUG pledges loyalty to Irfaan Ali
On May 1, 2026 — International Labour Day — Guyana’s long-running, politically charged split in the national labour movement moved into the open once again, as the country’s two largest trade union federations publicly declared opposing allegiances less than a full election cycle away from a general vote.
The Federation of Independent Trades Unions of Guyana (FITUG), which organizes the largest bloc of unionized workers in the country, used its Labour Day gathering hosted on the lawns of State House to reaffirm its unwavering support for incumbent President Irfaan Ali and the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
Addressing attendees at the event, FITUG President Carville Duncan lauded Ali for his consistent pro-labor agenda and open working relationship with the country’s independent trade unions. Duncan emphasized that the collective size of the organized labour movement in Guyana exceeds the membership base of any single political party in the nation’s history, framing FITUG’s endorsement as a critical marker of political credibility.
“If we, like the doctor, say you dead; you dead and once we say you good, you good,” Duncan told the crowd, stressing the federation’s outsize influence on national electoral outcomes. He went on to note that Ali has worked directly with FITUG to help rank-and-file union members transition from traditional labor roles to small business entrepreneurship, a policy priority Duncan praised as forward-thinking. “Comrade Ali you’ve done well, Sir, and may you live longer to do better than you’re doing now because you have the workers who are with you,” Duncan said, adding that the federation would back Ali for another term should he choose to run for re-election.
FITUG’s member unions include several historically pro-PPP organizations: the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees, the Guyana Labour Union, and the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union.
In his remarks to the gathering, President Ali did not directly address the ongoing divisions within Guyana’s labour movement, instead focusing his speech on calls for broad national unity, echoing the pre-1955 cohesion that once defined the PPP before the party’s historic internal split. He urged attendees to reject divisive political tactics, including petty infighting on social media, and focus on the country’s ambitious long-term development.
“This not the moment where we play divisive games. This is not the moment when we run around to find spectacles of humour. This is not the moment when we are childish on social media and social media posts,” Ali said. “This is the moment when we embrace a much larger picture. This is a moment where we confront a future that is grand.” The President added that the PPP remains open to engagement with all Guyanese, and that the government is expanding individual empowerment through expanding home ownership, inclusive social programs, and broadened economic opportunity for all segments of society.
While FITUG has a well-documented history of open support for the PPP, the country’s other major union federation, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), used its own separate Labour Day rally to call openly for the removal of the PPP from national office. GTUC President Norris Witter and Jinnah Rahman, an associate of the opposition-aligned We Invest in Nationhood movement, explicitly urged voters and union members to oust the incumbent government.
Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, who also leads We Invest in Nationhood, and the parliamentary leader of the A Partnership for National Unity coalition, joined the GTUC event to urge the federation’s member unions to build organizational strength to oust the PPP-Civic coalition from power. Major GTUC affiliates include the Guyana Public Service Union, Guyana Teachers Union, Guyana Workers Union, the Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers, and a competing branch of the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union.