Carib Scope

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  • Soedamah wil Nationale Diasporaraad en bredere rol voor PSA-regeling

    Soedamah wil Nationale Diasporaraad en bredere rol voor PSA-regeling

    On Thursday, during the 10th annual Mr. Jagernath Lachmon Lecture held in Amsterdam, Lachman Soedamah, chair of the Dutch chapter of the Surinamese VHP party, presented a comprehensive long-term strategy called Diaspora Vision 2050, calling on Suriname to build a permanent, institutionalized framework for collaboration with its global diaspora community.

    Soedamah argues that Suriname’s current approach to engaging with Surinamers living abroad relies too heavily on informal personal connections, one-off projects, and shifting short-term political priorities, rather than a sustainable structure that can deliver consistent benefits for national development. Under his vision, the diaspora should be far more than just a source of remittances or occasional emergency aid. Surinamers across the globe hold specialized knowledge, decades of professional experience, expansive international networks, and untapped investment capital that can be mobilized to drive long-term growth in Suriname, he says, framing this potential as the foundation for a “global Surinamese nation” that extends beyond the country’s borders.

    At the core of Soedamah’s proposal is the establishment of a National Diaspora Council. This body would not replace the existing Surinamese government or National Assembly, but would instead serve three core functions: advising policymakers on diaspora-related issues, collecting input and feedback from Surinamers living abroad, and connecting individuals and organizations to facilitate collaborative projects. Beyond the central council, Soedamah also proposes launching dedicated diaspora institutions in Suriname and in countries that host large Surinamese communities, such as the Netherlands. These institutions would act as permanent, reliable touchpoints for diaspora members who want to contribute their skills to Suriname’s development, filling a critical gap that currently leaves many willing contributors without a clear path to action.

    To illustrate this gap, Soedamah points to a range of common examples: a Surinamese physician based in the Netherlands who wants to mentor early-career doctors in Paramaribo, an engineer with specialized expertise in water management eager to share knowledge, an entrepreneur with established access to global international markets looking to support local Surinamese businesses, an educator able to deliver digital learning opportunities, and a legal professional with experience in institutional strengthening who wants to pass on that knowledge. In each case, Soedamah notes, the willingness to contribute already exists, but there is no trusted, consistent structure to connect these initiatives to communities and institutions in Suriname. A formal legal framework for diaspora engagement would also ensure that policy does not shift dramatically with every change of government or depend on personal connections between individual officials and diaspora members.

    Soedamah also calls for a major expansion of the existing Persons of Surinamese Origin (PSA) scheme. Currently, the program primarily facilitates entry and residency for people with Surinamese ancestry traveling to or relocating in Suriname. Under his proposal, it would be transformed into a broad gateway for engagement, opening up access to knowledge exchange programs, internship placements, entrepreneurship support, cultural exchanges, and youth participation. Of particular focus in this expansion is outreach to second-, third-, and fourth-generation Surinamers born and raised outside the country, who often have weaker inherent ties to Suriname than first-generation emigrants. Soedamah emphasizes that these younger generations should be given structured opportunities to experience Suriname firsthand, pursue study, complete internships, launch businesses, and join collaborative projects in the country to nurture that connection.

    The VHP Netherlands chair also does not shy away from two long-debated, sensitive topics: dual citizenship and formal political representation for the diaspora. While he does not present a fully developed, final model for either issue in his lecture, Soedamah argues that Suriname can no longer avoid open discussion of these topics, and that they should be debated carefully and deliberately without rushing to a hasty conclusion.

    Throughout the plan, Soedamah stresses that long-term development of Suriname must ultimately be led and owned by stakeholders within the country itself. Structured diaspora engagement does not mean that Surinamers living abroad should take control of the development process, he clarifies. Instead, he frames the diaspora as an equal knowledge and development partner that can contribute to stronger public institutions, improved education, expanded entrepreneurship, and more robust inclusive economic growth. Summing up his vision, Soedamah says, “The Surinamese nation is larger than its territory.”

  • Multi-agency team begin explosives disposal exercise and training in Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Multi-agency team begin explosives disposal exercise and training in Saint Kitts and Nevis

    BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts – In a proactive move to safeguard public safety and strengthen national security frameworks, multiple law enforcement and security agencies in Saint Kitts and Nevis have launched a three-day specialized explosives disposal and training exercise, kicking off on September 23, 2026 at the Bakers Point Shooting Range.

    The operation brings together personnel from across the federation’s key security bodies: the Infantry and Coast Guard divisions of the St. Kitts Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF), the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, and the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services. Organizers have cordoned off a dedicated exclusion zone around the training site for the duration of the exercise, running through September 25, and have issued a public warning urging unauthorized persons to avoid the area to prevent accidental harm. During the exercise, participating teams will carry out the controlled, safe detonation of expired munitions and obsolete ordnance that has been identified as a public safety risk.

    The initiative is backed by two key international and regional partners: the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a global organization specializing in explosive ordnance management, and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS). Full funding for the project is provided by the United States Department of State.

    Addressing the opening ceremony of the training on September 23, Attorney General Garth Wilkin, who serves as the federation’s Acting Minister of National Security, emphasized the critical importance of the operation for long-term public protection. Wilkin stressed that ammunition has a limited shelf life, and as a responsible governing body, the administration is obligated to take every necessary step to protect civilian life and public and private property across the islands.

    “Every round of ammunition that sits in a store beyond its useful life is a liability,” Wilkin told attendees. “It is a liability to the soldiers who must guard it, to the communities that live near it, and, if it ever leaves that store by the wrong door, to every citizen and resident of the Federation. Today, we begin to remove that liability.”

    The entire safe disposal operation is structured under a formal Framework Agreement for Weapons and Munitions Management, signed just one day before the exercise launched on September 22 between SKNDF and MAG Caribbean. All activities are being carried out in full compliance with the domestic laws of Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as aligned with globally recognized standards including the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines, International Mine Action Standards, and the Modular Small Arms Control Implementation Compendium.

    The full project will roll out in three distinct phases through to December 2026 for this initial phase of work. The first phase, which the ongoing training exercise forms a core part of, focuses on the destruction of the federation’s stockpiles of outdated, unsafe ammunition. The second phase will shift to targeted skills development, with MAG specialists providing hands-on training and mentorship to local personnel at Camp Springfield. The final phase will see the delivery of specialized equipment and materials required to conduct safe, independent munitions and ordnance disposal operations domestically going forward.

    Crucially, the project is designed to build long-term local capacity rather than relying on external support to address ongoing security risks. “This is not an exercise in having others do our work for us,” Wilkin explained. “The purpose is to build our own national capabilities so that men and women of the defence force, and in time the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, are equipped to manage weapons and ammunition safely and accountably for the long term.”

    Wilkin added that the framework agreement has been intentionally structured as a flexible platform to accommodate future needs. “It allows us to agree further statements of work as needs arise. And the next priority for this government is to bring our armoury and ammunition storage arrangements fully in line with international standards.”

    Officials also publicly extended gratitude to CARICOM IMPACS for its sustained leadership in advancing coordinated regional security initiatives across the Caribbean, as well as to the U.S. State Department for its financial support that made the project possible.

  • Saint Kitts and Nevis calls for stronger global partnerships to build SIDS resilience

    Saint Kitts and Nevis calls for stronger global partnerships to build SIDS resilience

    On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24, 2026, a high-level working lunch for members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) brought together key global stakeholders to address the cascading threats facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Co-hosted by German Foreign Minister Dr. Johann Wadephul and Palauan Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, the gathering became a platform for SIDS leaders to amplify their urgent call for systemic international support.

    Speaking on behalf of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Acting Prime Minister Dr. Geoffrey Hanley delivered a stark wake-up call to the global community: the overlapping vulnerabilities SIDS face can no longer be treated as isolated, regional challenges. He emphasized that for small island nations like Saint Kitts and Nevis, climate change, energy insecurity, and economic fragility are not separate issues — they are deeply interconnected threats that undermine every pillar of national stability.

    “For us, resilience is therefore not simply an environmental objective. It is an economic and national security imperative,” Hanley told attendees.

    Discussions at the working lunch centered on three core priorities: evolving international climate policy, collective resilience building, regional security cooperation, and growing energy vulnerabilities amplified by geopolitical tensions disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. Hanley highlighted how even minor disruptions to global energy markets and international supply chains trigger immediate, disproportionate harm to small island economies, pushing up the cost of fuel, transportation, and imported food overnight, eroding limited fiscal buffers and deepening existing inequalities.

    To counter these risks, Hanley outlined a clear path forward: the international community must expand SIDS’ access to low-cost climate finance, accelerate the transfer of renewable energy technology, and invest in climate-resilient infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather events and market shocks. Only through these targeted actions can SIDS shift from a perpetual state of crisis response to long-term, sustainable development.

    “Our objective should be clear: to move from vulnerability to resilience through stronger partnerships, greater access to finance and technology, diversified energy systems, and a stronger collective voice for SIDS,” Hanley said.

    He closed by reaffirming Saint Kitts and Nevis’ unwavering commitment to collaborating with Caribbean neighbors, fellow SIDS across the globe, and the broader international community to advance practical, actionable solutions that strengthen the resilience and advance the sustainable development of all small island states. This call comes as SIDS face intensifying climate impacts, from rising sea levels that threaten territorial integrity to more frequent extreme weather events that destroy critical infrastructure, alongside growing global economic and geopolitical volatility that disproportionately impacts low-lying, trade-dependent small economies.

  • MV Barima salvaging bids still being evaluated – Ali

    MV Barima salvaging bids still being evaluated – Ali

    As Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali participates in the 81st United Nations General Assembly debate in New York, he addressed a key unresolved national crisis during a town hall meeting with US-based Guyanese communities in Queens late Thursday night. More than two months after the devastating MV Barima ferry sinking off Guyana’s Essequibo Coast claimed an estimated 100 lives, the president has pushed back against growing opposition criticism of the government’s slow handling of recovery efforts, confirming that bidding for the vessel’s salvage operation is currently under technical review.

    The tragedy, which unfolded on July 18, saw 179 passengers and crew members aboard the capsized ferry. Official records show 77 people were rescued alive from the Atlantic, while 72 remain unaccounted for, bringing the confirmed and presumed death toll to over 100. In the weeks following the disaster, the Guyanese government launched a public procurement process to select a qualified salvager, with a deadline for Expressions of Interest closing on August 14. Ultimately, nine firms submitted initial EOIs, and three bidders — Industrial Fabrications Inc. (InFab), BK International Inc, and Netherlands-headquartered KMS B.V — advanced to the formal bidding stage.

    Last Saturday, opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul launched a scathing attack on the administration’s timeline. Thirty-seven days after the EOI window closed, Mahipaul said the government had failed to publicly name a contracted salvager or announce a clear mobilization date for the operation. He described the delay as inconsiderate, unacceptable, and argued that the current glacial pace of handling the tragedy amounts to inhumane treatment of the victims’ families. “The government cannot reduce the MV Barima tragedy to another file sitting on a desk somewhere in a Ministry. People died. The Government has a responsibility to demonstrate urgency in getting that vessel recovered,” Mahipaul stated.

    Speaking directly to these accusations at the Queens town hall, President Ali rejected repeated claims that his government was deliberately dragging its feet to avoid a full investigation into the sinking. “We are not hiding from salvaging. There is a process, and that process is ongoing. We are not hiding from investigation,” he told attendees. The president added that the decision to run a full public tendering process was intentional, designed to avoid any allegations that he would select a firm with perceived ties to his personal associates.

    Public records from Guyana’s National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTAB) outline the details of the three competing bids. BK International has submitted the lowest offer at US$1,034,000, while InFab has proposed to carry out the salvage for US$1,895,000. KMS B.V, the highest bidder, has quoted a price of US$2,035,100 to recover the vessel, which rests roughly 10 miles off Devonshire Castle village on the Essequibo Coast. KMS B.V. has prior experience in large-scale marine recovery in Guyana, through its parent company Koole Contractors, which was hired five years ago for a GYD$787.6 million project to clear sunken vessels from the Demerara River and sections of Guyana’s coast to improve marine safety. Local firm InFab, meanwhile, has a history of emergency infrastructure work, including extensive emergency repairs to the now-decommissioned floating Demerara Harbour Bridge.

    A core requirement of the salvage operation outlined in the EOI terms is that the selected contractor must preserve all forensic evidence from the wreck, to support the upcoming official Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the causes of the disaster. As of late September, the CoI has not yet begun public hearings. Separately, three individuals facing criminal charges connected to the sinking — the ferry’s captain, first mate, and the Transport and Harbours Department’s goods superintendent — are currently seeking to have their murder charges thrown out. Their legal teams argue that authorities abused legal process by bringing criminal charges before completing a mandatory marine accident investigation under the Guyana Shipping Act.

  • Is John Briceno’s PUP Drifting Away from George Price’s Vision?

    Is John Briceno’s PUP Drifting Away from George Price’s Vision?

    Seventy years after its founding, Belize’s iconic People’s United Party (PUP) finds itself mired in growing internal and public debate over whether it has strayed from the core social justice vision etched into its foundation by party patriarch George Price. For Price, the PUP was never merely a political organization — it was a movement built to champion poor, marginalized, and working-class Belizeans, prioritizing people over profit and extending opportunity to every corner of the nation, not just wealthy elites and well-connected insiders.

    Hector Silva, a historian and early PUP organizer who stood beside Price as the movement took shape, is among the most vocal critics arguing that today’s party has abandoned that foundational mission. In an interview with News Five, Silva aligned with recent public comments from Cabinet Minister Julius Espat, who openly acknowledged that social justice is lacking in the current PUP’s governance. Silva says that across Belize, widespread public discontent over systemic inequity is impossible to ignore. “We are seeing it at the moment that some people are becoming very prosperous yet some people are becoming very poor,” Silva explained. “It is not that we want to take away from the rich, but we want to give more to the poor — that is the social justice promise this party was built on.”

    Price’s original framing of social justice was rooted in his Catholic faith, which guided his belief that the role of government is to lift up vulnerable communities, expand working-class opportunity, and ensure all development projects deliver broad public benefit rather than just private gain. Today, as ordinary Belizean families grapple with soaring cost of living, barriers to land ownership, and controversial, top-down development decisions, that framing has become a benchmark critics use to measure the current government’s performance.

    The debate over the PUP’s identity has spilled into open conflict within the party’s own ranks, exposing deep rifts between top officials. Prime Minister John Briceno, who leads the current administration, has forcefully pushed back on claims of abandonment, insisting that the PUP remains inherently tied to its founding values. “We are for social justice. The PUP is based on social justice and the time we move from that; we cannot be the PUP,” Briceno said.

    But even high-ranking members of Briceno’s own Cabinet acknowledge the party has lost its way. Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde has openly called for a course correction, acknowledging that the current party does not match its original identity. “All is not well,” Hyde stated. “All cannot be well if we are experiencing the kinda crisis that we’re experiencing with the cost of living… We have to just be real. We have to get back to what we were before. We have to get back on track.”

    The tension boiled over recently after Espat noted that only he and Hyde remained fully committed to Price’s original vision, a comment that drew a public rebuke from the prime minister. Briceno pushed back on the claim that only a small faction of the Cabinet prioritizes social justice, pointing to other ministers’ policy actions — including a move by Minister Chebat to remove the goods and services tax on electricity to ease household cost burdens — as proof of the entire Cabinet’s commitment.

    Still, the public disagreement has laid bare a broader fundamental divide within the party: whether Price’s social justice vision needs to be preserved as a non-negotiable core, or adapted to fit the shifting pressures of modern Belize. Cabinet Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh notes that the real divide is not over whether to support social justice as a goal, but over how to achieve it in a changing global and national landscape. “It is important to ask the question not whether or not someone say they support social justice, but really how that social justice is to be achieved,” Zabaneh explained.

    For critics like Silva, the proof of the PUP’s commitment will never be found in political rhetoric — it will be seen in the daily lives of ordinary Belizeans. He recalled a striking final remark Price shared with him years ago, in which the founding leader called for a “second revolution” to cement justice and shared prosperity for all Belizeans. Ultimately, it will be the Belizean public that delivers the final verdict: asking one simple question that cuts through all internal party debate, who does this government actually serve?

  • We Are Mayreau reports steady ridge-to-reef progress

    We Are Mayreau reports steady ridge-to-reef progress

    Half a year into a landmark regional ecosystem restoration initiative, We Are Mayreau Inc. (WAM) has delivered tangible progress in building climate resilience across the Southern Grenadines, marking a critical milestone for small island developing states (SIDS) on the frontlines of climate change. The Targeted Ridge-to-Reef Ecosystem-based Adaptation Interventions (TREBAI) project, which connects conservation from mountain ridgelines down to coastal reef systems, has filled pressing gaps left by devastating extreme weather while unlocking unexpected ecological discoveries for the region.

    For low-lying island nations like Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), the urgency of integrated ridge-to-reef conservation cannot be overstated. Pollution and sediment runoff from inland agricultural areas travels to coastal reefs in mere days, leaving interconnected ecosystems extremely vulnerable to cascading damage. When Hurricane Beryl swept through the region in 2024, it destroyed nearly all existing coral nursery infrastructure and local farming operations, wiping out the limited natural and manmade buffers that help communities absorb future climate shocks. Since TREBAI launched in March 2025, WAM has moved quickly to reverse this damage and build more resilient systems for the long term.

    One of the project’s most groundbreaking achievements is the establishment of the first transboundary coral genetic bank nursery in the Windward Islands. WAM’s new Mayreau-based facility currently holds three coral cultivation structures hosting 60 fragments of two critically endangered coral species — Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) — transferred directly from partner sites in St. Lucia. This marks the first assisted gene flow (AGF) effort between Windward Island nations, and WAM, alongside SVG’s Richmond Vale Academy (RVA), is the first regional beneficiary of this shared cross-border genetic banking initiative. The nursery, located within the protected Tobago Cays Marine Park, is inspected and maintained weekly by a growing team of local coral gardeners, which has expanded from 5 to 11 members. For the first time in the project’s history, the team includes a female junior coral gardener, drawn from a pool of 18 applicants across Union Island, Mayreau and surrounding communities.

    On land, the initiative is equally focused on transforming agricultural practices to align with climate resilience. WAM has hired two full-time climate-smart agriculture coordinators to serve Union Island and Mayreau, and 25 local farmers have already enrolled in the organization’s capacity-building program. The project has also begun engaging three local primary schools to deliver an interdisciplinary, regionally tailored climate-smart farming curriculum, introducing sustainable stewardship practices to young community members early. To further expand workforce opportunities, WAM has partnered with SVG’s Ministry of Agriculture to develop formal work attachment programs for participants from the Southern Grenadines, with a core focus on creating stable, long-term livelihoods for local community members involved in both marine and land conservation work. For WAM, securing livelihoods and building community trust are treated as non-negotiable foundations for all successful conservation outcomes.

    In a surprise breakthrough that has drawn widespread regional attention, a reconnaissance dive in August — conducted in partnership with Dive Bequia off the coast of Battowia in the Northern Grenadines — uncovered more than 15 previously unrecorded wild colonies of Staghorn coral, a species long considered functionally extinct in SVG waters. This discovery marks a major win for marine conservation in the region, offering new genetic resources for future restoration efforts.

    Much of WAM’s work over the past six months has centered on expanding Reef Life Inc., a flagship blue social enterprise launched by WAM in 2022 that operates on a core principle: oceans, land, people and policy are interconnected parts of a single circular living system. Through community partnerships, immersive conservation experiences, hands-on restoration work, and public education, Reef Life centers traditional local knowledge while addressing the disproportionate climate injustice that already threatens livelihoods across the Grenadines. As the enterprise rebuilds following Hurricane Beryl, it is working to share its community-centered model and lay the groundwork for long-term sustainable livelihoods for residents of the region’s marine protected areas.

    TREBAI is led by CLEAR Caribbean, a UK-registered organization with regional operations based in St. Lucia, with on-the-ground implementation delivered by RVA and WAM across SVG. The project receives funding from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, with support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through the International Climate Initiative and KfW. CLEAR’s three-year sub-grant to WAM totals up to US$518,700, running through April 2029. WAM has also forged new partnerships with private sector stakeholders and continues to collaborate with multiple government ministries to expand skills training and professional development opportunities for its growing team.

    Six months into implementation, WAM Executive Director Marion Isaacs emphasized that the project’s greatest potential lies in its holistic, community-first approach. “We’re thinking holistically about what our islands and oceans need, and about the unique challenge and opportunity of being a small island state,” Isaacs said. “We embrace this smallness and can already feel massive potential building in what we’ve managed to bring to life so far. We focus on relationship-building, especially as we come from complex histories. For us, relationships are the new infrastructure: they strengthen our work, keep us committed, and hold us accountable in everything we organize, plan, and grow.”

    With a new marine conservationist joining the team as Reef Life’s Project Coordinator in September, WAM announced it expects implementation to accelerate over the coming six months. Upcoming milestones include completing open-water diving certification for all coral gardeners, expanding coral outplanting operations, finishing onboarding for all participating farmers, and launching the first round of community engagement meetings scheduled for September 2025.

  • New U.S. Ambassador Bauer Bridges Political Divide

    New U.S. Ambassador Bauer Bridges Political Divide

    Two weeks after officially taking up his post as the United States Ambassador to Belize, Andre Bauer has already made notable strides in reaching across Belize’s deep political divides to build cross-party cooperation. In his first round of official engagements, Bauer has sat down with a broad spectrum of political stakeholders, including senior leaders from the ruling government and the country’s opposition leader. This outreach marks a clear departure from traditional diplomatic approaches that often prioritize engagement solely with incumbent officials.

  • NTUCB Challenges Control of Essential Services

    NTUCB Challenges Control of Essential Services

    Scheduled for publication on September 24, 2026, this breaking report from Belize District centers on a growing confrontation between the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), the nation’s largest umbrella labor organization, and the Briceño administration. The conflict stems from the government’s outright rejection of 11 key policy demands put forward by the NTUCB, with the union arguing that Prime Minister John Briceño’s response offers no meaningful progress and only empty promises of future dialogue without binding commitments or clear timelines. With all negotiations at an impasse, the NTUCB has announced it is moving forward with a new phase of campaign action to push for its proposed reforms.

    At the top of the union’s priority list is the immediate removal of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga and three additional members of the telecommunications provider’s board of directors. The NTUCB says the leadership team’s botched attempt to acquire mobile network operator SMART, combined with widespread concerns over a lack of decision-making transparency and minimal consultation with both BTL workers and shareholders, has eroded public and worker confidence in the company’s governance. As one of Belize’s most critical national infrastructure assets, the union argues that entirely new leadership is required to rebuild trust with the Belizean public.

    NTUCB President Ella Waight emphasized that Lizarraga’s own public comments reinforced the union’s concerns about his leadership. “It was basically because of the nonchalant way the chairman was addressing the issue of the BTL acquisition and the dismissive way he was with the citizens of Belize, saying BTL is a private company and can do what it wants. Then he changed its narrative and said fine it is public. I know the prime minister mentioned the profit at BTL. We love that, but that’s his job,” Waight stated.

    The Briceño administration has flatly refused to meet this first demand, countering that there is no legal framework to justify removing the chairman or sitting board members. Government officials point to BTL’s record-breaking profit performance in its most recent fiscal year as evidence that the current leadership is performing effectively. Prime Minister Briceño argued that the aborted acquisition attempt does not rise to a level justifying dismissal, noting that the board never finalized a purchase agreement and only paused the process to conduct more thorough due diligence. “But did they do anything wrong? I think you all were jumping ahead of your time. The board did not decide to buy Speednet at that moment. The board decided to do more due diligence to see whether it was feasible to be able to buy. A decision was not made at that time for the board to buy. So, what is it that they did wrong,” Briceño questioned in an earlier August 2026 press appearance.

    A second core demand from the NTUCB would establish a tripartite oversight structure for BTL, giving representatives from the union congress, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and government shared seats on the company’s board. Waight explained that the arrangement would give BTL workers a direct voice in major decisions that impact employment, long-term investment, and the future of the company. Pointing to the Social Security Board (SSB) as a successful model, Waight noted that the body’s existing multi-stakeholder governance structure has kept it free from major corruption or scandal, thanks to built-in checks and balances. “The chair admitted that this is the citizen’s company, BTL is the citizen’s company. The citizens are the workers and obviously the employers of this country. So let us get this tripartite structure where we get someone nominated from NTUCB and BCCI and obviously the government will still have control on the board. But, at least we are there,” Waight said.

    This proposal was also rejected by the Briceño administration, which argues that labor already has representation on the BTL board through Anisa Perdomo, a sitting SSB representative assigned to the telecommunications board. The NTUCB pushed back on this claim, noting that Perdomo was appointed to the SSB by the board itself, not nominated by the NTUCB, so she does not represent the union’s interests on the BTL board. “NTUCB did not elect Sister Anisa to be on the BTL Board. We elected her to be on the Social Security Board. Thankfully, the Social Security Board has that confidence in her where they placed her on the BTL Board, but it is not because she comes from NTUCB,” Waight clarified.

    The NTUCB’s third major demand targets the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the national body that regulates essential services including telecommunications, electricity, and water. The union is calling for a full restructuring of the PUC to include voting representatives from all of Belize’s recognized social partners: organized labor, business groups, and civil society organizations, in addition to existing government representatives. Waight argues that expanding stakeholder representation on the commission will restore public trust in the PUC’s regulatory decisions, saying that Belizeans will be more likely to accept difficult choices like utility rate increases if they come from a body that includes worker representatives rather than solely government appointees. “It allows for trust to come back to these boards. People of this country will trust more to have a worker representative of this country to come and tell them, you know what, the reality is, we need to pay more for electricity than coming for a government representative,” Waight explained.

    Once again, the government rejected the proposal, countering that the PUC is legally established as an independent regulatory body and should operate free from undue stakeholder interference. Despite the widespread disagreement on almost all of the NTUCB’s demands, both the union and Prime Minister Briceño have found common ground on one point: the need for stronger, more consistent collaboration between the government and the NTUCB. Briceño acknowledged the fractured relationship in a September 2022 statement, taking partial responsibility for the breakdown and saying that the government has assigned four cabinet ministers, including the head of the Department of Management and Productivity, to serve as dedicated liaisons to the union body. “I must put it on record that I do recognize we probably need to work harder to have a better relationship with the NTUCB. I have to take responsibility for that. We have the DMP and three other ministers that are the direct liaison with them. So, I was just feeling that they are the ones that represent them,” Briceño said.

    As of the publication of this report, more than a week after the government released its formal response to the NTUCB’s demands, Prime Minister Briceño has not agreed to a detailed interview about the conflict with News Five. This report is a transcript of News Five’s evening television broadcast, originally reported by correspondent Paul Lopez.

  • Belmopan City Council Sexual Harassment Report Raises Alarms

    Belmopan City Council Sexual Harassment Report Raises Alarms

    What began as a single internal workplace complaint against a senior staff member at Belmopan City Council has ballooned into a sweeping probe that uncovers deep-rooted problems with institutional culture, reporting protocols and accountability that stretch back years. The investigation, finalized in September 2026, was triggered after a formal sexual harassment allegation was lodged against the high-ranking employee. Though the core claim remains unconfirmed by third-party eyewitnesses, investigators concluded that the accumulation of surrounding context and corroborating statements from interviews provided material support for the allegation. As probing expanded beyond the initial complaint, the inquiry revealed that this case was far from an isolated event. Multiple current and former council employees came forward to describe a pattern of unwanted personal advances, unsolicited off-work invitations and intimidating conduct from the same senior staffer. While investigators could not independently verify every individual allegation, consistent overlapping details across dozens of accounts confirmed systemic flaws in the city body’s workplace culture that demand urgent intervention. Beyond harassment, the probe also cast a critical eye on the council’s internal surveillance practices. Multiple employees told investigators they were subjected to excessive, intrusive monitoring via workplace security cameras, and the inquiry uncovered clear evidence backing these claims. In response, investigators have formally called for a full top-to-bottom review of camera access protocols, oversight mechanisms and accountability frameworks to prevent misuse of surveillance tools. The investigation also uncovered that concerns about the senior employee’s behavior had been raised to management on multiple prior occasions through different internal channels. Many staffers told investigators they avoided speaking up publicly because they had little confidence that leadership would take meaningful action to address the misconduct. While the final report does not go so far as to find that management deliberately ignored reported misconduct, it highlights significant gaps in documentation of past complaints and raises serious questions about whether earlier concerns were ever properly investigated or resolved. As a result, the inquiry is calling for a full audit of how past complaints were processed, to determine whether the council fulfilled its legal obligations under existing workplace harassment regulations. The final report issues a stark warning: failure to address the identified flaws could expose the Belmopan City Council to serious legal repercussions, governance breakdowns and lasting reputational damage. Investigators also flagged additional ongoing risks, including potential retaliation against employees who came forward, violations of staff privacy, and irreversible erosion of public trust in the council’s leadership. Now that the investigative phase is complete, all focus has shifted to implementing sweeping institutional reform. Investigators have put forward a slate of recommendations to rebuild a safe, transparent workplace: stronger, more accessible reporting channels for harassment claims, enhanced protections for whistleblowers, stricter access controls for surveillance systems, improved standardized record-keeping protocols, and a full update of all workplace harassment policies. They also advise distributing an anonymous staff survey to identify unreported incidents that have not yet been addressed. For the Belmopan City Council, the investigation is far more than a response to one employee’s complaint. It has opened the door to urgent, long-overdue conversations about institutional accountability, safe working conditions, and whether employees feel secure enough to raise concerns without fear of retaliation. The next steps the council takes will ultimately decide whether it can rebuild broken trust with its staff and the public it serves.

  • Belize Battles Drugs And Human Trafficking

    Belize Battles Drugs And Human Trafficking

    Positioned along a key transit route for illicit global trade, Belize has emerged as a critical frontline in the regional battle against two pressing transnational crimes: human trafficking and the illegal drug trade. With the United States ramping up collaborative security efforts with the Belizean government, newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Andre Bauer has confirmed that disrupting these criminal networks will top his policy agenda during his tenure.

    In a recent public statement ahead of his term, Bauer outlined the strategic logic of the bilateral partnership: intercepting illegal narcotics in Belize before they can move north through established smuggling routes prevents the deadly substances from reaching communities across the United States, including fueling the ongoing devastating fentanyl crisis that has claimed tens of thousands of American lives annually.

    “Absolutely we are committed to this work, and we will spare no effort to partner with the Belizean government to eliminate human trafficking entirely,” Bauer said. “Even one person being trafficked is one too many. That is an injustice we cannot accept.”

    On the drug trade front, Bauer drew on personal experience to underscore the urgency of the mission, noting that he has personal friends who have lost children to accidental overdoses from fentanyl-laced substances, where victims had no idea they were consuming the deadly synthetic opioid. “Anytime drugs originating from other countries pass through Belize, and Belizean authorities seize those shipments, that is drugs that almost certainly would have ended up on American streets,” he explained.

    Bauer emphasized that even so-called entry-level narcotics seized in Belize carry long-term risks for American communities, as they often lead to addiction that progresses to harder, more dangerous substances like fentanyl. “As an American taxpayer, I fully support devoting all necessary resources to block drug flows through this region,” he said. “These drugs harm people in the countries they pass through first, before they go on to kill people in the United States. Cutting this supply chain at its source is one of the most effective steps we can take to save lives.”

    Alongside his focus on disrupting transnational criminal networks, Bauer highlighted three core priorities that will shape his work over the next several years in Belize: boosting public safety, strengthening national security, and expanding inclusive economic opportunity for Belizean communities. These three goals, he noted, are deeply interconnected: improving economic prospects for marginalized populations reduces vulnerability to recruitment by criminal organizations, while enhanced security creates the stable conditions needed for long-term economic growth.

    This report is adapted from a transcript of a televised evening news broadcast, with all translated content from Kriol rendered using a standardized spelling system for accuracy.