Carib Scope

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  • Vershon, A’Legends salute all mothers

    Vershon, A’Legends salute all mothers

    Jamaican dancehall recording artist Vershon has reunited with Los Angeles-based producer Jenelle Alexia, head of A’Legends Productions, to launch his second heartfelt single titled *A Mother Like You*. The track is pulled from the artist’s highly anticipated upcoming extended play (EP), *To A Queen*.

    The new single made its official debut on Wednesday, May 6 — a date that coincided with Jamaica’s annual national Teachers’ Day celebrations, and fell just four days ahead of the global observation of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10. According to Alexia, the overlapping release date with Teachers’ Day was an unplanned happy accident, rather than a pre-arranged marketing move.

    “It was a mere coincidence that I had set the release date on Teachers’ Day in Jamaica. This goes to show that when the universe aligns all things work together for the good,” she shared in a post-release statement.

    As a mother herself, Alexia brings a deeply personal perspective to the project. She explained that the tribute single extends beyond celebrating biological mothers, aiming to honor the diverse array of mother figures that play irreplaceable roles in communities and families across the world. From stepmothers and foster caregivers to aunts, teachers and mentors who step into maternal roles, the track is crafted to recognize all women who offer nurturing support.

    “I decided it was needed at this time to inspire all mothers and all women to push on through the struggles and to let them know how loved they are and appreciated for all they do,” Alexia added, outlining the core mission behind the collaboration.

    To complement the audio release, the official music video for *A Mother Like You* premiered in sync with Mother’s Day on May 10, giving audiences a visual companion to the heartfelt tribute just in time for their own family celebrations of maternal love.

  • Parliament must lead changes to boost voter turnout, says EOJ

    Parliament must lead changes to boost voter turnout, says EOJ

    Jamaica’s top electoral body has pushed back against a high-profile call from the country’s Chief Justice to implement sweeping reforms to reverse decades of declining voter participation, saying it lacks the legal authority to enact such changes on its own.

    Chief Justice Bryan Sykes first laid out his challenge to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) during the body’s Long Service Awards ceremony on April 29. In his remarks, Sykes argued that the electoral body can no longer prioritize only protecting the integrity and fairness of Jamaica’s elections. With voter turnout hitting historic lows in recent cycles, he said rising voter apathy poses an equal threat to the country’s democratic foundations.

    Sykes called on the ECJ to embrace evolutionary change rather than sticking to outdated processes, noting that democracy is a dynamic, living system that either adapts and grows or risks gradual decline. Among the actionable reforms he proposed were expanding access to voting by bringing ballot access to non-traditional sites including nursing homes, hospitals, and correctional facilities. His call came against a stark backdrop of plummeting participation: official ECJ data for the 2025 general election shows that just 39.5% of the country’s 2,077,799 registered voters cast ballots, equaling just 819,749 total votes. While that marks a small uptick from the 38% turnout recorded in the 2020 general election, youth participation is even lower: only 21% of voters under the age of 30 participated in the 2025 poll.

    In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday, Glasspole Brown, Director of Elections for the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), acknowledged that falling voter turnout is a serious concern shared by the commission. But he made clear that the EOJ operates within strict legal boundaries set by the Representation of the People Act, the legislation that governs all Jamaican election processes, which leaves it no room to unilaterally implement the reforms Sykes proposed.

    Brown explained that many of the accessibility-focused changes suggested by the chief justice are explicitly not permitted under the current text of the act. Any adjustments to voting rules, whether through amending the legislation or altering the national constitution, fall exclusively under the purview of Jamaica’s Parliament, not the electoral commission. “If the Act, or legislators, takes a decision, that’s the way we’re going to go. Certainly, it’s for us to do whatever the Act requires us to do. We’re so dictated by whatever is in the Act,” Brown said.

    The EOJ director did note that the commission has already undertaken limited, mandate-aligned initiatives to boost long-term voter engagement. These include in-school voter education programs designed to teach young students about the importance of democratic participation, as well as student election simulation programs run at secondary and post-secondary institutions to build familiarity with the voting process. But he reaffirmed that broader, systemic changes to expand access can only move forward after parliamentary review and approval.

  • SALISES ready to reveal Jamaica’s AI Readiness Score

    SALISES ready to reveal Jamaica’s AI Readiness Score

    Next Tuesday will mark a key milestone for Jamaica’s artificial intelligence strategy, as the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) hosts the official launch and public presentation of its landmark national Public AI Readiness Study. Titled *Jamaica: Opportunities, Gaps, and Priorities*, the event will convene a diverse cross-section of stakeholders — from government policymakers and industry executives to education leaders, civil society representatives, tech professionals, media and international development partners — to kickstart a national dialogue on inclusive development, data-driven planning, and national resilience in the fast-evolving AI era.

    At the heart of the presentation is the long-awaited reveal of Jamaica’s first-ever Public AI Readiness Score, a custom national benchmark designed to quantify how prepared the Jamaican public is to understand, trust, access, deploy, and draw tangible benefits from both general and generative artificial intelligence. This benchmark is crafted to address the most pressing open questions surrounding Jamaica’s AI transition: Is the nation as a whole positioned to capitalize on the AI revolution? Which demographic and industry groups are already prepared to leverage the technology? Which communities and sectors risk being left behind in the shift? And what urgent actions must government, business, education institutions, and civil society take now to close gaps and build inclusive AI capacity?

    Professor Lloyd Waller, SALISES director and co-lead researcher on the study, emphasized that the work aligns with the institute’s decades-long mission to generate actionable research to drive national and regional development. “Artificial intelligence is not simply a technology issue, it is a development issue,” Waller explained. “It will reshape how Jamaicans learn, work, conduct business, access critical public services, protect their personal data, and participate in national civic life. This study gives Jamaica the empirical foundation it needs to map our current position, identify who needs additional support, and ensure AI evolves as a tool for broader inclusion, higher productivity, stronger national resilience, and transformative national growth.”

    Co-leading the research alongside Waller is Dr. Stephen Johnson, a research fellow based at SALISES’ Mona Campus at The University of the West Indies. Johnson noted that the readiness score is far more than a single metric: it converts aggregated public data on AI knowledge, attitudes, trust, concerns, access, usage patterns, and training needs into a clear signal for national strategic planning. “The readiness score is not just a number, it tells a story about Jamaica’s preparedness for one of the most important technological transitions of our time,” Johnson said. “It highlights where the public already has strong foundations, where critical gaps remain, and what types of targeted interventions are needed to ensure AI delivers benefits to the broad majority of Jamaicans, rather than just a small subset.”

    The comprehensive study goes beyond surface-level analysis to examine a wide range of public experiences with AI: from general public knowledge of the technology and overall attitudes toward its adoption, to current usage rates, levels of trust, existing concerns, prior training exposure, access barriers, risk awareness, and capacity to benefit from AI tools. It also explores AI’s projected impacts across nearly every sector of Jamaican life, including employment, education, business productivity, public service delivery, misinformation risks, privacy protection, social inclusion, governance, and long-term national development.

    Johnson stressed that the timing of the study’s release could not be more urgent, as AI has already begun integrating into every corner of Jamaican society. “AI is already reshaping Jamaica. It is entering classrooms, workplaces, government services, media systems, businesses, customer service platforms, research, tourism, health care, agriculture, and everyday life,” he noted. “The question is no longer whether AI will affect Jamaica — it already is. The more urgent question is whether Jamaica is prepared to use AI deliberately, safely, and inclusively.”

    Framed around two core pillars, the report positions AI as a broad social and economic transformation challenge rather than a narrow technical issue. Its first core theme, development studies, centers the impact of AI on people, labor markets, public institutions, education systems, communities, and pathways to inclusive national growth. Its second core theme, data, provides actionable empirical evidence to help stakeholders move beyond ungrounded speculation, establishing a national baseline to guide planning for AI literacy expansion, digital inclusion, regulatory governance, workforce upskilling, public sector modernization, and responsible innovation.

    Attendees of the launch event will leave with a clear breakdown of the study’s key findings, a full explanation of what the national AI readiness score means for Jamaica, an overview of how AI is expected to impact different sectors and population groups, and a roadmap of next steps for citizens, institutions, businesses, and policymakers to advance a fair and productive AI transition across the country.

  • Queen Ifrica paints portrait with Mom Like Me

    Queen Ifrica paints portrait with Mom Like Me

    Veteran Jamaican reggae artist Queen Ifrica has launched her latest heartfelt single, *Mom Like Me*, through independent label Nuh Rush Records, marking another key milestone ahead of her highly anticipated upcoming full-length album *Breath of Life*. The track is the second of three pre-album lead singles, following the breakout global success of her earlier 2025 release *Lanton (Lantern)*, which has continued to build momentum across international radio airwaves and digital streaming platforms months after its debut.

    Data from radio tracking services confirms *Lanton* has earned spins at 193 different stations across 39 countries, with particularly robust uptake across reggae-focused radio circuits in Europe, North America, and the United Kingdom. Multiple UK-based roots reggae and community radio outlets have thrown consistent support behind the track, cementing Queen Ifrica’s enduring status as a fan-favorite artist in curated, message-driven music spaces that prioritize lyrical depth and cultural resonance.

    With *Mom Like Me*, Queen Ifrica shifts her creative focus from the social themes explored in *Lanton* to the intimate, universal realm of family bonds. The song centers the quiet, unshakable strength of maternal love, weaving narratives that resonate with mothers from every background, socioeconomic class, and culture around the world. While the single’s release was timed to coincide with the global celebration of Mother’s Day, the track pushes beyond generic celebratory tropes to deliver raw, grounded lyrical imagery that reflects the real-world challenges and enduring commitments that define motherhood for millions. The artist leans into the thematic visual framework first established for *Lanton* — which centers on the idea of divine light and steady guidance — and refashions it to fit this more personal narrative: it frames mothers as unwavering beacons of warmth and security, who remain steadfast through even the hardest of times. This core idea is crystallized in the track’s key lyric, which finds the narrator declaring, “loving my children is all I know to do.”

    Beyond the new single drop, Queen Ifrica is gearing up for her first major international performance of 2026, scheduled for May 25 at London’s iconic City Splash Festival, one of the UK’s largest and most respected annual reggae and Caribbean music gatherings. She will share the stage with an all-star lineup of legendary and contemporary talent, including Beres Hammond, Gyptian, and The Congos, a booking that further underscores her long-standing, prominent standing within the UK’s thriving reggae scene.

    The upcoming *Breath of Life* album, slated for a global summer release, will be preceded by one more lead single following *Mom Like Me*. The album’s title track marks a reunion between Queen Ifrica and Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Stephen Marley, who previously collaborated with her on the widely acclaimed cover of *Four Women* for Marley’s 2024 Nina Simone tribute project *Celebrating Nina — A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone*. Distributed globally via iconic reggae label Tuff Gong International, *Mom Like Me* is available for streaming and download on all major digital music platforms now.

  • Band man Carlos Malcolm dies

    Band man Carlos Malcolm dies

    Carlos Malcolm, the world-renowned Panamanian-born trombonist and foundational figure in 1960s Jamaican ska music, passed away on April 6 at his residence in Palm Bay, Florida, at the age of 91. His death was officially confirmed by his son, Leighton Malcolm.

    Malcolm built his enduring legacy as the founder and leader of the iconic group Afro Jamaican Rhythms, an ensemble that rose to prominence during the global breakout of Jamaican ska in the early 1960s. One of the band’s most recognizable tracks, *Bonanza Ska*, drew its creative inspiration from the hit American western television series *Bonanza*, blending mainstream U.S. pop culture with the emerging Caribbean sound that would reshape global music. The collective’s early roster read as a who’s who of Jamaican music talent, featuring legendary percussionist Larry McDonald, influential vocalist Joe Higgs, drummer Winston “Sparrow” Martin, and bassist Boris Gardiner.

    Long before he made his mark on the global music industry, Malcolm cut his teeth in Jamaican media. Following his time at Kingston’s Calabar High School – where he counted among his classmates future Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, Marcus Garvey Jr., and prominent journalists John Maxwell and Wilmot “Motty” Perkins – Malcolm pursued work in journalism. He covered Jamaica’s burgeoning music scene for *West Indian Review*, and held positions at Radio Jamaica and the newly launched Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation.

    Malcolm’s first major professional music opportunity came in 1957, when he earned a spot performing with the Jamaica All Star Jazz Orchestra alongside other iconic trombonists Don Drummond and Rico Rodriquez. His career also intersected with major global pop culture history: he contributed his musical talents to *Dr No*, the very first James Bond feature film, which premiered in 1962. Starring Sean Connery, the landmark movie was filmed primarily on location in Kingston, and its soundtrack spotlighted work from a host of top Jamaican musicians, including Malcolm himself.

    Over the course of his decades-long career, Malcolm received numerous high honors in recognition of his contributions to Jamaican music. He was awarded the Prime Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, and picked up a second lifetime achievement honor from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association in January 2017. Later that same year, the Jamaican government bestowed upon him the title of Officer Class in the Order of Distinction, the country’s highest award for contributions to national development. 2017 also saw the release of Malcolm’s authoritative book, *A Personal History of Post-war Jamaican Music: New Orleans Jazz, Blues to Reggae*, which chronicled his decades of experience in and first-person observations of the evolution of Jamaican popular music.

    Malcolm is survived by Valerie, his wife of 54 years, three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

  • Mother’s Day celebration

    Mother’s Day celebration

    On a warm Sunday gathering centered on celebrating maternal bonds, the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel played host to the annual Shades of Her Mother’s Day Brunch, an event that brought multiple generations of local families together to honor the women who shape their lives. Among the dozens of intimate moments captured across the venue, one particularly tender scene stood out, preserved in a photograph by photographer Garfield Robinson. In the frame, 7-year-old Aden Parchment wraps his arms tightly around both his grandmother, Ruby Smith, and his mother, Yvonne Thomas, pressing a gentle kiss to Thomas’ cheek as the three hold one another close. The brunch, designed to create space for families to connect and express gratitude, drew hundreds of attendees this year, with many participants noting that multi-generational celebrations like this have grown increasingly meaningful post-pandemic, as communities prioritize in-person time with loved ones. Organizers of the event shared that they launched the Shades of Her brunch five years ago to center Black maternal joy and create an accessible, welcoming space for families across Jamaica to mark the holiday together, a mission that has resonated deeply with local communities year after year.

  • Gas price pledge

    Gas price pledge

    The ongoing Middle East conflict has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, pushing oil prices to levels not seen since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and triggering widespread forecasts of broad commodity price increases in the coming years. But for Jamaica, one critical energy import will remain insulated from this market turbulence, according to the island nation’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier.

    The World Bank projects that 2024 global oil prices will reach their highest mark in nearly three years, with broader commodity markets set to see a 16% overall price surge by 2026 driven by climbing energy, fertilizer and key metal costs. Jamaica has already felt the strain of recent market shifts: retail gasoline prices on the island have jumped 20% since the Middle East conflict began, leaving consumers and industry stakeholders anxious about potential spillover into natural gas pricing.

    In an exclusive interview with the Jamaica Observer, Steven Kobos, president and chief executive officer of Excelerate Energy, moved to ease those concerns, confirming that existing long-term contracts lock in stable LNG pricing for Jamaican customers that will not shift amid global volatility. Unlike LNG buyers that purchase supply on the volatile spot market, which has seen sharp price increases amid reduced export volumes from Persian Gulf producers, Jamaica’s contracted supply is legally protected from these market swings.

    Kobos emphasized that his firm has no plans to divert contracted LNG shipments to higher-paying markets, a fear some industry observers have raised as European benchmark natural gas prices (the Title Transfer Facility index) skyrocket in response to the conflict. “Our business model is built on flawless operations, maximum reliability and keeping the commitments we make,” Kobos explained. “We have fixed contracted prices for our Jamaican customers, and that is exactly what we are delivering. Jamaican consumers are not paying a higher premium for LNG because of the war, and that will not change.”

    Beyond confirming stable pricing, Kobos framed the current global energy crisis as a proof point for the value of contracted LNG as an affordable, secure energy source. He also pushed back against speculation that Excelerate would prioritize more profitable markets over its existing commitments to Jamaica, noting that the company’s decades-long track record across multiple countries demonstrates its commitment to honoring contractual obligations. “Some people joke that boring reliability is the new sexy, and that’s who we are,” Kobos said. “I’ve told the Jamaican government that we are a reliable partner, and any of the governments we’ve worked with for years will confirm that track record.”

    This commitment to local partnership was already put to the test in October 2023, when Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica. Within days, Excelerate mobilized its regional assets to deliver more than $1.3 million in emergency relief funding and supplies to the island, loading materials onto the company’s vessel *Excelerate Shenandoah* in Panama and sailing directly to Kingston. Though the firm is U.S.-headquartered and operates globally, Kobos said Excelerate views itself as a rooted member of the Jamaican business community, bound by a responsibility to support local stakeholders during crises.

    “We believe companies are judged by their actions, not their words,” Kobos said. “When the markets you operate in face extraordinary challenges, that’s when you prove your commitment. We were fortunate to have regional assets in place to respond quickly, and we were proud to stand with Jamaica when it needed support.”

  • Peace plea

    Peace plea

    One of the Caribbean’s most seasoned elder statesmen has publicly urged both Guyana and Venezuela to respect the International Court of Justice’s upcoming verdict on their long-running territorial dispute over the resource-rich Essequibo region, a decades-long standoff that has twice escalated to the brink of armed conflict in recent years.

    Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, the former prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines who already stepped in to de-escalate tensions between the two South American nations in 2023, shared his position during a public appearance at the Jamaica Observer Press Club’s sitting last week. It was Gonsalves who brokered a landmark face-to-face meeting between then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali in December 2023, when tensions over the disputed border territory spiked sharply after a series of provocative moves from Caracas.

    “I am hopeful that whatever the result of the ICJ, that both sides will abide by the determination of the ICJ. But even after there is a determination by the ICJ I would expect that there would be discussions between Venezuela and Guyana for matters which arise out of the decision,” Gonsalves told the outlet’s editors and reporters. He added that regardless of the court’s final ruling, open dialogue will remain critical to preventing further unrest: “I don’t know what all the dimensions of the ruling of the ICJ would be but I can envisage that if there is any matter which is left undecided, that it may well still call for conversations.” Gonsalves also noted that the Caribbean Community (Caricom) broadly shares the goal of a peaceful, rule-based resolution, and confirmed he stands ready to resume his role as a neutral intermediary between the two governments if called upon. “What I want to see is peace between two important neighbours, and what I want to see is that justice is determined in accordance with the principles of international law adjudicated,” he said.

    Last Monday marked the official start of a week of public hearings at the ICJ, the United Nations’ highest judicial body, over the decades-long territorial row. In his opening address to the court’s panel of judges, Guyana’s Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd framed the case as an existential issue for the small Caribbean nation, noting that more than 70% of Guyana’s current sovereign territory is at stake in the dispute. “For the Guyanese people, it is tragic even to think about having our country dismembered by stripping from us a vast majority of our land, together with its people, its history, its traditions and customs, its resources and precious ecology,” Todd told the court.

    Venezuela’s lead representative to the hearings, Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta, rejected Guyana’s framing outright during his address Wednesday. “The characterisation by Guyana of an alleged threat to its territorial integrity or to its sovereign territory constitutes a flagrant misinterpretation, a deliberately misleading presentation of both facts and law,” Acosta told the court. He reaffirmed Caracas’ long-held position that Venezuela’s historical claims to the Essequibo region “are inalienable,” and stressed that the South American nation remains committed to defending its claims through peaceful means. Acosta also reiterated Venezuela’s longstanding refusal to recognize the ICJ’s jurisdiction over the case, a position Caracas has held since proceedings began.

    The origins of the dispute stretch back to the 1890s, when a border was drawn between the two territories under British colonial rule, when Guyana was still a British dependency. Currently, Guyana administers the 62,000-square-mile Essequibo region, which makes up more than two-thirds of Guyana’s total territory and is home to roughly 125,000 of the country’s 800,000 residents. But Venezuela has claimed the entire region, which stretches along the western bank of the Essequibo River, since the early 20th century. Caracas argues the 1899 border agreement is invalid, and maintains the true border should follow the Essequibo River further east, aligned with the territorial boundaries that existed under Spanish colonial rule in 1777, as outlined in a 1966 agreement signed shortly before Guyana gained full independence. The dispute intensified dramatically a decade ago, when energy giant ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits in the region, catapulting Guyana to hold the largest crude oil reserves per capita in the world.

    Tensions spiked again in 2023, when Maduro made a series of public and political moves to assert Venezuelan claims over the region, leading Gonsalves to broker the emergency Argyle International Airport summit in St. Vincent between Maduro and Ali. The two leaders signed the historic Argyle Declaration following the summit, in which they formally committed to avoiding any direct or indirect use of military force in the dispute. The truce held into 2024, but tensions flared again earlier this year when Venezuela’s National Assembly approved legislation to formally designate Essequibo as Venezuela’s 24th federal state, a move that was immediately rejected as illegal and invalid by Guyana and the wider international community. Caracas followed that move by announcing it would include the new “state” in upcoming gubernatorial elections scheduled for May 25, 2025, prompting Georgetown to formally request immediate intervention from the ICJ to block the move. While the ICJ’s rulings are legally binding on all parties to the dispute, the court holds no independent enforcement power to compel compliance from member states.

  • UWI initiative links science and entrepreneurship

    UWI initiative links science and entrepreneurship

    A groundbreaking new educational initiative at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus is working to break down long-standing barriers between academic science training and the world of business entrepreneurship, equipping emerging young scientists with the hands-on skills required to transform their original research concepts into sustainable, market-ready commercial ventures. The program reached a major milestone this past Saturday with the staging of SciMix: From Idea to Innovation, a dynamic campus networking event that united emerging student innovators with seasoned industry professionals. The gathering was organized around the central theme: “Exploring the Intersections within Science in Barbados and the Ways Forward for Further National Development”.

    This landmark event served as the final capstone project for FSAT2002: Science Meets Business, a trailblazing pilot course developed through a formal partnership between UWI Cave Hill’s Faculty of Science and Technology and local non-profit initiative Future BARBADOS. Over the 12-week semester, the program brought together a diverse cohort of 15 science students from across multiple academic disciplines, challenging them to build business-focused frameworks for scientific research and innovation.

    In an interview on the sidelines of Saturday’s networking event, Dr. Jeanese Badenock, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, outlined the core mission behind the new course: to intentionally align the training of science students with the growing opportunities in entrepreneurship. She explained that Future BARBADOS collaborated with the university throughout the full 12-week program, delivering specialized skills workshops and pairing students with experienced industry mentors.

    According to Badenock, the curriculum immersed students in every critical pillar of early business development. Topics covered included financial planning for startups, navigating venture capital funding, crafting compelling investor pitches, and drafting formal, bankable business plans. Beyond local industry engagement, the program also leveraged global connections, bringing in members of the Caribbean diaspora to share virtual expertise on developing and commercializing science-based products and services for regional and international markets.

    As part of their graded assessment, students worked in cross-functional teams, mirroring the structure of a real-world startup. Each team member took ownership of core business functions including finance, marketing, and sponsorship acquisition, with the entire cohort collaborating to organize and execute Saturday’s public SciMix event as their final cumulative project.

    Beyond building entrepreneurial acumen, Badenock emphasized that the course placed significant focus on cultivating high-value transferable soft skills that will serve students across any career path. “What they got out of the course was really honing in on those soft skills in terms of communication. It was working as part of a team, understanding the different dynamics that are necessary in order to execute successfully an event,” she explained.

    Students also gained practical, on-the-ground experience in high-demand professional areas including sponsorship negotiation, guest stakeholder engagement, and large-scale event coordination. Badenock noted that these foundational skills will prepare participants to thrive in a wide range of professional environments, whether they go on to launch their own science-based ventures, pursue careers in academic research, or take on roles in unrelated industries.

  • Moederdag in het water: De prijs van jarenlang verval en politieke laksheid

    Moederdag in het water: De prijs van jarenlang verval en politieke laksheid

    On May 10, widespread flooding paralyzed large swathes of Suriname, as weeks of continuous monsoon rainfall turned urban streets into rushing rivers, submerged residential yards, and destroyed entire agricultural harvests. What makes this disaster particularly devastating for local communities is that it was entirely avoidable: the annual rainy season arrives on schedule every year, yet systemic neglect of critical water management infrastructure has turned a routine seasonal event into a humanitarian and economic crisis.

    Residential neighborhoods across the country are grappling with waist-deep floodwaters that have seeped into homes, trapping many residents indoors and forcing them to salvage belongings amid rising tides. In the northern district of Suriname, resident Esselien described the crisis as the worst she has ever experienced, as floodwaters poured through the doors of her property. Another local, Kiran, had prepared special Mother’s Day treats to deliver to her mother, but was forced to abandon the plan after her street became a stagnant, lake-like floodplain.

    The damage extends far beyond residential disruption, hitting small business owners and agricultural producers the hardest. Farmers across rural Suriname have watched months of cultivation work disappear underwater, with entire vegetable crops rotting in the fields before they could be harvested. Many farmers point to longstanding failures in regional water management: one grower lamented that sluice gates are often not opened during low tide to allow floodwater to drain out to sea. Others note that regional drainage ditches have been left unmaintained for decades, becoming choked with overgrown weeds, illegal waste dumping, and debris that blocks water flow entirely. Even as floodwaters rise, these long-unaddressed infrastructure gaps prevent any effective drainage of inundated land.

    Small businesses that rely on the annual Mother’s Day shopping rush have also been ruined by the disaster. Vendors across the country had already set up temporary street stalls to sell flowers, baked goods, holiday treats, and gifts for the occasion, investing thousands of dollars in inventory ahead of the busy sales weekend. But with streets submerged and residents focused on protecting their homes from flooding, no customers have arrived. Perishable goods including fresh flowers and baked goods are already spoiling, leaving vendors facing crippling losses with no path to compensation.

    Local residents and analysts alike blame the crisis on decades of administrative indifference and broken political promises. Every election cycle, candidates vow to renovate outdated drainage infrastructure and clear clogged waterways, but once votes are counted, the sense of urgency evaporates. This year, the disaster comes just days after Suriname marked 160 years of representative democracy, a bitter irony for flood victims who note that parliamentarians, most of whom live on high, flood-free ground, have shown little empathy for their struggle.

    Beyond government inaction, the crisis is also exacerbated by growing public carelessness toward the living environment: illegal dumping of plastic, household waste, and large debris across the country has slowly turned drainage ditches into informal landfills, leaving nowhere for excess rainwater to go. Suriname has fallen into a dangerous pattern of only responding to flooding after neighborhoods are already submerged, relying on last-minute emergency fixes instead of proactive, long-term infrastructure maintenance.

    But floodwaters do not wait for committee meetings, official memos, or public tender processes. When critical maintenance is delayed for decades, the public always ends up paying the price. Today, that cost is being borne by farmers who have lost their livelihoods, small business owners who have lost their holiday income, and working families who have lost their homes and belongings to floodwaters. As rain continues to fall, a shared anger has grown across affected communities: this is not a natural disaster. It is the entirely predictable result of years of institutional neglect, and no one has stepped forward to compensate victims for their losses.