Carib Scope

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  • Senior UWP members publish open letter denouncing calls for their expulsion from the party

    Senior UWP members publish open letter denouncing calls for their expulsion from the party

    Deep internal rifts have erupted within Dominica’s main opposition political bloc, the United Workers Party (UWP), as seven of its most veteran and high-profile members have publicly condemned a coordinated campaign of slander and intimidation targeting their faction. Dated May 31, 2026, the damning open letter carries the signatures of prominent long-time party members and former leaders: Edison James, Lennox Linton, Hector John, Danny Lugay, Francisca Joseph, Ezekiel Bazil, and Rosana Emmanuel.

    In the scathing document, the signatories detail ongoing harassment from anonymous social media profiles and political proxies loyal to the UWP’s current party leadership. They have been repeatedly branded with defamatory labels including “troublemakers”, “underminers”, and “washed-up politicians”, according to the letter. Most alarmingly, the group says a recent public demand has been made to forcibly expel them from the party they helped build. They characterize this inflammatory rhetoric as “dangerous and reckless”, warning it directly erodes the foundational democratic principles that the UWP was established upon.

    The senior party figures have forcefully pushed back against all accusations of internal sabotage. They reject claims that they are working against the UWP’s interests, backing competing political parties, or blocking the party’s candidate selection process. They further note that many of the signatories voluntarily stepped down from top executive party positions, a move made to eliminate any perception of factional disunity and to allow the current leadership full autonomy to build a leadership team aligned with its own vision.

    The letter reaffirms the group’s unwavering commitment to the UWP’s core mission. “We remain fully committed to the success of the United Workers Party because we firmly believe it is the only credible and organized political force capable of providing the people of Dominica with an alternative government,” the statement reads.

    The signatories issued a stark warning to party members: the greatest threat facing the UWP is not internal disagreement, but a leadership culture that frames all dissent as disloyalty. Successful political movements, they argue, grow through intentional coalition-building and embrace of diverse viewpoints, rather than aggressive exclusion of opposing voices. To prompt reflection among the party’s broader membership and supporter base, the group posed three critical questions: Is the UWP working to expand its public appeal, or is it shrinking inward through self-inflicted internal conflict? Is it growing its base of support, or driving loyal voters away? Is it strengthening its position ahead of upcoming political contests, or weakening its foundation from within?

    Closing the open letter, the group issued a formal appeal for internal reconciliation and a collective return to the UWP’s founding values: open debate, inclusive consultation, and mutual respect across differing viewpoints. “The challenges facing Dominica are too serious, the stakes are too high and the hopes of too many citizens depend on the existence of a strong, united and credible alternative government,” the signatories wrote. They called on all UWP members to reject a political culture of “hatred, intimidation, division and politics built on exclusion and fear”, insisting that the only sustainable path forward for the party is to “add and multiply, not divide and subtract.” A full copy of the open letter is available for public download.

  • TTPS steps in to rescue thousands

    TTPS steps in to rescue thousands

    A sudden industrial action by maxi-taxi operators in Trinidad and Tobago left thousands of travelers stranded in the capital Port of Spain on Wednesday, prompting a rapid, public-spirited intervention from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to ferry stranded people, particularly vulnerable groups, safely to their homes.

    By 2:30 p.m. that afternoon, TTPS police buses had already begun pulling out of the City Gate transit hub in central Port of Spain, prioritizing women, school children, elderly residents, and people with disabilities for trips to key destinations along the densely populated East-West Corridor, including the major town of Arima. Senior TTPS leadership personally oversaw the launch of the emergency relief operation, with Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Specialised Support) Brian Soodeen on-site to coordinate logistics and speak with affected commuters.

    In an on-site interview, Guevarro explained that the emergency transportation effort was planned from early that morning, after the TTPS leadership anticipated that the protest would leave thousands stuck in the capital. After a morning risk assessment that concluded leaving large crowds of stranded people in Port of Spain overnight would create unnecessary public safety risks, the service mobilized every available police bus to address the gap. “I spoke with ACP Brian Soodeen early yesterday morning, and we mobilized all readily available police buses to help get people home. Right now we have five buses on the road, but I wish we had 50 to meet the full demand,” Guevarro told reporters.

    He emphasized that the 2:30 p.m. launch was intentional, timed to coincide with the end of the school day to get vulnerable children and older residents out of the capital as quickly as possible. The operation planned multiple round trips between Port of Spain and Arima throughout the afternoon and evening, with Guevarro confirming the TTPS would continue providing support for as long as the protest disrupted transit services. He also pushed back against any suggestions that the operation exceeded the TTPS’s mandate, framing the intervention as a core part of the service’s mission to serve the public.

    “People often think of the police only as law enforcers, but today we are proving that we are here to help the public in any way we can when a crisis arises,” Guevarro said. “This service is completely free to commuters, and we made this decision because it was the right thing to do for public safety. The end justifies the means here. We also made sure to retain enough personnel and resources to respond to any other emergencies across the country while this operation runs.”

    Soodeen, who oversaw the implementation of Guevarro’s initiative, added that all drivers and personnel assigned to the operation had received full safety briefings before departing, to ensure every passenger reached their destination without incident. “The Commissioner anticipated the risk of stranded commuters early this morning, so we had time to put this operation in place before the situation escalated,” Soodeen said. “We will continue to provide this support as long as it is needed.”

    The emergency response was widely praised by stranded commuters, who described the TTPS’s intervention as a timely, thoughtful solution to an unexpected crisis. Sandra Maharaj, a 68-year-old resident of Sangre Grande who was stuck in Port of Spain when the protest began, said she had been terrified she would be unable to get home, as many local residents do not have private cars or access to alternative private transport. “I have to commend the police for what they did today. When I heard about the protest, I was so worried about how I would get home. A lot of us don’t have cars, and we don’t have relatives who can just drop everything to come pick us up,” Maharaj said. “The officers saw the problem and acted immediately. That meant the world to people like me.”

    Russel Thomas, 74, of Arima, said the priority given to vulnerable groups showed the TTPS had carefully planned the response to avoid harm. “People came into Port of Spain for work, medical appointments, business, and suddenly they had no way home. With the daily crime reports we see, I was worried we would see muggings or pickpocketing in the crowd here at City Gate. The police stepped in at exactly the right time,” Thomas said. “Giving priority to children and the elderly wasn’t what everyone wanted, but it showed they had a clear plan to help the people who needed it most. The Commissioner and his officers absolutely deserve credit for this.”

    Jeremy, a commuter from St Augustine who declined to give his full name, added that the operation showed a side of the TTPS that the public rarely sees. “We usually see police when there’s a crime, an accident, or during protest operations, so it’s not often positive press for them. But today, no matter what you think of the service, you have to commend them. They saw a crisis developing and acted before it got out of hand,” he said.

  • Activists call for June 5 shutdown for Kaia

    Activists call for June 5 shutdown for Kaia

    A grassroots movement demanding accountability for the deaths of Kaia Sealy and Joshua Samaroo is moving forward with plans for a nationwide civil society shutdown on June 5, organizers confirm, despite increased government restrictions and official pushback under a national state of emergency. Leading demonstration organizer Alyssa Phillip has remained unbowed by authorities’ recent efforts to curb public action, including the creation of official no-protest zones by police and her own recent arrest while protesting.

    Phillip was taken into custody last Wednesday during a demonstration held outside the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office in Port of Spain, and she is set to appear before a local magistrate to face her charges on the same day she spoke to reporters for this update. In a telephone interview, Phillip made clear that the push for justice has not been silenced by law enforcement action, noting that the movement has adapted its tactics to meet growing restrictions. A silent gathering held in St. James this past Friday, for example, was intentionally structured to symbolize the widespread silence of community members who have not yet spoken out against the injustices at the heart of the campaign.

    The core demand of the movement stretches far beyond the individual cases of Sealy and Samaroo, Phillip explained. At its root, the campaign is a fight for fundamental fairness and public trust in Trinidad and Tobago’s national institutions, most notably the country’s justice system. To that end, the June 5 shutdown calls on all members of the national community to opt out of work, school and all routine public activities, and to share their participation on social media to build momentum. This peaceful, low-risk approach was specifically designed to accommodate those who fear repercussions from joining in-person public demonstrations, Phillip added, opening participation to a far broader cross-section of the public.

    Phillip also addressed recent public comments from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, noting that while she holds deep personal respect for the Prime Minister, the movement has been disappointed by what she describes as a lack of meaningful empathy and action on the Sealy case. Most critically, the organization has pushed back hard against the Prime Minister’s recent allegations that the movement has ties to violent criminal activity. Persad-Bissessar recently claimed that opposition lawmakers, union leaders, entertainers and movement supporters were actually backing a plot to unite violent criminal gangs against law enforcement and law-abiding citizens. Those claims grew out of a circulating video that called on rival gangs to end their internal conflicts to push back against a systemic policy of political divide and rule, not to target civilian or state institutions.

    In her response, Phillip flatly rejected all claims of gang affiliation for the movement’s leading activists, emphasizing that all residents hold a fundamental democratic right to speak out on public injustice and organize peaceful protest. She also closed the interview by offering public thanks to the high-profile artists who have already added their voices to the movement, including popular soca performer Nailah Blackman, whose public support has helped bring national attention to the campaign’s demands.

  • Thousands face travel woes

    Thousands face travel woes

    Starting Monday, thousands of daily commuters across Trinidad and Tobago are bracing for significant travel disruptions, as maxi-taxi operators from all six national routes have launched a three-day work stoppage framed as a “rest and reflection” action to push for long-delayed government action on decades of unresolved industry issues.

    Vernell Carter, Assistant Secretary of the Association of Maxi Taxi Trinidad and Tobago (AMTTT), confirmed the industrial action last week, noting it will run through Wednesday. Carter added that the strike will be called off immediately only if the government delivers formal documentation laying out a clear, reasonable timeline to address the full list of operator demands. Approximately 5,000 maxi-taxis provide core public transport across the twin-island nation, meaning the shutdown will leave tens of thousands of workers, students and daily travelers without their regular transport option, and place extra strain on the few remaining operating transit services.

    During the three-day action, AMTTT executive members will gather at the Route Two (red band) compound at Port of Spain’s City Gate and the Route One (yellow band) compound on South Quay, with drivers from all other routes invited to attend the organized gathering. Carter highlighted that one core demand is the construction of dedicated transit hubs for every maxi-taxi route, a need that has gone unmet for smaller routes for years. “The other routes don’t have a hub to gather in, to sit down and rest and reflect, so they would be up on our side between Route One and Route Two,” Carter explained, noting the existing facilities offer amenities including a cafe and television that will accommodate visiting drivers throughout the action.

    Operators have laid out a broad set of long-standing grievances that have prompted the shutdown. Top concerns include rampant illegal competition from unlicensed “PH” vehicles and unauthorised white buses that operate on routes legally reserved for maxi-taxis. Operators have also been pushing since 2021 to raise the maxi-taxi speed limit from 65 km/h to 80 km/h, and are calling for clear, standardized regulations for transferring public service vehicle licences in cases of owner death, serious illness, amnesty programmes and open transfers. Additional demands include: the upgrade and improved management of maxi-taxi stands and dedicated hubs across all routes; full payment of outstanding dues owed to maxi-taxi operators that provide contracted school transport services; clearly marked pick-up and drop-off zones, particularly in the capital Port of Spain; permission for maxi-taxis to use overpasses and priority routes currently restricted to Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) buses; revised, more accessible National Insurance contribution arrangements for self-employed operators; clear legal guidelines for on-board radio communication systems; enhanced safety and security measures for both drivers and passengers during overnight trips; and simplified application processes for intra-city service passes.

    The timing of the strike has sparked urgent concern from education stakeholders, as the action coincides with ongoing CSEC and CAPE examinations for secondary school students. Crystal Ashe, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), said the shutdown poses major disruptions for daily commuting teachers and exam-taking students. “Our teachers and students use this service daily and it will definitely impact on them,” Ashe said, noting that parents of exam candidates will need to make alternate travel arrangements at short notice.

    Ashe also confirmed that TTUTA supports operators’ demand for immediate payment of $10 million in outstanding school transport dues, noting that operators have only received two weeks of payment so far this year – a parallel to the delayed backpay owed to many public school educators. “TTUTA asks that the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education get their house in order and pay all persons their outstanding monies immediately. Citizens cannot take promises to the groceries and financial institutions,” Ashe said, adding that he remains hopeful that productive negotiation between the government and operators can still deliver a positive resolution.

    Walter Stewart, President of the National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA), echoed that concern, saying the strike deeply worries parent leaders and has prompted the association to call for a pause in industrial action during the critical exam period. “The NPTA fully acknowledges and respects the rights of maxi-taxi operators to pursue legitimate avenues to address their challenges relating to school maxi-taxi payments, hub development revitalisation and management, policy guidelines on [licence] transfers and other concerns which have persisted across successive administrations,” Stewart said. However, he added, “Our students have toiled and prepared diligently for these exams and any disruption has the potential to cause unnecessary anxiety, uncertainty, disadvantage and inequity.”

    Stewart urged the government to immediately roll out contingency transport plans to ensure affected students can reach their exam centres on time, and called on both sides to enter urgent good-faith negotiations to resolve the outstanding issues that led to the strike.

    All six color-coded maxi-taxi routes are participating in the three-day action: red band (Route Two), the largest route with roughly 2,000 vehicles serving the Eastern Main Road and Priority Bus Route between Port of Spain, Arima and Sangre Grande; yellow band (Route One) serving Port of Spain, St James, Carenage, Chaguaramas, Diego Martin and Petit Valley; green band connecting Port of Spain, Central Trinidad and South Trinidad through Chaguanas, Couva and San Fernando; black band serving the route from San Fernando through Princes Town to Mayaro; brown band running from San Fernando to La Romaine, Siparia, Penal, Cedros and Point Fortin; and blue band, which operates exclusively across Tobago.

  • 14 POLICE KILLINGS

    14 POLICE KILLINGS

    Since the start of 2024, Trinidad and Tobago has recorded 20 fatalities resulting from police use of force, with more than two-thirds of those deaths occurring in the 12 weeks following the implementation of a national state of emergency (SoE) that took effect on March 3. As of May 30, the death toll from police-involved shootings during the emergency period stands at 14, a count that has climbed steadily even as multiple families of deceased suspects have publicly disputed official police accounts of the incidents and demanded transparent, independent probes into the killings.

  • NCIC: Name Piarco Airport after Bas

    NCIC: Name Piarco Airport after Bas

    On Saturday, during the National Council for Indian Culture (NCIC)’s annual Indian Arrival Day celebrations held at the Divali Nagar site in Chaguanas, NCIC president Surujdeo Mangaroo made a striking proposal: rename Piarco International Airport, Trinidad and Tobago’s primary international gateway, to Basdeo Panday International Airport, to honor the nation’s first prime minister of East Indian descent.

    Mangaroo framed the renaming as a fitting permanent tribute to the late leader, who passed away on January 1, 2024 at the age of 90 following a bout of pneumonia. Notably, Panday himself once referred to Piarco International Airport as the “gateway to the Americas” — a fact Mangaroo highlighted to underscore how well-aligned the gesture is with Panday’s own framing of the airport’s national and regional significance. Beyond remembrance, Mangaroo argued that attaching Panday’s name to the country’s busiest port of entry would send a clear message to young Trinbagonians: dedicated public service, courageous leadership, and personal sacrifice do not go unrecognized in the nation.

    This year’s Indian Arrival Day observance carried the theme “The toil of our ancestors, our identity today”, which anchored broader discussions of legacy and inclusion across the event. Mangaroo opened the day by reflecting on the centuries-long journey of East Indian indentured laborers who crossed the “kala pani” (black water) to build new lives in Trinidad and Tobago. He stressed that honoring the sacrifice of these forebears requires building a cohesive, equitable society that draws strength from all cultural contributions, noting that people of East Indian descent have shaped the nation’s cultural fabric, economic growth, and professional sectors in lasting ways. He called on all segments of national society to uphold a shared vision of unity and hope while protecting the cultural heritage passed down by earlier generations, reaffirming NCIC’s ongoing commitment to preserving this legacy for future Trinbagonians. As part of the day’s programming, NCIC presented a recognition award to retired dentist Dr. John Bharath, father of former government minister Vasant Bharath.

    Delivering the event’s keynote address as chief guest, Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh echoed calls to honor ancestral sacrifice through ethical public service. Boodoosingh, who traced his own family’s roots to the indentured laborer journey, gave a public assurance that during his tenure leading the national Judiciary, he would work tirelessly to safeguard judicial independence. Outlining the judiciary’s core role in upholding public safety and equal fairness under the law, he stressed that all current public officeholders have a duty to avoid actions that would dishonor the legacy of sacrifice left by earlier generations. Boodoosingh committed that the judiciary would enforce the rule of law equally for all citizens, promising court decisions would be rendered without fear, favor, or bias. He emphasized that equality must be advocated for all groups, not just one racial or religious community, and called on citizens to speak out against all forms of discrimination. He also noted that historic gains for labor and working people were only achieved through cross-community collaboration, praising the contributions of all ethnic and religious groups to expanding educational access and raising national living standards.

    Basdeo Panday, the figure at the center of the renaming proposal, was a towering figure in modern Trinidad and Tobago politics: a trade union leader, founder of the United National Congress (UNC), and the country’s fifth prime minister, serving in office from 1995 to 2001. Panday passed away in Jacksonville, Florida earlier this year at 90, following a brief hospital stay for pneumonia. His tenure was marked by significant political controversy tied to the Piarco Airport development project, the same facility now proposed for renaming. Panday and his wife Oma were charged with corruption over allegations they received bribes to favor a foreign construction firm for airport work, but all criminal proceedings against the couple were formally dropped in March 2023. Related prosecutions of several businessmen and a former UNC minister connected to the case resulted in a $131.3 million civil fraud judgment that was upheld on appeal against businessman Steve Ferguson and former cabinet minister Brian Kuei Tung.

  • Probe into threats against ‘cop’

    Probe into threats against ‘cop’

    A viral social media video has triggered an official investigation by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), after an individual claiming to be a serving police officer detailed escalating threats aimed at forcing him to abandon a court case against the government.

    The video, which has spread rapidly across major social platforms, opens with a pair of gloved hands handling a sealed brown envelope, while the male narrator lays out the sequence of intimidation he has faced in recent days. According to the narrator, the envelope was left at his residential address early one morning, and he had already been targeted with threatening harassment over the weekend while out with his wife and child. He told viewers that his assailants attempted to force his vehicle off the road, and had sent threatening text messages that proved they were monitoring his movements and knew he was with his family.

    When the envelope is opened at the end of the footage, three 5.56 calibre bullets tumble out, and a handwritten warning printed across the front of the envelope leaves no room for ambiguity: “Last warning for you (and two named people). Drop the court matter against the govt. Last night you get away. Next time is shots.”

    The narrator also added that when he first attempted to report the incident at his nearest local police station, he was turned away temporarily due to a routine shift change. He recalled that the desk officer informed him no available personnel were able to visit his home to take his official statement, and that he would need to wait for the shift handover process to conclude before any action could be taken.

    Within hours of the video circulating widely online, TTPS Deputy Commissioner Suzette Martin released an official statement confirming that a full investigation into the incident is now underway. Martin emphasized that the service takes all reports of intimidation, threats, and interference with ongoing judicial processes with the utmost urgency and seriousness.

    She framed the threat not as an attack on a single individual, but as a direct challenge to core state institutions. “A threat directed at a police officer who is lawfully carrying out his or her duties is not merely a threat against an individual officer. Such actions may constitute an attack on the administration of justice, the rule of law, and the institutions responsible for maintaining public safety and order,” Martin said in the statement.

    Martin added that the TTPS has committed to deploying all necessary resources to protect the affected officer, his family, and uphold the integrity of both law enforcement and the national judicial process. The service remains unwavering in its commitment to ensuring all officers can carry out their lawful duties without intimidation, coercion, or fear of retaliation, and confirmed that any individuals found responsible for this criminal act will face full prosecution under Trinidad and Tobago law.

  • Benjamin: No info on gangs uniting to attack police

    Benjamin: No info on gangs uniting to attack police

    A viral social media video calling for rival gangs to put down their differences and unite in violent action against law enforcement has sparked a firm condemnation and response from Trinidad and Tobago’s top political and police leadership, following a high-profile police-involved shooting earlier this year.

    The video, which circulated publicly on Friday, features two men, one of whom issued fierce criticism of the criminal charges filed against Kaia Sealy. Sealy, the common-law wife of Joshua Samaroo who was fatally shot by police during an encounter on January 20, currently faces eight criminal charges connected to the incident. She is currently based in the United States undergoing scheduled medical treatment, and is not in custody in Trinidad and Tobago as the case proceeds.

    In the recorded message, the speaker called for an end to ongoing gang conflict between two major local factions, Rasta City and Muslim City, framing the existing divisions as the product of a state-sponsored “divide and rule” system. He went further to urge members of four prominent gangs, numbered 6 through 9, to mobilize and prepare for a so-called “revolution” targeting state institutions.

    Within 24 hours of the video’s spread, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar issued a blistering rebuke of the call for violence. In an official public statement released Saturday, she labeled the appeal as the product of depraved thinking, saying “only sick and evil people would support calls for violent gangs to attack law enforcement officials and law-abiding citizens.”

    Persad-Bissessar also tied the incitement to a recent public demonstration outside the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) last week, noting that protesters had attempted to intimidate prosecutorial staff carrying out their official duties during that action. She credited the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) with intervening quickly to secure the building and protect staff, adding that the peaceful rule of law would not be undermined by violent intimidation.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) Junior Benjamin has clarified that, as of the latest police briefings, law enforcement has not received any credible intelligence confirming that gangs have already finalized plans to make peace and carry out coordinated attacks on police officers. Speaking to reporters from the Trinidad Express Wednesday, Benjamin made clear that the TTPS is prepared for any contingency: if gangs follow through on the call for attacks, all involved will be prosecuted and face the full consequences of their actions under local law.

    Benjamin emphasized that the TTPS operates to balance two core constitutional rights that are central to Trinidad and Tobago’s democratic system. “One is the whole idea of expression. A person’s freedom of expression in a protest and that of public safety and national security,” he explained. The Police Service, he said, is committed to upholding both rights equally, and will act decisively against any person or group that violates legal boundaries by threatening public safety or undermining the rights of others.

    The police service, Benjamin added, maintains active, ongoing intelligence gathering operations focused on gang activity across the country. Any intelligence related to potential planned violence is immediately shared with specialized operational units, which are prepared to intervene to de-escalate and neutralize any threat before it can harm civilians or law enforcement. “We are therefore saying we are here to ensure law and order at all times and we will ensure the safety of our citizens, no matter what,” he said, reaffirming the force’s commitment to public safety amid heightened tensions.

  • Kookgas opnieuw duurder: prijzen van meerdere cilinders stijgen

    Kookgas opnieuw duurder: prijzen van meerdere cilinders stijgen

    Starting June 1, consumers across Suriname are facing higher costs for multiple types of cooking gas, following an official announcement made Sunday by N.V. EnergieBedrijven Suriname (EBS). The price adjustment applies to 28-pound steel cylinders and a range of composite gas cylinders, and forms the latest step in the government’s planned gradual elimination of long-standing cooking gas subsidies.

    This incremental subsidy phase-out is rooted in a national energy transition policy approved back in August 2023 by Suriname’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation, alongside the Ministry of Natural Resources. The overarching goal of the policy is to gradually align cooking gas prices with their actual market value, phasing out the decades of government subsidies that have kept consumer costs artificially low for years.

    Under the new price schedule that took effect June 1, the cost of a 28-pound gas cylinder has risen from SRD 472.50 to SRD 504.00. This will not be the final increase for this product: one last 31.50 SRD price hike is scheduled for September 1, 2026, after which the cylinder will reach its government-mandated final market price.

    Multiple composite cylinders are also seeing upward price adjustments this round. The 10-kilogram composite cylinder has moved from SRD 404.25 to SRD 420.00; the 14-kilogram variant has increased from SRD 493.50 to SRD 525.00; and the 22-kilogram composite cylinder now costs SRD 924.00, up from the previous SRD 892.50. Additionally, the 100-pound cylinder has seen a small 9.93 SRD increase, bringing its new price to SRD 1,847.43.

    Not all cooking gas products are affected by this latest round of changes. The 20-pound and 40-pound cylinders will retain their current prices of SRD 387.50 and SRD 735.00 respectively, as both have already reached the final end price set by the government as part of the transition plan.

    With the June 1 price adjustment, three product lines — the 100-pound cylinder, 10-kilogram composite cylinder, and 22-kilogram composite cylinder — have now hit their final market pricing. Only two categories, the 28-pound steel cylinder and 14-kilogram composite cylinder, will see one additional incremental increase this coming September.

    Oversight of compliance with the new price caps falls to Suriname’s Price Control Department. The agency has reminded consumers that anyone who observes retailers charging prices above the officially mandated rates can file a report directly with the department for investigation.

  • Column: De spirituele crisis achter het verval van Surinaams onderwijs

    Column: De spirituele crisis achter het verval van Surinaams onderwijs

    Fifty years ago, classrooms across Suriname were filled with a generation of students who stared at chalkboards with hungry, ambitious eyes, eager to learn and grow. Today, that eager curiosity has been replaced by something far more somber: in far too many students, educators and activists see boredom, frustration, and worst of all, quiet resignation to a broken system. The decline of Suriname’s education sector is not just a drop in test scores or a bureaucratic challenge. It is an erosion of national dignity, a crisis that cuts beyond budgets and policy papers to reach the very core of the nation’s collective spirit. Empty classroom desks, widespread textbook shortages, and disheartened teachers are not administrative missteps to be brushed aside. They are visible symptoms of a deeper spiritual crisis unfolding across the country’s education system.

    Education at its core is not about memorizing dates or passing standardized exams. It is about helping children discover that the world is logical, understandable, and full of possibility. It opens the door to imagination and wonder, giving every child who learns to read an inner landscape where they can seek answers to their most pressing questions. Without that foundational opportunity, children learn only that arbitrary, unaccountable power rules their lives. For youth in Suriname’s rural interior and low-income urban neighborhoods, who are so often overlooked by national policymakers, quality education is the first step to recognizing their own worth: it teaches them that they exist, that their ideas matter, and that they can shape their own futures. But when a child attends a school every day that lacks basic order and resources, they learn chaos instead of logic – and that chaos leaves a lasting trauma. A child denied a meaningful education learns one devastating lesson early on: that they are not worthy of dreaming. That is the greatest harm a society can inflict on any of its members.

    Teachers do more than instruct individual children; they nurture the future parents, chefs, engineers, and leaders that will sustain the nation. A strong education gives adults the foundation of free choice: the ability to distinguish right from wrong, truth from lies, and cause from effect. That ability is the bedrock of moral consciousness in any society. Today, too many Surinamese graduates leave the system feeling betrayed. They hold a diploma on paper, but lack the intangible spiritual and intellectual tools: patience, discipline, and critical thinking. A society where adults have never learned to think critically quickly devolves into a culture of gossip, envy, and resentment. True education, by contrast, teaches people to carve their own paths without tearing others down to get ahead. It is the quiet voice that tells an adult to pause, reflect, and empathize. Without that voice, Surinamese society grows harder, more impatient, and far lonelier than it needs to be.

    The cumulative impact of frustrated students and burnt-out teachers is a nation unable to move forward, because collective trust in each other’s capabilities has eroded away. Quality education builds trust and connection across a society: a well-educated person trusts their doctor, the cashier processing their payment, and the politician they elected to serve. Today, that broad social trust has faded in Suriname, with many people only trusting their immediate family or religious communities. Education is the glue that binds a pluralistic society together, and that glue has come loose.

    A failing education system does not simply produce less knowledgeable people. It produces people broken by systemic neglect, who have lost connection to their broader community because no one ever taught them that knowledge is meant to be shared, not hoarded. It is long past time to stop blaming Suriname’s young people for the failures of the system that was built to serve them. Instead, the nation must turn its attention to building a new system that actually nurtures young minds and souls. Yes, teachers deserve living wages. Yes, crumbling school infrastructure needs urgent repairs. But more than anything, Suriname needs schools that do more than administer exams – they need schools that shape whole people. A nation that forgets to invest in the souls of its children condemns itself to an endless future of stagnation. But the Surinamese people deserve better than that; they deserve the light of opportunity.

    Teachers are not just civil servants going through the motions of a job. They are the fireflies (loi boto, in Suriname’s native creole) that light the path in the dark for the next generation. If we refuse to give those fireflies the support and resources they need to shine, our children will walk blindly toward the edge of crisis. Give a child a meal, and you feed their body for a single day. Give a child a meaningful, soul-nurturing education, and you feed them for a lifetime. Fifty years of declining education is not just a statistic on a policy report. It is the quiet sound of a nation forgetting who it is and what it can be. Now is the time to break that silence, and start rebuilding the future that Suriname’s children deserve.