Carib Scope

分类： politics

  • Kaya: Evan Thompson’s Rejection Is the Nature of Politics

    Kaya: Evan Thompson’s Rejection Is the Nature of Politics

    As the countdown to the People’s United Party (PUP) Belize City municipal convention ticks down, with just under two weeks remaining before the August 30 vote, campaign operations have shifted to hyper-local, retail politics: candidates and their teams are now working their way through neighborhood doorsteps and dialing through delegate contact lists one conversation at a time. More than 700 registered PUP delegates will cast ballots to select the party’s final municipal slate, and sitting Belize City Councilor Kaya Cattouse says her campaign has been fully mobilized since gaining access to the official delegate list roughly one week ago.

    In a press interview alongside her campaign trail activities, Cattouse addressed one of the race’s most prominent controversies: the exclusion of incumbent fellow councilor Evan Thompson from the list of eligible candidates. Cattouse described the decision to bar Thompson from contesting the convention as deeply unfortunate, but framed the outcome as an expected reality of political life. She also clarified that she has prioritized her own campaign efforts over investigating the root causes of Thompson’s rejection.

    “Definitely have been on the ground from we got the delegate list about a week ago. We’ve been on the ground trying to reach out to all the delegates and preparing for August thirtieth,” Cattouse told reporters. When asked to share her reaction to Thompson being barred from running, she responded: “Definitely unfortunate. But sometimes that is the nature of politics, and you must move on.” Pressed on whether she knew what led party leadership to reject Thompson’s candidacy, Cattouse added: “I’m not necessarily sure. I haven’t been able to delve so much into his issues. I’ve directly dealing with, with selling myself and selling the team that we have on the ground.”

    To date, the PUP has not released a public explanation for why it rejected the sitting councilor’s candidacy application. Party Secretary General Collet Montejo has only confirmed that the final decision was made jointly by the party’s Vetting Committee and National Campaign Committee. This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast, with all direct quotes retained and transcribed accurately per standard formatting rules.

  • Unions Say Mira Millions Scandal Cannot Be Swept Away

    Unions Say Mira Millions Scandal Cannot Be Swept Away

    Dated August 18, 2026, a growing political controversy in Belize centers on the unresolved Mira Millions defense procurement scandal, with the nation’s joint trade unions doubling down on demands for full accountability, rejecting government attempts to sideline the issue amid public distractions.

    Many political observers have noted that the recently shelved BTL/Speednet acquisition deal has drawn public attention away from the questionable spending tied to the Mira Millions scandal and the Ministry of National Defense procurement probe. But organized labor groups across the country say they have no intention of letting the matter fade from public discourse, emphasizing that the misuse of public taxpayer funds directly impacts the financial well-being of every ordinary Belizean.

    Glenfield Dennison, a Union Senator, laid out the unions’ position in sharp, uncompromising terms during recent public remarks. “The Ministry of Defense procurement scandal cannot be swept under the rug, because it is showing us the weakness in our procurement system,” Dennison explained. “It does not matter if we double or triple the national budget, if the leakages of public funds don’t stop, monies will not be available for the people of Belize to have in their pockets. Taxes don’t need to be raised if we are using the monies efficiently.”

    Dennison also called out the stark gap between allocated defense funding and the actual conditions for service members, noting that nearly every Belizean family has a connection to the Belize Defence Force (BDF). Challenging claims of proper resource allocation, he invited the public to share images of the meals provided to BDF personnel online: “Everybody here has a BDF in their family, everybody. Ask them to send you a picture of the food they are eating. And post it on Whatsapp and Facebook and Instagram and show me where the baby back ribs are, where is the lobster? Where is the jumbo shrimp? Anyone from you please, when any one of your family members have jumbo shrimp and baby back ribs, you send it to me, because I really want to see it, because I have never seen anyone get any of those things. So, where the money gone?”

    While the scandal remains under active review by the Auditor General, senior leadership at the Ministry of National Defense maintains that day-to-day operations have not been disrupted by the audit. CEO Francis Usher confirmed that the ministry is fully cooperating with investigative efforts, and that frontline personnel from the BDF’s soldiers to naval crews remain on active duty with no slowdown to operational output.

    “Not at all. The work goes on. The operations go on,” Usher stated in response to questions about the audit’s impact. “Both the BDF, the soldiers and the sailors they’re consummate professionals. They ensure that they get the job done every step of the way. The audit has not hampered the operational tempo in any way. We are completely supportive and compliant of all of the requests from the Auditor General and her team and it has not affected the operational tempo at all.”

    When asked whether ongoing scrutiny had disrupted procurement activities at the ministry, Usher clarified that all procurement processes continue to follow official regulatory guidelines, with close ongoing coordination between the defense ministry, the Ministry of Finance, and the Office of the Contractor General to guarantee all spending remains above board. “It has not affected procurement. Procurement continues following the rules, following all of the guidelines. We are in constant communication with [other oversight bodies] to ensure that everything as it has been is above board.”

    This report is a transcribed excerpt from an evening television news broadcast, with Kriol language remarks preserved using a standardized spelling system for accessibility.

  • Coast Guard Sailors Question Meal Allowance Delay

    Coast Guard Sailors Question Meal Allowance Delay

    Discontent has emerged among members of a country’s Coast Guard over the staggered rollout of a new $17 daily meal allowance, which is being rolled out first to troops of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) while Coast Guard sailors are required to wait months for the benefit. The frustration became public via social media, after Coast Guard personnel discovered they would not receive the per diem payment immediately, despite prior expectations that the new allowance would be extended to all branches of the nation’s security forces at the same time.

    Senior defence officials have defended the phased approach, noting that the different operational models of the two branches justify the staggered timeline. Francis Usher, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of National Defence, explained that the initial rollout to BDF soldiers is tied to a broader trial of new meal options for jungle deployments. Under the current pilot program, the ministry is purchasing pre-packaged meals ready to eat (MREs) for BDF troops conducting multi-day jungle patrols, where troops often travel for days on foot before reaching their operational areas and cannot easily transport fresh rations. The $17 daily per diem rate was set after internal planning, and Usher noted that defence officials are open to feedback from participating troops, who may request adjustments to the MRE options, including switching to freeze-dried rations better suited to jungle operating conditions.

    Usher emphasized that the delayed rollout for the Coast Guard is not a cut to benefits, but a reflection of the branch’s unique operational logistics. Unlike BDF jungle patrols, Coast Guard units travel by boat to their forward operating bases, all of which have permanent kitchen facilities that allow for the preparation of fresh rations. At the suggestion of the Coast Guard Commandant, which Usher endorsed, the branch will continue its existing fresh ration program through the end of the current fiscal year. The new $17 daily meal allowance will be rolled out to all Coast Guard personnel starting on April 1, the first day of the next fiscal year. At that time, Coast Guard personnel will retain access to fresh rations in addition to receiving the new per diem.

    Usher added that funding for the allowance was already fully approved and available for the BDF rollout, so no additional budget authorization was required to launch the pilot program. He also clarified the terms of the allowance for Coast Guard personnel once it launches: sailors deployed at sea will continue to receive fresh rations, while personnel stationed at shore-based camps will receive the per diem payment. The original report is a transcript of an evening television news broadcast, with Kriol language portions transcribed using a standard spelling system for accessibility.

  • Govt floats permanent farmers’ markets to help cut cost of living

    Govt floats permanent farmers’ markets to help cut cost of living

    On August 18, 2026, Guyana President Irfaan Ali announced that his administration is exploring the creation of a nationwide network of permanent farmers’ markets, a structural policy intervention designed to cut exploitative middleman markups and ease the growing pressure of skyrocketing living costs across the country. Speaking at a press briefing, Ali outlined that the permanent markets would integrate directly into the country’s retail food ecosystem, giving small-scale and independent producers unmediated access to consumers. He did not mince words when describing the markup issue currently plaguing Guyana’s food sector, noting that some retailers are inflating produce prices by as much as 10 times the rate they paid farmers to source the goods, pocketing exorbitant, unfair profit margins at the expense of both producers and working-class households. For years, the Guyanese government has operated temporary pop-up farmers’ markets through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, offering select staple goods at discounted rates to consumers. But shifting consumer behavior over recent years has eroded the reach of these ad-hoc initiatives and lower-cost traditional municipal and village markets. Ali explained that more Guyanese consumers now prioritize shopping at large supermarkets, which command higher price points, while changing dietary habits have also driven increased demand for pre-prepared cooked food, further reshaping market dynamics. The president noted that his administration has already deployed nearly all available policy tools to curb rising living costs, pointing to previous measures including the full elimination of excise tax on fuel, direct subsidies for agricultural producers, and the rollback of hikes to drainage and irrigation service fees and land rental fees implemented by the prior administration. Even with these interventions in place, however, global headwinds driven largely by ongoing conflict in the Middle East have pushed up the cost of critical production inputs including pharmaceutical supplies for livestock and crop fertilizer, offsetting much of the government’s domestic relief. Ali pushed back against calls for expanded cash grants as a long-term solution to the cost of living crisis, emphasizing that recurring cash transfers can only act as a temporary buffer for vulnerable households, not a fix for the systemic market failures driving price hikes. “No amount of grant will address it,” he told reporters. “Grants are there to support different level of vulnerability and to support injection for family income. We have to address it in a structural way.” The main opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity led by the People’s National Congress Reform, has previously put forward its own policy framework to ease price pressures, calling for expanded national food production and broad-based consumer subsidies. The Ali administration has already aligned with the opposition on the core goal of boosting domestic agricultural output as a long-term mechanism to bring down food prices, and the proposed permanent farmers’ market network would serve as a complementary supply-side reform to connect that increased production directly to consumers at fairer prices.

  • “Three Hours of Work for One Gallon of Gas”?

    “Three Hours of Work for One Gallon of Gas”?

    At a press conference held by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) in Belize City on August 18, 2026, the stagnant $5 national minimum wage emerged as a central point of contention, with union representatives decrying the policy as a failure that leaves working-class families trapped in cycles of financial hardship.

    Union Senator Glenfield Dennison led the criticism, highlighting the stark gap between minimum wage earnings and soaring basic commodity costs. He pointed to the crippling reality that a worker currently must put in three full hours of labor just to afford a single gallon of gasoline – a ratio he called indefensible for any working economy.

    Dennison warned that prolonged economic desperation pushes vulnerable workers toward dangerous choices, noting that most people prefer to earn an honest living to support their households. But when a full day of work is not enough to cover basic needs, he argued, some people are forced to turn to petty theft just to put food on the table for their children. He went as far as to describe Belize’s current labor and wage landscape as a modern-day slave mill, arguing that working people have seen little to no meaningful economic progress four and a half decades after the country gained independence.

    Beyond addressing the inadequate minimum wage, Dennison called on the Belizean government to develop a comprehensive, actionable strategy to expand economic opportunity and ease the crippling financial pressure on working households. He also condemned the widespread practice of politicians using public funds to provide targeted financial assistance to constituents as blatant vote-buying. Dennison criticized the system where families are forced to beg their local representative for help covering basic costs like their children’s school tuition, only to have those favors weaponized for political gain during election cycles.

    Fourty-five years after Belize secured full sovereignty, Dennison argued that the country is moving backward rather than forward, leaving working people behind in a system that fails to deliver fair compensation or basic economic security.

  • Opposition picks members for Local Government Commission; APNU left out

    Opposition picks members for Local Government Commission; APNU left out

    On Tuesday, 18 August 2026, Guyana’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed confirmed that he has submitted three names for appointment to the constitutionally mandated Local Government Commission (LGC), following closed-door consultations with leadership from the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM).

    The three nominees include two members of Mohamed’s own party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) — Leola Narine and Leslyn Lowe — alongside Nicholas Chesney, the representative selected from the smaller FGM. Sources familiar with the internal selection process told Demerara Waves Online News that APNU had put forward its own candidates Joan Romascindo and Ronald Daniels for the vacancies, but Mohamed ultimately opted to allocate two of the three opposition slots to WIN, which currently holds the status of Guyana’s largest parliamentary opposition bloc.

    The selection outcome comes amid open tensions between WIN and APNU, two major opposition factions that have been locked in a dispute over representation on key national oversight bodies. WIN has repeatedly called for the three APNU-aligned incumbent commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to step down, arguing that the party is now entitled to fill those opposition positions after securing 16 parliamentary seats in the most recent election. APNU currently holds 12 seats, while FGM holds one.

    Mohamed also outlined the timeline of the consultation process to reporters, noting that WIN received formal requests for consultation on three separate constitutional commissions — the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Public Service Commission (PSC), and LGC — from Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira on 24 July 2026.

    In a departure from the partisan friction over the LGC, Mohamed confirmed that WIN has chosen not to raise objections to President Irfaan Ali’s nominees for the other two vacancies. For the JSC, President Ali has tapped former Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh, while the President’s PSC nominees are Maurice Gajadhar, Melcita Bovell, and Leila Ramson. Mohamed stated that he saw no strategic or procedural reason to block the President’s picks, pointing out that the government retains the final authority to advance its preferred candidates regardless of opposition pushback.

  • SVG in ‘very serious’ talks with Taiwan about national debt

    SVG in ‘very serious’ talks with Taiwan about national debt

    St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Prime Minister Godwin Friday has announced that his new administration is holding intensive, ongoing negotiations with Taiwan to address the Caribbean nation’s crippling public debt burden, a fiscal crisis that has pushed the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio past 113%.

    Speaking at a press briefing in Kingstown on Tuesday, one week after concluding an official visit to Taipei, Friday framed the trip as both a commemoration of 45 years of formal diplomatic ties between the two sides and a urgent diplomatic mission to tackle the $345 million in outstanding loans SVG owes to Taiwan. The prime minister emphasized that resolving the debt crisis is an immediate priority for his government, vowing that SVG will not become a “failed state” on his watch, and that he will not pass the fiscal burden onto future generations.

    Friday detailed the stark fiscal reality his New Democratic Party government inherited after unseating the long-ruling Unity Labour Party in November 2025, ending almost 25 years of the previous administration’s governance. He explained that most of the $345 million Taiwanese loan portfolio has already been drawn down, and without aggressive corrective policy action, the debt-to-GDP ratio will climb even higher from its current 113%, leaving the government with almost no fiscal room to fund critical social programs or growth-focused infrastructure investments.

    The prime minister doubled down on his longstanding criticism of the previous Unity Labour Party government’s borrowing practices, accusing the ousted administration of adopting a reckless, laissez-faire approach to accumulating debt that ignored the long-term risks to the country’s fiscal stability. When his party was still in opposition, Friday repeatedly warned that the bill for unchecked borrowing would eventually come due — and he told reporters on Tuesday that moment has arrived.

    As one of SVG’s largest creditors, Taiwan was a core stakeholder in Friday’s debt resolution consultations, which have also included talks with the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and regional partners. The prime minister confirmed that Taipei has responded to SVG’s position with encouraging openness, noting that Taiwanese authorities have expressed clear genuine willingness to collaborate on finding a sustainable solution.

    While Friday declined to share specific details of the proposed debt restructuring arrangements, citing the ongoing nature of the negotiations, he revealed that near-term relief measures are already being implemented. He told reporters that the talks have already made tangible progress, adding that there is “light at the end of the tunnel” and that further announcements will be made once discussions are finalized, promising “the news is good news.”

    Breaking from the previous government’s pattern of framing new borrowing as a diplomatic victory, Friday stressed that his administration has no interest in taking on additional debt to paper over existing fiscal gaps. Instead, negotiations with Taiwan have centered on two core priorities: first, restructuring the existing loan portfolio through alternative mechanisms to improve long-term debt sustainability, and second, re-evaluating committed but undrawn funds from past loan agreements to redirect those resources toward pro-growth initiatives without increasing the overall debt burden.

    Friday explained that the goal of these talks is to unlock much-needed fiscal space for the SVG government while maximizing the value of past borrowing, aligning future bilateral cooperation with long-term debt sustainability rather than unchecked new spending.

    The prime minister emphasized that any final agreement with Taiwan and international financial bodies must balance three core national priorities: stabilizing and ultimately reducing the country’s overall debt, preserving and expanding critical social programs for vulnerable populations, and freeing up capital for productive investment that drives inclusive economic growth. He added that austerity measures that abandon social commitments and development goals are not on the table, even as the government acknowledges that current debt levels are unsustainable.

    In closing, Friday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to maintaining SVG’s longstanding diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Social Security Board Appoints Joy Dublin Baptiste as First Female Chairperson

    Antigua and Barbuda Social Security Board Appoints Joy Dublin Baptiste as First Female Chairperson

    ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA — A new chapter of gender inclusion and institutional progress has opened for the Antigua and Barbuda Social Security Board (ABSSB), which has announced the appointment of Joy Dublin Baptiste as the first woman to lead its Board of Directors in the organization’s 51-year history. Since the social security agency was founded in 1973, no woman has ever held the top chair position — making Dublin Baptiste’s appointment a landmark breakthrough for gender representation in the country’s key public governance bodies.

    Dublin Baptiste brings a wealth of professional experience, proven leadership capacity, and a long-standing record of commitment to public service to her new role. Beyond the internal leadership change for ABSSB, the appointment is widely viewed as a meaningful step forward for gender parity in Antigua and Barbuda’s statutory bodies and national decision-making institutions.

    Dublin Baptiste’s tenure comes at a critical juncture for Antigua and Barbuda’s Social Security Fund. As chair, she will steer the Board through ongoing institutional reform, supporting the organization’s broader push to modernize its operational systems, improve the quality of services delivered to beneficiaries, and protect the long-term financial stability and integrity of the fund.

    Alongside Dublin Baptiste, a full cohort of new board members has been sworn in to the ABSSB Board of Directors. The new membership includes Director David Matthias, Alrick Daniel, who serves as the representative for the Antigua & Barbuda Trades & Labour Union, Martin Cave, the Chamber of Commerce representative, Sherryann Brazier, representing the Employers’ Federation, Phylis Davis, who takes on the role of Board Secretary, and Dwayne Edwards, the government’s representative to the board, who will also be sworn in alongside the rest of the group.

    Officials have extended warm congratulations to Dublin Baptiste on her trailblazing appointment, and expressed high expectations for the progress and innovation her leadership will bring to the social security system.

  • Diaspora Department connects with Vincies in New York

    Diaspora Department connects with Vincies in New York

    On a recent Saturday in Long Island, New York, a collaborative outreach initiative brought together St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Department of Diaspora Affairs and the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) to build ties with Vincentian community members living across the United States. The gathering took place during the annual Vincy Day USA Picnic, a popular event that draws diaspora communities from the island nation for a day of connection and cultural celebration.

    Unlike a typical social gathering, this year’s event carried a strategic policy-focused goal: deepening engagement between the home government and its overseas population to advance national development projects back in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Officials from the Department of Diaspora Affairs used the opportunity to share updates on domestic priorities, open lines of two-way communication, and collect critical data that will shape future diaspora engagement strategies.

    A core component of the outreach was a community questionnaire crafted to map the diverse skills, lived experiences, professional expertise, and existing interests among US-based Vincentians. The survey was designed to identify clear pathways for diaspora members to contribute to national growth, whether through investment, skill-sharing, volunteer work, or community partnerships. To remove barriers to participation, officials offered both digital and physical versions of the questionnaire, accommodating a wide range of access needs and preferences.

    Following the event, the Department has extended its invitation to all Vincentian diaspora members who have not yet completed the survey to submit their responses via a public online link shared in an official press release. In the statement, department representatives expressed gratitude for the consistent enthusiasm and backing the overseas community has extended to national development efforts. The organization emphasized its ongoing commitment to nurturing stronger, more productive connections between the home government and Vincentians living abroad, with the ultimate goal of building mutually beneficial partnerships that drive long-term progress across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

  • Bramble challenges Vincentians in Taiwan to use lessons to build SVG

    Bramble challenges Vincentians in Taiwan to use lessons to build SVG

    During Prime Minister Godwin Friday’s landmark first official visit to Taiwan, a gathering of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) diaspora held on August 16, 2025 marked a significant milestone: the 45th anniversary of formal diplomatic ties between the Caribbean nation and the Asian island. At the event, Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble — SVG’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Investment and Diaspora Affairs — delivered a rousing call to the Vincentian students, graduates and professionals based in Taiwan, positioning the community not as distant onlookers, but as core strategic partners in the country’s growth and foreign policy agenda.

    Bramble acknowledged that from the perspective of Taiwan’s dynamic, high-functioning modern society, it would be easy to fixate on SVG’s unmet challenges, ranging from gaps in infrastructure and digital transformation to bureaucratic inefficiencies and gaps in public service delivery. But he rejected this framing, instead reframing the conversation around the untapped potential the diaspora holds. Instead of focusing on what SVG lacks, he asked the assembled community: “What can St. Vincent and the Grenadines become because of you?”

    For the Vincentians who have built lives and careers in Taiwan, Bramble emphasized that their time in the country is far more than a personal advancement opportunity. It is, he argued, a strategic national asset for SVG. He pushed back against the idea that the primary goal of time abroad should be simply earning a degree or professional credential — a goal he recalled being his own priority during his university years, noting that SVG has evolved beyond that limited mindset.

    Instead, he urged the community to absorb the core elements that have driven Taiwan’s global success: advanced technical skills, a culture of strong work ethic, structured problem-solving frameworks, and the high institutional standards that underpin the country’s efficiency. Rather than only admiring these effective systems from afar, Bramble challenged the diaspora to deconstruct how these systems work, and adapt their core principles to solve challenges across SVG’s communities, from the capital Kingstown to the smaller islands of Bequia, Union Island, and Sandy Bay.

    Bramble pointed out that many Vincentians in Taiwan have already built successful careers in competitive global industries, cultivated valuable professional networks, mastered multilingual communication skills, and gained on-the-ground experience operating in dynamic Asian markets. These are exactly the resources that SVG needs to advance its development, he said: “St. Vincent and the Grenadines needs your expertise… your global perspective, and your willingness to mentor the next generation. These assets are critical if we are going to move forward in any meaningful way.”

    In his multiple portfolios covering foreign policy, trade, investment and diaspora engagement, Bramble noted that the SVG government is actively reshaping its approach to its global diaspora community. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building accessible pathways for diaspora skills, innovative ideas and entrepreneurial ventures to create tangible impact at home, while fostering mutually beneficial partnerships between Taiwanese businesses and Vincentian entrepreneurs. The government now views the diaspora as a strategic extension of SVG’s national development efforts, not an afterthought.

    Importantly, Bramble stressed that meaningful contribution does not require an immediate return to SVG. In an increasingly interconnected world, national development is no longer constrained by physical borders. He called on the community to build partnerships with local institutions, startups and government agencies back home, share evidence-based best practices and specialized technical knowledge, and identify new trade, technology and investment opportunities that link the two economies.

    Bramble also urged the diaspora to reject a culture of mediocrity when working on projects for SVG, challenging them to bring the high standard of excellence they experience in Taiwan to every initiative they join at home. He highlighted a young woman in the audience as a powerful example, noting her clear, ambitious vision for contributing to SVG’s development that grew directly from her time living and working in Taiwan.

    Closing his address, Bramble urged the community not to underestimate their own potential. When you look in the mirror each morning, he told them, don’t only see a student or an overseas worker — see a future leader, innovator, policy reformer, and builder of a modern St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He contrasted the wide range of opportunities open to today’s young Vincentians with his own youth, when structured career pathways and guidance were far less accessible. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be here talking to you in this capacity,” he said, adding that today’s generation are “beneficiaries of what is possible” and should never sell themselves short.