It has been 12 months since Suriname’s general elections held on May 25, 2025, and frustration is building across segments of the public. What is growing faster than impatience over the lack of tangible results, however, is the rising question of whether the country’s governing system is truly undergoing the transformative change candidates promised.
While the Simons administration has launched multiple recovery programs, public consultation rounds and policy proposals since taking office, a clear, foundational path for systemic reform has yet to emerge.
The 2025 election cycle was dominated by a single core narrative: national recovery. Candidates ran on platforms centered on transparent governance, strengthened state institutions, improved oversight mechanisms, proactive preparation for the coming oil era, and a break from long-entrenched old political cultures. Key priority areas highlighted during the campaign included education, healthcare, agriculture, government transparency and national identity-building.
Public expectations were particularly high because the country is on the cusp of a historic economic transformation driven by future offshore oil revenues. The widespread consensus going into the new government was that Suriname had learned hard lessons from past economic crises, and that new institutional frameworks and legislation would prevent the country’s coming resource wealth from being squandered again through mismanagement, corruption and political patronage.
The ongoing debate over Suriname’s 2024 Accounting Law has become a symbolic case study of deeper structural flaws within the country’s state system. The 2026 national budget cannot be processed by parliament, because it was not drafted in alignment with the new law that entered into force on January 1, 2025. The Simons government has proposed delaying full implementation of the reform law until 2029, arguing that critical administrative systems, oversight structures and enforcement frameworks are not yet ready to meet the new requirements. As a temporary solution, the outdated 2019 Accounting Law will remain in effect.
In practical terms, this delay means that as Suriname enters the final stretch of preparation for incoming oil revenues, it still lacks the fully modernized financial oversight and accountability framework that the new law was designed to deliver. What raises more questions is that the government is seeking a three-year delay, while international advisory bodies have previously cited a two-year timeline as sufficient for full implementation. To date, the administration has not clarified why a three-year extension is necessary, nor has it laid out concrete, trackable milestones to be achieved over that period.
This dispute cuts to a fundamental question: Why is the modernization of financial oversight being delayed precisely as Suriname prepares for the largest influx of capital in its national history?
Political and economic attention across the country is increasingly shifting to 2028, the year when the first large-scale offshore oil production is projected to begin. This timeline makes pre-2028 institutional reform a high-stakes priority: pressure is mounting to have robust, fully operational oversight institutions in place before oil revenues begin flowing. Resource wealth brings unprecedented economic opportunity, but it also carries well-documented severe risks, including increased political interference, cronyism, opaque public procurement, concentration of economic power, and weakened independent oversight.
International organizations, global financial institutions and foreign investors are therefore increasingly scrutinizing Suriname’s governance standards, procurement rules, financial transparency and independent oversight mechanisms. Viewed through this lens, the delay to the Accounting Law is far more than a minor technical bureaucratic issue: it directly impacts confidence in the government’s ability to prepare the country for responsible management of the oil era.
A central campaign promise of the current administration was a dramatic overhaul of Suriname’s governing system, 50 years after the country gained independence. For many Surinamese, oil revenue represents the last best chance to build a durable, inclusive economic foundation for current and future generations. To date, however, the systemic change promised by candidates has failed to materialize.
There are new faces in government, new cabinet ministers and shifted political power dynamics, but the day-to-day functioning of the state still retains all the hallmarks of the old model: slow implementation of policy, limited government transparency, politically motivated public sector appointments, weak institutional oversight, and overreliance on informal decision-making processes.
Debates over procedural irregularities, insufficient oversight and political influence continue to emerge regularly around public procurement processes and state-led infrastructure projects. While the government repeatedly references its commitments to reform and professionalization, much of the public has yet to experience fundamental cultural change within the civil service and governing establishment. This has opened a growing gap between the government’s rhetorical commitments to reform and the public’s on-the-ground experience.
A further challenge for the administration is that a clear, integrated national reform plan remains largely out of public view. While the government has announced scattered policy initiatives and sector-specific projects, a cohesive national reform framework with clear priorities, binding deadlines and measurable outcomes has yet to be articulated in public discourse.
This lack of clarity creates a risk that the government will be seen as purely reactive, shifting from one crisis to the next without a visible long-term strategy that the public can assess and hold officials accountable to.
At this pivotal moment, as the country prepares for sweeping economic change, public demand for predictability, institutional clarity and confidence in state functions is growing rapidly.
For Suriname, the coming years will not only be defined by efforts to drive economic growth. The real core question of this era is whether the country can build strong, capable state institutions in time for the start of the oil era. Oil itself does not transform nations: strong, accountable institutions do. It is only on that basis that the public will ultimately be able to judge whether true systemic change has arrived – or if nothing has changed beyond a rotation of political leaders within the same broken system.
分类： politics
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Analyse: Één jaar later groeit de vraag waar de systeemverandering blijft
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Gunman Shot Dead Outside the White House
On the evening of Saturday, May 24, 2026, a violent shooting incident unfolded at a security checkpoint near the White House, triggering an immediate temporary lockdown of the U.S. presidential residence and leaving the local community shaken. The incident began shortly after 6 p.m., when 21-year-old suspect Nasire Best approached the checkpoint, pulled a firearm from his bag and opened fire directly on Secret Service officers stationed at the site.
In response to the immediate threat, Secret Service agents returned fire, striking the suspect. He was quickly transported to a nearby medical facility for emergency treatment, but was pronounced dead a short time later. One bystander caught in the crossfire also sustained injuries during the exchange of gunfire; as of the latest official updates, no further details on the bystander’s condition have been released.
Law enforcement records reveal that Best was already well-known to Secret Service personnel, with a documented pattern of encounters near the presidential compound and a reported history of mental health concerns. Court documents show Best faced arrest as recently as July 2025, after he entered a restricted zone near the White House and publicly claimed to be Jesus Christ, stating he intended to be taken into custody. Just one month before that, in June 2025, he was involuntarily committed for mental health evaluation after blocking vehicle access to the White House complex. Authorities also confirmed that Best had repeatedly approached White House entry points in the past, asking repeated questions about gaining access to the secured grounds.
At the time of the shooting, former President Donald Trump was inside the White House compound and was never placed in any danger, emerging from the incident completely unharmed. Shortly after the situation was resolved, Trump posted a statement to his Truth Social platform, praising Secret Service and law enforcement for their “swift and professional action” that prevented a more catastrophic outcome. He also used the incident to reignite his longstanding push for the construction of a new, more secure presidential facility in Washington D.C.
Located in the center of the nation’s capital, the White House already ranks among the most heavily protected government facilities in the world, functioning both as the sitting president’s official residence and primary workplace. Saturday’s shooting marks the second violent firearms incident near the White House in just one month, coming 30 days after a separate shooting took place during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
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Prime Minister Holness’ National Labour Day Message 2026
As Jamaica prepares to mark its annual Labour Day, the nation’s leader has delivered a stirring address tying the holiday’s core ethos of service to the ongoing work of recovering from Hurricane Melissa, while laying out a bold vision for long-term national renewal. Unlike common framing that frames nation-building as the exclusive responsibility of official leadership, the address opens with a core reminder: every Jamaican carries a stake in shaping the future of their country, through collective effort, intentional discipline, and generous community spirit. This year, the call to service carries uncommon urgency, coming months after Hurricane Melissa carved a path of destruction across the island, leaving thousands of families and communities grappling with lasting damage. While many areas have made incremental progress in recovery, hundreds of households still lack adequate shelter, access to critical public services, and stable pathways to rebuild their livelihoods. For those still facing hardship, the leader offered a clear reassurance: no Jamaican left affected by the storm will be forgotten. Outlining the government’s ongoing recovery commitments, the address confirms that more than JMD 67 billion has already been earmarked for relief and reconstruction work. A substantial portion of that funding, JMD 10 billion, has been allocated to the ROOFS Programme, which provides direct grants to eligible households to fix storm-damaged roofs and complete essential home repairs. Critical public infrastructure is also being restored: damaged schools and residential properties are undergoing repairs, a strategic loan to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is accelerating the full restoration of power across the island, and one of the largest debris clearance operations in the nation’s history has been completed across all affected parishes. In partnership with the National Housing Trust, the Ministry of Housing, and the Government of China, the Jamaican government has secured more than 2,700 semi-permanent modular housing units for families whose homes were completely destroyed and who lack the resources to rebuild immediately. The units are awaiting the completion of reinforced concrete foundations before they can be installed, the address confirmed. Reaffirming a commitment made last December, the leader emphasized that all public and donated funds for hurricane recovery would be directed toward tangible, long-lasting, and verifiable projects. Of the JMD 1.4 billion donated to recovery efforts, JMD 600 million will fund the construction of foundations for the first 900 prefabricated units, which have already arrived on the island. The remaining donated funds will be used to restock roofing material supplies to support the ongoing government-led roof repair programme. “Our commitment is simple: to use donated funds in ways that are tangible, resilient, accountable, and traceable,” the address stated. “We will not spend recklessly. We will not be profligate. We will spend responsibly and strategically.” Repaired roofs, poured foundations, and restored homes serve as visible, undeniable proof that recovery resources are being managed honestly and effectively, the leader noted, adding that the government stands ready to allocate additional funding for affected communities as more accurate damage assessments are completed. Beyond public investment, the address highlighted the immeasurable value of volunteer effort, collective sacrifice, and international goodwill that has emerged in the wake of the storm. Images of neighbours sharing resources, communities lifting up vulnerable households, and strangers offering help to those they had never met embody the very spirit of service, sacrifice, and solidarity that Labour Day was created to honour. With that in mind, every Jamaican is encouraged to see themselves as an active participant in national reconstruction this Labour Day. The effort underway is not merely about replacing what was lost, the leader stressed: it is about rebuilding Jamaica to be better, safer, stronger, and more resilient than before. This is a chance to address longstanding vulnerabilities, reduce future climate risk, and create communities that can withstand the storms and other shocks that lie ahead. While full national recovery cannot be achieved in a single day, every small action adds up to transformative change. Jamaicans are invited to contribute in tangible ways: repairing a leaking classroom at the local basic school, replacing a broken window at the community clinic, clearing overgrown grounds at the community centre, or simply cleaning residential yards, gateways, drains and sidewalks. Just weeks ahead of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, the address also used Labour Day as an opportunity to jumpstart national preparedness efforts. By now, Jamaicans have seen firsthand how critical advance preparation is to reducing storm damage, the leader noted, and called on every household to use the holiday to inspect their property and surroundings, identify potential hazards to homes, community infrastructure and personal safety, check emergency supplies, service generators, complete affordable roof repairs, trim hazardous trees, and clear blocked drains and culverts. “Let this Labour Day be the beginning of your hurricane preparedness,” the address urged. Beyond physical reconstruction, the address turned to a deeper national duty: transforming Jamaica into a more productive, disciplined, and efficient nation. Productivity determines how quickly the nation can grow its output, while efficiency determines how wisely it uses its existing resources, and the leader argued that this critical conversation demands honest, serious engagement from all Jamaicans. For too long, the address noted, outdated mindsets have held the nation back: some have embraced the false idea that prosperity can be achieved without collective work, or that effort equals exploitation, while others have hidden behind bureaucracy and obstruction, quick to criticize but slow to create, and unwilling to take responsibility for building national value. That outdated mindset cannot build a modern, competitive Jamaica. Instead, the nation needs a new generation of doers: Jamaicans who understand risk, are willing to innovate, are prepared to work both harder and smarter, and who step forward to build, produce, solve problems, and lead. The leader emphasized a core economic truth that the next generation must embrace: rising wages without corresponding growth in productivity only fuels inflation, and sustained improvements in wages, prosperity, and living standards can only come from increased output, stronger efficiency, and better national performance. Jamaicans must embrace a new national ethos, where performance matters and performance is rewarded. This principle is particularly critical for the public sector, where accountability, efficiency, and performance-based management must become standard practice. Jamaica is globally renowned for the speed, agility, and resilience of its people, the leader noted; now, the nation must also earn a reputation for getting things done efficiently and effectively. To advance that goal, the government has established the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), with a clear mission: to drive the nation’s reconstruction forward with urgency, coordinated action, transparency, and speed. “We will prove that Jamaica can build quickly. We will prove that Jamaica can build well. And we will prove that Jamaica can recover stronger than before,” the address stated. Closing, the leader reminded Jamaicans that Labour Day is ultimately about more than work: it is about purpose, service, discipline, and national pride. If every Jamaican does their part, no storm, no setback, and no challenge can defeat the nation. “Together, let us build. Together, let us prepare. Together, let us recover. Together, let us strengthen Jamaica.”
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Gov’t has presided over failed labour and sport policy, says Hinds
KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a fiery address during the ongoing Sectoral Debate in Jamaica’s House of Representatives, Wavell Hinds, the nation’s opposition spokesperson for labour and sports, has launched a scathing attack on the ruling government’s handling of labour market and sports development strategies, blaming the administration’s failed policies for driving what he calls an unprecedented “brain drain” of the country’s most talented young people.
Hinds centered his criticism on newly released data from a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) migration survey, which paints a deeply concerning picture of Jamaica’s demographic future. The poll finds that a staggering 71 percent of Jamaican young people intend to leave the country and resettle abroad within the next three years. “Nearly three-quarters of our young population are already actively building exit plans from their home country,” Hinds told lawmakers, underscoring the severity of the ongoing exodus.
To illustrate how this systemic failure ripples through Jamaica’s iconic sports sector, Hinds pointed to a high-profile decision from World Athletics issued on April 16, 2026, that approved nationality transfers for four of Jamaica’s most decorated elite track and field athletes. The group includes Roje Stona, the reigning 2024 Olympic men’s discus gold medalist; Rajindra Campbell, Olympic shot put bronze medalist; Wayne Pinnock, World Championships long jump silver medalist; and Jaydon Hibbert, the junior men’s triple jump world record holder. Calling the quartet “among Jamaica’s absolute finest, elite field-event superstars”, Hinds pushed back against any claims that the athletes’ decision to switch allegiance to Turkey stems from a lack of national pride.
Instead, he argued, their choice is a direct reflection of the same lack of opportunity pushing hundreds of thousands of young Jamaicans toward borders abroad. “They are not leaving because they do not love Jamaica. They are leaving because they can no longer access upward mobility, consistent growth, or long-term financial stability under the current government’s system,” Hinds explained.
He posed a rhetorical question to the chamber that cut to the core of the crisis: “Why should an Olympic gold medalist have to leave their home country to build a secure financial future?” The answer, he said, is clear: Jamaica’s current systems systematically underinvest in the potential of its homegrown talent.
Hinds contrasted Jamaica’s approach with the deliberate investment strategies of other nations that successfully retain top athletic talent. Other countries are pouring resources into athlete welfare programs, world-class training infrastructure, cutting-edge sports rehabilitation science, structured sponsorship opportunities, and clear professional development pathways for elite competitors. By comparison, Hinds said, Jamaica continues to rely on empty appeals to national pride and outdated, underfunded institutional structures that leave top athletes struggling to make ends meet.
To back up his claims, Hinds cited internal financial documents from Jamaica’s own Sports Development Foundation, a public body tasked with advancing the nation’s sports sector. The documents reveal a troubling trend: while administrative overhead and executive pay for the foundation have risen over the past year, direct funding allocated to athlete support programs has actually decreased.
Hinds concluded with a sharp rebuke of the government’s approach, arguing that the current strategy is unsustainable. “We cannot keep asking our best athletes and our brightest young people to survive on good vibes, empty patriotic speeches, and flag-waving alone. If we continue underfunding our homegrown talent, we have no right to act shocked when they choose to pursue opportunities on foreign soil.”
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Foreign Ministers of Ecuador and Dominican Republic discuss trade, energy, and tourism
Diplomatic relations between Ecuador and the Dominican Republic entered a new phase of collaboration this Monday, as the two nations’ top foreign affairs leaders gathered in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo to advance shared goals across multiple critical sectors. Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld and her Dominican counterpart Roberto Álvarez led the closed-door negotiations, which centered on deepening cooperation in trade, cross-border investment, tourism, energy, migration management, and technical knowledge sharing.
At the top of the meeting’s agenda was progress toward a new Partial Scope Trade Agreement, a framework designed to break down existing trade barriers, deepen regional economic integration, and unlock new commercial opportunities for businesses in both countries. Both ministers underlined that advancing negotiations for this agreement is a top near-term priority, noting that expanded bilateral trade will drive job creation and economic growth on both sides. Beyond the core trade deal, the pair also agreed to launch new joint initiatives focused on developing free trade zones, attracting mutually beneficial foreign investment, and facilitating closer partnerships between private sector business groups from the two nations. They also celebrated existing progress in tourism cooperation, pointing to the 2025 gastronomic diplomacy agreement as a successful model for people-to-people exchange that has boosted cultural understanding and visitor numbers for both countries.
Beyond bilateral issues, the two foreign ministers turned their attention to pressing regional and global challenges, most notably the ongoing security and humanitarian crisis in neighboring Haiti. In a joint statement of principle, the leaders called on the full international community to ramp up coordinated efforts to help Haiti restore lasting security and political stability, addressing the violence and instability that has spilled across regional borders in recent years.
In the energy sector, the two nations reaffirmed their existing institutional cooperation between Ecuador’s state oil firm EP PETROECUADOR and the Dominican Republic’s state refinery REFIDOMSA. A key topic of discussion was the potential for new Dominican investment in Ecuador’s developing “Amistad” natural gas field, a project that could deliver long-term energy security benefits for both countries.
The meeting also wrapped up with commitments to expand collaboration across a range of other priority areas, including public health programming, digital transformation initiatives, orderly migration management, and cross-border security cooperation. Both leaders reaffirmed their ongoing commitment to expanding bilateral technical assistance programs and strengthening regular political dialogue mechanisms to address emerging challenges and seize new collaborative opportunities in the years ahead.
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Could earlier police access to info on disputes save lives?
CORAL SPRING, Trelawny — A senior Jamaican law enforcement leader’s call for proactive information sharing to stop dispute-related violence has sparked a promising policy review from the country’s top justice official, opening a new conversation about balancing public safety, privacy rights, and crime prevention in communities across the island. During the question-and-answer session of last Friday’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy Development and Estate Planning Public Education Forum, hosted at Ocean Coral Spring under the theme “Resolving Disputes, Securing Legacy”, St James Police Division Commander Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels raised urgent ethical and operational questions about existing restrictions that block police from accessing early records of escalating land and estate disputes.\n\nSamuels, who framed the issue as a critical gap in the country’s violence prevention strategy, pointed to two recent murders in his jurisdiction that were directly linked to long-running property and estate disputes already documented in court proceedings. “If we could have gotten wind of that earlier we might have avoided two murders,” Samuels told the gathered crowd and officials. “So, I want to know what would the problem be with the police officers getting that information early?”\n\nBeyond early access, the senior police commander also called for the creation of a centralized national registry or database to track all active property and estate disputes. Such a system, he argued, would document involved parties, log initial incident reports, and maintain an official public record of identified tensions — a resource that could allow law enforcement and conflict resolution officials to intervene before tensions turn lethal.\n\nResponding to Samuels’ request, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck acknowledged the senior commander had raised a “very important point” that demands urgent policy review. Current protocols enforced through the Administrator General’s Department, which oversees estate administration in Jamaica, ban the sharing of dispute information with law enforcement. But Chuck signaled openness to revising these rules to enable early intervention.\n\nChuck explained that early alerts of impending conflict over land in local communities would allow officials to deploy restorative justice interventions or police outreach to de-escalate tensions before violence breaks out. Even so, he emphasized that any policy change would require careful negotiations to balance crime prevention goals with Jamaica’s existing Data Protection Act, which sets strict rules for sharing personal information provided to government agencies.\n\n“We have to be careful about data protection; but to the extent that we’re talking about preventing violence, it is something we need to discuss,” Chuck said. “We will discuss it further to find out to what extent will information come to you. And [if] parties come to the administrator general, you anticipate that there could be a conflict and, quietly, we could pass on the information to the police to say, ‘There’s likely to be something in that community.’”\n\nFriday’s forum was the first event in a new public education campaign launched by the Administrator General’s Department to address rising tensions over what Jamaicans call “dead lef” — disputes over inherited property and unplanned estates that have become a leading source of inter-personal and community violence across the country. The campaign’s core goals include simplifying public information about intestacy rules and estate planning, as well as expanding awareness of alternative conflict resolution tools to reduce violent outcomes.
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Law allows deadly force against fleeing suspects — Chuck
CORAL SPRING, Trelawny — Against a backdrop of growing public uproar over a sharp increase in fatal police interactions across Jamaica, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Delroy Chuck has delivered a clear, controversial clarification of the legal boundaries governing law enforcement use of force, urging citizens to comply with police actions even as he acknowledged his remarks would likely draw sharp criticism.
Speaking at last Friday’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy Development and Estate Planning Public Education Forum, hosted at the Ocean Coral Spring resort under the theme “Resolving Disputes, Securing Legacy”, Chuck laid out the long-standing legal precedent guiding police conduct: under common law, reaffirmed by decades of judicial rulings, law enforcement officers are legally permitted to deploy reasonable force — including lethal force — when it is the only viable option to stop a fleeing felony suspect.
Chuck explained that the framework for use of force is not a new policy crafted by the current administration, but a well-established legal principle that has stood for generations. “If the person is trying to escape and the only way to apprehend the person is deadly force, it is still reasonable force in the eyes of the law,” he asserted to the gathering of justices of the peace and public policy stakeholders.
The justice minister stressed that maintaining public law and order remains one of the most dangerous and challenging core responsibilities of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and that police are the only legally authorized body in the country empowered to use coercive force to uphold public safety. He emphasized that while officers must always exercise their discretionary power responsibly and proportionally, the public has a corresponding obligation to comply with arrest instructions.
Chuck was careful to underline that the appropriate level of force is always dependent on the specific circumstances an officer faces on the ground. To illustrate this proportionality requirement, he gave a stark example: if a suspect attacks an officer with a non-lethal weapon like a toothpick, there is no justification for deadly force; but if a suspect confronts an arresting officer with a lethal weapon, the officer is legally within their rights to use whatever reasonable force is required to neutralize the threat.
His core message to Jamaican citizens was unambiguous: when an officer places you under arrest, you must surrender peacefully. Resisting arrest, he noted, carries its own separate criminal charge, and any claims of unlawful police conduct should be pursued through the judicial system after the arrest, not through in-the-moment confrontation. “If the police have arrested you wrongly you can sue the police for false imprisonment,” Chuck explained, adding that extrajudicial pushback against police operations undermines public safety and the rule of law.
Chuck’s comments arrive at a moment of heightened national tension over fatal police shootings. Official data from the Independent Commission of Investigations shows that 133 fatal police shootings have already been recorded across Jamaica since the beginning of the calendar year. The most recent high-profile incident, the killing of Latoya “Buju” Bulgin in Montego Bay’s Granville community, has sparked widespread public outrage and local protests. Witness accounts shared with local media indicate that Bulgin was attempting to turn off the engine of a stationary vehicle when the vehicle shifted and an officer opened fire.
Though Chuck did not directly reference Bulgin’s killing or any other specific incident during his forum address, he repeatedly called on Jamaican communities to abandon confrontational tactics against law enforcement during apprehension efforts. “And I hate to see when communities start to take on the police, and fighting when they are trying to apprehend someone. We need to stop it! We need to stop it!” he said.
Chuck also called on the public to develop greater empathy for the daily dangers and challenges that police officers confront in the line of duty, noting that too many citizens respond to routine police interactions with verbal abuse and hostility, rather than respectful cooperation.
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US Navy, GDF in joint security exercises
In a major display of deepening defense cooperation between the United States and Guyana, the U.S. Navy has deployed the iconic Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to participate in joint military drills with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) as a core component of the 2026 Southern Seas security initiative. The landmark deployment marks a significant step forward in the two nations’ shared commitment to upholding regional stability, according to official statements from the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown.
The drills are designed to strengthen bilateral military alliances, enhance joint operational capabilities, and build shared capacity to respond to evolving cross-border security threats. One day after U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali toured the carrier anchored off Guyana’s coast, the embassy released Theriot’s remarks via its official Facebook page. Theriot emphasized that the U.S. and Guyana share unwavering dedication to advancing regional security and shared prosperity. “The visit of the USS Nimitz demonstrates our commitment to working hand-in-hand with Guyana and our Caribbean partners to address shared challenges and build a safer, stronger hemisphere for all our citizens,” Theriot said.
President Ali echoed that sentiment in his own separate Facebook post, noting he was deeply honored to join senior military and civilian officials aboard one of the U.S. Navy’s most formidable vessels. “We celebrate partnership, friendship, and our collective goal of ensuring a region built on peace, democracy, and the shared values of the members of the Shield of the Americas,” Ali wrote. He added that a day aboard the carrier offered a striking view of the extraordinary professionalism, discipline, and unwavering dedication of the more than 4,000 service members assigned to the USS Nimitz, saying he holds unlimited respect for every crew member serving on board.
Ali also highlighted a personal point of connection during the tour: he had the opportunity to meet four of the five Guyanese service members who are currently part of the USS Nimitz’s deployed crew. Joining Ali and Theriot on the tour were multiple senior Guyanese government officials, including Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, Finance Minister Ashni Singh, Chief-of-Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan, National Security Adviser Gerry Gouveia, and several other top civilian and security leaders. Guyanese naval Lieutenant Commander Clint Venture, who previously completed a six-month Embarked International Staff assignment aboard the Nimitz, also joined the official delegation, supporting the planning and execution of the carrier’s engagements with partner nations across the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of operations.
U.S. officials stressed that the bilateral security partnership extends far beyond this round of joint exercises. Under an existing ship-rider agreement between the two nations, Guyanese law enforcement personnel regularly deploy aboard U.S. law enforcement vessels to carry out joint counter-narcotics patrols, targeting drug traffickers that attempt to escape into Guyanese territorial waters. “This arrangement is a testament to our collaborative approach to combating transnational organized crime,” the embassy noted.
After completing exercises in Guyanese waters, the USS Nimitz – which operates a fleet of some of the world’s most advanced military aircraft – sailed onward to neighboring Suriname to conduct a similar series of joint security engagements. The U.S. Embassy emphasized that the carrier’s deployment through the region underscores both American naval excellence and the United States’ unwavering long-term commitment to deepening security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. Guyana’s status as a founding member of the Shield of the Americas Coalition further aligns the two nations’ shared priorities for advancing collective hemispheric security.
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Trump administration to force foreigners in the US to apply for a green card abroad
In an unexpected policy shift that upends more than 50 years of established U.S. immigration practice, the Trump administration has announced a new rule requiring most foreign nationals already residing in the U.S. on temporary status to leave the country and submit their green card applications from their home countries, triggering widespread confusion and alarm among immigrant advocates, legal practitioners and foreign nationals themselves.
For more than half a century, eligible foreign nationals holding temporary legal status in the U.S. — including spouses of U.S. citizens, work visa holders, students, refugees and individuals granted political asylum — have been permitted to complete their entire application process for lawful permanent residency (commonly known as a green card) without leaving the country through a process called status adjustment. This longstanding framework has been a core part of the U.S. immigration system since the mid-20th century.
The new policy, announced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), states that temporary visa holders seeking to become lawful permanent residents must complete their application process from their home country, with exceptions only granted for “extraordinary circumstances” that will be decided on a case-by-case basis by USCIS officers. In a formal statement, the agency defended the change, arguing that nonimmigrants such as students, temporary workers and tourists enter the U.S. for limited time and specific purposes, and their stays should not double as the first step toward permanent residency. The change is framed by USCIS as a return to the “original intent of the law” that closes an existing regulatory loophole.
This policy marks the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to tighten legal immigration pathways for both current U.S. residents and prospective new arrivals. Doug Rand, a former senior USCIS advisor during the Biden administration, explained that the administration’s goal is explicit: to reduce the overall number of people gaining permanent residency, since permanent residency paves the way to U.S. citizenship, and officials aim to block that pathway for as many people as possible. Rand noted that roughly 600,000 people already residing in the U.S. submit green card applications annually, all of whom could be impacted by the new rule.
Notably, USCIS has left critical details of the policy change unresolved. The agency has not announced an official effective date, clarified whether applicants must remain outside the U.S. for the full duration of the application process, or specified whether the new rules will apply to applicants who already have pending green card applications. In an emailed response to the Associated Press, USCIS indicated that applicants whose cases serve the U.S. national interest or bring significant economic benefit will likely qualify for the exception to remain in the country during processing.
The new requirement comes on top of pre-existing travel and entry restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on dozens of countries, including outright travel bans and halted visa processing in multiple regions. Immigration experts and legal advocates warn that for nationals of these restricted countries, being forced to return home to apply will effectively bar them from ever re-entering the U.S. Humanitarian organization World Relief pointed out that the policy creates an impossible Catch-22: if a non-citizen is ordered to return to their origin country to process their visa, but no visa processing is available there, families will face indefinite separation.
Critics also note that many applicants cannot safely return to their home countries, or lack access to a functioning U.S. embassy to submit their application. For example, the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has remained closed since the American military withdrawal in August 2021, leaving Afghan nationals with no way to complete the offshore application process. Shev Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the policy upends decades of established status adjustment processing, and applies broadly to every category of green card applicant currently in the U.S. This includes spouses of U.S. citizens, humanitarian protection seekers, skilled work visa holders such as practicing doctors and other professionals, students and religious worker visa holders.
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PM Browne Says Barbudans Free to Accept or Reject Land Titles for $1
In a recent public address, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda has made clear that residents of Barbuda hold full autonomy to decide whether to accept or decline the government’s controversial proposal to formalize individual land ownership for a nominal fee of just $1 per title. The proposal, which has been the subject of intense public debate across the twin-island nation, marks a major shift from Barbuda’s centuries-long tradition of collective land ownership, a system that has defined the island’s social and economic structure since the era of post-emancipation self-governance.
Prime Minister Browne emphasized that the administration has no intention of forcing any resident to participate in the land titling program, pushing back against growing criticism from opposition groups and local activists who have claimed the policy would open the door to large-scale foreign development and displace long-standing Barbudan communities. “This is entirely a matter of personal choice for every eligible Barbudan land holder,” Browne stated during the press briefing. “We are not here to take anyone’s land, nor are we here to push people into a decision they are not comfortable making. The program is designed to give Barbudans the option to secure formal individual title to their property, which can open up access to mortgage financing, home improvement loans, and greater economic opportunity for those who choose it.”
The push for individual land titling on Barbuda gained new momentum after the 2017 destruction of Hurricane Irma, which leveled much of the island’s built infrastructure. The Browne administration has argued that formal individual ownership will speed up reconstruction and encourage sustainable investment that benefits local residents, rather than leaving the island reliant on collective land management structures that can slow down development and approval processes. Critics, however, counter that the tradition of collective ownership is a core part of Barbuda’s cultural identity, and that opening up individual titling will lead to rapid gentrification, as wealthy foreign investors purchase large tracts of land for resort and residential development, pushing native Barbudans off the island they have called home for generations.
With the government now reaffirming the voluntary nature of the program, the ball is firmly in the court of Barbudan residents, who will ultimately determine the future of land ownership on their island through their individual decisions. The policy remains one of the most divisive issues in Antigua and Barbuda’s recent political history, with implications for the country’s social structure, economic development, and cultural preservation for decades to come.