Carib Scope

分类： politics

  • Millions in Public Contracts, Almost No One Watching

    Millions in Public Contracts, Almost No One Watching

    Every year, the government of Belize allocates millions of dollars in taxpayer money through its public procurement system to fund critical infrastructure projects including roads, schools, public works, and professional consultancies. While this system forms the backbone of public spending, a new independent reform analysis has uncovered deep structural flaws that leave the entire process open to favoritism, corruption, and abuse of public trust. The review, published in July 2026, outlines five major gaps that undermine transparency and accountability across all public contract awarding processes.

    First, the analysis finds that existing rules lack enforceable consequences for misconduct. Belize’s procurement framework is still governed by outdated legislation: the 1965 Financial Orders, the 2005 Financial and Audit Reform Act, and the 2013 Procurement Handbook. While formal procedures for awarding contracts do exist, there are no procurement-specific criminal laws that address common abuses such as bid rigging, tender fraud, intentional contract splitting to evade oversight, or hidden political ownership of winning bidders. In short, there is a rulebook for the process, but almost no meaningful penalties for manipulating the system for personal or political gain.

    Second, Belize lacks a dedicated independent oversight body to monitor procurement activity across all government departments. Unlike neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, which has an independent procurement regulator, Belize relies on existing oversight agencies with limited, narrow mandates. The Auditor General’s office is only able to investigate isolated issues after contracts have been awarded, and lacks the resources and jurisdiction to proactively monitor all government contract awards. Reformers have proposed creating an independent regulatory body that reports directly to the National Assembly, with powers to halt suspicious contracts, hold public hearings, blacklist bad actors, and refer cases of criminal wrongdoing to the Director of Public Prosecutions. To date, however, no such agency has been established, leaving a critical question unanswered: when a government ministry awards a multi-million dollar public contract, who verifies that the process was fair and clean?

    Third, there is no centralized, publicly accessible platform to track public contracts across the government. Unlike many countries that have adopted modern e-procurement systems, Belize still publishes tender and award notices scattered across official government gazettes and local newspapers, with no single searchable database that consolidates information on tenders, awards, cancellations, contract values, beneficial ownership, bid complaints, or contractor performance history. Reformers note that a centralized, real-time updated, searchable e-procurement portal would drastically simplify public tracking of spending and make it far harder to hide corrupt activity.

    Fourth, current rules do not require winning bidders to disclose their true beneficial ownership. In Belize, a company can win a public contract without ever revealing who actually stands to profit from the award, nor any political connections the beneficial owner may hold. This gap creates a loophole that allows politically connected individuals to hide their involvement behind relatives, nominee shareholders, or complex layered corporate structures, enabling them to siphon off public funds for private gain. The analysis emphasizes that truly clean public procurement requires transparency not just about which company won the contract, but about who actually benefits from the public spending.

    Fifth and finally, the system suffers from weak evaluation transparency and a largely toothless debarment system for bad actors. While sole-source contracts (awards made without competitive bidding) are not inherently inappropriate – they are often justified for emergency projects or highly specialized needs – Belize’s approval rules for these contracts are frustratingly vague. Reformers recommend that all sole-source awards require written approval from an independent review panel, with a full public justification published online within 48 hours of approval.

    Currently, evaluation scores and bidder rankings for all competitive contracts are not published, and losing bidders have no legal right to receive a formal debriefing explaining why their bid was rejected. The analysis proposes publishing full evaluation summaries and requiring that unsuccessful bidders receive a debriefing within 10 working days, so the criteria for the decision – including price, technical experience, delivery timelines, and technical merit – are fully visible to the public and participating bidders.

    Even the debarment system designed to bar corrupt contractors from winning future public contracts lacks enforceable power. The three-to-five-year debarment period outlined in the 2013 Procurement Handbook is only an administrative guideline, not a legal requirement, and there is no public searchable registry of debarred actors. Combined with the lack of beneficial ownership disclosure, this means a debarred company can simply re-register under a new name and continue bidding for public contracts.

    At its core, the analysis ties all five gaps back to a fundamental principle of public governance: when taxpayers foot the bill for public projects, they have a right to know exactly where their money is going. Reformers argue that Belize must move beyond its current outdated system of basic procedural rules to build a new framework rooted in full public disclosure, independent proactive oversight, and meaningful enforceable penalties for misconduct.

  • Defensie verdubbelt uitkeringen voor veteranen bij herdenking binnenlands conflict

    Defensie verdubbelt uitkeringen voor veteranen bij herdenking binnenlands conflict

    On July 22, during an official memorial ceremony honoring the 72 Surinamese service members killed in the country’s 1986–1992 internal civil conflict, Defense Minister Uraiqit Ramsaran announced a landmark policy change: the resettlement allowance and disability pension for surviving veterans of the war will be doubled, marking a 100 percent increase to both monthly benefits.

    Ramsaran emphasized that the current administration has prioritized supporting veterans since taking office, who are organized under the Association of Surinamese Veterans and Ex-Servicemembers. In the first phase of the government’s support plan, officials focused on resolving long-standing delays in monthly benefit disbursements, ensuring veterans received the payments they were owed on time. The 100 percent benefit increase, the second phase of the plan, represents formal national recognition of the sacrifices and service of all surviving veterans.

    Beyond benefit adjustments, Ramsaran added that the Ministry of Defense is developing new long-term initiatives to keep former service members connected to the armed forces after they leave active duty, including ongoing wraparound support and post-service care.

    The annual memorial gathering brought together Defense Ministry leadership and representatives of the Surinamese National Army to honor the lives of the 72 troops who died during the conflict. Addressing attendees, Ramsaran noted that collective remembrance is not merely an act of reflection on the past, but a guide to building a more stable future. “A people that forgets its history risks repeating it,” he stated, adding that the fallen service members fulfilled their duties under extremely difficult, uncertain conditions, and extended his deepest gratitude to the families and next of kin of the deceased.

    Mitchell Labadie, Brigade Commander of the National Army, described the 1986–1992 internal conflict as a traumatic, complex chapter that left deep, lasting scars on Surinamese society. For the armed forces, he said, the yearly memorial is far more than a ceremonial event: it is an opportunity to reaffirm the core values that guide the nation’s military.

    Labadie stressed that the sacrifices of the fallen impose a permanent obligation on the National Army to uphold standards of professionalization, operational readiness, and ongoing strengthening of Suriname’s democratic constitutional order. The memorial should serve as a catalyst for national unity rather than division, he added. “Thirty-some years after the end of the conflict, it is our collective responsibility as a nation to learn from the past and commit to peace, justice, and mutual respect for all,” Labadie said.

  • St Lucia to launch inquiry into deadly Anse Cochon boat collision

    St Lucia to launch inquiry into deadly Anse Cochon boat collision

    Five days after a fatal collision between two vessels off Saint Lucia’s Anse Cochon coast killed at least two local nationals, the Caribbean island nation’s government has moved quickly to launch a formal Commission of Inquiry to unpack the full details of the tragedy.

    The July 18 incident sent shockwaves across the small country, prompting immediate action from Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre, who confirmed that the independent inquiry is tasked with uncovering a complete, accurate account of the events that led to the collision and developing actionable strategies to stop similar preventable deaths in the future.

    Under the country’s governance framework, the inquiry body will receive its formal appointment from the Governor General. To ensure rigorous, expert-led investigation, the commission will be led by a former senior judicial officer, and will draw on cross-sector expertise including maritime operations specialists, marine safety professionals and a seasoned police investigator.

    In an official statement published by the Prime Minister’s office, Pierre emphasized that the commission’s core end goal is to deliver evidence-based recommendations that will strengthen Saint Lucia’s maritime safety standards, reinforce regulatory oversight of commercial and recreational water activities, and cut the risk of future accidents across the country’s coastal and open waters.

    “The entire nation has been deeply shaken by this heartbreaking loss,” Pierre said in the release. “Our government bears a fundamental responsibility to the victims, their families, and all Saint Lucians to uncover every relevant fact, and to extract every possible lesson that can help us avoid repeating this pain.”

    Details of the commission’s official Terms of Reference, which will outline the scope of its investigation, powers and expected deliverables, will be disclosed to the public at a future date, according to the statement. Pierre closed by reaffirming the administration’s unwavering commitment to building safer waterways for all residents, visitors, and maritime workers who depend on Saint Lucia’s coastal waters.

  • UN chief calls for stronger governance of natural resources to promote peace and security

    UN chief calls for stronger governance of natural resources to promote peace and security

    At a landmark open debate of the United Nations Security Council held in New York on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark wake-up call to the global community, demanding sweeping improvements to international natural resource governance amid a growing tide of conflict and humanitarian catastrophe driven by illegal mineral exploitation. The high-level debate, themed “Natural Resource Governance: The Foundation of Peace, Security and Prosperity”, provided a critical platform to address one of the most underrecognized drivers of global instability at a time of surging demand for critical raw materials. Guterres opened his address by acknowledging the dual nature of the global rush for minerals critical to the clean energy transition: lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements hold unprecedented potential to drive economic growth and sustainable development in resource-rich nations, but their rising value has also amplified geopolitical tensions and created new incentives for violent competition over resource reserves. The Secretary-General pointed to urgent, on-the-ground examples of the damage caused by unregulated and illegal resource extraction. In the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he noted, non-state armed groups continue to generate massive profits from unlicensed mining operations and cross-border smuggling of valuable minerals, fueling years of persistent conflict that has destabilized the entire Great Lakes region. In Sudan, competition over gold reserves and gum arabic production has emerged as a core flashpoint for the ongoing civil conflict that has displaced millions of people and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. “The greatest burden falls on the least powerful: women and children, and communities displaced from the land that holds the wealth,” Guterres emphasized, highlighting how local communities rarely share in the economic benefits of the resources extracted from their territory. Guterres recalled that the Security Council has long acknowledged the link between illicit natural resource exploitation and the financing of armed groups, pointing to existing tools the body has deployed to counter the problem: targeted sanctions, mandated peacekeeping operations that monitor resource flows, and expert panels tasked with tracing supply chains and financial networks that sustain conflict. But these existing measures are no longer sufficient to address the growing scale of the challenge, he argued, before outlining four core priorities for collective global action: advancing economic justice for producing nations, preventing conflict before it breaks out, resolving resource disputes through peaceful diplomacy, and integrating climate change into resource governance strategies. On the issue of justice, Guterres pushed for a fundamental restructuring of global resource economics, arguing that resource-rich countries – particularly across Africa, where centuries of colonial exploitation and ongoing governance gaps have left producing nations capturing just a small fraction of their resource wealth – must be guaranteed a far larger share of the economic benefits from their own natural assets. “Countries and communities must benefit – first and most – from the resources in their own backyard,” he stated. He also called for coordinated global action to strengthen oversight of transnational mineral supply chains, improve transparency around ownership and trade flows, and deepen cooperation between resource-producing, transit, and consumer nations to crack down on illicit trade and block conflict-linked minerals from entering legitimate commercial markets. Turning to conflict prevention, Guterres urged national governments to prioritize diplomatic negotiation and third-party mediation to resolve disputes over resource access, revenue sharing, and territorial control before tensions escalate into large-scale violence. He also placed particular emphasis on the intersection between climate change and resource conflict, warning that increasing frequency of extreme weather events including droughts and floods, paired with widespread environmental degradation, is intensifying competition over already strained supplies of land, fresh water, and mineral reserves. This means climate adaptation and mitigation must be core components of any effective resource governance and conflict prevention strategy, he argued. Closing his address, Guterres called for a fundamental systemic shift in how the world extracts, processes, and markets natural resources, a shift that would ensure producing countries and the local communities most affected by extraction retain a far greater share of the value generated by their resources. “No more exploitation. No more plundering,” he declared, adding a stark warning of the consequences of inaction: without bold reform, illegal resource exploitation will continue to widen global inequality, fuel widespread instability, and sustain cycles of violence that harm vulnerable communities most. He concluded by urging all Security Council members to commit to governing natural resources in a way that advances inclusive sustainable development, strengthens national and regional institutions, and builds the foundation for lasting peace. “Ultimately, this is a political choice. And I urge you, as members of this Council, to choose peace,” he said.

  • Ministers: Protection of Wages Bill will shield workers from unpaid wages

    Ministers: Protection of Wages Bill will shield workers from unpaid wages

    On Tuesday, two senior Barbadian ministers threw their full support behind the landmark Protection of Wages Bill during a debate in the country’s House of Assembly, introducing sweeping new safeguards for workers facing unlawful wage withholding by employers. First tabled before legislators on June 29, the proposed legislation represents a full overhaul of existing wage protection regulations, replacing the outdated original Protection of Wages Act with updated provisions aligned to 21st-century employment practices. It also expands the enforcement authority of the Chief Labour Officer, empowering the office to resolve unpaid wage claims more efficiently and effectively.

    Dr. Romel Springer, Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport and Works, framed the bill as a continuation of Barbados’ decades-long fight to entrench fair treatment for working people across the island. “Every generation has fought to lock in protections for workers’ rights,” Springer noted. “What we are advancing today is simply carrying forward that legacy built by those who came before us.”

    The legislation updates regulatory frameworks around how wages are disbursed, while enshrining legal protections for workers against employers that unlawfully withhold or misappropriate earned earnings. Springer called out unethical business practices by bad-faith employers, highlighting cases where workers complete a full week of labour only to be told their pay will be delayed indefinitely. “These actions are wrong, they are unfair, and they are immoral,” he emphasized. Under the new bill, this behaviour will not just be unethical—it will be formally classified as illegal, with clear consequences for violators.

    Employers found guilty of unlawful wage deductions, failure to remit legally required deductions from employee pay, or other breaches of the legislation will face penalties ranging from substantial fines to potential imprisonment. Springer also highlighted two key targeted provisions: one requiring employers to provide advance formal notice before changing an employee’s method of pay, and another banning wage disbursement in high-risk locations such as bars and gambling establishments, designed to protect vulnerable workers from financial exploitation. “This bill recognizes that specific groups in our community need extra protection,” Springer said. “Justice demands we put an end to the unfair treatment of workers in this country.”

    Sandra Husbands, Barbados’ Minister of Technological and Vocational Training, offered a deeply personal framing of the bill’s significance, noting that wages represent far more than just compensation for labour. “A wage is more than a payment for work done. It is dignity, it is security, it is hope for workers and their entire families,” Husbands explained. She positioned the legislation as a transformative step to protect workers from exploitation, particularly in cases where employers become insolvent— a longstanding gap in old regulations that has repeatedly left workers with no recourse for unpaid earnings when businesses fold. “Throughout our history, when companies have gone insolvent, workers have been left holding the bag,” Husbands said. “Today marks the end of that era, and the start of true protection for the people of Barbados.”

    Husbands stressed that robust wage protection must go hand in hand with policies that support sustainable business growth and a more productive national workforce. “We can legislate protections for workers, but if we do not create conditions for enterprises to grow, expand productivity and increase profitability, there will be fewer wages to protect in the first place,” she argued. She called for a collaborative relationship between labour and management, rejecting the framing of workers and employers as opposing sides. “Workers must be protected from exploitation, but employers must also be shielded from unproductive practices that drag down entire businesses,” she noted.

    Boosting worker productivity, expanding access to continuous skills training, and strengthening cooperation between labour and management will ultimately translate to higher wages and more opportunities for Barbadian workers, Husbands added. She also made the case for expanding financial literacy education for workers, arguing that higher earnings alone are not enough to improve long-term well-being. “It does not matter how much you raise a wage if workers cannot manage that money to the benefit of themselves and their families—it is all for nothing,” she said.

    Husbands called for a collective effort across government agencies, financial institutions, employers, and trade unions to equip workers with the skills to manage their earnings, build savings, invest, and grow intergenerational wealth. “A protected wage that is managed wisely can be a pathway to home ownership, starting your own business, advancing your education, and building lasting wealth that passes to future generations,” she said.

    She added that modern labour advocacy must evolve beyond just negotiating higher wages, noting that it should also focus on creating the conditions for broader business profitability across the economy. “It is not just about claiming a larger share of existing profits—it is about helping build the conditions for larger profits to exist in the first place,” Husbands said, closing by noting that strong worker protections, responsible employers, and productive workers are all three foundational to building a prosperous future for Barbados.

  • Government invests $18 million in cost-of-living relief measures

    Government invests $18 million in cost-of-living relief measures

    The Caribbean nation of Grenada has launched a targeted, multi-faceted Cost of Living Assistance Programme to shield local households, small businesses, and the broader national economy from the sharp upward swing in global food and energy prices that has strained budgets across the world in recent months.

    This wide-ranging relief initiative is crafted specifically to counteract international inflationary pressures that have spilled over into Grenada’s domestic market: these include heightened fuel tariffs, bloated global shipping costs, and persistent supply chain disruptions that have been worsened by ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

    While unveiling the programme, Minister of Finance Dennis Cornwall stressed that the inflation driving cost increases across the country is not homegrown, but imported from global markets. “While we cannot control international markets, we can act responsibly to help reduce the impact on our people,” Cornwall explained during the official announcement.

    The initiative is projected to deliver direct support to more than 38,000 households spread across Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. It is structured to deliver immediate targeted relief while upholding the government’s longstanding pledge to maintain fiscal stability, with the total cost of the programme estimated at roughly 18 million Eastern Caribbean dollars.

    Among the core, long-term measures is the extension of existing price caps on four key energy products: gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas cylinders. These price ceilings will remain in place through December 2026 to prevent sudden cost spikes for consumers. Additional key relief provisions include:
    1. Full VAT elimination on electricity bills for all consumer categories, running from August 2025 through December 2026
    2. A full waiver of customs service charges on diesel imported for power generation, a move designed to cut wholesale production costs that translate to lower electricity bills for end users
    3. An increase to direct monthly electricity subsidies, raising the maximum payment from EC$10 to EC$50, alongside a major expansion of eligibility to cover households that use up to 200 kilowatt-hours per month, up from the previous threshold of 99 kilowatt-hours
    4. Two VAT-free shopping days per month from August through October 2026, covering essential goods including groceries, school supplies, hardware, and home appliances

    Cornwall emphasized that the government’s ability to roll out this substantial relief package stems from years of disciplined fiscal management. “We can provide meaningful relief today because of prudent fiscal stewardship over recent years. We are taking care of our people today while preserving the country’s long-term sustainability. That is responsible governance,” he said.

    In closing, the government of Grenada reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the principles of good governance, fiscal responsibility, and economic stability to protect the livelihoods of all citizens across all three of the nation’s main islands.

  • International experts must conduct investigations into MV Barima tragedy- FGM Leader

    International experts must conduct investigations into MV Barima tragedy- FGM Leader

    On Wednesday, 22 July 2026, senior opposition figures in Guyana have called for sweeping independent investigations into a marine safety incident, pushing the ruling administration to meet the country’s binding legal obligations under International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations and address longstanding gaps in the nation’s riverine transportation safety system.

    Speaking at an opposition news conference hosted at the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party office, Amanza Walton-Desir — leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), a former legal counsel with both the Ministry of Public Works and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, and ex-member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) — laid out a two-pronged plan for accountability. She stressed that Guyana is legally required to conduct a full marine safety investigation equivalent to probes carried out following aviation accidents, and that urgent action is critical to preserve critical evidence required under the IMO’s Safety of Life at Sea Convention.

    Walton-Desir argued that the current government lacks the technical capacity and public trust to lead the probe itself, and urged the administration to follow through on its own rhetoric of engaging international partners. “It is my strong recommendation that this government call on our international partners, as the president so loves to say. I think calling on them now is appropriate to lend to Guyana the particular technical expertise that will be needed here,” she said, noting that specialized technical teams from the United States and Canada would likely respond positively to a request for support.

    Beyond the mandatory IMO-compliant investigation, Walton-Desir called for a separate public Commission of Inquiry, and insisted that no panel members can have any formal affiliation with the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration. She explained that the opposition and general public do not trust the current government to conduct an impartial probe, and an independent inquiry would rebuild public confidence while laying clear groundwork for any potential criminal proceedings that may emerge from the investigation.

    The news conference was billed as a joint opposition event, but the PNCR-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) declined to attend. WIN executive member Tabita Sarabo-Halley declined to comment on the specific reason for APNU’s absence.

    Interim Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) and former Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson expanded on the opposition’s demands, tying the incident to systemic safety failures enacted by the current PPPC administration. Patterson called for the full maintenance, inspection, dry docking, and certification records for the MV Barima, the vessel at the center of the incident, to be turned over immediately to the independent international investigators.

    He outlined a broad set of long-term reforms to fix Guyana’s failing passenger ferry system, including immediate mandatory seaworthiness inspections for all vessels in the country’s passenger fleet to confirm they are fit for the routes they operate; urgent upgrades to outdated docking infrastructure; implementation of a secure, transparent digital ticketing system to curb unregulated travel; and a targeted program to replace aging, unsafe vessels with modern ferries served by upgraded terminal facilities.

    “This is not about one vessel. It’s about public safety, accountability, and the rights of citizens in the riverine and hinterland communities to travel with confidence. Our people, the people, deserve answers, and they deserve a transportation system that is safe, and properly managed,” Patterson said.

    Patterson also accused the PPPC administration of deliberately dismantling an independent oversight system created by the previous APNU+AFC government to crack down on unrecorded travel and unsafe operational practices. Under the previous system, independent inspectors hired directly by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure verified that passenger counts, cargo loads, fuel stores, and all other operational activities were properly documented and accounted for, addressing a longstanding issue of un-ticketed travel that often occurred with the collusion of vessel staff. Patterson confirmed the PPPC administration removed all of these inspectors after taking office and never replaced the oversight program with an equivalent system. He added that if the inspection regime had remained in place, it could have prevented the unsafe loading practices and operational failures that led to the current incident.

  • Trump imposes 12.5% tariff on Dominican Republic imports

    Trump imposes 12.5% tariff on Dominican Republic imports

    In a major escalation of its trade policy agenda, the second Trump administration unveiled new tariffs Thursday that will impose a 12.5% duty on imports arriving from the Dominican Republic. The measure is part of a sweeping trade enforcement initiative targeting 60 countries and economies worldwide, with the U.S. government justifying the move by claiming these nations have not done enough to crack down on forced labor in global supply chains.

    Announced by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the new tariff will replace an expiring temporary 10% global tariff that is set to lapse this Friday. This updated duty marks the latest step in the administration’s aggressive reshaping of U.S. trade relations after returning to power in January 2025.

    The tariffs stem from formal investigations launched this past March under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act. These probes were tasked with determining whether inadequate policies to block forced-labor-produced imports from the affected countries have caused harm to American workers and domestic businesses. Across Latin America, the new tariff structure varies by nation: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador will face a 10% import duty, while Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic will shoulder the higher 12.5% rate. For other countries included in the action, tariff rates are adjusted based on product category and national origin.

    U.S. trade officials confirmed that investigation outcomes confirmed the need for new trade restrictions, noting the policy shift came after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the majority of Trump’s earlier round of global tariffs. That ruling forced the White House to reframe its trade agenda, leaning on Section 301 as the new legal foundation for imposing additional import duties. This latest round of tariffs aligns with President Trump’s long-stated broader trade goals, which prioritize targeted pressure on trading partners to rewrite trade rules and advance what the administration frames as U.S. economic interests.

  • Hipólito Mejía calls for review of phytosanitary controls after U.S. mango export suspension

    Hipólito Mejía calls for review of phytosanitary controls after U.S. mango export suspension

    In Santo Domingo, former Dominican Republic President Hipólito Mejía has publicly weighed in on the recent suspension of the country’s mango shipments to the United States, tying the trade restriction to potential weaknesses in the nation’s plant health monitoring infrastructure. The export halt was triggered after inspectors detected the presence of the Mediterranean fruit fly, a notorious agricultural pest that poses major risks to commercial fruit production. Mejía argued that the detection of the invasive insect makes a compelling case for a full audit of existing phytosanitary control protocols. He called for a thorough review to pinpoint any systemic failures that allowed the pest to establish a presence and slip through pre-export screening measures. At the same time, the former leader was careful to put the outbreak in broader context, noting that the Mediterranean fruit fly is not an isolated problem limited to the Dominican Republic. The pest has been recorded in a number of other producing nations around the world, he emphasized. Instead of dwelling on blame, Mejía urged the country’s current agricultural and public health authorities to prioritize immediate containment efforts. The top priority, he said, must be stopping the pest from spreading further and cutting the financial and trade damage to the Dominican mango sector, a key agricultural export that supports thousands of livelihoods across the country. In a separate political development addressed during the same public remarks, Mejía pushed back against circulating claims that he was behind a push to install his son-in-law, Juan Garrigó, as the candidate for secretary general of the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM). Mejía acknowledged that he holds no personal opposition to Garrigó seeking and serving in the influential party position, but stressed that any potential candidacy is not being driven or orchestrated by him. The clarifications come as the Dominican Republic navigates both a critical agricultural trade challenge and ongoing internal party organizing ahead of upcoming political cycles.

  • Dominican Republic condemns Ortega’s claim that Nicaragua will hold no more elections

    Dominican Republic condemns Ortega’s claim that Nicaragua will hold no more elections

    In an official release issued Wednesday, the government of the Dominican Republic delivered a forceful rebuke of recent remarks by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in which he claimed there would be no future elections held in his Central American country. The Dominican government characterized Ortega’s comments as a direct rejection of the core foundational values that underpin representative democratic systems across the hemisphere.\n\nThe Dominican statement makes clear that Ortega’s public comments openly dismiss the fundamental right of the Nicaraguan people to select their own governing leaders through regular, free, impartial, transparent and inclusive electoral processes. In grounding its position, the Dominican government invoked the first article of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, a regional agreement that enshrines the principle that all peoples of the Americas hold an inherent right to democracy, and that all member governments bear a binding obligation to both promote and protect this fundamental right.\n\nBeyond citing the regional charter, the Dominican Republic further emphasized that free and fair electoral processes, universal suffrage with secret balloting, protection for political pluralism, consistent respect for universal human rights, and adherence to the rule of law are all non-negotiable, inalienable components of legitimate representative democracy. No national government, the Dominican statement stressed, holds the legitimate authority to strip its citizens of the chance to express their sovereign will at regular intervals through the ballot box, nor can any government unilaterally eliminate elections as the recognized legal mechanism for the peaceful transfer of political power.\n\nThe government closed its statement by urging Nicaraguan state officials to abandon their current stance and move immediately to fully uphold and protect the political rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed to all Nicaraguan people, including the critical right to participate in genuine, competitive democratic elections. It ended by reaffirming the Dominican Republic’s longstanding commitment to the collective defense of democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the Americas, framing these values as shared responsibilities that all regional nations have agreed to uphold.