Carib Scope

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  • Faris removed from Privileges Committee

    Faris removed from Privileges Committee

    A high-stakes parliamentary controversy in Trinidad and Tobago has resulted in the removal of Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi from the Senate Privileges Committee, as the panel prepares to launch a formal investigation into alleged improper interference by Al-Rawi and fellow Opposition Senator Janelle John-Bates. The controversy centers on the pair’s involvement in drafting and editing a witness statement for former health minister Terrence Deyalsingh, which was submitted to the Senate’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC).

    During yesterday’s plenary sitting of the Senate, Senate President Wade Mark confirmed a series of appointments to the Privileges Committee for the duration of the inquiry, which was formally referred to the panel on May 1, 2026. In the reshuffle, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation will take the seat previously held by Government Senator Darrell Allahar, Opposition Senator Dr Amery Browne replaces Al-Rawi on the committee, and Independent Senator Sophia Chote steps in for Independent Senator Michael de la Bastide. Al-Rawi, who has publicly stated he is serving as Deyalsingh’s legal counsel, will not participate in the committee’s work while he is the subject of its investigation.

    The privilege dispute was first raised on May 1 by Government Senator David Nakhid, who filed a formal complaint against John-Bates and Al-Rawi over their documented contributions to the witness memorandum submitted to PAAC. Forensic traces in the document — including tracked edit history and embedded metadata — confirmed that both senators made direct edits and provided input to the witness statement. Nakhid argued that active involvement by sitting parliamentarians in preparing or revising witness submissions to a legislative committee undermines the institutional independence and integrity of the parliamentary process, and may constitute contempt of Parliament. He emphasized that all parliamentary committee proceedings must remain fully free of political interference and any attempt to coach witnesses ahead of testimony.

    After reviewing the complaint, Senate President Wade Mark ruled that the allegations were serious enough to warrant a full investigation by the Privileges Committee. John-Bates, a former member of PAAC, has already issued a formal apology to the full Senate and offered her resignation to Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles. As of yesterday, Beckles had not announced a final decision on the resignations of either John-Bates or Al-Rawi. John-Bates was absent from yesterday’s sitting due to illness, so People’s National Movement (PNM) Deputy Political Leader Sanjiv Boodoo was sworn in to serve as acting Opposition senator for the session.

    Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar waded into the dispute yesterday, publicly asserting that Beckles lacks the institutional authority to remove Al-Rawi and John-Bates from their senate positions. She went on to launch a scathing attack on the PNM and its leadership, claiming that Beckles is waiting for direction from what she called the party’s “fake elite financiers.” Persad-Bissessar argued that the PNM operates as little more than a political front for these wealthy, unaccountable backers, accusing Beckles of continuing the policies of previous PNM leaders Keith Rowley and Stuart Young — policies she claims prioritize low-wage menial work for ordinary supporters while protecting billions in benefits for connected elite interests.

    The Prime Minister also criticized Beckles and the PNM’s policy agenda as regressive, contrasting the government’s current priorities of advancing artificial intelligence data center development, national economic revitalization, new international trade agreements, education modernization, and expansion of both energy and non-energy economic sectors with what she described as the PNM’s 2030 vision: reviving the outdated CEPEP and unemployment relief program (URP) workfare schemes.

  • “Just Swipe and Go”: Government Launches Revolutionary Healthcare Card System; 8,500 Public Servants to Immediately Benefit

    “Just Swipe and Go”: Government Launches Revolutionary Healthcare Card System; 8,500 Public Servants to Immediately Benefit

    BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts – May 13, 2026 – The government of St. Kitts and Nevis has ushered in a new era of streamlined, affordable healthcare access for public sector workers with the official launch of a revolutionary Digital Insurance Card system, branded with the tagline “Just Swipe and Go”. The cutting-edge initiative will immediately extend benefits to roughly 8,500 public servants, eliminating longstanding financial and administrative barriers to medical care.

    Developed through a public-private partnership between the St. Kitts and Nevis government and National Caribbean Insurance (NCI), the launch marks the next critical phase of the administration’s sweeping healthcare reform agenda. It comes five months after the December 2025 expansion of lifetime health coverage for all public sector employees and retirees, a policy that increased maximum lifetime benefits to one million Eastern Caribbean dollars and expanded coverage for eligible dependents of retired workers.

    Speaking at the official launch ceremony on Wednesday morning, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dr. Honourable Terrance Drew framed the new digital card system as a core commitment of his government to embed healthcare as a universal human right, rather than a limited privilege. “We believe that health care is a human right, that health care should not be a privilege, but it should be a human right,” Drew emphasized during his remarks.

    Unlike the previous reimbursement model that forced patients to cover full medical costs out-of-pocket before waiting weeks for manual claim approval, the new NCI WellCare Digital Insurance Card allows eligible users to only pay their required co-payment directly at the point of care. The remaining balance of any medical bill is settled instantly through NCI’s cloud-based digital claims processing network.

    NCI Chief Executive Officer Diana Williams Humphreys explained that the system was co-designed after extensive stakeholder consultations with the government, centered on the feedback of public servants who struggled with the burdens of the old process. “We heard you, and we have delivered today,” Williams Humphreys said. She walked through the simple user workflow: when an insured patient arrives at a participating provider’s office, pharmacy, or diagnostic clinic, they only need to present their digital card and a government-issued photo ID. The provider processes the claim in seconds through a dedicated card reader, with no manual forms to fill out and no extended wait for reimbursement. “There’s no claim form to be filled out. There’s no waiting for reimbursement, and real time access to health benefits,” she added.

    Currently, the network includes participating healthcare providers across St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla, with officials confirming that additional providers will be added to the system on an ongoing basis to expand access for eligible users.

    Drew used the launch to highlight how the old reimbursement model placed crippling upfront financial burdens on ordinary citizens, many of whom faced hundreds of dollars in unplanned out-of-pocket costs just to access necessary care. He connected the digital card initiative to a broader package of public sector welfare reforms his administration has advanced, including sweeping pension adjustments and improved retirement benefits for Government Auxiliary Employees (GAEs).

    “Now you have a gratuity, now you have a pension, and now you have health care, until the Lord decides to take you from this earth,” Drew said, underscoring the government’s commitment to lifelong security for the nation’s public service workforce.

  • Kunnen China en de VS samen een ‘G2’ vormen?

    Kunnen China en de VS samen een ‘G2’ vormen?

    A high-stakes bilateral summit between the leaders of the United States and China in Beijing has reignited global debate over the decades-old idea of a “Group of Two” (G2), an informal power-sharing arrangement that would see the world’s two largest economies jointly steer global governance amid shifting geopolitical tides.

    U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for the two-day meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking their first in-person encounter in six months. The talks come after the two sides reached a temporary truce in their long-running trade dispute, though the summit was originally scheduled for March before being postponed amid escalating conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran.

    The broader Middle East crisis has already put fresh strains on bilateral ties: Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent U.S. countermeasures have disrupted Chinese commercial shipping and crude oil imports, nearly half of which come from the Middle East. Analysts widely expect Trump to push for a coordinated international military operation to reopen the strategic waterway, a proposal Beijing has opposed until now. For his part, Xi is anticipated to push for progress on core Chinese priorities, including expanded trade access, clarity on rare earth mineral trade rules, and a shift in U.S. policy regarding Chinese claims over self-governing Taiwan.

    The G2 concept has gained new traction as Trump has openly threatened to withdraw the U.S. from NATO over what he calls alliance members’ insufficient support for the U.S.-led campaign against Iran, pushing Washington further away from its traditional transatlantic and Asia-Pacific allies.

    First proposed in 2005 by prominent American economist C. Fred Bergsten, the G2 framework centers on the idea that the world’s two largest economies should share collective responsibility for stabilizing the global economy and addressing cross-border challenges, rather than operating in a zero-sum competition for global dominance. The concept gained significant mainstream attention during the Obama administration, which launched the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in 2009 to foster constructive cooperation on shared global priorities ranging from climate change to the clean energy transition.

    Still, the idea of a U.S.-China G2 faces widespread skepticism from both policymakers and analysts, who warn that such a bilateral arrangement would undermine multilateral global governance and allow the two superpowers to prioritize their own national interests over the needs of smaller and middle-sized states.

    Many global powers have already made their opposition clear. European Union leaders fear a G2 would weaken Europe’s global standing, particularly in trade and technological supply chains, prompting the bloc to accelerate efforts to reduce its dependence on both the U.S. and China for critical inputs including energy and rare earth minerals. Major emerging economies within the BRICS grouping, including India and Brazil, also view a closer U.S.-China bloc as a direct threat to their own regional and global geopolitical ambitions.

    Jing Gu, an analyst based in the United Kingdom, frames the Beijing summit less as a launch of a formal G2 and more as a strategic exploratory meeting. “Both sides are testing one another’s red lines and working to de-escalate existing tensions to avoid open conflict,” he notes.

    Steve Tsang, a leading London-based China expert, predicts the summit will likely produce a limited bilateral trade deal but argues a full-fledged G2 arrangement remains deeply unlikely. “Both Trump and Xi prioritize positioning their own country as the world’s leading superpower, a status that cannot be shared equally between two competing nations,” Tsang explains.

    The pair’s last meeting in Busan, South Korea in October 2025 was widely viewed as a positive step for bilateral relations: Trump himself publicly labeled the encounter a “G2 meeting” even though no formal agreement on the framework was reached, while Xi emphasized the potential for constructive partnership even as underlying great power tensions remained unaddressed.

    Despite China’s rapid rise as a global technological and economic power, Washington has yet to formally recognize Beijing as an equal peer on the global stage, a structural barrier that makes deep, long-term cooperation difficult to sustain.

  • Ambassador Theon Ali discusses Antigua’s landslide election and the future of UAE relations

    Ambassador Theon Ali discusses Antigua’s landslide election and the future of UAE relations

    Last week’s final vote count in St. John’s delivered a decisive outcome that has shaken up expectations across Caribbean political circles: the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party secured a commanding landslide win, granting incumbent Prime Minister Gaston Browne a fourth consecutive term in office. Against a regional backdrop where frequent leadership turnover regularly reshapes executive agendas, this result locks in long-term policy continuity at the highest level of the island nation’s government.

    For the United Arab Emirates and the broader Gulf region, the re-election of Browne’s administration preserves the steady diplomatic trajectory that has defined Antigua and Barbuda’s bilateral relationship with the UAE over recent years. Ongoing high-level talks spanning cross-border investment, civil aviation connectivity, renewable energy development, and technology partnership will move forward without disruption, a stability that carries particular weight for long-term bilateral projects requiring years of sustained coordination and consistent policy commitment.

    Over the past decade, ties between the UAE and Antigua and Barbuda have expanded gradually and intentionally, rooted in deliberate diplomatic engagement, targeted investment dialogue, and collaborative work on shared priorities ranging from climate resilience to tourism development and cross-border financial services. Antigua and Barbuda has emerged as an influential regional voice for climate action and economic diversification within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), while the UAE has continued to deepen its diplomatic and economic footprint across fast-growing emerging small island markets.

    One of the most advanced collaborative initiatives currently moving forward is the push to establish direct air links between the two nations, a priority that has moved far beyond early exploratory talks, according to Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador Theon Ali. “This is not a new ambition or just a hopeful line in a feasibility study,” Ali explained. “It is an active, ongoing policy file that has required navigating complex air service agreements, working through route economic modeling, and addressing the unique operational realities of long-haul travel to a small island market. This is the invisible infrastructure of international partnership—unglamorous, slow to build, and absolutely essential to unlocking deeper engagement.”

    Direct flight connectivity would deliver widespread mutual benefits, boosting two-way tourism flows while supporting increased business travel, cross-border educational exchanges, and broader economic integration. Antigua and Barbuda’s luxury tourism sector, anchored by its pristine white-sand beaches, world-class yachting infrastructure, and premium hospitality offerings, aligns perfectly with the rapidly growing outbound travel demand from Gulf region tourists seeking high-end Caribbean getaways.

    Beyond connectivity, digital transformation and artificial intelligence cooperation have emerged as a fast-growing area of shared interest. Antigua and Barbuda has ramped up investment in national digital upgrade initiatives in recent years, including rolling out modern e-governance systems, launching AI-assisted supply chain and logistics programs, and building data-driven infrastructure to support the tourism sector. National policymakers are actively seeking international partnerships to support technical implementation and build local digital capacity across government agencies.

    With its own rapid expansion of national AI infrastructure and globally recognized smart government services, the UAE is uniquely positioned to serve as a key technical partner for Caribbean states working to modernize their digital ecosystems. The country’s high-profile developments in AI and sustainable technology—from the innovation hub of Masdar City to national government AI deployment initiatives, and ongoing work with leading regional technology firms like G42—have drawn growing international attention from governments seeking digital development partners.

    Climate action and renewable energy cooperation remain the most deeply rooted pillar of the bilateral relationship, a priority shaped by the existential climate vulnerability that defines life across the Caribbean. The region has faced increasingly destructive hurricane seasons in recent decades, with Barbuda suffering near-total devastation during Hurricane Irma in 2017, when an estimated 95 percent of the island’s infrastructure and built environment sustained severe damage.

    In March 2024, the Green Barbuda renewable energy project was officially inaugurated through funding from the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, a landmark initiative designed to cut the island’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. The project’s hybrid solar facility combines 720 kilowatts of solar photovoltaic capacity with industrial-scale battery storage and a diesel backup system engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds up to 265 kilometers per hour.

    Project data shows the facility will cut Barbuda’s annual diesel consumption by roughly 406,000 liters, reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than one million kilograms. Launched in 2017, the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund now supports renewable energy access projects across 16 Caribbean nations. Looking forward, stakeholders expect the Green Barbuda facility to serve as a replicable model for future renewable energy expansion across Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Caribbean, as regional governments continue working to transition away from costly, carbon-intensive diesel dependency.

  • Antigua And Barbuda Nominates H.E. María Fernanda Espinosa As Candidate For Un Secretary-General

    Antigua And Barbuda Nominates H.E. María Fernanda Espinosa As Candidate For Un Secretary-General

    Antigua and Barbuda has officially put forward Her Excellency María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, a veteran Ecuadorian diplomat and former United Nations General Assembly President, as its candidate for the next United Nations Secretary-General. The nomination was formally submitted to the heads of both the UN General Assembly and Security Council, aligned with the established selection process outlined in a joint November 25, 2025 document.

  • ABEC Demands Retraction, Threatens Legal Action Over Bruce Goodwin Allegations

    ABEC Demands Retraction, Threatens Legal Action Over Bruce Goodwin Allegations

    The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) has issued a firm public rebuke of its former chair Bruce Goodwin, demanding he immediately withdraw a series of incendiary unproven claims that the commission has compromised its institutional independence and cast doubt over the legitimacy of the 2026 April 30 general election. Goodwin made the allegations during a recent appearance on *Eye on the Issues*, a local current affairs program hosted by Louisa Tully, prompting the unusually strongly worded official statement released by ABEC on Tuesday.

    In the statement, ABEC categorically rejected every claim Goodwin put forward, describing his comments as false, reckless, malicious, and completely unsupported by any credible evidence. The commission emphasized that all of its internal policies, operational frameworks, and procedural rules remain fully compliant with national law, and that it has operated with unwavering transparency and institutional independence since its establishment. ABEC flatly denied widespread claims in Goodwin’s remarks that the body has been “captured by the State,” controlled by partisan political interests, or maintains inappropriate improper ties to any government apparatus, calling any assertion to the contrary a scandalous and deeply irresponsible distortion of fact.

    ABEC expressed particular disappointment that these damaging allegations came from a former leader of the organization, noting that Goodwin should be uniquely aware of the critical constitutional role the commission’s independence plays in upholding Antigua and Barbuda’s democratic system. The body warned that unsubstantiated public misinformation of this kind does lasting damage to public trust in core democratic institutions, framing Goodwin’s comments as not just an attack on individual commissioners and staff, but on the integrity of the entire electoral process itself.

    The commission also came out in full defense of all its personnel, including the Supervisor of Elections, appointed commissioners, administrative staff, and election scrutineers, affirming that every team member has consistently carried out their statutory duties with professionalism, integrity, and relentless commitment to fair process. ABEC further clarified that any individual holding credible evidence of actual electoral misconduct should submit that evidence to the appropriate statutory authorities through established channels, rather than airing unproven accusations in public to sow public distrust.

    “The dissemination of serious accusations in the public domain, without proof and in a manner calculated to inflame suspicion and disrepute, is a reckless abuse of public commentary and an affront to responsible democratic engagement,” the commission’s statement read.

    ABEC also highlighted the long-standing practice of inviting local, regional, and international independent observer groups to monitor all stages of its electoral processes, noting that the full transparency of the commission’s operations would be clearly evident to any independent monitoring mission. The body closed by urging the general public to disregard Goodwin’s unsubstantiated claims, and reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to upholding impartiality, full compliance with the law, and radical transparency in all aspects of electoral administration moving forward. It also warned that it is fully prepared to pursue all available legal avenues to defend its reputation, institutional independence, and the integrity of the national electoral process.

  • Ryan Abrahams officieel benoemd bij TAS, maar functie gaat naar Scheek

    Ryan Abrahams officieel benoemd bij TAS, maar functie gaat naar Scheek

    Political circles in Suriname are abuzz with speculation after conflicting appointments to the key leadership post of the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS) created an unprecedented administrative and political controversy.

    In February 2026, an official ministerial decree from Suriname’s Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism formally named Ryan Abrahams as the new president-commissioner of the TAS Board of Commissioners, effective February 5. That same order also granted an honorable discharge to the outgoing officeholder, Donaghy Malone, with official gratitude extended for his past service to the regulator. The decree explicitly outlined the full composition of the new board, confirming Abrahams in the top leadership role.

    However, in a sudden and unpublicized shift, Emanuel Scheek has now been installed in the same president-commissioner position. Crucially, no public announcement has been made confirming that the original 2026 ministerial decree appointing Abrahams has been formally revoked, leaving the legal status of both appointments and the TAS board’s leadership in uncertainty.

    The confusion has been amplified by the recent political appointment of Ryan Abrahams’ father, Ramon Abrahams — who also serves as vice-chair of the National Democratic Party (NDP) — as a state advisor just two weeks prior. The elder Abrahams has publicly denied any involvement in building the current ruling coalition, only re-emerging in public political life over the past fortnight after an extended period out of the spotlight.

    Local media outlet Starnieuws has confirmed that Suriname President Jennifer Simons is scheduled to hold a closed-door meeting with Ryan Abrahams on the day of the report. As of press time, no details have been released about what topics will be on the agenda for the discussion. To date, no government official or TAS representative has issued an official statement explaining the sudden leadership change or clarifying the conflicting appointments, intensifying ongoing political speculation across the country.

  • PPP calls US congresswoman’s rebuke of Venezuela’s interim President “forceful”

    PPP calls US congresswoman’s rebuke of Venezuela’s interim President “forceful”

    On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Guyana’s governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) publicly praised a forceful statement from U.S. Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar backing Guyana’s territorial sovereignty amid escalating tensions with Venezuela over a long-running border dispute. Salazar, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs, made her remarks on the social platform X one day after Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez delivered a provocative address to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) during oral hearings on the merits of the border case.

    During her Monday appearance before the United Nations’ highest judicial body, Rodriguez doubled down on Venezuela’s rejection of any ICJ ruling on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award that established the current land boundary between the two South American nations. She insisted that the 1966 Geneva Agreement—signed by Venezuela and the United Kingdom shortly before Guyana gained independence—remains the only legally valid framework for resolving the dispute through bilateral negotiations. Rodriguez warned that any ICJ judgment on the 1899 award would not resolve tensions, stating, “No judgment by this court on the territorial controversy will provide a definitive solution acceptable to both parties. On the contrary, it will exacerbate the differences between the parties, and will lead the parties to entrench themselves in their respective positions, distancing them from the practical, satisfactory and mutually acceptable settlement to which they committed in 1966 by signing the Geneva agreement.”

    Salazar pushed back sharply against Rodriguez’s comments and her repeated threats to Guyana’s territorial integrity in her X post. She argued that Rodriguez mistakenly believes she can manipulate U.S. President Donald Trump the same way she and former ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro “tricked and destroyed” Venezuela. “Delcy should stop threatening Guyana and start learning from it,” Salazar wrote. She also warned Rodriguez against sending confidential correspondence to President Trump, emphasizing, “You don’t deal with him through secret letters while trying to steal territory from a free and sovereign nation like Guyana.”

    Beyond addressing the border dispute, Salazar commended Guyana’s prudent management of its new oil wealth, noting that in less than a decade, the South American nation has set a stark contrast with Maduro’s regime in Venezuela. “Unlike the Maduro regime, Guyana didn’t rob its people. They managed their oil wealth responsibly, created a sovereign wealth fund, and saw GDP per capita quadruple in just five years,” she added.

    As of Tuesday, Guyana’s national government had not issued an official public response to Salazar’s social media statement. The ICJ is on track to issue its binding ruling on the border dispute by the end of 2026 or in the first quarter of 2027, a decision that will shape the future of regional security and territorial claims in northeastern South America.

  • PNCR/APNU leader shrugs off more defections to PPP

    PNCR/APNU leader shrugs off more defections to PPP

    On Tuesday, 12 May 2026, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and opposition bloc A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) leader Aubrey Norton pushed back against growing concerns over the party’s ongoing exodus of members, after the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) announced the defection of seven current and former opposition-aligned politicians.

    The seven new PPPC recruits include three former APNU+AFC Members of Parliament: Rickly Ramsaroop, Shurwayne Holder, and Dinesh Jaiprashad, plus four sitting regional councillors: Ravoldo Birbal, Sheik Yaseen, Prince Holder, and Gangadai Lloyd. Shurwayne Holder, a former PNCR Chairman, had openly signaled his dissatisfaction with the party after being excluded from APNU’s 2025 parliamentary slate following September’s general and regional elections, while Ramsaroop had already split from coalition partner Alliance For Change (AFC) in mid-2025 before briefly aligning with PNCR-led APNU.

    In comments to Demerara Waves Online News, Norton framed the latest departures as an expected outcome that did not catch him off guard. “Everybody is free to go to whichever political party they want to go but even Stevie Wonder would have seen that that group was preparing to go to the PPP from the time most of them weren’t seeming to become members of parliament,” he noted. When pressed on whether he had detected disloyalty ahead of candidate nominations, he declined to speculate, saying that leaders can never fully predict the decisions of their members.

    This latest wave of defections is part of a years-long trend that has seen more than a dozen opposition politicians leave PNCR and APNU for either the ruling PPPC or the new opposition bloc We Invest in Nationhood. Over less than five years, high-profile departures to the PPPC include James Bond, Jermaine Figueira, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Richard Van West Charles, Daniel Seeram, and Samuel Sandy, while three other former members have taken executive roles with the new opposition grouping.

    Addressing questions about how he will stem further departures, Norton acknowledged that sustained opposition status naturally creates this type of challenge for political parties. “When you’re in opposition for a while that happens. Don’t forget when we were in government- the PNC- many PPP people came and, of course, there are two different things. There is a difference between going to a political party based on principle and ideology and going for whatever personal reasons. You can’t stop people from going for their personal reasons,” he explained.

    Norton rejected criticism that the steady “bleeding” of the party is a failure of his leadership, noting that all leadership tenures face challenges. He pushed back against claims he should be held responsible for the defection of figures like former Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram, saying many of the departing politicians were not selected by him for their current roles. “There are many people I didn’t choose that went so it’s a reality you have to face. We will just continue to organise ourselves and move forward,” he said.

    When asked if he was disappointed by the defection of young, rising politician Ravoldo Birbal, in whom he had previously expressed confidence, Norton described Birbal as young and inexperienced, framing his departure as a predictable outcome for less seasoned political actors.

    The PPPC’s announcement of the new defections came just one day after former PNCR central executive member Dr. Aubrey Armstrong warned the opposition that it risked losing more supporters if it failed to address the needs of its base. During a commemorative lecture for former PNCR Leader and President Desmond Hoyte, Armstrong urged the party: “You have to take care of your people. You have to find ways of feeding them and so on. If not, you open the door for somebody else to poach them.”

    In its official statement announcing the new recruits, the PPPC said the seven politicians requested a meeting with the party’s General Secretary to formalize their shift in affiliation. The group told PPPC leadership they wanted to contribute to Guyana’s ongoing period of unprecedented economic growth and modernization, while advancing the public interest. They praised the ruling party’s open, inclusive governance style, its successful implementation of its policy manifesto, and the tangible improvements it has delivered to communities across the country. The defectors also highlighted the PPPC’s effective economic stewardship, its commitment to inclusive governance that serves all Guyanese regardless of identity, and its proven capacity to sustain national growth.

    Notably, the four sitting regional councillors who have switched affiliation cannot be recalled from their posts under current Guyanese electoral law, as no existing statute allows list representatives to remove sitting elected regional councillors after they have taken office.

  • Extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting on the security situation in Haiti

    Extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting on the security situation in Haiti

    Fresh off an official working tour of European nations including Italy’s capital Rome, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé did not delay before prioritizing the country’s escalating security crisis. On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, within hours of his return to Haitian soil, Fils-Aimé called together and led an Extraordinary Council of Ministers at the diplomatic lounge of Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport, with the deteriorating national security environment as the sole top agenda item.

    Against a backdrop of renewed criminal activity that has stoked widespread, well-founded unease across Haitian communities, the Prime Minister issued a firm, clear reaffirmation of the executive branch’s unshakable dedication to reestablishing the rule of law across every region of the country. Participants in the working session conducted a granular, rigorous review of on-the-ground security conditions, ultimately approving a series of explicit directives and actionable policy measures designed to immediately boost the operational capacity of Haiti’s law enforcement bodies. The approved framework establishes a structure for a coordinated, forceful, and long-term response to all categories of criminal activity plaguing the nation.

    During the meeting, Fils-Aimé stressed that the Haitian state will not surrender to fear or pressure from violent actors. He confirmed that all required resources are being mobilized to target criminal groups, dismantle transnational and local gang networks, and rebuild durable public safety across the country. The Prime Minister also restated his personal commitment to leading this fight for collective security without relent, urging the Haitian public to remain calm, alert, and united in national solidarity. He emphasized that the state is fully accepting its responsibility to guide the nation out of the ongoing security crisis.

    Immediately after adjourning the extraordinary council meeting, Fils-Aimé traveled to the General Directorate of the Haitian National Police (PNH) to extend his direct support to Acting Director General Vladimir Paraison. He publicly commended the work of the PNH High Command and every frontline police officer deployed across the country to counter rising insecurity. The trip served as a tangible reaffirmation of the government’s backing for law enforcement personnel who work daily to restore national stability, and it aligns with the Prime Minister’s previously issued instructions to all state institutions to ramp up offensive operations against the gangs that have terrorized civilian populations in recent months.