Caribbean RoundUp

Bahamas

The main opposition, Free National Movement (FNM), is calling for the dismissal or resignation of National Security Minister Wayne Munroe due to fears that the country could register more than the recording breaking 145 murders this year, following the recent murders of four people, pushing the toll to 94 for the year thus far.

“It is now abundantly clear that the current minister, Wayne Munroe, is out of his depth and out of ideas, and it is time for him to resign or for the prime minister to remove him and put in place somebody who can provide better leadership,” said FNM chairman, Dr. Duane Sands.

He said it seems as though the government of Prime Minister Phillip Davis has thrown its hands up in the air over the ongoing crime situation after PM Davis said young people needed a mind reset given “the senseless killing that’s going on.

“It’s unacceptable. We are doing our best to curb this vicious crime. It really requires a reset of our young people’s minds and to appreciate that there is a lot here, a lot of positive things that we can do, that they ought to be engaging themselves in.”

“We have to ensure that we don’t have that many idle hands around because idle hands are the work of the devil.“

“We are working assiduously to ensure that we have everyone engaged, particularly our young men and women,“ Davis said.

In Parliament, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell defended the measures being taken by the authorities to deal with the crime situation and asked the opposition to state what more the government could do.

Barbados

The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) recently confirmed that efforts are continuing to name a new president for the financial institution following the controversial resignation of economist Dr. Hyginus ‘Gene’ Leon in April.

It was said that a meeting of the bank’s governors had taken place to select Leon’s replacement. Leon is now leading the effort to establish the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity Initiative (DBRP), and three candidates from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and the Bahamas have been shortlisted.

The CDB said, “The Caribbean Development Bank is still awaiting the completion of one of the external due diligence reports and will proceed with the election once that has been received. The selection of the new president will be announced once the election has concluded.”

In his letter of resignation, Leon’s lawyers had given the region’s premier financial institution until May 4 this year “to negotiate unamicable separation.” They also indicated that their correspondence should be viewed “as our client’s pre-action protocol letter“ regarding the entire situation.

Neither the CDB nor Leon and his lawyers have made any statements on the issue since then.

Caricom

The 18th edition of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) began last Monday, with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr. Carla Barnett, emphasizing the importance of the weeklong event to regional efforts at food security.

She said that the CWA is critical to increasing awareness of agriculture, food, and nutrition security in the Caribbean Community and promoting investment in the region’s food systems.

“Agriculture is fundamental to the economies and societies of CARICOM member states, ensuring the availability of healthy food, creating jobs, earning foreign exchange, driving socioeconomic development, and supporting the development of rural and indigenous communities.”

The CWA is being held under the theme “Climate Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future,” and Barnett said it supports agriculture’s critical importance and underscores the imperative of adopting agricultural practices and technologies that simultaneously boost productivity and enhance resilience.

“This theme is particularly apt as countries in our region, such as our host country, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, work to recover and rebuild their agriculture, fisheries, and other sectors following the destruction caused by the record-breaking weather system, Hurricane Beryl.“

Barnett said Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an approach that can help the region tackle the intertwined issues of food security and climate change and embed resilience and sustainable agricultural production methods at the heart of its agriculture.

But the CARICOM Secretary General said there is more to be done, adding, “We must celebrate the positive outcomes that have been achieved, and we must prepare to do things differently and better as we move ahead.

“I take this opportunity to urge you to ensure that our efforts to expand production and reduce our food import bill by 25% by 2025 do not stop.”

She said that beyond 2025, CARICOM will take stock, renew the efforts to increase even further, and set new targets.

Guyana

Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, announced that every household will receive a cash grant of GUY$200,000 (approximately US$1,000) this year, and distribution is expected to commence immediately.

Addressing a new session of Guyana’s National Assembly, Ali said the grant, which was among a range of fiscal measures announced, was part of his government’s determination to reduce disparities in the country and guarantee that the people of Guyana have more disposable income.

He told legislators that the cash grant is expected to inject about GUY$60 billion (approximately US$30 million) into the economy overall.

Another fiscal measure announced is the payment to all public sector workers who earn at least GUY$100,000 monthly (US$500) by the end of 2025.

The Guyanese president said the salary adjustment joins other measures the government has already pursued to adjust salaries for various categories of workers, thereby increasing their disposal income by more than one billion dollars.

“This is how we are promoting prosperity, ownership, and distribution of wealth. This is how the resources and revenue of this country are being spent every single day to lift the lives of people, to expand national wealth, coastal wealth, and community wealth,“ he said, announcing also a GUY$10,000 tax deductible per month per child for one parent.

Ali said that the government would inject GUY$10 billion into the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to provide additional benefits to pensioners who currently receive GUY$43,500 monthly.

In a lengthy presentation, Ali also announced plans for a digital economy as part of “the new economy we are building that is not one of the past generation.”

Haiti

The leaders of Kenya and Haiti are urging international partners to honor their commitment to the UN-backed peacekeeping mission in Haiti. The mission needs more resources and will run out of budget in March 2025.

Kenya, which leads the mission to quell gang violence in the Caribbean nation, has sent nearly 400 officers. They are joined by almost two dozen police officers and soldiers from Jamaica, but the numbers fall significantly short of the 2,500 pledged by various countries, including Chad, Benin, Bangladesh, and Barbados, for the mission.

Kenyan President William Ruto, who met with Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille, said Kenya would deploy 600 additional officers next month.

The UN has US$85 million in pledges for the mission, of which US$68 million has been received.

“We have a window of success that is evident from the operations that have been carried out already,“ Ruto said.

Conille asked international partners to send the officers they’d pledged to ensure the “contingent from Kenya has the resources they need.”

The gangs in Haiti have grown in power since the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. They are now estimated to control up to 80 % of the capital, which led to the surge in killings, rapes, and kidnappings.

Jamaica

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says that while he supports press freedom, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) must counter reports in the traditional media that are inaccurate about the government’s stewardship of the country.

Holness said the party must do so by swiftly publishing accurate information on its government achievements, as oftentimes the information provided to the public is “skewed,” “biased,” and “untrue.”

He argued that in the landscape of a free press and the age of social media, some Labourites might feel “uncomfortable“ when the “dominant“ media houses portray the JLP’s position in ways they do not necessarily like.

“But let me be clear with you that we are seeing the media landscape in Jamaica change dramatically and radically, and what the Jamaica Labour Party must do as we enter into the battle for your minds is (to) ensure that we put the information out there in the traditional media, but in all forms of media to ensure that the people of Jamaica have the balanced and accurate view of what is happening in their country!“ Holness declared.

He called on the JLP to be honest” about getting that information into the public domain.

The local media has been under attack for being purportedly politically affiliated.

— Compiled by Devika Ragoonanan