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The St. Kitts and Nevis government has welcomed the decision by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines based Lynch Caribbean Brokers Ltd. To include the twin island Federation in the Regional Economical Agri-Insurance Programme (REAP).

The insurance programme was announced during the recently concluded 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2025), held here and Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister, Samal Duggins, said that the insurance programme should be viewed as a vital pillar for national resilience and regional innovation.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister, Samal Duggins, (right) and Lynch Caribbean Brokers managing director, Damian Bowen (left) explaining the REAP project.

‘Agriculture and fisheries remain at the heart of our nation’s food security, livelihoods, and economic resilience. Yet, farmers and fishers are increasingly vulnerable to risks beyond their control-climate change, unpredictable weather patterns, natural disasters, pests, and market volatility’ he added.

Under the REAP project, local farmers and fishers are expected to benefit from regional insurance programme aimed at reducing vulnerability to natural disasters, market volatility, and the growing impacts of climate change.

REAP, developed by Lynch Caribbean Brokers Ltd. of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, will soon be launched here in partnership with the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources.

The initiative is a flexible multi-peril parametric insurance solution tailored specifically for the agriculture and fisheries sectors. Unlike traditional insurance models, which rely on individual loss assessments, REAP uses advanced index-based data and satellite monitoring to trigger payouts when pre-defined thresholds are met or surpassed.

Coverage spans crops, livestock, and fisheries, providing a comprehensive safety net for producers across the nation.

Under the programme, the St. Kitts and Nevis government will pay the premium on behalf of registered farmers and fishers. Constant remote monitoring of insured locations ensures rapid response and once a payout index is triggered, beneficiaries are notified within two to three weeks, and payments are calculated and distributed directly per policy.

St. Kitts and Nevis is among nine Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries that have signed onto the programme. St. Lucia officially signed on to the initiative and launched REAP in July 2025.

Lynch Caribbean Brokers managing director, Damian Bowen said that the programme’s design was shaped by extensive national consultation, adding that ‘REAP’s development was the result of careful collaboration with key stakeholders during the first quarter of 2025. ‘Together with experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and members of the farming and fishing communities, we created a model tailored to real needs rather than abstract assumptions.’

In a pre-rollout statement, Lynch Caribbean Brokers Ltd noted, ‘REAP is not a product on a shelf, it is an agri-insurance value chain in motion, designed in collaboration with experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and the farming and fishing communities. It integrates technology, local knowledge, and regional cooperation to create a transparent, practical, and sustainable solution for agricultural resilience.’

Beyond financial coverage, REAP is expected to introduce livelihood protection, a national enrolment campaign, public education seminars, and digital dashboards that improve transparency and data-driven decision-making across the sector.

Duggins said that the government is committed to strengthening resilience across the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

‘It is in this context that the Ministry strongly supports the establishment and expansion of insurance mechanisms tailored specifically for our farmers and fishers. These tools are not luxuries-they are necessities that provide a safety net, ensuring that the men and women who dedicate their lives to feeding our people can recover quickly after shocks and continue their work without being pushed into financial hardship’, he added.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says health authorities in Haiti are turning deaths caused by rabies-infected dogs into a public health awakening with the support of the UN’s health agency in the region.

PAHO said that last July, in the remote locality of Butête, in southern Haiti, nine-year-old Jonas (not his real name) lost his life to rabies.

When a stray dog bit the boy on the leg, the wound seemed minor. Like many families living far from any health facilities, his mother was unaware that immediate care was critical.

Within a week, the child began to feel weak and refused to eat. By the time he reached the nearest hospital, he had started showing the unmistakable symptoms of the rabies virus, including excruciating muscle spasms and hydrophobia, the fear of water.

PAHO said that not long after, Jonas died surrounded by his family.

The UN health agency said that the child is the most recent victim of this deadly, but wholly preventable disease that has already claimed four lives this year in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, which is dealing with a multitude of crises, including political, economic and political instability as well as acute poverty and lack of access to health services.

Data collected between 2022 and 2024 in Haiti shows the rabies virus continues to pose a serious threat to public health where more than 8,000 suspected cases in dogs were investigated.

PAHO said of these, over 1,100 cases were considered probable and 46 were confirmed in a laboratory.

It said that during the same period, there were 24 suspected human cases probably caused by a dog bite, with eight confirmed deaths and that as soon as Jonas was admitted to the hospital, the Ministry of Public Health’s National Surveillance Network was alerted.

Supported by PAHO, a part of the World Health Organization (WHO), this nationwide network of field staff and resources, including locally-based epidemiology assistants and ‘labo-moto) health workers who visit communities on motorbikes, swiftly swung into action.

A response team was deployed to Butête to confirm that no one else in the community had been exposed to rabies.

The boy’s family was closely monitored and received post exposure care. The team also inspected the area where the dog and her puppies had died.

The investigation recommended organising a dog vaccination campaign, strengthening surveillance, and improving access to human rabies vaccines for post-exposure treatment.

A response team was deployed to Butête to confirm that no one else in the community had been exposed to rabies.

PAHO said the boy’s family was closely monitored and received post exposure care. The team also inspected the area where the dog and her puppies had died.

The investigation recommended organising a dog vaccination campaign, strengthening surveillance, and improving access to human rabies vaccines for post-exposure treatment.

To curb the spread of rabies in Haiti, a canine vaccination campaign was launched in August with the goal of vaccinating around 140,000 dogs, including stray and community animals, while also raising public awareness on prevention.

Ahead of this, training was provided to four departmental coordinators, seventeen communal coordinators, and more than 480 veterinary auxiliary agents, who were later deployed in 240 teams across priority areas in the four departments of Artibonite, Centre, Nord-Est, and Nord-Ouest.

A key innovation was the use of a mobile app to register vaccinated dogs, allowing real-time data collection, coverage monitoring, and improved data quality.

‘By vaccinating dogs on a large scale, we directly protect human communities – especially children. It’s a simple but vital action that saves lives,’ said Dr. Oscar Barreneche, the PAHO/WHO representative in Haiti, adding ‘rabies is lethal, but 100 per cent preventable’.

Achieving an estimated 80 per cent vaccination coverage among the target dog population is expected to significantly reduce rabies virus circulation in dogs.

The campaign also aims to heighten awareness of rabies prevention and promote appropriate responses to bites from suspected rabid animals.

‘Despite the challenges and limitations posed by the security situation and the overall instability in the country, we consider this vaccination campaign a significant success,’ said Dr Haïm Joseph Corvil, Protection Unit Coordinator at Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development.

PAHO said rabies remains one of the world’s deadliest zoonotic diseases, infections which can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Globally, it causes an estimated 59,000 deaths annually, 40 per cent of which are children.

Across the Americas, a 98 per cent reduction in cases of human rabies transmitted by dogs has been achieved, dropping from 300 cases in 1983 to just 10 cases reported over the past year, according to PAHO.

The chief executive officer of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Laurette Adams Thomas, has described as a defining moment for children in Jamaica the proclamation signed by Governor-General, Sir Patrick Allen, designating October 7 as National Anti-Bullying Day.

‘This is more than just a symbolic day; it is a national call to action. Every act of bullying leaves scars-some visible, some invisible-that can last a lifetime. By dedicating a day each year to awareness and action, we are saying clearly and collectively that bullying has no place in our schools, in our communities, or in our society,’ Thomas said.

‘With the Governor-General’s proclamation, Jamaica now joins countries around the world that have enshrined national observances to combat bullying. This bold step reaffirms the nation’s collective responsibility to protect its children and signals to victims, perpetrators, and bystanders alike that bullying is unacceptable and must end,’ she added.

The CPFSA had made a formal request to the Head of State to sign the proclamation, a position that was endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Youth.

‘The proclamation is a milestone, but it is only the beginning. Through schools, parents, guidance counsellors, and community leaders, we will amplify the message across Jamaica that every child deserves to learn and grow in an environment free from fear. Together, we will build safer schools and stronger communities,’ said Minister of Education and Youth, Dr Dana Morris Dixon.

She said that since 2022 the Ministry has engaged counselling psychologists and psychotherapists to provide counselling and mental health support to students, parents, and school staff free of charge to augment the in-school counselling services.

The CPFSA said the initiative is being advanced by the National Anti-Bullying Technical Working Group, a multi-agency task force comprising the Ministry, CPFSA, UNICEF, the National Secondary Students’ Council, the Early Childhood Commission, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

In a statement it said that the move is part of efforts to address bullying as a matter of urgent national concern and that it signals Jamaica’s unified effort to tackle the pervasive issue in schools and communities while fostering kindness, empathy, and respect among citizens.

The CPFSA said that the National Anti-Bullying Day seeks to help reinforce Jamaica’s collective resolve to confront bullying in all its forms and to protect the dignity and well-being of children and young people.

It said together with the various stakeholders, they are working to create a coordinated and sustained national response to bullying, ensuring that planned interventions are both far-reaching and impactful, the agency noted.

The Education Ministry, through CPFSA, will begin leading a slate of anti-bullying activities across Jamaica that will continue throughout the academic year.

Schools will host assemblies, workshops for principals, deans of disciplines, and teachers, and other creative showcases to encourage empathy and positive peer relationships.

A national art and essay competition is also being planned to allow students to directly engage in the movement.

A national media campaign will also be undertaken to spread the anti-bully message across television, radio, and digital platforms, with a special focus on social media.

Immigration advocates in the United States have condemned a proposed new Trump administration policy that targets undocumented Caribbean and other immigrant children.

The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an immigration advocacy organization that comprises over 200 immigrant groups in New York, said that the administration is ‘prepping a new enforcement operation targeted at unaccompanied children’.

NYIC president and chief executive officer, Murad Awawdeh, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that, ‘according to the leaked plans, children who are in court proceedings to prove their legal rights to stay in the US will be threatened with indefinite detention and immediate transfer to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) on their 18th birthday-unless they drop their cases.

‘For those with parents in the US, the letter threatens the parents with arrest as well,’ Awawdeh said, adding more than 50,000 unaccompanied children have been reunified with families in New York in the past 10 years.

‘The NYIC advises any child or other person who receives a threat letter to contact an immigration attorney immediately. Children fleeing violence and seeking safety deserve compassion, stability, and fairness-not cruelty.

‘Each and every one of us, regardless of age or circumstance, also deserves a fair chance to present our case in a court of law. Instead of protecting these rights, the federal government is creating new pathways to deny safety to those who are most vulnerable.’

Awawdeh said this policy pressures children to abandon their legal claims and return to a life of fear and danger without ever receiving a fair hearing and that the chaos built into this policy will devastate families and communities, and it is targeted to hurt children.

He called on the Trump administration to ‘reverse course on this policy, respect and uphold due process.’

Awawdeh also called on New York State elected representatives to protect all young people in the state, pass the Access to Representation Act to guarantee that every immigrant-regardless of age-has legal representation in immigration court, ‘ensuring due process, protecting families, and reaffirming our country’s commitment to justice and freedom for all.’

Late last week, Caribbean immigrant advocacy groups warned of the ‘grave impact’ of the federal government shutdown on Caribbean and other immigrants.

The San Diego, California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) said it was ‘gravely concerned about the impact of the government shutdown on immigrant communities.

‘A shutdown of even a few days could delay asylum hearings, stall visa and work permit applications, and slow the already overwhelming immigration court backlog,’ HBA’s Founder and Executive Director Guerline Jozef told CMC.

Awawdeh said that court appearances for many Caribbean and other immigrants were rescheduled without notice. He said immigration courts across the country have responded to the shutdown ‘inconsistently, creating chaos in New York courthouses.

The following is the CANANews Schedule for Monday, October 6, 2025.

PORT OF SPAIN – Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has quietly carried out a minor re-shuffle of her cabinet less than six months after winning the April 28 general elections in Trinidad and Tobago.

GEORGETOWN – Guyana on Sunday evening commissioned the Chinese funded US$262 million dollar Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge, with President Irfaan Ali saying it signals the dawn of a new era of transformation.

ST. JOHN’S – Prime Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed that the government has acquired a majority stake in Blue Ocean, the company involved in critical dredging projects at the Deep Water Harbour and Crabbes Harbour.

KINGSTON – A four-year-old infant school pupil was among five people shot and killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of people playing games at a yard in Linstead, south east of here on Sunday night.

BELMOPAN – The Belize government has confirmed that an unexploded and exploded ordnance (UXO) found last week in San Jose Nuevo Palmar Village, northwest of here is a ‘training bomb’ and that the general area was once used as a training ground, ‘and therefore, similar findings may occur’.

In the wake of an extraordinary year for Jamaican athletics, the nation is turning its spotlight to the masterminds behind the success: the coaches.

The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Jamaica.

Marking National Coaches Day 2025, the Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, led the tributes, recognising the ‘immense contribution’ of coaches from every corner of the island.

‘Our coaches are the architects of our athletic dominance,’ Minister Grange stated in an official release.

‘Their discipline, dedication, and expertise not only produce world-class athletes but also instil invaluable life skills in our young people.’

The annual celebration, officially proclaimed by Governor-General Sir Patrick Linton Allen in 2022, comes at a high point following what the Minister described as a ‘remarkably successful 2025 Athletics season’ for both junior and senior teams.

The Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association (JATAFCA) received special praise for its pivotal role in initiating the push for a national day to honour coaches.

The partnership between the Ministry and JATAFCA will culminate in a major awards ceremony on November 22, 2025.

The event, under the theme ‘Sustainability of Athletics Through the Development of Coaches,’ will celebrate the long and distinguished service of track and field coaches across five categories of excellence.

Echoing the Governor-General’s call, Minister Grange urged all citizens to participate in the day’s activities and to support coaches year-round.

‘The success of Jamaican sport, from the primary to the elite level, is a direct reflection of the calibre and commitment of its coaching professionals,’ the Minister affirmed, saluting all coaches, past and present.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has quietly carried out a minor re-shuffle of her cabinet less than six months after winning the April 28 general elections in Trinidad and Tobago.

While she did not remove any minister from her cabinet and has so far not made any public statement regarding the changes, the changes took effect from October 3, and were published in the official Gazette a day later.

As a result of the changes, the 73-year-old Persad Bissessar takes on several new responsibilities particularly in the areas of housing grants and self-help programmes. She has taken direct control of the Home Improvement Grants Policy, the Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP), and the Government Aided Self-Help Housing Programme (GASHHP).

Persad Bissessar has also assumed direct responsibility for the portfolio of Constitutional Reform.

Police says they have seized more than US$12 million in cocaine during several operations over the last weekend.

They said that on Saturday night, two men were arrested on Cat Island after they were found with US$7.8 million worth of cocaine in a joint operation involving US drug enforcement officers, DEA, and local officers.

Head of the Drug Enforcement Unit Superintendent Wendy Pearson said ‘while onboard a US helicopter on the southern tip of Cat Island, (we) observed two males in low-lying bushes along with a number or crocus sacks.

‘As a result of that, the officers landed where they proceeded into the low-lying bushes where they detained two males. They then checked those crocus sacks [and] discovered that each of those sacks contained a number of kilo packages of suspected cocaine.’

She said the men, ages 42 and 37, were arrested and taken to New Providence, where the drugs seized weighed 359 kilogrammes.

On Sunday, police, Customs officers and US officials, searched a container at a shipping port in Grand Bahama and found US$4.5 million worth of cocaine. No arrests were made in that matter. The drugs weighed 181 kilograms

US officials say cocaine seizures in the region have increased since 2021, noting that between 2017 and 2020, police seized 2,461.37 pounds of cocaine and between 2021 and 2024, the authorities seized 13,479.36 pounds of cocaine.

The President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson, Monday urged Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries that are not full members of the Trinidad-based court to do so, saying that since its establishment 20 years ago, the CCJ has produced a well deserved and proud record.

Addressing a special sitting to commemorate his inauguration as the the fourth president of the CCJ, Justice Anderson said that fist and foremost, the emphasis will be on the continued production of superior judgments and that the CCJ has firmly rooted the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) in the rule of law ensuring the rights of all Caribbean citizens are respected.

‘A sense of belonging to a community governed by law has begun to take shape in our region,’ he said with regards to the CCJ, which allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region.

While most countries are signatories to the Original Jurisdiction of the CCJ, only Barbados, Belize, Dominica, St. Lucia and Guyana are signatories to the Appellate Jurisdiction of the CCJ that was established on February 14, 2001 by the CARICOM governments to replace the London-based Privy Council. It also functions as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration grouping.

The Jamaican-born jurist, who was sworn into office in Jamaica in July, said that he hopes during his tenure to continue progressing the efficiency and transparency of the CCJ’s work, noting that in the 20 years of its existence, the CCJ has accumulated a significant body of judicial precedents.

He said the court has delivered a total of 347 decisions comprising 40 in the Original Jurisdiction (OJ), including an advisory opinion and 307 decisions in the Appellate Jurisdiction (AJ) .

‘While our case load has been modest.the decisions of the court have begun to shape the way we, the Caribbean people, live our lives and how we see ourselves,’ Justice Anderson said, adding ‘I suspect that this view needs little advocacy in relation to the original jurisdiction in which all 12 CARICOM member sates participate’.

He acknowledged that the greater work remains to be done in relation to the appellate jurisdiction.

‘We hope, and have reason to believe, that the people of those member states who have acceded to the AJ, recognise our contribution, and we hope that those states which have not yet acceded, will ultimately come to appreciate the value the court offers to the region.

‘The existence of the CCJ has significantly increased the access by Caribbean citizens to final appellate justice,’ he added.

Justice Anderson said that for example, there were 19 appeals from Barbados to the Privy Council in the 20 years immediately before 2005, but in the 20 years since joining the CCJ, there have been 105 appeals from Barbados, an increase of over 450 per cent.

He said in the case of Belize, there were 33 appeals to the Privy Council in the 15 years before accession to the CCJ’s appellate jurisdiction in 2010 and that since then, there have been 56 appeals from Belize to the CCJ, an increase of over 69 per cent.

For Dominica, the numbers were three to the Privy Council in the 10 years before joining the AJ in 2015, and 10 in the 10 years since then, an increase of 233 per cent. St Lucia sent one appeal to the Privy Council in the two years immediately before joining the AJ in 2023 and sent five to the CCJ in the two years since, an increase of 400 percent.

Justice Anderson said that the average increase in appeals has been 288 per cent,’ adding that Guyana, which is the CCJ’s largest, and in that sense, ‘our best customer of our appellate services’ was not included since the country abolished appeals to the Privy Council in 1970.

Justice Anderson said that on the hypothesis of an average increase of 288 per cent in appeals, there would have been a significantly larger number of CCJ appellate decisions had there been full compliance with the obligation in the CCJ Agreement for all member states to join the appellant jurisdiction of the Court.

‘Instead of 307 decisions, there would have been approximately 1,200 decisions. The opportunity cost of non-accession can therefore be measured in terms of reduced access to justice, which is also a denial of justice. Equally, there is a corresponding loss in the opportunity to fulfil the mandate of the CCJ Agreement to develop a Caribbean jurisprudence that is responsive to all areas of Caribbean life. ‘

He said that while the CCJ awaits the accession by the remaining seven jurisdictions, an important phenomenon should not go unnoticed.

‘CCJ decisions in the appellate jurisdiction are given favourable treatment and are increasingly being cited and relied upon by the judiciaries in countries which have not yet acceded to the AJ.’

He said a recent Study indicates that there are at least 450 instances where courts in non-AJ countries have accepted and relied upon decisions of the CCJ in numerous areas, such as constitutional and statutory interpretation, criminal law and sentencing, enforcement of foreign judgments and awards, commercial law and adverse possession.

‘This trend is an encouraging sign for the development of a body of jurisprudence applicable across the entire region.’

Justice Anderson said that very soon, the CCJ will launch its new strategic plan for the next seven years, 2025-2032, reflecting its overarching mission to harness and advance the growth in Caribbean jurisprudence.

‘It embraces our vision of judicial excellence, supported by ever-evolving institutional capacities and competencies. Our core values remain a steadfast compass, and the lodestar continues to be the unrelenting pursuit of Justice.’

Justice Anderson said that the strategic plan recognises, as the first area for strategic priority and intervention, the continued delivery of high-quality judgments to the people and states of the Community.

‘It considers the efficient management of court operations to be essential to upholding the CCJ’s reputation for judicial excellence and independence. Our Bench and administrative support will maintain a constant line of sight to the mission and vision of the Court. The pride of place given in our strategic plan to the judicial output symbolizes in a powerful way that administrative and logistical activities of the court will be intentional in their support of the court’s overriding function. ‘

He said that an aspect of judicial decision-making to which keen attention will be paid is the need to provide clarity of judicial guidance from the apex court and that subject to the overriding principle of judicial independence, ‘we will endeavour to seek consensus and avoid a multiplicity of similar opinions.

‘Instead of nuances in the reasoning of similar opinions the court will prioritise the importance of speaking with a clear voice, presenting coherent guidance, and delivering transparent justice. We will constantly review our procedures for decision-making with a view to creating various opportunities for discussion, consensus, dissension, challenge and agreement, all of which are critical to the adjudicative process.’

The CCJ President said that over the past two decades, the court has benefitted from the expertise of judges from across the region and across the world from various ethnicities, religions, and legal backgrounds.

‘Matters that have come before us are inevitably viewed through varying lenses and perspectives. This has strongly influenced and strengthened our judicial reasoning and has also counselled against unnecessary juridical splintering.’

He said that another area requiring attention is the promotion of accessibility to the court’s decisions, noting ‘it is essential that we make our judgments easily available to our all stakeholders: judicial officers, legal practitioners, law students, and the public’.

He said that while the court’s website contains all the judgments, and the online Library Catalogue makes all judgments and publications of the court readily available ‘accessibility may require a deeper dive’, adding that ‘searchability of judgments is essential to ensuring that relevant cases are followed or cited, as appropriate’.

He said this is where technology can play a vital role and that the CCJ in partnership with the Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions (CAJS), has sought to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), with the hope of harnessing its transformative benefits.

But even as he spoke of the contribution AI can make ln ‘fulfilling our responsibility to deliver justice efficiently, to protect and safeguard fundamental rights, and to uphold the rule of law in a rapidly evolving world,’ Justice Anderson said ‘we considered it prudent to issue earlier this year, a Practice Direction on the proper use of generative AI in court proceedings.

‘Recent unfortunate developments in some of our jurisdictions such Trinidad and Tobago and in The Bahamas where cases hallucinated by AI were cited by counsel and properly deprecated by the court, emphasize the need for vigilance in preserving the integrity of our judicial proceedings.

‘At the CCJ, we will continue to monitor the advancements in this field, and to responsibly incorporate emerging technologies to support our work.’

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has quietly carried out a minor re-shuffle of her cabinet less than six months after winning the April 28 general elections in Trinidad and Tobago.

While she did not remove any minister from her cabinet and has so far not made any public statement regarding the changes, the changes took effect from October 3, and were published in the official Gazette a day later.

As a result of the changes, the 73-year-old Persad Bissessar takes on several new responsibilities particularly in the areas of housing grants and self-help programmes. She has taken direct control of the Home Improvement Grants Policy, the Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP), and the Government Aided Self-Help Housing Programme (GASHHP).

Persad Bissessar has also assumed direct responsibility for the portfolio of Constitutional Reform.

Changes were also made to portfolios of eight ministers among them being that the leader of Government Business, Barry Padarath who is also Public Utilities Minister, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, being given additional responsibilities that were under the portfolio of Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal.

The National Health Insurance System (NIS) was moved from the Ministry of Health to Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo, who is also Minister in the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development.

Tancoo was also given responsibility for the Export-Import Bank of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Eximbank), which was moved from Minister of Trade, Investment and Tourism Satyakama Maharaj.

In national security, the prison system was removed from Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj and placed under the control of Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander.

Opposition Chief Whip, Marvin Gonzales, is questioning why Alexander has been put in charge of matters in the Prisons Service, when he has not addressed allegations in the public domain about visits to the prisons to meet certain inmates.

‘People were expecting a date for delivery of the 2026 budget, not changes in portfolios,’ Gonzales said regarding the reassigning of several ministerial portfolios, including Alexander’s.

‘These changes are a clear sign of internal instability in the Government just five months into office, and the Prime Minister is trying to manage.

‘The Prime Minister maintains the prerogative to make changes to Cabinet portfolios, but just five months into office, during which she installed the largest Cabinet with many ministers receiving salaries yet spending more time blogging, we’re now seeing changes in ministerial portfolios, like Finance Minister (Dave) Tancoo being stripped of key responsibilities like the Valuation Division, and other ministers stripped of the Self-Help programme and Lands.

‘So clearly there’s more in the proverbial mortar than the pestle. For instance, how come the Minister of Justice isn’t responsible for criminal justice?’ Gonzales added.

Political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath told the Trinidad Guardian newspaper that while some portfolio changes can be described as fine-tuning the work of the respective ministries, there are some critical changes.

‘To start with, the Prime Minister is taking the responsibility for Self-Help and social grants. It was clear that under the previous government, there were concerns about how Self-Help was distributed, particularly as elections approached.

‘The PM has decided that this will now fall under her office, and that is critical in determining who gets what. More importantly, with her being the one to dispense, it takes away from other ministers who may have been seen to have the power of patronage. But are we sure it is the PM who will determine who gets what, when, and how?,’ he added.