Category: CANA News

The government on Thursday announced several new diplomatic appointments including that of journalist Kenton Chance as the ambassador designate to the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Chance, who is the managing editor of the St Vincent based IWitness News also serves as the Kingstown correspondent for the Barbados based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

Fueled by standout performances by opener Zachary Carter and pacer Shaquan Belle, the West Indies Under-19s sailed into the Super Six phase of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup on a winning note with a 55-run victory over South Africa here on Thursday.

Carter’s superb 114 off 104 balls, which included eight sixes and eight fours, was the mainstay of West Indies’ total of 234 in 47.5 overs after choosing to bat first at the High Performance Oval.

Belle then grabbed career-best figures of 6-40 in his 10 overs to almost single handedly bowl his team to victory, as South Africa could only muster 179 in 37.4 overs.

It was the second win of the tournament for the West Indies and helped them finish second in Group D behind unbeaten Afghanistan, with South Africa also advancing to the next phase after placing third.

The heavy-set Carter had been struggling for runs in the tournament but found his mojo at the right time.

He added 33 runs with opener Tanez Francis, before the latter was dismissed by left-arm pacer JJ Basson for 14.

Carter, who was named Player-of-the-Match, then added 82 runs for the second wicket with captain Joshua Dorne, which saw the Windies progress to 115 for one in the 23rd over.

But Basson struck three times in the space of four deliveries to completely change the momentum and put South Africa in the driver’s seat.

He began by having Dorne caught for 20 and with his next two deliveries he dismissed the in-form Jewel Andrew and the dangerous Shamar Apple for ducks to reduce West Indies to 115 for four.

Carter then found another ally in Jonathan van Lange, with the two sharing a 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket that carried their side to relative safety.

During their alliance, Carter brought up his century off 89 balls by thumping left-arm pacer Jason Rowles for two sixes in the 33rd over.

However, just as they were preparing to shift gears, Carter was bowled by James, with his dismissal sparking a West Indies middle order collapse in which they lost their next six wickets for 41 runs, including their last three for the addition of a solitary run.

Basson was the pick of South Africa’s bowlers with 5-23, while Rowles took 2-44.

It didn’t take long for Belle to make his mark with the ball, as he had Adnaan Lagadien caught at mid-on for 10 after he miscued his pull shot.

Spinner Isra-el Morton deceived Jorich van Schalkwyk with a delivery that turned the other way to trap him plumb in front, before Belle dismissed captain Muhammad Bulbulia in identical fashion to Lagadien, to leave South Africa 40 for three.

Rowles and Armaan Manack tried to rebuild the innings during a 42-run partnership for the fourth wicket, before the latter was run out for 17 to leave the game in the balance.

Left-arm spinner Vitel Lawes produced a gem of a delivery that spun past the outside edge and hit Rowles’ off stump to dismiss him for the topscore of 46 off 40 balls, to put the West Indies in control at 115 for five in the 24th over.

Belle then returned to snare the next four wickets of Paul James for seven, Daniel Bosman for 19, Michael Kruiskamp for five and Lethabo Phahlamohlaka for 26, as South Africa slumped to 167 for nine.

Pacer Jakeem Pollard then wrapped up the match by having Basson caught behind for three to spark wild celebrations among his teammates.

On January 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of State announced that, effective January 21, it would pause the issuance of all immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, including eleven in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), deemed to be at ‘high risk of public benefits usage.’

Applications may still be submitted, but no immigrant visas will be issued during the pause.

The notice sets out the policy logic plainly. President Donald Trump has directed that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and must not become a ‘public charge.’ Visas are described as a privilege, not a right, and admissions as national-security decisions. Implemented by a Department led by Secretary Marco Rubio, the language is deliberate and categorical. It signals a shift in doctrine, not a temporary pause awaiting reversal.

For the Caribbean, this matters because for decades outward migration absorbed part of the region’s internal economic pressure-unemployment, low wages, limited domestic markets, and frustrated professionals. That outlet has now narrowed. The pressure, therefore, will intensify at home.

The composition of the 75-country list reveals the underlying logic.

The countries are drawn overwhelmingly from the Global South-Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and parts of Central and Eastern Europe and Asia. What links them is not politics or proximity, but economic structure: high youth populations, weak labour absorption, persistent underemployment, and long reliance on outward migration to relieve domestic pressure. The pause thus functions as a broad structural screen, signalling that the United States will no longer accept migrants it does not actively seek.

It is now incumbent on the eleven CARICOM states to build conditions that attract investment, expand enterprise, and generate employment. The alternative is clear and costly: higher unemployment, deepening poverty, rising crime, social instability, and declining economic prospects.

This warning is not speculative. Research by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank shows a consistent pattern across Latin America and the Caribbean: persistent unemployment-especially among youth-drives poverty, fuels crime, weakens social cohesion, and deters investment. Stronger labour markets and rising real earnings, by contrast, are among the most reliable drivers of poverty reduction and stability.

Addressing these challenges, however, is not the responsibility of governments alone. It requires a collective national effort.

Governments must create conditions for growth-but they do not create jobs on their own. The private sector must invest, expand, innovate, and take calculated risks at home, not merely extract rents or wait for incentives. Trade unions must defend workers, while engaging seriously with productivity, skills upgrading, and enterprise sustainability. Political parties-especially those that aspire to govern-must treat economic reform as a national obligation, not a partisan weapon.

If this collective effort fails-if no national plan is jointly devised, implemented, and monitored-Caribbean economies will fracture under the weight of unemployment, accompanied by familiar cycles of bickering and finger-pointing among actors unwilling to place national interest above sectional advantage.

The region’s difficulties are compounded by a self-inflicted handicap. World Bank and IDB assessments show that many Caribbean economies operate with high costs of doing business-slow approvals, overlapping regulation, expensive logistics, and especially high energy prices. Electricity costs in some states are two to three times higher than in North America. Regulation is often cumbersome, mired in red tape and institutional inertia, and in some cases distorted by practices that extract private gain for favourable treatment.

Too often, reform is postponed because it is inconvenient. Governments fear backlash. Businesses resist competition. Unions resist change. Oppositions calculate advantage. The political cost of reform is exaggerated; the economic cost of delay is discounted.

That miscalculation is no longer theoretical. It is urgent. If unemployment remains high while migration outlets narrow, the result will not be patience. It will be rising poverty, higher crime, social strain, and a deteriorating investment climate. Investors will withdraw. Insurance costs will rise. Bank deposits will shrink and interest rates increase. Tourism will falter. Public finances will weaken. Social cohesion will fray.

This is why responsibility must now be shared-and openly acknowledged as such. CARICOM must also take its own commitments seriously.

The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas envisaged a regional industrial policy under the CSME. Heads of Government are expected to consider a CARICOM Industrial Policy Framework at their Fiftieth Meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis next month-more than three decades after the Treaty was signed.

Similarly, the Caribbean Skills Certificate and regional labour mobility were intended to create a genuine internal market for skills. They have yet to deliver at scale. Initiatives to deepen capital and financial-market integration-such as the long-promised regional stock exchange championed by the CARICOM Private Sector Organization-remain worthy causes deserving urgent support.

If external doors are narrowing, the region must make its internal space work-or accept the cost of fragmentation. What is required now is a new compact. Governments must lower the cost of doing business decisively. The private sector must commit capital and creativity to domestic production. Trade unions must champion skills, productivity, and fair wages together. Political parties must accept that economic reform is not optional, and that sabotaging it for short-term gain undermines everyone’s future.

The State Department’s notice does not single out the Caribbean, but its consequences should rivet regional attention. It removes the long-standing illusion that migration will always be available as a safety valve. That era is all but over. The door to migration to the United States is no longer ajar; it has been closed elsewhere for years.

Either Caribbean societies-governments, businesses, unions, and political movements alike-accept shared responsibility for building opportunity at home, or they continue to defer and allow unemployment, crime, and instability to exact a far higher price.

As migration closes, there is only one viable response: build opportunities for investment and jobs at home-together.

Scoreboard of the third and final T20I between West Indies and Afghanistan here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

WEST INDIES

*Brandon King c Z Rahman b Khan 47

+Johnson Charles b Shahidullah 17

Keacy Carty c Z Rahman b Ahmadzai 10

Justin Greaves c Z Rahman b Ahmadzai 12

Shimron Hetmyer b Khan 13

Quentin Sampson c Atal b Z Rahman 3

Matthew Forde c Naib b Z Rahman 27

Shamar Springer not out 16

Gudakesh Motie not out 2

Extras (lb2, nb1, w1) 4

TOTAL (seven wickets; 20 overs) 151

Did not bat: Khary Pierre, Ramon Simmonds.

Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-62, 3-85, 4-102, 5-103, 6-122, 7-147.

Bowling: Ur Rahman 4-0-22-0, Z Rahman 4-0-45-2, Shahidullah 1-0-13-1, Khan 4-0-13-2, Ahmadzai 4-0-30-2, Nabi 2-0-18-0, Naib 1-0-8-0.

AFGHANISTAN

+Rahmanullah Gubraz c Forde b Springer 71

Ibrahim Zadran c Springer b Forde 28

Sediqullah Atal c +Charles b Springer 7

Darwish Rasooli c King b Pierre 4

Mohammad Nabi c Springer b Simmonds 6

Guldabin Naib not out 7

*Rashad Khan c Pierre b Springer 0

Shahidullah b Springer 0

Mujeeb Ur Rahman run out 4

Abdollah Ahmadzai not out 0

Extras (lb2, w7) 9

TOTAL (eight wickets; 20 overs) 136

Did not bat: Ziaur Rahman.

Fall of wickets: 1-72, 2-94, 3-107, 4-114, 5-127, 6-127, 7-127, 8-133.

Bowling: Forde 3-0-28-1, Pierre 4-0-29-1, Simmonds 4-0-26-1, Springer 4-0-20-4, Greaves 1-0-14-0, Motie 4-0-17-0.

Toss: Afghanistan elected to field first.

Result: West Indies won by 15 runs, but Afghanistan won the three-match series 2-1.

Player-of-the-Match: Shamar Springer.

Player-of-the-Series: Darwish Rasooli.

Umpires: Ahmad Shah Pakteen, Izatullah Safi.

TV Umpire: Akbar Ali.

Reserve Umpire: Muhammad Sabir.

Match Referee: Hamimullah Hamid.

The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) Wednesday called for mandatory body worn cameras and stricter oversight as legislators continue debating the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs).

The Senate is debating the ZOSO legislation on Wednesday that was passed during the early hours of Saturday morning in the House of Assembly.

Unlike the Lower House, where the government enjoys the necessary two-thirds majority to have ensured its passage, the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration will need support at least from four independent legislators for the measure to become law.

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has been critical of the independent legislators, referring to them as ”bootlickers and brown-nosers’

‘These shameless President’s senators had no courage to contest any election to sit in that Parliament, they are not there because of the will of the people. The entire country knows that these people were appointed because they are bootlickers and brown-nosers,’ she told the Trinidad Express newspaper, when asked if she regretted her earlier comments of the nine legislators appointed by President Christine Kangaloo, who she described as a ‘low-level PNM (opposition People’s National Movement) functionary.

‘It is obscene that these nine people, whose only special ability is bootlicking and self-promotion on the local cocktail and conference circuit, and who no one voted for, can decide on legislation brought to Parliament by a Government who was voted for by the electorate.

‘And the most egregious ones have absolutely no shame standing in front of Parliament to defend their eating ah food. Yet they won’t stand in front of the electorate and ask for a vote to be in Parliament,’ Persad-Bissessar told the newspaper.

Persad-Bissessar said her Government has comprehensive plans to address crime should the ZOSO bill fail to secure the required three-fifths majority for passage in the Senate .

In a statement, the LATT said its views were not sought before the ZOSO legislation, raising concerns about provisions in the Bill that allow body worn cameras to be used ‘as far as is possible having regard to available resources’.

The law association said the wording weakens accountability, adding ‘the experience of our members has been that this has been used as a ready excuse not to use cameras.

‘Given that the creation of Zones results in the suspension of some constitutional rights, we recommend that it be made compulsory that body cameras be used or some other recording device.’

The LATT is also recommending that police officers identify themselves or provide their regimental numbers when confronting people suspected of criminal activity.

It has also sought further sought clarification on detention provisions under Section 18(3) of the Bill, which allows a magistrate to order a detainee to appear before the High Court.

The LATT questioned how long a suspect could remain in custody after being brought before the court, how long a person could be detained without charges being laid, and whether a suspect should be released if there are delays in laying charges.

Questions were also raised about what would constitute ‘reasonable suspicion’ for officers to target individuals believed to be involved in criminal activities within a ZOSO and as part of its oversight proposals, LATT has recommended the inclusion of a new clause requiring a Standard Search Record.

It said this record should capture the grounds for suspicion and confirm whether a body worn camera was activated and that in cases where a body camera was not used, officers should be required to provide a written explanation.

The state-owned National Gas Company (NGC) has defended its decision to increase natural gas prices by more than 75 per cent, saying ‘at present the proposed price of gas for the contract year 2026 is non-negotiable’.

The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) said that increase from three US dolars to US$5.30 per MMBtu, could seriously affect businesses already burdened by higher electricity costs and shipping fees.

But in response to a letter sent by the TTMA president, Dale Parson, the NGC chairman, Gerald Ramdeen, said that the TTMA members ‘will be well advised to secure their supply of gas before January 31 as such volumes will be allocated to other customers after that date’.

Ramdeen said that NGC is open to entering into contracts for one year at the price proposed to the TTMA members, and thereafter enter into negotiations for future years if the current proposal made for those years is challenging.

But he maintained that NGC has to ‘act in the best interest of the entire country’ and that manufacturers cannot continue receiving subsidised natural gas costs.

‘You should be aware that over the past ten years your members benefited from a highly subsidised cost of gas; below NGC’s acquisition costs. That is not a policy that the present Board of NGC can continue. The evidence does not suggest that this subsidy was passed on to the customers of your members. One can conclude that it was reflected entirely in their profit lines,’ he wrote.

The TTMA had written to the NGC, calling for the price increase for light industrial customers (LIC), or non-energy manufacturers, to begin at four US dollars per MMBtu in 2026, followed by annual increases of about four per cent over a three-year period through 2028.

In a January 14 letter to Ramdeen, the TTMA president wrote that further ‘to our meeting with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Honourable (Satyakama) Mahara’ the TTMA is requesting a reduction in the increase to LIC ‘which was proposed by NGC from US$5.30/MMBtu to US$9.00/MMBtu.

‘There are already a significant number of LIC customers facing increased charges and incurring additional costs in 2026. These include Carbon Emissions Fees (CES) effective January 01st 2026, an additional 5% VAT effective January 01st 2026, and increased freight charges.

‘Additionally, beverage manufacturers using PET bottles face a 5% Environmental Levy on imported plastic bottles. Manufacturers are trying their utmost NOT to pass these increases onto the consumers,’ Parson wrote, adding that LIC users only comprise 1.2 per cent of NGC’s customers.

He said some manufacturers which consume large volumes of natural gas, would face cost increases too large to ­absorb.

‘In the interest of supporting non-energy manufacturers and SMEs, and prevention of triggering a national inflation, the TTMA is requesting the rate for LIC customers only start at US$4.00/MMBtu in 2026, with a possible 4% increase per year every year until 2028..

‘In so doing, manufacturers, operating in such a predictable environment would be better able to plan their operation and budgets, relative to being made to adjust without notice,’ Parson wrote.

But in his response, Ramdeen in a letter, which was also sent to the Express newspaper, said the proposed price is ‘non-negotiable’, noting that among the benefits manufacturers have enjoyed is the subsidised electricity rate for manufacturers, which over the past 10 years has amounted to in excess of TT$20 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents).

‘NGC’s Board has mandated the Management that it is prohibited from selling gas below its acquisition costs,’ Ramdeen wrote.

‘I am quite sure your members will not manage the affairs of their businesses in this manner and likewise the present Board of NGC cannot continue to sanction this type of fiscal mismanagement. NGC must act in its own best interest, notwithstanding what transpired previous to April 28, 2025, and in so doing must take decisions that are in the best interest of the entire country not only of your members.’

Ramdeen sad that he ‘ can predict that if matters are allowed to continue as occurred under the last administration it would lead to the ultimate demise of NGC. That is an occurrence that the Board that I lead and the shareholder to which we are answerable will stringently guard against.’

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Wednesday said that Grenada’s economy continues to navigate elevated global uncertainties effectively in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the category four storm that hit the island on July 1, 2024.

‘Economic activity remains robust, with strong investment and construction more than offsetting a moderation in tourism inflows,’ the IMF executive board said following the 2025 Article IV consultation with Grenada, endoring the earlier staff appraisal.

The IMF said Grenada’s economy has proven resilient in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, despite elevated global uncertainties. Growth in 2025 is estimated to have accelerated to 4.4 per cent, driven by strong investment and construction activity. Inflation has continued to moderate, reflecting easing global food and fuel prices. The fiscal position remains comfortable notwithstanding a temporary suspension of fiscal rules and an estimated 2025 primary deficit of 3.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

According to the Washington-based financial institution, major public infrastructure projects will sustain buoyant construction over the medium-term, extending the gradual moderation in overall growth toward its long-term potential.

The executive board said current low inflation is expected to gradually normalise by 2028. ‘Grenada’s external position in 2024 is assessed as weaker than the level implied by medium-term fundamentals and desirable policies and the large current account deficit will remain elevated over the medium-term until construction import pressures subside. ‘Notwithstanding near-term fiscal deficit deficits amid reconstruction and other priority spending, the underlying fiscal position remains sound.’

The executive board said the downside risks to the outlook persist amid heightened global economic and geopolitical uncertainties.

It said these stem from Grenada’s high vulnerability to natural disasters and reliance on tourism and imports, even as moderate shocks to key tourism source countries or global commodity and shipping prices are assessed to have only modest impact.

Risks could be amplified by disruptions to the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows, materialisation of risks in the domestic non-bank financial system or delays, or cost overruns in large investment projects. Faster-than-expected expansion in tourism capacity represents a key upside risk.

The IMF said a robust disaster resilience framework and government deposits provide important buffers against shocks.

‘The temporary suspension of the primary balance rule provided fiscal space for post-disaster reconstruction without disrupting other priority spending. Returning to the fiscal rules in 2027 is important to safeguard fiscal discipline and keep debt on a sustainable path. Continued expenditure prudence alongside revenue-enhancing measures would help preserve budget space for development priority investments.’

The IMF said that the perimeter of the primary balance rule could be better aligned with the general government debt anchor.

‘Capturing government off-budget and public on-lending-financed investments would help ensure the rule effectively restrains debt-creating spending. In the interim, such investments should be included in central government budget planning and adhere to equivalent reporting and auditing standards.

‘Recent progress in strengthening SOE (state owned enterprises) and statutory body oversight should continue with a view to eventually integrating these into the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework.’

The IMF executive board said that while the ambitious public investment projects address important development needs, the associated fiscal risks require careful management.

‘This includes continuing recent strengthening of project management to minimize delays or cost overruns, and a careful assessment of future operating and maintenance costs to avoid unfunded liabilities.

‘Plans to catalyse private investment, including around Project Polaris, underscore the need to operationalize the PPP framework. Strengthening management of CBI resources, continuing improvements to MTFF projections and clearing the backlog of audited government statements remain also important.’

The IMF said that accelerating system-wide credit growth and non-bank vulnerabilities call for careful monitoring. It said higher bank lending reflects a still-nascent reversal from long-subdued credit conditions, supported by ample liquidity and relatively strong asset quality in the region.

‘While credit unions show some encouraging asset quality improvements, ensuring loan loss provisions are sufficient and stepping up forbearance monitoring remain critical to safeguard against risks. Enhancing monitoring of reinsurance conditions and local market pricing in the general insurance sector remains important,’ the IMF said, encouraging the authorities to maintain recent momentum in strengthening the anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.

The Washington-based financial institution said limited potential growth impact from Grenada’s FDI-driven tourism expansion highlights the need to strengthen the domestic foundations of growth.

It said this includes more closely coordinated efforts to facilitate local investment and business development, enhancing locally offered tourism services and intersectoral linkages, reducing goods trade frictions, and strengthening the economy’s human capital and productivity underpinnings.

‘Infrastructure project decisions should continue to pay close attention to disaster resilience in alignment with the updated National Adaptation plan.

Improving quality of economic data and institutional capacity is critical to support informed policymaking. Data deficiencies contribute to uncertainty in policy analysis and economic forecasts.

‘These include common gaps in the region in balance of payments coverage, monitoring of large investment projects, outdated CPI weights, and missing GDP expenditure data.

‘Capacity constraints from persistent staffing shortages and turnover warrant prioritized attention in alignment with the ongoing public sector functional review and staff regularization process,’ the IMF executive board added.

Scoreboard of the second T20I between West Indies and Afghanistan here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

AFGHANISTAN

+Rahmanullah Gurbaz c Pierre b Joseph 1

Ibrahim Zadran b Forde 22

Sediqullah Atal c Sampson b Forde 53

Darwish Rasooli c Athanaze b Simmonds 68

Azmatullah Omarzai not out 26

Mohammad Nabi not out 7

Extras (b1, lb6, w5) 12

TOTAL (four wickets; 20 overs) 189

Did not bat: Gulbadin Naib, *Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-37, 3-152, 4-155.

Bowling: Forde 4-0-25-2, Joseph 4-0-35-1, Simmonds 4-0-39-1, Pierre 4-0-29-0, Motie 4-0-54-0.

WEST INDIES

*Brandon King c Rasooli b Ur Rahman 50

Alick Athanaze run out 8

Evin Lewis lbw b Ur Rahman 13

+Johnson Charles b Ur Rahman 0

Shimron Hetmyer c Zadran b Farooqi 46

Quentin Sampson b Ur Rahman 2

Matthew Forde c Nabi b Khan 6

Gudakesh Motie not out 9

Khary Pierre c Rasooli b Omarzai 11

Shamar Joseph c Khan b Omarzai 0

Ramon Simmonds c Zadran b Farooqi 1

Extras (lb1, w3) 4

TOTAL (all out; 18.5 overs) 150

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-38, 3-38, 4-106, 5-122, 6-123, 7-129, 8-143, 9-143, 10-150.

Bowling: Farooqi 3.5-0-28-2, Ur Rahman 4-0-21-4, Omarzai 3-0-20-2, Khan 4-0-19-1, Ahmad 2-0-32-0, Nabi 1-0-14-0, Naib 1-0-15-0.

Toss: West Indies elected to field first.

Result: Afghanistan won by 39 runs to lead the three-match series 2-0.

Player-of-the-Match: Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Umpires: Ahmad Shah Pakteen, Muhammad Sabir.

TV Umpire: Izatullah Safi.

Reserve Umpire: Akbar Ali.

Match Referee: Hamimullah Hamid.

The leader of the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, says he looks forward to being elected opposition leader after the Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, said a meeting will be held on Monday next week to decide on the matter.

‘I will be even more excited and even more happy to push to represent the people,’ Mohamed said, after Nadir in a broadcast on the state-owned and government controlled National Communications Network (NCN) on Tuesday night, also took a swipe at sections of the diplomatic community that had been public in their calls for the election of an opposition leader. ‘I intended to convene the meeting for the election of the leader of the opposition, regardless of how that vote would go. If opposition members of parliament feel it morally right to elect an international fugitive, then the stain on our parliament and our country rests solely with them.

‘I have every intention of continuing my tenure as Speaker to honour and uphold the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. Also, I have an obligation to preserve the dignity of the House’, Nadir said in announcing that the meeting will be held at 10.00 am (local time)on the same day that the government presents the national budget to Parliament.

He described as absurd the statements made by the diplomats from the United States, Canada, European Union, and the United Kingdom in calling for the election of the opposition speaker following the September 1 regional and general election last year that saw the return of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to office.

‘Our 13th Parliament from the time it was convened on November 3rd, has been functioning. In excess of 90 questions and five motions have been received by the Clerk, analysed, processed and decisions communicated to Opposition members.

‘Among the comments made by some members of the diplomatic community include the election of the leader of the opposition in a speedy manner. To the US Ambassador I ask, who is the Leader of the Opposition in your country. Does the absence of an opposition leader interfere with your country’s democratic process?

‘To my dear friend, Sebastian (Sigouin) from the Canadian High Commission, your great great democracy took six months to produce a budget last year, and your country has the unique distinction of having a person who was never elected to Parliament serve as a Prime Minister. A person imposed on the citizens of Canada by the former Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. ‘We acknowledge with gratitude, much appreciation, the work of the Diplomatic community, historically for the support of democracy in our country,’ Nadir said.

Nadir has so far not called the constitutionally required meeting of opposition legislators to elect the opposition leader amid speculation that he has been instructed by the Irfaan Ali government not to do so because Mohamed, the front runner for the position is facing extradition to the United States on fraud and other related charges.

President Ali has denied the accusation and Attorney General Anil Nandlall is on record as saying that electing Mohamed as opposition leader would tarnish the country’s image.

WIN is the party with the second highest number of seats in the Parliament with 16, surpassing the coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) that had commanded the position in the last parliament.

Earlier this week, the leader of the minority opposition, Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), Amanza Walton-Desir, has threatened to boycott next Monday’s 2026 national budget presentation to Parliament if an opposition leader is not selected by that time.

On Tuesday, Mohamed, who failed in his quest to have a meeting with Nadit, told reporters that he wanted the government to know ‘we won’t take this lightly.If we have to arrange peaceful protests, we’ll hit the streets next’.

In his address themed as ‘Address to the Nation,’ Nadir said he has been bombarded with ‘vile aspersions’ which he said were hurled at him by Mohamed, whom he described as ‘an international fugitive offender’.

‘I have found myself in this difficult position to hold the election of the leader of the opposition when I know that the presumptive Leader of the Opposition to be elected as an international fugitive’

Nadir was also critical of the daily Stabroek News newspaper for its reporting on the issue and repeatedly stated that he is not a fugitive and has never been sanctioned as he described as ‘nasty’, the statements that have been thrown in his direction by Mohamed and the WIN party.

He also used the broadcast to deny claims of corruption.

Mohamed said that Nadir bowed to local and international pressure in recent weeks for the country’s democracy to benefit from that constitutional office.

‘International pressure – the international community spoke, the people of the country were upset, even their (PPP/C ) own supporters and then today (Tuesday) I mentioned that we won’t take it lightly,’ he said.

Mohamed said that since the Speaker’s announcement, he has been inundated with congratulatory messages after a ‘long, journey, a long fight’.

The WIN Leader maintained that whatever he had said recently about Nadir were facts and do not reflect on the desired independence of his office as Speaker of the 65-seat National Assembly.

APNU parliamentary leader, Dr Terrence Campbell, had said on Tuesday that he filed a High Court action for the scrapping of the Teaching Service Commission because President Ali’s appointment of that body was done without consulting the opposition leader.

Afghanistan defeated West Indies by 39 runs in the second T20I here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Scores

AFGHANISTAN 189-4 in 20 overs (Darwish Rasooli 68, Sediqullah Atal 53, Azmatullah Omarzai 26 not out, Ibrahim Zadran 22; Matthew Forde 2-25).

WEST INDIES 151 in 18 overs (Brandon King 50, Shimron Hetmyer 46, Evin Lewis 13, Khary Pierre 11; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 4-21, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-20, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-28).