Category: CANA News

Jamaica is beginning the task of cleaning up on Wednesday after the category 5 hurricane Melissa left several paths of damage in its wake after slowing moving through the Caribbean island with winds in excess of 180 miles per hour (MPH) on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a ‘disaster area’ warning of ‘devastating impacts’ and ‘significant damage’ to hospitals, homes and businesses.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) said it has created logistical cells to harness agencies, including customs, Airport Authority and the Jamaica Defence Force, to ensure smooth operations for the clearance and distribution of relief supplies.

‘[This is] to ensure that whenever we are getting in supplies coming into the country , and we know that we will have a lot of commitments coming in from overseas, we will have enough hands on board and a very well put together plan to ensure that when supplies are in country they are not backing up at the ports,’ said acting OPEM Director General, Richard Thompson.

He told a news conference that the main airports and seaports are to be monitored to ensure relief is quick to reach the vulnerable.

The Bahamas government Wednesday said that despite undertaking all the necessary measures to ensure that the country is not blacklisted as a tax haven, it has nonetheless identified a status quo within the bodies that ‘create current global standards that we could not accept’.

Prime Minister Phillip Davis, speaking in Parliament on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (Amendment) Bill, told legislators that for too long, small nations like his have been subject to international rules written without their input.

Prime Minister Phillip Davis

‘These rules often fail to account for our realities and our sovereignty. In response, we have championed the call for a United Nations Convention on International Tax Cooperation, ensuring that every country, large or small, has a seat and a voice in shaping international tax and compliance standards.

‘As a result, we have been given access to discussions where we previously had no voice. Our Attorney General now sits on the UN Committee with direct responsibility for creating the future of International Tax Cooperation.’

Davis said that this is a direct result of ‘our advocacy as a credible voice, aligned with regional and international partners to fight for a fairer future for small island financial services jurisdictions.

‘At the same time, we are fighting for change on other fronts, as we tackle the most pressing issues facing us that necessitate action on a global scale,’ he said, adding that is why today, when it comes to financial sector compliance, The Bahamas stands among an elite group of nations’.

He said that the country is now the sixth country in the world to be declared largely compliant with all 40 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations and that earlier this year, the government passed a compendium of financial services laws that further strengthened the country’s compliance) standards.

‘When investors choose The Bahamas in 2025, they are choosing a nation with no blacklists to worry about, a strong and respected global standing, and an economy that is growing year after year.

‘They are choosing a jurisdiction that meets the highest standards, and a country with no lingering questions and no clouds over its reputation – just a bright future ahead of us.’

Prime Minister Davis said that the legislation before the Parliament follows the second round of effectiveness assessment by the OECD during the month of July 2025 and that the discussed were of meaningful dialogue regarding the country’s implementation of the Standard for the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information.

He said the Standard not only calls for a strong legislative framework, but also for an effective administrative compliance framework to be in place.

‘This framework enables us to monitor and supervise individuals and Financial Institutions to ensure adherence and compliance with the law, prevent circumvention of the Standard, administer and enforce penalties for non-compliance, and make sure taxpayers fulfill their obligations.’

Prime Minister Davis said that during the onsite assessment, it was recognised that The Bahamas has a CRS AEOI compliance strategy in place, which is still evolving, but noted that we need to further develop our administrative compliance framework.

‘The amendments we are debating today essentially empower Designated Supervisory Authorities (‘DSAs’) charged with the responsibility of conducting compliance and investigation activities, such as audits and onsite visits to Financial Institutions, to ensure that they are reporting in a timely manner, to inspect and verify documents and records.’

He said that the compliance activities also extend to ensuring that self-certifications are being collected and that the information reported in the CRS AEOI Reporting portal is correct and accurate.

Prime Minister Davis said The Bahamas is also under an obligation to ensure that financial institutions and persons are aware of potential circumvention schemes, including the risks presented by Citizenship by Investment and Residence by Investment schemes to prevent misuse and address it when detected.

But he acknowledged that building an effective compliance strategy has its challenges and may seem like a mammoth task, but the DSAs identified by the legislation, consisting of the key regulatory bodies like the Central Bank of The Bahamas, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas, and the Insurance Commission of The Bahamas, are equipped with the skill and knowledge to help safeguard the integrity of the taxation system.

He said they will be provided with the necessary powers, via this amendment to the Bill.

‘That, in essence, is the major change we are introducing through this Bill. It is noteworthy, however, to mention that the Bill also seeks to amend the existing Section 13 on Excluded Accounts to ensure that the description of the said accounts aligns with the Common Reporting Standard.

‘The Bill provides that administrative penalties collected under the principal Act must be paid into the Consolidated Fund. In addition, the Bill also provides for appeals, whereby an aggrieved person may appeal decisions made under the Act to the Supreme Court.’

Prime Minister Davis said that with approximately 160 jurisdictions involved and participating in the OECD’s Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, The Bahamas will continue to honour the commitments made in 2014, and carry on the building of relationships and trust among other Jurisdictions.

‘Today, when The Bahamas speaks on the global stage, we do so with credibility as one of the most successfully compliant nations in the world.

As we continue to chart our course as a global leader in financial services, we will remain guided by our conviction that the best days for our financial services industry, our economy, and our people still lie ahead of us,’ Davis told legislators.

The Guyana government says it is fast-tracking an Electronic Identification (E-ID) card system as the country seeks to deal with its porous borders which it acknowledges can be easily breached.

Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, speaking at a news conference on Tuesday night following the arrest of a Venezuelan national accused of planting a bomb that killed six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injured several others last Sunday night, said that any foreign national entering Guyana must be registered at legally designated points of entry.

Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond (center), during Tuesday night’s media briefing.

‘For Venezuelan migrants who come here through our ports, they are all registered and their details are taken,’ Walrond said, adding that persons who fail to register themselves will face deportation and sanctions.

‘What we will do is that for the persons who are in Guyana illegally, they will be given a grace period to come to register and have this E-ID card,’ Walrond said.

The E-ID cards will differentiate between citizens and non-citizens. It will also integrate personal data into a secure digital and physical card for accessing government and private sector services.

Waldron said without this card, non-citizens will not be able to access any services in Guyana.

The authorities said that the E-ID will link to other systems, including bank account and immigration records, and can be used for both digital and physical transactions.

They said the application process is relatively easy and involves booking an appointment online or at a service centre.

‘The documents needed for registration will be listed. After you prepare them, follow the steps at the service centre to finish your application. You will be notified when your card is ready to pick up,’ according to a government statement.

The Jamaica government Wednesday confirmed that four people had been killed after Hurricane Melissa, a then category 5 storm tore through the island on Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 180 miles per hour (mph).

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Desmond McKenzie, who had earlier indicated that there had been no reports of deaths associated with the hurricane, said in a statement that the four persons had died in St Elizabeth, one of the largest parishes, located in the southwest of the island and that their bodies had washed up by the flood waters generated by the hurricane.

Jamaicans surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa

‘These persons are, by all indications, direct victims of the hurricane, and I am hoping that there will be no more fatalities,’ McKenzie said.

‘Despite the fact that deaths are always possible during severe climatic events, your Government works with the constant optimism that all lives will be spared. This is therefore a deeply regrettable development, and the Government expresses sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

‘I also want to urge everyone once again to remain cautious and to heed the information coming from the Meteorological Service, which is that a flash flood watch is in effect for the island. More importantly, heavy rains are expected to dump three to six inches of water across Jamaica today. Let us all be careful and do all we can to ensure that no more lives are lost,’ McKenzie added.

Prior to the passage of the storm, Jamaican authorities had confirmed three deaths, including one man being electrocuted, as people were taking precautionary measures to deal with the storm.

McKenzie earlier told reporters that the general overview is that the country continues to experience the effects of Hurricane Melissa and that there have been various road blocks, downed utility lines mainly in the western section of the island, where the storm hit the most.

He said more than 25,000 people have gone to the various shelters and ‘since last night more persons have been going into the shelters, and especially in the parishes that have been badly affected, a lot of homes have been destroyed so persons are now going to the shelters.

‘We are going to be looking at a long term basis as to how we are going to deal with the numbers, but I want to say to all shelter managers, parish disaster coordinators and to the Municipal Corporations, no one must be turned back from the shelters.

‘No one, and we are not contemplating closing any shelters. Once we have done the assessment and to see which shelters can be closed we will do so. But for the remainder of this week no shelters must be closed, all shelters must remain open.’

Jamaica is beginning the task of cleaning up on Wednesday after the category 5 hurricane Melissa left several paths of damage in its wake after slowing moving through the Caribbean island with winds in excess of 180 miles per hour (MPH) on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a ‘disaster area’ warning of ‘devastating impacts’ and ‘significant damage’ to hospitals, homes and businesses.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) said it has created logistical cells to harness agencies, including customs, Airport Authority and the Jamaica Defence Force, to ensure smooth operations for the clearance and distribution of relief supplies.

Damage caused by Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday

‘[This is] to ensure that whenever we are getting in supplies coming into the country , and we know that we will have a lot of commitments coming in from overseas, we will have enough hands on board and a very well put together plan to ensure that when supplies are in country they are not backing up at the ports,’ said acting OPEM Director General, Richard Thompson.

He told a news conference that the main airports and seaports are to be monitored to ensure relief is quick to reach the vulnerable.

‘One of the things that can stall your relief distribution is when your goods come in and they end up in a bottleneck at the ports,’ he said.

About three-quarters of the island is without power and many parts of its western side are under water, with homes destroyed by strong winds.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said ‘Jamaica has gone through what I can describe as one of our worst periods, our infrastructure has been severely compromised.

‘The entire Jamaica has felt the brunt of Melissa,’ he said, adding that teams would be sent out to start the assessment and to make available to the various communities the various relief supplies that are necessary to start the recovery process.

‘We are on standby, everything is ready,’ he added.

Thousands of people remain in shelters across the country. The Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon said that the initial assessment of the impact of Melissa is ‘rough’.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the storm, which weakened slightly to a category 3 hurricane, is bringing damaging winds, flooding rains and dangerous storm surge as it moves over Eastern Cuba on Wednesday.

It is about 60 miles west of Guantanamo Bay and 230 miles south of the Central Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.

Melissa is moving toward the northeast near 12 mph and a faster northeastward motion is expected during the next few days.

‘On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to cross eastern Cuba this morning, move across the southeastern or central Bahamas later today, and pass near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday nigh,’ the NHC said, adding that Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane when it moves across the Bahamas later today and passes near Bermuda on Thursday night.

The United Nations General Assembly Wednesday has, for the 33rd consecutive year, adopted a resolution calling for an end to the decades-long United States embargo against Cuba.

All 14 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries voted in support of the resolution as an overwhelming majority of the UN’s 193 member states urged Washington to lift the measures, despite a noticeable shift in countries choosing to either abstain or side with Washington.

The resolution, titled Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba, was adopted by 165 votes in favour, seven against, and twelve abstentions.

Last year, the measure passed by 187 votes with two against (US and Israel) and just one abstention (Moldova).

Those voting against this year’s resolution were the US, Israel, Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.

‘The United States government is satisfied to see so many countries send the regime a message that the international community will no longer tolerate’ its activities, the US Ambassador Jeff Bartos said.

The twelve abstentions came from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Czechia, Ecuador, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Moldova and Romania

The text reiterates the Assembly’s long-standing appeal for all States to reject punitive US legislation such as the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, which Cuba and other countries argue violates international law and the UN Charter.

The Assembly also highlighted measures adopted by US President Barack Obama in 2015 and 2016 to modify some aspects of the embargo, ‘which contrast with the measures applied since 2017 [under the first Donald Trump administration] to reinforce its implementation.’

Through the resolution, the General Assembly also decided once again to include the embargo text in the provisional agenda of next year’s session.

The United States first imposed an embargo on the sale of weapons to Cuba on March 14, 1958, during the Fulgencio Batista regime. By October 19, 1960, almost two years after the Cuban Revolution led to Batista’s overthrow, the United States imposed an embargo on exports, with the exception of food and medicines, after Cuba nationalized American oil refineries without compensation. Within two years the embargo was expanded, so it covered almost all exports.

Since 1992 the United Nations General Assembly has annually adopted a resolution demanding an end to the Cuban economic embargo, with the United States and Israel being the only countries that consistently vote against these resolutions.

The Belize government has launched a new project aimed at improving diabetes care through the integration of diabetes services into primary healthcare across the country.

The new initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and is being funded by the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF).

As part of the Diabetes Care Integration Project, officials from the PAHO/WHO and the Ministry of Health and Wellness have visited both rural and urban health centers to evaluate current practices and determine how diabetes care can be better integrated into everyday healthcare services.

A government statement said that the site visits allowed the team to see firsthand how local health centers are managing diabetes care, gather insights into successful practices, and identify gaps in services and care for strengthening across the country.

In addition to the site visits, a comprehensive diabetes care workshop has taken place, bringing together over 40 healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, primary care coordinators, medical coordinators, administrators, and internists, among others.

The workshop focused on strengthening local expertise in diabetes care and featured discussions on the Global Diabetes Pact, an international initiative to improve diabetes care.

The statement said that the goal was to improve healthcare delivery for people living with type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

‘By training healthcare workers and enhancing local health systems, the training initiative aimed to reduce the impact of diabetes, prevent complications, and improve the overall health outcomes for patients,’ the statement said, adding that by integrating diabetes management into primary healthcare, this will help ensure that communities have better access to effective care and prevention strategies.

The Barbados economy, which expanded steadily during the first nine months of this year, is expected to strengthen with economic growth projected at 2.7 per cent at the end of 2025,’ the Central bank of Barbados (CBB) reported on Wednesday.

It said that the growth is underpinned by continued activity in the areas of tourism, construction activity, wholesale and retail trade and business and other services.

CBB Governor, Dr. Kevin Greenidge, delivering the country’s economic review for the first nine months of the year, told reporters that growth had been recorded over the last nine months even as global trade tensions continued and growth in several advanced economies slowed.

He said real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 2.7 per cent, led by tourism, agriculture, construction, and business and other services. Labour market conditions improved, with the unemployment rate at a record low of 6.1 per cent at end-June, 1.6 percentage points below a year earlier, while jobless claims edged up 3.2 per cent.

The Central Bank Governor said that inflation eased as import costs fell and that the 12-month moving average rate slowed to 0.5 per cent by August, with smaller price increases for food, non-alcoholic beverages and health, and lower prices for housing, utilities, furnishings, transport, and recreational and cultural services.

He said that the August point-to-point rate ticked up to 1.2 per cent on higher restaurant prices, but underlying inflation remained subdued.

The CBB is predicting that the growth momentum is expected to strengthen and points to a clear medium-term path.

It said that over the medium term, real growth trends toward three per cent per year on the strength of tourism diversification, steady public and private investment in infrastructure and housing, expansion of the digital economy, and targeted productivity reforms.

‘These drivers, together with resilient domestic demand and stable macroeconomic management, will keep Barbados on a durable growth pat,’ Greenidge said, adding that tourism, construction, and business services should continue to lead the next stage of expansion.

He said scheduled events, improved connectivity, and additional airline capacity from the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) should lift long-stay demand, while high vessel occupancy and an active itinerary pipeline will support cruise traffic. Spillovers will benefit accommodation, dining, transport, and cultural services.

The CBB said that a solid investment project pipeline in transportation, utilities, housing, renewable energy, and water management is expected to sustain construction activity, and ongoing upgrades in technology and innovation should strengthen business and other services.

It said that digital transformation and productivity reforms are expected to sustain medium-term growth.

‘Government and the private sector continue to scale digital infrastructure, modernise payments through BIMPAY, and expand online government services. Simplified business start-up requirements and skills development should raise efficiency and competitiveness, improving the ease of doing business and lifting potential output over the medium term.’

Greenidge said that global conditions have softened yet still support Barbados through stable demand and easing inflation.

According to the October 2025 World Economic Outlook, global growth is projected to slow to 3.2 per cent in 2025 and 3.1 per cent in 2026, with Latin America and the Caribbean around 2.4 per cent in 2025 and 2.3 per cent in 2026.

The IMF also projects global headline inflation near 4.2 per cent in 2025 and 3.7 per cent in 2026.

The CBB said that trade policy uncertainty and elevated tariffs keep risks tilted to the downside, but gradual disinflation and resilient consumption in major partners continue to support travel and external demand for Barbados.

Greenidge strong buffers, including international reserves of US$3.3 billion and a credible policy framework, help Barbados manage external shocks while protecting confidence and investment.

‘Higher capital inflows to the public and private sectors, together with strong travel credits, offset import related pressures and keep reserve coverage well above prudential norms,’ he said, adding that reserve levels may ease as construction and job gains lift imports, yet coverage remains sufficient to meet debt service, essential import needs, and to cushion against external shocks.

Greenidge said domestic inflation is anticipated to remain low and stable. He said the local inflation rate declined markedly during the first eight months of 2025, tilting the year’s outturn towards the low-end of the forecast range, at around one per cent.

He said increased oil production by OPEC members is signalling potential oil price decreases for the remainder of the year and into early 2026, which could favourably influence domestic inflation. However, persistent geopolitical tensions in key oil-producing regions remain a significant downside risk.

Greenidge said additionally, tariffs recently passed by the U.S. Government on its trading partners are likely to transmit inflationary pressures to Barbados. Potential spikes in shipping costs and weather-related disruptions to local food production could also present temporary upward risks to the inflation outlook.

‘All considered, the 12-month moving average inflation rate is likely to settle near the lower end of the forecast range between 1.0 and 2.5 per cent by year-end. This relatively low inflationary environment will help preserve domestic purchasing power and support confidence in the economy.’

He said fiscal prudence and debt sustainability are central pillars of the government’s public financial management strategy.

Greenidge said government continued to maintain substantive primary surpluses aided by solid tax performance and prudent expenditure management.

‘The focus remains on utilising any year-end surplus to reduce public debt, while also supporting public investment. This approach aligns with Barbados’ broader growth strategy as outlined under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme.’

Greenidge said BERT 2025 is expected to build on this foundation, advancing the Government’s ongoing reform agenda with renewed emphasis on state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform, productivity enhancement, and the transformation of both traditional and emerging economic sectors.

‘These efforts bode well for accelerating growth and achieving government’s long-term debt anchor of 60 per cent of GDP by financial year 2035/36,’ Greenidge added.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness Wednesday began assessing the ‘extensive damage’ caused by a category 5 Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday, but the country has so far not received any reports of deaths associated with the storm that hit Jamaica with winds in excess of 180 miles per hour. (MPH).

Information Minister. Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, told a news conference that Holness would be flying over the affected areas by helicopter and that other government ministers, particularly the Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton and the Energy, Telecoms and Transportation Minister, Daryl Vaz would also be engaged in a similar exercise.

‘It looks very very difficult in Jamaica and the images we are getting are really devastating. But we are a strong and resilient people and we will do this together,’ she told reporters, adding that 77 per cent of the country was without electricity.

She said prior to the press briefing ‘there was a cabinet meeting that was about coordinating how we get these assessments done, how we get resources to those that need it the most. So all of our ministers will be out working very hard with their teams to get the support to those who need it the most’.

But she said that the government has issued a statement indicating ‘an all clear following the passage of Hurricane Melissa and that comes after guidance from the Met Service.

‘When we give the all clear, it means that our utility companies should now commence restoration and recovery operations across the island,’ the Information Minister said, urging other stakeholders, including gas stations, pharmacies and supermarkets particularly in areas less affected to re-open their facilities.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie told the news conference that the authorities are not yet in a position to speak about any casualties as a result of the hurricane that has since made landfall in Cuba and also heading towards The Bahamas and Bermuda.

‘I keep getting a lot of messages (questions) about fatalities. We are not in a position to speak about any deaths because we have not had any reports of any deaths so far. So we cannot presume that there are deaths and I am hoping that there are no deaths to report,’ McKenzie said, reiterating ‘we are not in a position to make an official statement on deaths because we have not received any such information’.

Prior to the passage of the storm, Jamaican authorities had confirmed three deaths, including one man being electrocuted ,as people were taking precautionary measures to deal with the storm.

McKenzie said that the general overview is that the country continues to experience the effects of Hurricane Melissa and that there have been various road blocks, downed utility lines mainly in the western section of the island, where the storm hit the most.

He said he is hoping by now that all the Municipal Corporations ‘that can access their various municipalities will be out doing what is necessary’.

The Local Government Minister said that the question of search and rescue ‘is being undertaken in a meaningful way and all the necessary things will be done to ensure that persons who need to get out are in a position to do so’.

He said more than 25,000 people have gone to the various shelters and ‘since last night more persons have been going into the shelters, and especially in the parishes that have been badly affected, a lot of homes have been destroyed so persons are now going to the shelters.

‘We are going to be looking at a long term basis as to how we are going to deal with the numbers, but I want to say to all shelter managers, parish disaster coordinators and to the Municipal Corporations, no one must be turned back from the shelters.

‘No one, and we are not contemplating closing any shelters. Once we have done the assessment and to see which shelters can be closed we will do so. But for the remainder of this week no shelters must be closed, all shelters must remain open.’

He said that the authorities would now begin to position themselves to start the relief exercise to persons affected.

‘It is not going to be an easy road Jamaica. We have seen the extent of the damage. It is going to take a lot of time,’ he said, adding that ‘while we are prepared to do everything to accommodate speedy response, we also have to be mindful of the protocols that exist and the fact that we have to be accountable and we don’t want to be accused of doing anything that is not within what the law requires.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) is coordinating a sea-lift operation from Barbados, carrying essential supplies from the International Organization for Migration, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICCEF), and WFP itself.

‘Some 2,000 relief kits are also planned for deployment once airports reopen and the weather conditions permit flights’, said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

He said in collaboration with the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and a joint aid hub established in Barbados, WFP is ‘instrumental’ in the ongoing disaster response, with support from the European Union and Canada.

In Haiti, authorities have placed the departments of South and Grand’Anse on red alert, while other areas remain on orange alert.

‘More than 3,600 people are sheltering in emergency sites in the Grand Sud département, with IOM supporting sheltering of 3,000 people preventively and the setting up of 100 shelters,’ Dujarric said.

In addition, the UN and its partners continue to work closely with Haitian authorities to support preparedness and early action.

Former foreign affairs minister, Peter David, Wednesday said he will launch a new political party on November 16, saying it is a first-rate movement inspired by dreams and determination as well as prayer and purpose.

David, an independent legislator, who has been a member of the two main political parties here, said as he announced plans for the new political entity this past year he has ‘done a lot of listening and observing, while at the same time refusing to participate in the politics of noise..

Peter David

‘My listening and observing have allowed me to renew my faith in the Grenadian people. who yes, have sometimes – too many times, been let down by their leaders, but remain faithful in showing their own way.’

David, an attorney said that his politics runs parallel to the ‘very history of our people, many times knocked down, but never knocked out.

‘Each time we fall down, we get back up; dust ourselves and then keep running. There is no adjournment on which we cannot speak; no statement we shall make that could be postponed,’ he said, adding ‘a people’s struggle never grows old. It just continues’.

David told his audience that the ‘bridge we are building to the future, starts in mobilising our communities and inspiring our youth’.

He said that a new movement was launched a year ago by ordinary people ‘ whose conscience of decency and fairness were stirred into action and mobilization.

‘That people’s movement, they have urged – must be given form and structure. And the vehicle they have invested in, must hit the road. And so, in the name of the people who have demanded it, I – as only one of the standard bearers – have the honor of announcing that on Sunday November 16th we start the harvest.

‘We are careful not to say the people are launching a party – because this is too limiting. It’s a first-rate movement inspired by dreams and determination; by prayer and purpose,’ David said, adding that on November 16, ‘we will formally unveil the vision’ of a ‘distinctively Grenadian project.

‘Let this be a moment in history – and yes to all the people who have repeatedly said it, and have wished it into being – this indeed must signal the beginning of everything,’ David said, adding ‘the polls are promising, but the future even more so.

‘We shall bring a different work ethic as we advocate a new sense of purpose. With faith and determination, we shall move together. This new politics must not be just about replacing personalities. It must be about promoting probabilities.’