Editorial

When the West Indies Under-19 cricket team including our own left-handed opener Gidron Pope won the World Cup last month, hopes of Caribbean cricket f...

We live in a rush to judgement era, where we convict first and collect evidence later. St Vincent and the Grenadines is as much a part of this phenome...

During the presentations on the 2016 Budget, (one cannot call it a debate in the absence of the Opposition), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of For...

Protests against the 2015 general elections notwithstanding, the New Democratic Party (NDP) is missing a real opportunity by not turning up to Parliam...

The judgement handed down by Justice Brian Cottle last week in the matter brought against the Government by three teachers who contested the 2010 gene...

A new row has broken out in the lovely Grenadine island of Canouan over access by locals to the island’s natural resources, and their rights vis a v...

Recently, minister of Education “Jimmy” Prince spoke of the Government’s intention to place greater emphasis on history in our schools, particul...

For years now, agricultural production in our country, and indeed much of the region has been shrouded under a cloak of gloom and doom. Many have been...

Hopefully, the experience of the residents of St Vincent and the Grenadines with the Chikungunya virus about 18 months ago was so traumatic that every...

When Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves delivers his 2016 Budget Address, besides the usual deep interest in fiscal matters, particularly revenue measu...

The discussion currently taking place among members of the public, especially holders of firearm permits, about where firearms can be legally taken is...

We respect the decision of the New Democratic Party (NDP) to support the call of a particular political activist not to engage with SEARCHLIGHT, but r...

Today marks one year since the occurrence of what is arguably one of the worst traffic accidents in the history of this country. The Rock Gutter trage...

The results of the December 9 general elections again reinforced the political division in this tiny country of ours. Yet, divided as we are, in terms...

It has been well documented that the creative arts can play an important role in nurturing young people as children blossom when engaged using multi-s...

The end of the year usually is a time when individuals, organizations and nations reflect on the months past and plan for what the future may hold. As...

Christians around the world will this Friday mark one of the most important dates on the religious calendar, December 25, Christmas Day. This being th...

Democracy can be unkind to half the population but it demands of both sides a duty to be mature. It behooves the victor to govern in the interest of A...

The mirror does not always flatter us. Over the last few days, SEARCHLIGHT was taken to task in some quarters for publication of photographs showing s...

Finally and thankfully, we have come to the end of a drawn-out election campaign which has grabbed the attention of the populace, diverted scarce reso...

The next five days will be characterised by an unparalleled intensification of the election campaign, as the contending forces strain every sinew in a...

The last time the New Democratic Party (NDP) was in government, those people on the voters’ list who have just turned 18 were three or four years ol...

The past few general elections held in St Vincent and the Grenadines have been characterized by the intensity of campaigning, so much so that each one...

The candidates have been nominated, the period of special registration is over. The next big step in the elections process will take place on December...

Next Friday our nation’s footballers embark on the next stage of their ambitious campaign to try and win a qualifying spot in the 2018 World Cup fin...

It is not unusual for electoral campaigns to degenerate in the direction of personal and partisan attacks rather than focus on serious proposals for d...

As has become customary, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves delivered a hefty package of 14 announcements, two short of a metaphoric pound, during his Ind...

Next Tuesday, our still-young nation celebrates its 36th anniversary of Independence. It is an occasion which is much revered and respected in many co...

St Vincent and the Grenadines goes to the polls in less than two months time. We can say that with some measure of certainty, because the Prime Minist...

Were there any winners or losers in this week’s attempt by the leadership of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union (SVGTU) and the Public...

Last Saturday, October 10, was commemorated throughout the world as World Mental Health Day. We do not have statistics on the incidence of mental illn...

We are into the month of October, Independence month in St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is definitely our last Independence celebrations before the ...

Most times, when discussions are held about circumstances and consequences of the failed Ottley Hall Marina Project, no mention is made of another unf...

As the publisher of a newspaper, it only stands to reason that we should share in the concern being expressed publicly about the degree to which readi...

The international airport project at Argyle is so strategically important to our country, restricted as we are in our developmental thrust by the lack...

Here we go again. There is either a fundamental misunderstanding in some quarters about the difference between accreditation and recognition of academ...

Perhaps never before in living memory has the leader of the Catholic Church had such a profound impact on the poor, oppressed and needy as the current...

It is that when election campaigning begins the proverbial gloves are off where politicians are concerned. In St Vincent and the Grenadines though, su...

Rapid developments in information communication technology continue to challenge the applicability and practicality of many of our current laws and ac...

The tasks facing the new administration of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in Port of Spain are literally quite humongous. Chief among them would be re...

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union (SVGTU) seems to be stepping up a campaign against the ULP government just as the ruling party its...

As the election date draws ever nearer and the campaign intensifies, it is timely for us to revisit the issue of the participation of our women in pol...

If ever we were becoming complacent about our susceptibility to storm damage, given the hitherto storm-free hurricane season this year, last Wednesday...

SEARCHLIGHT supports unreservedly, the call made earlier this week in Parliament by Senator Jomo Thomas for a closer look to be taken at the chemical ...

They made their first appearance around the time of the Christmas floods of December 2013. Wearing neon yellow coloured waistcoats, this group of peop...

What is going on within the chambers of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF)? Concerns have been mounting, not only among the...

Our heartiest congratulations go out to the students who were successful in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination...

Young people the world over on Wednesday of this week engaged in various activities to mark International Youth Day (IYD). This day was designated by ...

In our country, the fact that we hold regular general elections is equated with democracy, as if elections by themselves constitute the sole barometer...

We must compliment both the St Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel and Tourism Association (SVGHTA) and its Caribbean counterpart, the CHTA, for their ve...

The country of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has quite a unique history. Although we share native genocide, European colonization, slavery and i...

The Vincentian-Garifuna compact is being threatened. This compact, best expressed as Vincentians’ recognition of the crucial role the Garifuna have ...

Vacation Bible camps have taken place in St Vincent and the Grenadines for decades, but it is only in the last 20 years or so that a larger variety of...

Nicole Sylvester was a woman of conviction. She held strong views and was not afraid to express them or act on them. A prominent attorney and human ri...

The month of July is a very special one for the peoples of the neighbouring republics of Cuba and the United States of America. It is the month during...

The high cost of energy and consequently electricity has posed a major developmental problem to small states likes ours. The reliance on non-renewable...

For the last few years, massive amounts of Sargassum seaweed have been washing up on Caribbean beaches, creating problems for tourism operators, fishe...

Two international recording artistes who have been staples of the popular Soca Monarch competition say they are calling it quits from the competition....

CARICOM leaders are currently meeting for their annual Summit, this year being hosted by the government of Barbados. The mid-year Summit was originall...

The decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOUS) that same-sex couples in that country now have the right to marry in any state of that ...

This weekend marks the beginning of our biggest cultural festival Vincy Mas. We are now approaching the end of the fourth decade since the changeover ...

We are well into graduation season, a time when our students at all levels are rewarded for years of dedication and hard work. Congratulations to them...

The vast majority of the countries of the western hemisphere continue to face significant challenges to maintain and further their economic developmen...

Last week, an act of extraordinary evil occurred in St Vincent and the Grenadines. A young woman, bathed in the innocence of the peacemakers, accepted...

The shock and horror over the latest incidence of domestic violence, in which a Chateaubelair woman was killed, are still reverberating through the so...

Last Friday, June 5, was World Environment Day, a day dedicated around the world to stimulate worldwide awareness of environmental issues and encourag...

We comment here today on two, apparently unrelated issues, save that the connection between them involves safety and security at both a personal as we...

The New Democratic Party (NDP) has stated its intention to make all 700,000 Garifuna in the diaspora, honorary citizens of St Vincent and the Grenadin...

The game of football, or soccer as it is popularly known, is referred to locally as “the game of the people.” Globally, it is promoted as “the b...

It is the aspiration of all developing countries to move up the development ladder on the road to becoming what are classed as “developed” countri...

St Vincent and the Grenadines has a history and tradition of democracy and peaceful resolution of political battles. From time to time, notably in the...

The Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) has launched a robust response to the move by the governing Unity Labour Party (ULP) to put its electoral ma...

Today is International Nurses Day (IND), a day which is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. T...

In spite of the hacking of the Government’s website, whether by ISIS or others unknown, Prime Minister Gonsalves and his government must still feel ...

As we enter the first full week of our 2015 Child Month celebrations, we must give thanks that the outcome of the incident at the Calliaqua Anglican S...

Yet another step in the painstaking effort of national recovery following the unforgettable “Christmas floods” of December 2013, took place on Mon...

The noble and very often undervalued profession of teaching has been in the national spotlight for a few months now, with the topics generating some i...

Another step along the road towards the next general elections was taken last Sunday, when the governing Unity Labour Party (ULP) held its self-procla...

When Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States of America in January 2009, there was a tremendous outpouring of goodwill all around ...

Eight employees of RBTT Bank Caribbean Ltd have received letters from their employer indicating that after Friday, April 17, their services will no lo...

St Vincent and the Grenadines this week hosted a visit by leading officials of the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The visit by Ve...

“Up from the grave he arose; with a mighty triumph o’er his foes; he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to...

While we are occupied with preparations for general elections here in St Vincent and the Grenadines, developments have been taking place in other Cari...

The Domestic Violence Bill 2015, now before a Select Committee of Parliament, has been a long time in coming. It had its first reading earlier this mo...