UWI Cave Hill Students Reclaim a Regional Democratic Dream
March 4, 2026
Members of the Caribbean Parliamentary Assembly
More than two decades after the Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians quietly faded from the regional landscape, a new generation of Caribbean leaders has revived its democratic spirit, this time from within the Cave Hill campus of The University of the West Indies. Launched in January 2026, the Caribbean Parliamentary Assembly (CPA) marks the first time in the history of The UWI that students are debating regional issues through a formally constituted parliamentary body.
Structured Framework, Not Just Debate
Unlike debating clubs or mock parliaments, the assembly operates within a structured framework, complete with a speaker and deputy speaker, departments that mirror the machinery of government across the region, like Department of Health and Wellness and the Department of Labour.
The CPA is a subsidiary of the UWI STAT Vice Chancellor’s Ambassador Corps and was conceptualised and executed by its Cave Hill chapter in collaboration with the Cave Hill Guild of Students and campus student associations. Its mission is clear: “to promote regional integration, civic engagement, debate, and democratic practice among students at the University of the West Indies.”
Lessons from History
That mission bears striking resemblance to the now-defunct Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians, established in 1994 as a forum for legislative dialogue among CARICOM states. Comprising government and opposition parliamentarians from member and associate member states, the Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians convened three times, meeting in Barbados, Grenada and, finally, Belize in 2000, before ceasing to function. Though short-lived, it represented an early attempt to institutionalise regional parliamentary cooperation.
It is this unfinished experiment that the Cave Hill assembly now echoes, albeit from a student-centred perspective. Where the earlier assembly brought together sitting legislators, the CPA is cultivating future leaders through structured exposure to parliamentary practice, policy debate and regional governance at a formative stage.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, Professor Clive Landis, said that while the proposal initially struck him as ambitious, it was both achievable and timely, and aligned with the mission of the regional university.
Addressing students at the launch, Professor Landis underscored the urgency of youth engagement in shaping the region’s future.
“Your voice is critical on issues to do with, not only the planet, but sustainable living. The development of the Caribbean, the safety of the Caribbean, its resilience in the face of external threats, these are issues the youth must have a forum to air their views, to discuss them,” he said.
He urged members of the assembly to conduct their deliberations “the UWI way”, and emphasised respectful dialogue in an increasingly polarised global environment.
“We have an obligation, as a university, to show how respectful dialogue can be conducted… It’s not about right-thinking; it has to do with listening and debating,” he added.
The ceremonial launch reflected the assembly’s seriousness of purpose. It featured the raising of a hand-crafted mace, followed by an oath-taking ceremony administered by Chief Justice of Barbados, The Most Honourable Justice Leslie Haynes. Captain the Reverend Roslyn Harper-Johnson, J.P., Honourary Chaplain to the assembly, held the Bible upon which the oaths of leadership were taken. In a nod to parliamentary tradition, members stood at designated points throughout the proceedings as a mark of respect.
Shaping Leaders “By Design”
From Left: Ajay Gordon, Joshua Harris and D’Rhys Stanley
Political science student Joshua Harris, J.P., who also serves as President of UWISTAT is the inaugural Prime Minister in the assembly. The Barbadian said the inauguration of the assembly signalled the emergence of a new generation of regional leaders.
Crucially, he stressed, the CPA is not intended to be symbolic but would “ensure that the future leaders of our region are not born by accident but prepared by design.”
The student leader reflected on the educational value of the parliamentary process itself. He noted that debate teaches governance, research fosters accountability, and speaking up cultivates leadership.
“The CPA creates the muscle memory of democracy, and muscle memory makes habits. Habits shape character, and character shapes nations,” he said.
He added that CARICOM needs thinkers and negotiators unafraid to confront a myriad of challenges, including climate change, inequality, migration, cultural erosion, food security and digital transformation.
“The CPA is our training ground for that responsibility. It is where a student from Saint Lucia learns to understand the concerns of students from Belize, Grenada or Guyana, and where party positions are sharpened not by hostility, but by intellect.”
While debate would be robust, Harris said it would be conducted with respect and anchored in a shared Caribbean identity.
That balance between scrutiny and unity was echoed by Leader of the Opposition Ajay Gordon of the Blackbirds Students’ Party, a Tobagonian and third-year law student.
“My role is critical in leading those members of parliament who do not form the government in a sensible, prudent and balanced critique of government policy,” Gordon said. “Where there is room for collaboration, collaboration will be had. However, the welfare of the people must always be treated with the highest respect.”
The Independents are represented by D’Rhys Stanley, a first-year law student from Nevis, who said her role is to ensure objectivity in parliamentary debate.
“Support and scrutiny are not mutually exclusive,” Stanley said, noting that the Independent bench allows legislation to be examined through a lens guided solely by public interest.
“As such, the role we play is one that is flexible, allowing objectivity to be the determining factor of our stance.”
The assembly is organised across three categories of membership – permanent, associate and honourary – with permanent members drawn from UWI STAT leadership, the Guild of Students, recognised island and country associations and the debating community. It comprises three official political groupings: the Pelican Students’ Party, the Blackbirds Students’ Party and The Independents.
Regional Significance
The broader regional significance of the initiative was underscored by Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, who described the CPA as an important development in the long journey towards regional integration.
He drew parallels with the Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians, and suggested that the CPA was, in many ways, reviving a long-held regional vision.
“You are, in a sense, reviving that idea”, the diplomat said, and expressed hope that the movers and shakers within CARICOM will take note.
“I am hopeful that this effort that you are making will hasten the process of leading to the admission of a representative regional youth organisation as an associate institution of CARICOM so that the youth of our region get a seat at the discussion and decision-making table,” the ambassador said.
Connecting Students to Regional Governance
Ambassador Comissiong noted the implementation of CARICOM’s full free movement regime in four countries in October 2025, and said the assembly could help strengthen public participation in regional governance.
“If the recommendations, proposals and challenges from the CPA can be connected with CARICOM youth ambassadors and fed into ministerial councils and heads of government, this will boost people participation,” he added.
He pointed to shifting geopolitical dynamics within the region and underscored the importance of youth voices as moral leaders within Caribbean society.
