fp Turks and Caicos

Leader of the Progressive National Party
March 17th, 2009

My fellow Turks and Caicos Islanders, On Monday, March 16, 2009 the direction of our country took a new path that we as Turks and Caicos Islanders did not envision. After months of collecting evidence and a public hearing, the Commission of Inquiry released its interim report and the Governor made its recommendations public.

As the new Leader of the PNP, I consider it my responsibility to speak to you following the disappointing announcement by the Governor on the suspension of our Constitution. Let me join with the thousands of Turks and Caicos Islanders to say that, while I welcomed the Report of the Commission of Inquiry, I am deeply disturbed by its recommendations. I am deeply disturbed by the partial suspension of our Constitution. I am equally disturbed by the suspension of the House of Assembly.

This recommendation gives the Governor, absolute powers. A democracy cannot operate in this manner . We in the PNP consider this to be a breach of the basic principles of democracy, while being totally unnecessary. There is no need to suspend our Constitution. All the objectives intended can be achieved by the duly elected representatives of you the people under the current constitutional arrangement.
In 2007, the will of the people spoke and no matter who had emerged victorious, it was the people that spoke in this democracy.  It is my concern, firstly, that democracy must be upheld.  and secondly the will of the people must be respected. We have come too far in the development of these islands to disregard the voice of the people. In essence, the suspension of our Constitution, means that we have lost democracy and the voice of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands has been silenced.Our people will no longer have a voice they elected to listen to their concerns and address them.

On February 28, 2009, the PNP elected me as their new Leader and I was scheduled to commence my tenure as Premier of our Country at the end of this month. I was looking forward to working with the people of the Turks & Caicos and the British Government to achieve the very objective of strengthening the systems of our democracy; so as, to avoid, the pitfalls, that has derailed the present PNP Administration.

Let me state categorically that I nor my Party condone any of the actions that was alleged to have been committed by PNP Ministers. We in the PNP strongly, condemn that type of behaviour and justice will take its course. The PNP has suffered through this episode but I am committed to rebuilding our Party and bringing in new and bright minds with determination so that we can as soon as possible stare this country in the right direction with honest, responsible and trans-parent government.
Every developing country experiences growing pains, mistakes are often made. However, mistakes can be overcome. History has proven that they can be overcome.  We have seen this happen here at home and in many of our neighboring countries. It is the position of my Party that the best people to lead our country is our very own, whether through a political party or through an interim administration made up solely of Belongers and including representatives from the House of Assembly.

Despite the errors made by some, we still have many highly qualified and well able citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands to choose from and the choice must be ours. The Commissioner has also recommended that non Belongers who are resident in the Turks and Caicos Islands be allowed to vote in our general elections. This is unacceptable in a free and democratic society; This is unacceptable in a small country like ours where the indigenous people are already outnumbered and in many aspects marginalized.

This is an infringement on the rights and privileges of the citizens of our beloved country and should not be allowed under any circumstances. The right to vote is a privilege that should only be exercised by Belongers. In addition to the suspension of our Constitution, the Commissioner has also recommended that trial by jury, which is one of the most fundamental rights of a citizen, be eliminated.   It is shameful that the United Kingdom, being a Nation that speaks volumes about human rights around the world would seek to deny that same right to its citizens here in TCI in the 21st century.

The right to Representative Government and the right to be tried by a jury of your fellow citizens are two of the most basic principles of a modern democracy as is entrenched in the United Nations Declarations on Human Rights as well as the European Convention on Human Rights, which we, as a colony of Britain have signed onto. Nowhere else in this region has this ever happened before, simply put, it is wrong and we as citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands must stand together to ensure that these recommendations are not implemented.

Now is the time to stop casting blame and join together regardless of party affiliations and fight for the rights of all of our citizens. We must unite! We must focus our energies on the issues we face as a result of the recommendations made by the Commission in order to ensure that our rights and freedoms are not infringed upon by our colonial masters.

I am committed to serving my Country, and I call on all Turks and Caicos Islanders from all walks of life to support me as we continue to work together for the good of this our beloved country.

May God bless us and guide us and may God continue to bless our beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands.