16
May 5 - 11, 2012
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Letters
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No need for more court rooms Changing landscape
Dear Editor, I was appalled by the Governor’s recent statement informing the public that the UK government is spending over $1m to develop a suitable courtroom for the upcoming trials. The money will be used to renovate the former Myrtle Rigby Hospital into courtrooms, holding cells, media rooms, witness rooms etc. Let me make it clear that we do not want a new court house. The initiative is basically to make an international circus out of this entire process. This is clearly a demonstration of the priorities of the British government. The government has recently informed all ministries, departments and statutory bodies to reduce their budgets for 2012/13 by 25 per cent. They have further given notice that no new capital projects will be budgeted. The British government finds it difficult to contribute to the construction of a school, or a road or invest in the small business programme. However, they would quickly invest in prisons and courtrooms for the people in the overseas territories. There is absolutely no
development taking place in any of the family islands. Furthermore, more than 300 people have been laid off from the government and private businesses are still closing down their operations in TCI, terminating their workforce and moving their businesses to other territories. What is wrong with the present courtroom? Yes, it is small and cannot accommodate all the spectators, however, do we really need to make this a spectacle? More than 13 people have been charged with very serious crimes, and yes they can go to jail. These people have brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Their children sit in schools being taught alongside our children, they have relatives in the workforce with us probably attending the same church that we attend. Why do we need to make this a circus and cause even greater grief and distress to our brothers and sisters? Yes, these people might have done wrong, much of which I am sure they had no idea of the gravity of their actions and certainly did not think they were doing anything amiss. However, let us be honest with ourselves, those people charged are
as far from being criminals as I am from being the pope. As a matter of fact, up until now I doubt any of them have ever sat in a court house as a respondent. These are people who have never committed even the most minor offence. I call on the government to desist from spending money on an additional courtroom, and use this money to help unemployed persons develop small business projects in the tourism industry. Tourism is booming in Providenciales, but the tourism product is far from developed. Rebuild the Ona Glinton Primary School, resurface the Millennium Highway in Providenciales or build a proper cemetery for Provo. Do not make a circus out of these court cases and bring further disgrace on the people of TCI, 98 per cent of Turks and Caicos Islanders are innocent. I call on the leaders of our country - Carlos Simons, Derek Taylor, Rufus Ewing and Sharlene CartwrightRobinson, Royal Robinson, Ewonka Selver and others to formally oppose this project. Andrew Williams
Response to Carlos Simons statement
Dear Editor, I am a Turks and Caicos Islands citizen who has as of last week, reconfirmed my status as a TCI citizen and re-registered to vote in the upcoming 2012 general election. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to express my opinion on various issues of the day affecting the Turks and Caicos Islands. On April 24, 2012, a press released titled ‘Statement of Mr Carlos W Simons QC, Expressions Radio Talk Show, April 23, 2012’ was released into the public domain by Mr Simons via his public relations team. As a Progressive National Party (PNP) supporter, I was totally shocked, surprised and taken aback as to the outright political posturing and duplicity being displayed by this man. Mr Carlos Simons, QC must really believe that we the people of the TCI are complete fools and idiots, and that we are so blind, we can’t see through his flagrant hypocrisy. Obviously, it must be his intention to get us and keep us all drunk again with grand illusions until the general election is over. Well I would like to be the first to let him know: We have already been there, and done that, so he needs to
revisit his play book and come again, and in using a play on his words: That is how we TCI’s roll. Mr Simons is of the conviction that all TCIs above the age of 30 have memory loss, and therefore his past is automatically expunged from the pages of history. In his April 23, 2012, press statement, he said among other things the following: “I want to take this opportunity to tell those delegates who don’t quite understand the seriousness of the time we live in, what they ought to be looking for in the next leader of our party, and the next Premier of our country – experience, maturity, stability, standing and reputation, commitment and the ability to deliver. “The ability to make the case for the TCI…” “I can say, without fear of contradiction, I have those qualities in greater measure than anyone who is currently in the leadership race or who might be thinking about it.” Then he went on to list his record from 1985 to present, and summed it up by saying: “Like one party delegate put it in introducing me in North Caicos last Thursday night ‘he (Carlos Simons) is no small fry’.”
SPACE IS LIMITED!
Well, from Mr Simons’ abovementioned press statement, it is clearly evident who is the one that is suffering from memory loss, and it is not the people of the TCI. However, due to his memory loss he forgot to include in his record a list of personal offences against the people of the TCI. The reason why Special Prosecutor Ms Helen Garlic and her team of international attorneys and investigators are here in the Turks and Caicos Islands, is because of disingenuousness individuals. And for those TCIs who do not know any better, Mr Simons or any other future Premier will not be able to stop this Special Investigation Prosecution Team from concluding its investigation and prosecution. Therefore, do not be fooled. People of the TCI, is this the kind of person that we want to lead the Turks and Caicos Islands into the future, and one day into independence? I do not think so. Again I would like to say thank you. Arturo Missick A PNP supporter for change
of TCI Government Dear Editor, Permit me some space to enlighten the people of the TCI to what is taking place under the interim administration. I also want to sensitise members of the Advisory Council and the Consultative Forum. When the PDM administration left office in 2003, all key positions in the government were localised, and this continued under the PNP. Concerted efforts were made to train local people and build capacity among our people to ensure they are capable of doing their jobs. This development has been drastically reversed by the British over the past three years. Frankly speaking the actions of the British government is tantamount to naked modern day racism. The above strong statement is supported by the following analysis from TCIG press releases and other well-placed sources: • Director of NIB, Trevor Cooke – replaced with Collin Heartwell • Director of TC Invest, Conrad Higgs – replaced with Rebecca Astwood • Director of Social Development, Adella Williams – replaced with Annette Joseph • Ambulance supervisor, Darren Hall – replaced with Pat Reil • Chief Economist, Kathleen Forbes – replaced with Stephen J Pollard • Director of Planning, Ian Astwood – proposed replacement Kathleen Wood • Director of DECR, Wesley Clerveaux – proposed replacement Mark Day • Director of Agriculture, Donald Elvery – replaced with Nicky Turner • Director of Health Services, Rufus Ewing – proposed replacement Dawn O’Sullivan • PS OPSM, Susan Malcolm – replaced with Mark Greenway • Budget Director, Anya Williams – replaced with Jenny St Clair • Governor’s press officer,
Christine Shearer – replaced with Neal Smith • Chief Environmental Health Officer- position being advertised abroad The results of these decisions are far reaching for any elected government and for the long term sustainable development of the TCI. This trend will also undermine any efforts towards independence. Both PNP and PDM are now talking about nation building. The PNP for certain is pledging to take the TCI independent. None of these proposals are feasible with the brain drain of TCI natives, the removal of local capacity and depriving the islands of an inner ability to run its own affairs. What will happen to all of these replacements after elections are completed and there is a localised Turks and Caicos Government? Can this be considered a longterm trend of replacing career civil servants with these replacements? Mind you, some of the people going home were lazy and dysfunctional and probably should never have held such positions of responsibility in the first place. They in some limited cases almost justify these incorrect steps being taken by the interim government. By and large in all cases where bad apples are weeded out and the good ones going home, there are locals, natives, persons with huge experiences in government and education, who can replace the outgoing persons. Mr Governor, CEO, CFO, the Public Service Commission, which is supposedly ‘local’ and has the final say, must know that these decisions cannot be justified on any level. In 60 per cent of the cases here, you are all being totally racist. Finally, one must ask the British government a serious question: Did you come to wipe out corruption of the former government or did you come to install a latter day apartheid system? David Forbes
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