Turks and Caicos legislators support BVI’s call for no ‘UK direct rule’
Some members of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) House of Assembly have thrown their support behind the BVI who is currently trying to prevent the United Kingdom from suspending the territory’s constitution and imposing direct rule for the next two years.
The idea of UK direct rule was recommended in the recently released Commission of Inquiry (COI) report which found that there is evidence of serious dishonesty with the BVI’s public service, especially in areas controlled by elected government officials.
This recommendation has sparked protests in some sections of society and Leader of the Opposition in the TCI, Edwin Astwood, said he stands in solidarity with the people of the Virgin Islands.
“We know what their country is going through now,” said Astwood, having seen his territory undergo UK direct rule back in 2009 when TCI COI delivered that same recommendation.”
Speaking in the TCI’s parliament recently, Astwood further said: “I am hoping and wishing that their constitution does not get suspended. Instead of kicking out their government and going to direct British rule, I hope that they (the UK) will allow the people to go to fresh elections. If one person did wrong or is being accused of doing wrong, do not punish the whole country,” Astwood said.
“Do not treat the whole country like they are criminals that did something. Allow the people to go to the polls and have fresh elections. We have seen the damage and setbacks it has done to the Turks and Caicos Islands. While some might say some good things come out of it, there were more setbacks in our country, in our constitution than anything else,” the Opposition Leader added.
The TCI’s Leader of Government Business and Minister of Infrastructure, Housing Planning & Development Akierra Missick also supported the Astwood’s statements. She said she echoed the his sentiments because the Turks and Caicos Islands have experienced first-hand the damage the suspension of a country’s constitution can cause.
“We are not only praying for their strength but for their constitution to not be suspended as we have our own experience with that, and it is one that still leaves a bitter taste in some people’s mouths. Despite, as the Leader of the Opposition said, some good reforms may have come out of it, I do believe as a people we would have gotten to that reformative stage in any event as we mature as a democracy,” Missick noted.
Meanwhile, appointed Opposition member of the TCI’s House of Assembly Alvin Garland also supported his colleagues in their calls for the Virgin Islands’ constitution not to be suspended.
“I would like to associate myself with the comments made by my honourable Leader of the Opposition in relation to the British Virgin Islands. Yes, indeed the direction for resolving the issues within the British Virgin Islands is not to suspend the constitution of that territory,” Garland said.
“As the Honourable Leader of the Opposition has quite rightly pointed out, it does not solve the issues that would have been found in the Commission of Inquiry which we have experienced here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The better solution would have been to allow fresh elections or maybe investigate the individuals who may have been found of criminality and start investigations in pursuing them but certainly not to suspend the constitution,” he added.
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Thanks
Yeah. So who effin cares what Turks says? You were all guilty just like us.
I welcome direct UK rule. We are children who cannot govern ourselves. We have proven that
Criminals they all be
Those are the relatives and cronies of the crooked disgraced former Premier of the Turks.
Who cares what they say.
Same last name, even!
Of course the Missick family is opposed, they lost their corrupt positions and were forced to accept ongoing accountability.
Meanwhile, the per person GDP of the Turks and Caicos has DOUBLED from the time of direct rule to now.
Hmmm? Maybe not losing all your money to bribes actually allows businesses to grow and hire more people?
Because you did something worng, your children must suffer and not be allowed to live?
Absolutely correct. Phuckers all of them
Only the corrupt calling for no direct UK rule in the BVI. So 13 years after your T&C dissolution you still corrupt?
But the entire BVI government, friends, family and cronies are corrupt. How can you have a fresh start by re-electing the same crooks. No, they all gotta go and we elect in 2 years from fresh honest minds.
Please please DO NOT post any of these people, we do not want to hear anything from them.
Who cares what they think! Just does not matter! Just filling up news space!
school
Birds of a feather always flock together
The Missick name has been called in every scandal of corruption that the Turks and Caicos has faced, inlcuding the Saunders debacle. Go siddunng!!!
I’m glad to see everyone standing up to crooked Government Officials Globally.
They are talking about “if one person did wrong …”. No it’s institutionalized corruption and cronyism that needs to be completely weeded out and not by those people engaged in it!!
Continue listen to TCI, they happen where they are. They doing good, they can tell you anything and what ever you want to hear.
Y’all ever seen TCI COI report ? NOPE! So ppl in the BVI do what’s right and believe there’s a way to get over and around this.
If you listened to the morning braff today, you would’ve learned the suspension of the constitution of TCI wasn’t as bad as they are all claiming to be and they are trying to fear monger us. The cronies are the one who are doing the fear mongering
Three people here spoke out, two of present opposition and one current government. The ONE man on Tola Radio worked for the GOVERNOR (hmmmm)!3 to 1 odds of the truth.
Missick? Why would we take advise from a Missick? Isn’t Missick the reason why the COI was called in TCI? She there with all that makeup and end up looking like a man.
The Missicks,the self proclaimed royalty of the TCI,would have sold all TCI sand to Saudi Arabia if they had get a chance. The British put a spoke in their wheel.
Is a culture of corruption..its embedded from time
Montserrat want sell all them sand too.