I suspect people all over the Caribbean, if not the entire world, are thinking that the political farce still unfolding in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) could never happen in their country.
Therefore, in defense of my mother country, I feel obliged to begin this commentary by noting the following:
The parliamentary procedures and Machiavellian machinations that TCI politicians (of both parties) deployed this week to oust Premier Hon. Dr Michael Misick are eerily similar to those that US politicians (of both parties) deployed at the very same time to oust Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Moreover, for non-TCIslanders who probably know far more about Gov Blagojevich’s character and alleged misdeeds than about Premier Misick’s, suffice it to know that evidence suggests Misick is even more venal, amoral and delusional than Blagojevich. This is why TCIslanders are far more frustrated and dismayed than Illinoisans are that all efforts to date to get rid of their respective leaders have failed.
That said, I appreciate the consternation expressed by the surprising number of people who have e-mailed asking me to explain the implications of this week’s political activities in the TCI. But, at the risk of causing further frustration and dismay, I really think all of what has transpired is much ado about nothing.
After all, even if members of the opposition People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) were successful in their attempt to pass a “Vote of No Confidence Motion” in Parliament, and even if the nine of 13 members of the ruling Progressive National Party (PNP) were successful in their attempt to replace Premier Misick with a marginally less-compromised minister, it would have resulted in no material change in the governance of our country. Indeed, the effect of all political maneuvering in the TCI these days is tantamount to rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic.
Here’s why:
These politicians seem oblivious to the fact that the people of the TCI lost confidence in all of them long ago. Indeed, this is the reason why there’s so much interest amongst our people in the ongoing Commission of Inquiry “into whether there is information that corruption or other serious dishonesty in relation to past and present elected members [of both parties] of the House of Assembly may have taken place in recent in years”.
More to the point, every sensible TCIslander knows that the future of our country (at least in the short term) will be determined not by local politicians but by the British government – based on the findings and recommendations of this Commission.
Meanwhile, the British have already put our country into financial receivership: having dispatched administrators a few weeks ago to “oversee all financial operations”. And I have no doubt that the Commission’s final report will compel them to put us into political receivership: by imposing an Interim Government while they help us sort out the economic and political mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.
Therefore, with all due respect to fellow commentators on these matters, it only foments idle speculation to suggest that our local politicians can do anything (including conspiring to form a new power-sharing government) to frustrate or terminate the work of the Commission. Likewise, it smacks of impudent impatience to continue badgering the British to impose an Interim Government before the Commission issues its report.
Accordingly, please rest assured that the Commission will complete its mandate pursuant to the terms of reference former Governor Richard Tauwhare delineated in his decree of 10 July 2008. In this respect, it will convene public hearings next month at which government officials will be summoned to account for their sudden accumulation of wealth and to answer for all manner of alleged misdeeds.
Incidentally, let me hasten to note that the British are not engaged in this politically sensitive undertaking just because of some neo-colonial (or paternalistic) imperative. Instead, they are acting pursuant to their constitutional responsibility to ensure good governance in our country and to limit their own mounting contingent liabilities – as I have proffered in many related commentaries.
Finally, it would be remiss of me not to commend the nine members of the PNP who finally dared to cross party lines this week to join the chorus of those calling on Premier Misick to resign. Alas, the Commission renders their belated heroism moot.
In fact, here’s the entreaty I made to them in this regard over a year ago – in a 5 October 2007 commentary entitled “Alas, throwing Premier Misick overboard is necessary to save the TCI”:
I suspect there are conscientious and informed PNP ministers who know that our people’s grievances are well-founded… Moreover, these ministers know that the Premier’s short-sighted strategy for economic development, which seems predicated on exploiting cheap foreign labour instead of employing local workers, is enough to make all patriotic TCIslanders disillusioned and disaffected with his leadership….
Most troubling of all, however, is the growing realisation that Premier Misick’s gamble – of building our economy on beachfront resorts – now looms like a house of cards. Therefore, I caution all members of the ruling PNP to consider carefully whether blind loyalty to this Premier is worth risking their careers, if not their freedom, for.
Accordingly, I entreat the honourable members of the PNP to follow the instructive precedent set by the members of Nixon’s inner circle – who threw him overboard to save their ship of state.
Unfortunately, it shall be recorded as only an interesting footnote in the shameful annals of PNP rule that, just two weeks after I made this entreaty, the party’s executive members sent a letter (dated 18 October 2007) to the Premier threatening to replace him as party leader if he did not change his leadership style. (A copy of this letter was published by TCI Net News on 16 August 2008.)
On the other hand, it shall stand as a historic failure of nerve that, despite this letter, these PNP executive members did absolutely nothing when their advice fell on deaf ears; in fact, the record shows that Premier Misick merely escalated the nature of his irresponsible and dictatorial leadership.
So here we are, and the only thing for any of them to do now is to cooperate fully with the Commission and await their fate.
As for the rest of us, please be patient and let our British overseers do their job!
With that, I wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
UPDATE
Today at 4:48 pm: Reports are that the British Governor of the TCI has just adjourned Parliament sine die (i.e., indefinitely).
Frankly, it is an indication of how not only corrupt but also dysfunctional our local government has become that the governor felt compelled to put us into political receivership even before the Commission issues its final report.
At any rate, this should give the British plenty of time to complete their Commission of Inquiry, indict and prosecute corrupt government officials and install an Interim Government to supervise our national recovery – without any further distraction from local politicians.
My guess is that this process will take anywhere from six months to two years. So again, please be patient….
Related Articles:
Alas, throwing Premier Misick overboard is necessary to save the TCI
The case for an Interim Government in the TCI
Premier warned by party executive about misconduct in 2007
TCI Commission of Inquiry: no further comment