Oct. 31 & 30, 2008 - Betrayal

This was a very difficult article to write, and is not done so lightly.

It has been important over the last year, as everyone who loves the Turks and Caicos has fought for its future, for there to be a unified opposition to the current corrupt government. 

Though there have been many faults as would be found in any human endeavour, in those who have had the courage to speak up, the greater cause always has been to shine light on the monumental acts of theft, and the systematic destruction of the Turks and Caicos Islands by selfish ministers, corrupt appointees, and their political and business associates.

In the background there has always been some unease. Concerns have been there in the background, for years, as the country has wondered how the British could have allowed us to get this far off-track, as well as wondering why the leadership of the Official Opposition has not been more coordinated, more focused and more effective.

Recently, events have come to light that can not be rationalized away any longer and have to be spoken to directly.

Let us say from the very beginning that there are many, many people in the People's Democratic Movement, the PDM, that have and continue to struggle on  a daily basis, at great personal sacrifice, for their Country.  They have given up repeated offers of money and position in order to stand on principle.  Their contribution in the past, in the present and in the future can never be minimized or under estimated.  They are true patriots, and deserve the respect and affection returned to them that they have shown for our country.

We have seen individuals including the deputy-leader of the PDM on downwards give blood, sweat and tears in this struggle for our collective future.

However, the leadership of the PDM must now account for their actions.  Actions that have been rationalized away for years by saying that the leadership was simply naive, or un-informed.  Those actions, unfortunately, defy being explained away in that manner any longer.

Let us explain in a clear, impersonal way, the policies and actions that have concerned us the most and then the "straw" that broke the proverbial "camel's back".

There are three items in particular:

Interim Government

Even though the majority of thinking people within this country see the necessity of the British taking over from this corrupt government of Michael Misick, the leadership of the PDM, composed of the two elected members of the legislature and one appointed member, and a small handful of their clique have refused to support the idea.

They have from early on, instead fought for the idea of elections. 

This current leadership of the PDM lost the last election by 13 to 2.  In part because the Misick government was able to use their corporate backers and put what some have estimated at $10 - $20,000,000 (twenty million dollars), "on the street", to effectively buy votes.

What has changed?  If an election was called today, there is no doubt that Misick and his government would be able to buy votes as easily as they did last time.   There are only 7500 registered voters in this Country.

The PDM, and by proxy, all those who are fighting to clean up the government and bring about change, would not have a chance against the entrenched money and corruption. 

Calling for elections instead of calling for an Interim government headed by the British, is really a call for the PNP to be returned to power.    Even if the chance of winning an election was 75% for the PDM, (which it is most emphatically not ! );  what sort of rational leader takes a chance of this sort and is willing to bet the future of the Country on a roll of the dice?

An interim government is needed to bring the current ministers to account, to recover stolen assets, and to make systematic changes to how we govern ourselves so as to prevent the type of systematic destruction of the country as we have witnessed over these last five years.

The current leadership of the PDM refuses to come out and support an interim government even when pressed by most in their party.


Astrom and the Importing of Slave-Like Chinese Labour:

Many in the Country are aware that one of the two elected members of the PDM, is a significant owner of Astrom Construction.  Astrom Construction is the company that has brought so much shame to the nation by how it has imported and treated Chinese workers.

The crisis at the Seven Stars construction site last year that hit the international papers, the deserting of the Chinese workers just before Hurricane Ike, where they were left to sleep outside in the elements, without food or water, as a Hurricane bore down on the Country, and the recent treatment of the Chinese on West Caicos that triggered a hostage incidence; responsibility for all these events sits at the feet of Astrom Constrution and the people within the leadership of the PNP and the leadership of the PDM that have an ownership interest in Astrom.

How can any opposition have credibility in criticizing this government when their own top officials are doing the same thing?

The leader of the opposition has been asked to address this hypocrisy within his party again and again and again over this last year.  The leader of the PDM has refused to.

One could go on and on about how the importation of labour has destroyed our local job market.   TCI families have lost homes because decent work could not be found.  The pain and suffering inflicted upon this Country by these labour and immigration policies is difficult to measure. 

That the leader of the PDM would not highlight and correct this within his own party leaves a moral stain on his reputation that will be difficult to remove.

Silence on Environmental and Development Excesses:

Even though a number of the lower level PDM officials have published articles on the environmental damage occurring under this PNP government of Michael Misick, the leadership of the PDM has not offered a minimal or sustained opposition to these projects.

On occasion there are general soft apple pie and motherhood type statements, but a continual focus on certain projects that amount to an environmental holocaust within these islands has been missing.

There always has been a long term silence on Star Island, and the renewed attempts at dredging in Leeward, and other projects that Rodney Propps and Lord Michael Ashcroft and his young banker son, Andrew, are involved in. 

There have been mixed messages with respect to the Slovakian developers of Salt Cay, and no comment what so ever about the questionable past of those involved in that development.  In fact, not too long ago the leader of the PDM was praising the development of Salt Cay by DevCo and said he saw no harm in it.

There has been no mention about the events surrounding the environment, and the irregular developmental approval of the Third Turtle Inn project.

We could mention corrupt project after corrupt project, where there has been no opposition from the Official Opposition.

When one asks oneself, where have I seen Floyd Seymour, Arthur Robinson or Doug Parnell speak out regularly and consistently about any of these corrupt projects, one is at a loss.

The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back:

Over the last several years, the ineffectiveness of the leadership of the opposition was always blamed on them being naive.  Not knowing how to deal with Michael Misick.

We can no longer support that view.

In interviews with a number of individuals at the National Governing Council (NGC) meeting of the PDM held last week, we are told that Floyd Seymour the leader of the Official Opposition and Doug Parnell the appointed member of the PDM to the legislature put forth the idea that the PDM enter into a governing power-sharing arrangement with the PNP.

Needless to say, most members of the NGC were stunned.

How anyone in the leadership of the PDM could even consider for a nano-second giving a life-line to the current corrupt PNP party and government that has destroyed our country is mind boggling.

Needless to say the members of the NGC whole-heartedly rejected the proposal. 

But irreparable damage has been done to the credibility of the current PDM leadership.  They have revealed who and what they really are.

There is a sacred trust that the people in any democracy place in those who lead the Official Opposition.  The current leadership of the PDM has betrayed that trust.  We can no longer close our eyes to what is obvious before us.

Respectfully,
Editors@Tcijournal.com