Oct. 31, 2008 - UPDATE: Turks & Caicos Islands Commission of Inquiry - By Anthony L. Hall

By Anthony L. Hall

For the past two weeks, a delegation from the UK Commission of Inquiry into possible corruption or other serious dishonesty has been in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI):

“… identifying and examining documents, visiting relevant locations and talking to persons wishing to give information and/or evidence in the Inquiry.” 

And even though - in a press release on October 10 - the Commission clearly stated this limited purpose, it seems many TCIslanders expected suspect government officials to be arrested or, at the very least, summoned to account for their alleged misdeeds during the delegation’s visit, which is scheduled to end tomorrow.

Anthony L. Hall is a descendant of the Turks & Caicos Islands, international lawyer and political consultant - headquartered in Washington DC - who publishes his own weblog, The iPINIONS Journal, at http://ipjn.com offering commentaries on current events from a Caribbean perspective

No doubt this misguided expectation was fostered by our very active and imaginative rumour mill - according to which the Commission has already dispatched a battalion of forensic accountants to the TCI, frozen the bank accounts of various ministers and summoned the deputy premier to London (where he “sang like a canary”) ... just to name a few.

Never mind that the open and notorious refusal of government ministers to comply with the Commission’s request for full and accurate disclosure of their interests belie these rumours.  But I understand and sympathise with the despairing hope amongst TCIslanders that has given rise to them.

Nevertheless, I feel obliged to reiterate the plea I made when the Commission was first established months ago. Namely:

"Now that this process is underway ... be patient and let justice take its course... with no further comment (until the Commission issues its report....).”  [TCI government attempts to halt Commission of Inquiry, Caribbean Net News, July 18, 2008]

Admittedly, even my patience was tested when the Commission announced - in the aforementioned press release - that it was going to "enlarge the time for ... submission of its Report until February 2009". But I accepted the Governor's explanation that this extension was due, in part, to "the volume of material submitted to the Commission." 

Moreover, this extension should disabuse anyone of the notion that the British are planning to whitewash the litany of allegations delineated in the FAC Report that gave rise to this Commission.

In fact, I am confident that the members of this delegation (and others conducting more probative forensic investigations) are working diligently and assiduously to gather evidence of corruption and serious dishonesty that will lead to criminal prosecutions against members of both political parties.   And I expect the Commission to telegraph the British government's intent in this respect when another delegation from the Commission returns in due course to hold public hearings.

"It is a testament to the petty, quarrelsome and, ultimately, self-defeating nature of TCI politics that supporters of the PDM, who presumed my blind allegiance to their party based on family ties, actually called me a traitor...."  [A wannabe gangsta ... perhaps, but Premier Misick is no genocidal Mugabe, The iPINIONS Journal, July 20, 2007]

Meanwhile, it would be remiss of me not to comment on the infighting that has erupted within the opposition People's Democratic Movement (PDM). After all, when this Commission was first established, it was generally assumed that PDM leaders not only had relatively clean hands but were also unified in their opposition to the ruling Progressive National Party (PNP).

Alas, we are now being treated to the public spectacle of PDM leaders accusing each other of being "rogue political advocates" seeking to do to the country what they're accusing PNP leaders of doing. 

But I shall suffice to note that this finger pointing within the PDM demonstrates why my colleagues and I at The TCI Journal have urged the Commission to recommend prosecuting ALL who are implicated in corruption and serious dishonesty, regardless of party affiliation. 

Moreover, the self-evident dysfunction within both political parties demonstrates why we have also urged the Commission to recommend an interim government to give untainted members of the PDM and PNP (or even those of a new, more progressive and inclusive third party) the time and opportunity to demonstrate their competence and trustworthiness to lead our country.

 TCI government attempts to halt Commission of Inquiry