TCI premier asks UK for a new governor
(CNS): The new premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands has written to the UK’s foreign secretary asking him to withdraw the local governor, attorney general and chief financial officer from the territory. Rufus Ewing, the leader of the PNP, currently holds office by default after losing one of his party's seats following a successful challenge to the November election result. He has alleged that “atrocities and wrongful acts” are being committed by the UK’s officials in the country. Ewing said Ric Todd, Huw Shepheard and Hugh McGarel Groves are obstacles to prosperity. “They never have, and even more so now, enjoyed the trust, confidence and support of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands,” he writes in hisletter to William Hague.
In the letter sent on 10 February, Ewing has asked for the men to be “replaced by unbiased individuals, better suited to adapt to and to work synergistically with a democratically-elected government, the business community and the local community."
The TCI authorities have already claimed the full confidence and backing of the FCO in London and have denied Ewing’s claims that the alleged wrongdoings of the former PNP Administration and associates are a farce. The UK Administration took direct control of the islands in 2009 following a commission of enquiry which exposed serious corruption and mismanagement of public money. Since that time the UK has been investigating the findings of the commission.
Twelve people have already been arrested on charges relating to corruption, including five of the ministers from the former premier’s Cabinet. $19.5 million and 2,500 acres of crown land has been recovered..
Michael Misick, the former premier, is still in Brazil, where he fled after the investigation began to target him directly. He was arrested and detained in prison on an international warrant but has since been released on bail as the TCI authorities are going through an extradition process. Misick has said he will not fight that and intends to return to TCI to face questions, claiming there is no substance to the charges.
Ewing, who is clinging on to power ahead of a by-election next month that will either put him back in office or on the opposition benches, criticized the constitution, which was reformed by the UK, and the imposition of VAT in the territory against the wishes of the entire community. He also complains that the UK officials in Turks are reluctant to give up their position of dictators in the islands, despite the re-instatement of the democratically elected parliament.
“The Governor and other remaining officials from the former administration, the Attorney General and the Chief Financial Officer, have demonstrated a reluctance to facilitate the transition of governance back to the people of this country,” Ewing wrote and asked Hague to recall the men and send new UK representatives.
Category: World News
Thanks for pulling us out of the fire. Now give me a match and beat it!
Maybe he wants a return of the governor that was there when Misick was Premier so they can go back to doing things the way they used to in the past.
Maybe he doesn’t want to be treated like a piece of $)(!? in his own country.
not a country.
Absolutely and these upstarts have forgotten that. If they want their own country they can have it. Good luck to them, they are sure going to need it.
Yes, Man Fridays all of them. Just who do they think they are talking about us Brits like that? They need to learn their place.
That would be our current governor you moron
Where did you find that Governor Taylor was Governor of Turks & Caicos?
Politicians like to pander and play for votes. My advice to him is cut the crap and be honest with himself for once. Try following good governance procedures, be honest, open and transparent and do what is in the best interest of the country and try to regain some credibility. Maybe then, those outside his circle will lend him an ear. But just beating up his gums pandering to an inner circle whose motives are slanted in a certain direction for obvious reasons, is only showing his real weakness. Be a man and stand against corruption if you want to be respected and listened to.
Whats it with this man and photography.?
The first photograph there appeared to be a tiara on his head, the second had a big-hair woman standing behind him, and now it looks like a tree is growing out of his head.
Please can someone tell him to stand in front of a blank wall when posing for photos?
Obviously the UK has a nasty dirty agenda, they want to hold onto territories that are prospering and oust the same leaders that stand up to them. They are no saints.
No Patron Saints sit in Parliament nor occupy the FCO in the UK so take your silly heads out of the sand, shake it off and see clearly. Its not raining, they are urinating on our heads and telling us its raining.!
Premier Bush is also a target. Mark my words.
It is amazing to think there is a place with less impressive politicians than Cayman.
Let’s hope that you no longer live in the Cayman Islands.
I appreciate and respect your efforts, Ewing.
However, I trust you are fully aware of the reality in which you and your country find yourselves.
Look in the mirror, my friend – assess what you see. Thereafter, come to understand that those 3 individuals that you wish to replace are held in a higher regard by the UK than the total of your tens of thousands of voting individuals.
Your guess is as good as mine as to why this is the case.
Lastly, you know as well as I do that those 3 individuals are operating according to the orders of the British government.
At best this latest move will only attract a tiny bit of attention to the matter, however will be ultimately ignored by the general British government and public.
" I appreciate and respect your efforts, Ewing."
And what exactly would be your basis for writing this? Has this politician sought your advice or confided in you the underlying rational for this action? Do you even know this individual or indeed any of the individuals involved? On what basis do you conclude the UK ignoring this request would be bad for TCI?
I think we all know the answers to these questions and we all understand your comment is not motivated by any inside or detailed knowledge. This post, as with the majority of your posts, is simply a demonstration of your deep and abiding prejudice against all things British and white. I'm sure you don't see it that way, which would be just another example of your deep and abiding abilty for self-deception.
Re: "And what exactly would be your basis for writing this? Has this politician sought your advice or confided in you the underlying rational for this action? Do you even know this individual or indeed any of the individuals involved? On what basis do you conclude the UK ignoring this request would be bad for TCI?"
I have been following the developments and ongoings in the TCI for some time now, poster.
(E.g. The implementation of VAT upon the country despite the adamant protestation by virtually the entire business community. VAT is the solution, correct? How is it working out for the now officially triple-dip-recessive UK economy? Remember now, they even recently raised theirs by 2.5 points – but to no avail. Shame.)
If you so please you are more than welcome to search the relevant archives right here on CNS for clear examples.
Interestingly, many readers are quick to criticize and doubt the rationale of Ewing's request simply because of who / what he is in relation to the entity to which he is appealing – although hardly any will admit to the fact.
Re: "This post, as with the majority of your posts, is simply a demonstration of your deep and abiding prejudice against all things British and white."
(Sigh)
Here we goagain.
Buddy-boy, I am a BOT citizen. Whatever injustice and mistreatment a fellow BOT / BOT citizen is subjected to bythe UK is directly relevant to me.
As far as race and color is concerned … that is the UK's forte, my friend.
I grew up seeing people as people. However, "British" history, acts, national documents, archives, policies, treaties and international agreements have clearly demonstrated the gravity of race and colour in the eyes of the UK.
Take it up with them … I can't help you.
Clearly then you have not been approached by Ewing for advice, he has not confided in you, you do not know any of the individuals involved and you have no explanation for why the UK ignoring a request to remove the top three UK representatives is a bad thing. As I suggest your post is therefore not one of support for Ewing's actions because they are right, since you do not know this, but one of support because the party on the other side is the UK.
Throwing in the red herring VAT issue isn't going to help. The request was to remove 3 UK appointees, not remove VAT, so all that the gratuitous dig at the economic problems of the UK does is highlight the legitimacy of my assertion that most of your posts are anti-British.
If I doubt the motives of Ewing, it is not because of who he is in relation to " the entity to which he is appealing " but rather to who he is in relation to the country he represents. And before you can claim to share the injustice and mistreatment of your fellow BOT citizens, you must first demonstrate it exists – something you have singularly failed to do on this thread.
Your statement about race and colour is another red herring. The fact that racism exists in the UK, as it exists everywhere unfortunately, is no excuse for the rasicm you continually display on CNS. You have no excuse – period. As an individual I am staunchly against racism where ever I find it which is why I am taking your rasicm up with you – this you can help.
Dear Dr. Spin and Deflection,
I sincerely trust you are not hopeful of a detailed reply to your above post.
You and I both know you were reaching with that one … come on, son!
Sincerely,
Whodatis
😉
P.S. The rampant racism that exists in the UK is the least of my worries as person-to-person "racism" is nothing to lose sleep over.
I am far more concerned about the ever-present legacy of official and state-sponsored racism from the UK onto its own "British citizens".
They are 2 completely different kettles of fish.
Nice attempt at equalising them … but some of us see through your typical smoke-and-mirrors.
By the way …
Re: "Your statement about race and colour is another red herring. The fact that racism exists in the UK, as it exists everywhere unfortunately, is no excuse for the rasicm you continually display on CNS. You have no excuse – period."
How have I "displayed" racism on CNS, poster?
I challenge you, or anyone else for that matter, to highlight a single example. A failure to do so will only compound the fact that you are completely full of sh!t.
Any time I see 2 responses to the same post, I know someone has hit a nerve! I'll just respond to your first. I accept your challenge – here is an example that started this particular thread.
"Look in the mirror, my friend – assess what you see. Thereafter, come to understand that those 3 individuals that you wish to replace are held in a higher regard by the UK than the total of your tens of thousands of voting individuals.
Your guess is as good as mine as to why this is the case."
It is clear that your meaning is that Ewing will see a black man looking back at him from the mirror and that 3 white UK officials are held in higher regard by " the UK " than tens of thousands of black voters.
There is so much rasicm in this quote that I don't quite know where to start. I'll take just the most obvious – there are 65m people in " the UK " of all colours and races and you know virtually none of them. Without knowing the vast majority of them you lump them all together and suggest that they will favour 3 white men over tens of thousands of coloured individuals.
You are clearly " pre- judging " 65m people – the basis of prejudice. How do you pre-judge them? By judging that their " regard " depends on the colour of individuals involved. Why will 65m UK citizens favour 3 white guys over tens of thousands of black TCI voters? Because in your mind they are all collectively white, colonial, racist, foreign offfice employees from the 1960's.
I now expect an indignant denial, but we both know it's what you meant and it is deeply racist.
Are you really that dim, poster?
Why are you referring to the 65m populace of the UK? I surely was not.
I was referring directly to the powers that be in this particular regard.
The FCO / British administration has a long-standing legacy and ongoing reputation of racist agendas and official policies.
To highlight that fact is not an incidence of "racism" … it is simple truth.
*Lastly, quit pretending as if the issue at hand is petty, horizontal "racism". No buddy, the UK has long graduated from such lowly ranks, lol! It now holds some highly esteemed PhD qualifications in the field.
😉
Ah, the indignant denial.
Does it improve your position to seek to limit the number of people you are pre-judging without knowing them to 13000 or so, the total staff worldwide of the FCO, as opposed to 65m?
Pointing out that the FCO has a history of racism may not be racist, but constantly asserting without any knowledge that all 13000+ employees will act in a racist manner for ever more because of a histroy they are probably not part of, is.
You are racist – it really is that simple. You revel in posting racist comments and yet become very coy when challenged. I'm not sure what is worse, racism or hypocrisy.
Again you are attempting to personify the reality of British racism at times like these.
I take it you are a Brit and therefore likely embarrassed over the undeniable legacy and official policy of your country, hence this ridiculous merry-go-round on which we find ourselves.
But I understand, buddy. After all, it is only natural to try and defend one's country – no matter how ridiculous one may appear.
What you think about me is totally irrelevant to both me and the argument at hand – yet you continue to pound away at that pathetic little ill-conceived point of yours.
Run along now … perhaps try out the monkey-bars, because I'm not pushing anymore.
Cheers, mate.
OK – closing comments it is then.
I am not defending the UK, whose history is what it is. I am pointing out to you that you are racist. I take it from your insults that the truth is unpalatable.
whodatis, you put em in his place (;))
Flame on Whodatis, flame on.
Whodatis, you are having a great week my dear chap, second time this week you have astonished me with some relatively pro-UK comments! And very sensible ones too. Respect.
I suspect Mr Hague is actually asking himself the question how can we get rid of Ewing? However the reality there, as here, is that the democratically elected leaders cannot be removed unless they are comitting criminal acts (and we all know how hard that is to prove), or by the choice of the people. As long as the majority in whichever island choose to be a BOT then the price is fiscal responsibility and transparency. That is actually a good thing in my view, as it stops these idiots from running up bills the people cannot afford and subjects all deals to more and more scrutiny. We still have some way to go but getting there, slowly.
You mean, they intend on proper oversight of the islands and will not let the politicians do as they please? They will only be an obstacle to this guys personal prosperity. I se this as a good thing.
One could only draw such conclusions as a result of ignorance to what has been taking place in the TCI.
Re: "They will only be an obstacle to this guys personal prosperity."
How dare you?
That is such an accusatory statement – devoid of any evidence to back it up whatsoever.
Nevertheless, the suppport your comment has received is indicative of the reality Ewing and his electorate are now facing.
* E.g. Should we now automatically regard, and preemptively suppress, David Cameron as an intended war criminal simply because Tony Blair is / was one?
Usually I just can’t be bothered with your jaundiced and biased view of the world, but this time I’ll respond. I treat anyone who claims not to be able to get on with with the appointed governor with deep suspicion, as should you. Just look at how Mac was behaving towards the Cayman governor and perhaps you might understand why I am suspicious of this politicians motives when he is bleating for the TCI governor to be removed. Equally I wonder WHY he is asking for his removal? Perhaps the governor is demanding open government and and no back door deals. I look to see how politicians in the TCI in the past enriched themselves by the blatant theft of the resources from the people of the TCI to line their own pockets, and again I look at what happened in Cayman as a guide. Your rage at my suggestions amused me. Do you even know this guy? You are quick to jump to the defence of a TCI politician over their British governor? Maybe your rage needs to be directed at those who steal from their people to enrich themselves.
It never fails to amaze me how some people regard the UK and its arms of government (officers included) as righteous, blameless entities.
Very interesting as history has proven otherwise on countless occasions – especially as it regards overseas territories. / "the empire".
Re: "I treat anyone who claims not to be able to get on with with the appointed governor with deep suspicion, as should you."
Are you effin' kidding me?!
Lol … wow – you and I could not be more opposed.
Listen to me good, buddy; There is not a single soul on this earth that is worthy of such absolute esteem.
(E.g. Cayman has its own legacy of alcoholic, adulterous, wanna-be-island-playboy and illegitimate-baby-making British governors – so kindly try again, buddy.)
I honestly believe some of you folks automatically regress to a 18th century mindset at times like these.
It's all relative. The British governor may not be perfect and no one is above making mistakes, but comparing his integrity to those of the politicians of the TCI, the local guy loses. By a very very large margin.
So all politicians of the TCI are of lesser integrity than the British governor?
On what basis?
How have you arrived at that conclusion, poster?
(Therefore, are all British governors, past and present, of higher integrity than all Caymanian politicians as well?)
Now why would he ask to replace a limb when the entire tree is FCO??? Don't make sense. Either you go Independence, get help from London, or put up – shut up!
If you were doing things right to begin with, you wouldnt need to go thru this.