News
Finance Minister controversial comments slams foreign cultural celebrations in Turks and Caicos
Providenciales, So much opining over what Finance Minister the Hon Washington Misick had to say during a recent House of Assembly Debate; comments which came during contributions on a motion moved by Hon Edwin Astwood for Grand Turk South and Salt Cay to essentially amp up the cleanliness and environmental awareness of islanders. Minister Misick said he is a politician but he is also a man prepared to speak truth; and it appears his truth is shared with some others when gauging the sounds of support in the House on May 12; while that truth in other quarters rubbed some residents the wrong way. Some have called the remarks uncharacteristic of the PNP, divisive and insulting while others say it is sensible and the harsh truth. Nonetheless, Minister Misick in the lead up to the stinging statement explained that if the country wants to model the assimilation program which was successfully established in Singapore it must recognize that one, Singapore was not a democracy and that other cultural celebrations were basically abandoned to embrace the Singaporian way.
Here is Minister Misick: “We have something coming up in a few weeks called Haitian flag day; we gat Haitian Flag Day, we gat Jamaica Day, we gat Bahamas Day … when the hell we gon have Turks and Caicos Day? If you don’t want to be a part of us we cannot encourage, we can’t support them with all of these days if we are gonna be Singapore. If you are gonna be in this country, be in this country – contribute and be a part of this country. If you want to be in Haiti and Jamaica and the Bahamas, stay there and that’s part of the problem. It is encouraged by a lot of these different groups who are in seniored positions in the private sector, right, who encourage this kind of stuff. We have to send a strong message while we as a people have to make sure that we do the right thing by our country, and by the same token we have to make sure that people who come here do the right thing by our country and we should not be supporting all of these different splinter groups with their different days; you would never see me appearing to not a one of them, I would not. This is Turks and Caicos, if you’re here, this is Rome, do as the Romans do. If you want to be here, you contribute here, if you don’t want to be here, you want to be somewhere else then, American Airlines fly how many times a day? Alright…”
These now notorious remarks have sparked a frenzy of social media opinions, spawned a front page article, news reports and a formal solicitation for more views on Hon Washington Misick’s perspective. This past Monday, it was not Turks and Caicos Day but it was National Heroes Day and residents turned out impressively for a Provo wide motorcade. Among the political dignitaries joining the patriotic festivity was Hon Charles Washington Misick.
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.
As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru
account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.
PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.
The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.
PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.
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