Providenciales, 25 Aug 2015 – The Governor is pulling constitutional rank and will go ahead and give $2.1 million dollars for security listed under the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force in the new Budget Supplementary.
A special or extra edition of the Gazette reveals that because the Cabinet and by extension the House of Assembly are unlikely to grant the resources, the Governor, Peter Beckingham and Chief Financial Officer, Stephen Turnbull have agreed that in keeping with the CFO Ordinance section 4 (3) and the Constitution, section 72 (1)b and with the approval of the Secretary of State, in London, they will go ahead with the supplementary – already rejected by Cabinet Ministers – which includes millions and millions of dollars for extra security.
It is unclear and not stated who the security is for.
During a recent post cabinet press conference, Premier Rufus Ewing said his team rejected the request for $4.3 million in security money for the Helen Garlick team and the Finance Minister, Washington Misick admitted that their decision not to approve that money could be vetoed, so to speak.
This Budget Supplementary will next be sent on to London and if approved as is, then it could be passed in an Order in Council by the Governor… never even having to go the House of Assembly for wider debate.
This decision to make a constitutionally executive decision, which bypasses the elected government, underscores what the Premier said in House of Assembly last week as he expressed frustration at not getting immediate approval for funds for a second Reverse Osmosis Plant for Grand Turk to help the water shortage predicament there.
Hon Sharlene Robinson, Opposition Leader: “I’m still asking who or what presented these difficulties…”
Hon Rufus Ewing, Premier: “This country knows who we talking about, my Minister of Finance is the minister responsible for Finance but he ain’t in charge of finance!”
It was also explained to Magnetic Media that this request for security under the Police, never came to the Appropriations Committee of the House of Assembly.
