Grand Turk, March 23, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – A UK parliamentary bipartisan committee has called on the Theresa May-led administration to set a date for all British Overseas Territories to legalize same sex marriages. It has also recommended the removing of belongership and its equivalents.
It says that these provisions are wrong and
they are calling for UK residents to have voting rights and for them to be
allowed to run for office in the Overseas Territories. The report also says
that, if it’s not adhered to, it should be imposed by Order in Council.
These recommendations by the FAC are
something that ought not be taken lightly. The proposed recommendations
if implemented, have the potential to negatively impact the
landscape of our country, morally, culturally, socially and politically, this includes
the people of Grand Turk North. It is because of my love of my constituency and
my love of my country I am compelled to speak about this matter.
Each country in the world is defined by
its uniqueness and their core values which set them apart from other
countries. In the Turks and Caicos we are no different. We are regarded as a
beautiful, friendly, upright, law abiding, Christian country; a country
where most persons fear god and subscribe to the teachings in the holy
bible.
The Turks and Caicos islands is one of the
most sought after destinations in the world by both those who seek to do good
and sadly, those who seek to do us wrong.
We must be able to recognize and acknowledge
one from the other and address them accordingly.
The FAC report is proposing among other
things the allowance of man marrying man and woman marrying woman. This
goes directly against our beliefs and it cuts us deep and should be
wholeheartedly rejected without hesitation. The report also recommends that
U.K. Citizens be allowed the right to vote in our elections and also run as
candidates and Premier of this country. Again, we must send a strong message as
this is not acceptable. We must stand strong and protect ourselves from any
invasion into our political structure by persons who do not share our concerns
and do not have any appreciation for our plight as a people.
The British regards us as a dependent
territory and for many years I’ve asked the question what is it that we depend
on the U.K for? needless to say, I have been unsuccessful in receiving a
sensible answer. I am not surprised by the boldness of the U.K. After all
they’ve gotten away with doing us so much wrong already. They have been allowed
to take advantage of us without any meaningful resistance; further, I am not
surprised by the fact that these are bi-partisan recommendations. What I
am surprised by is the unilateral response to the report by our Premier. I am
also surprised by the non response by the Leader of the Opposition.
I am of the view that a bi partisan report of
such magnitude with the potential to negatively disrupt our way our life;
interfering with those core principles that guide our day to day runnings
should at the very least be given a bipartisan response. A response that would
have captured the wishes of our total populace.
Such a damning report requires a response
that would have clearly outlined and reflect in no uncertain terms the true
wishes of our people. The response would have and should have been a country’s
response that we could have all been proud of and contented with. Furthermore,
it should have stated our country’s position. It should have been signed off by
both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, after all, it is
a national crisis.
Additionally, it should have established a
red line and it should have said to the U.K. If you cross this line, this
is what we will do; so there would be no surprises when they proceed with their
anti TCI agenda. They would know exactly what the expected consequences would
be.
I read the Premier’s response to the report
and I was disappointed because it was a very weak response and it gave the
impression that she either didn’t take the recommendations seriously or she
doesn’t understand what is being proposed and the reason why I’m saying
this is because in her response she said to the U.K.: ” no thank
you”. Madam Premier the FAC is not asking for your permission to implement
their plans but rather they are telling us what they are about to do and quite
frankly they do not need your permission; they can and will do it by order in
council whether we like it or not, the question becomes, what will we do?
Tell the people of the Turks and Caicos islands, what are your
intentions once the U.K. Implements their plans by order in council.
The U.K. has been taking over complete
control of the TCI for a very long time but they were doing it incrementally;
first they got rid of our constitution then they replaced it one that is
equivalent to toilet paper where they have all the powers whilst at the same
time allowing you to have elections providing you with a locally elected
powerless government. We turned a blind eye to it and carried on as though we
had powers to make decisions to advance our people’s agenda and because we went
along with the saga and made believe like we had power, the U.K. Is now
embolden and have decided to engage in what I would like to refer to as a
“hostile take over” caring less about who you are, what you want and
more about what they want. This latest attempt by the British presents a
defining moment for us in the Turks and Caicos islands because it provides us a
serious opportunity for some much needed self introspection. We now have a
clear look into the minds of our adversaries and the ball is in our court, we
can stick our head in the sand and act like ostriches and allow ourselves to be
overthrown or we can arise and do what God wants us to do.
God has given us a beautiful country with
smart able people, we have always managed our own affairs and there is
nothing stopping us from continuing to do so. We ought not have a spirit of
fear but one of soundness and optimism, however in our quest to pursue freedom
we must understand that every Turks Islander has a contribution to make
regardless his or her political affiliation. They must be respected and given
the opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of our country.
This means working with, promoting and creating opportunities for all our
citizens whether we like them or not. This is the only way we will be able to
transition from a country to a nation. Our Sovereignty awaits us but it
requires political maturity and sound leadership.
My fellow citizens, we are at a crossroad. We
have an opportunity to make a choice; a simple choice, a choice between good or
evil. We can allow the U.K. to have their way and impose their belief and
cultures on us or we can object it and chart a new course, a true path to real
Turks and Caicos citizenship. Should we allow the the will of the U.K. to prevail
we will find ourselves in an unfortunate predicament and we must not
allow ourselves to be continually disrespected, and dominated into
submission.
Our culture, values and biblical principles are worthy of retention and deserving of protection. My people wake up, speak up and fight back, do not accept it.