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TCI: Remarks at TCI Regiment Passing Out Parade
#TurksandCaicos, August 4, 2021 – HIS EXCELLENCY NIGEL DAKIN, GOVERNOR OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS on 31 JULY 2021
” This is your moment.”
BEING A MARINE:
You have just joined a new profession, you have just started a new vocation. To be precise you are now Marines. You are not Royal Marines and you are not US Marines. You are the first Marines of the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment!
The seas around these islands have dominated TCI’s economy and culture for centuries. We are the epitome of an Island race. Our supply lines, our self generated food sources, our trading relationships, our old industry of salt and our new industry of tourism are all born out of our remarkable maritime environment.
As an archipelago our waters divide us, and connect us, in equal measure. The threats we face come at us from the sea, be they be natural as warm Caribbean waters fuel hurricanes, or be they man made, as people, drug and gun smugglers profit from others misery.
Your ancestors, and those who come after you, because this Regiment will be standing in a 100 years, would and will be proud – that this Regiment is formed by those determined to soldier and support their people on land and on sea. Superlatives can often be overused but in this case, both on a personal level for you, and on a national level for us all, this is an extraordinary day and it is a historic moment.
At the personal level you will now always see yourself as part of a Regimental family and see yourself linked to the profession of soldiering. In years to come, long after you have left the Regiment, you will think like a Marine and bear yourself as a Marine and while you will have many memories, this moment – when you became a Marine, and a full member of your Regiment – will be one of the most memorable.
You share now in a culture, a way of thinking and a way of doing things that marks you out. This is something that will continue to grow and develop over time. This culture now links you to every other man or woman in military uniform down through the ages. Society expect those who soldier to do things that normal men and women are not expected to do and you will, I suspect today, rejoice in that expectation.
The reality is that you will find the expectations placed on you, by yourself and by society, will occasionally weigh heavily. You will move towards known or suspected danger when any normal human response would be to move away. You will be there, when others are not. You will be on time, when others are late. You will be working in the bush at night when others are asleep in their bed. You will stay when others have gone. When others are tired, or hungry or extremely cold, or unbearably hot, or about to give up because matters seem hopeless, you will manage to experience all those conditions and emotions but you will bring hope, and you will bring energy, and you will bring strength, and you will bring courage, and you will set the example for others to rally behind.
There will be times when you are frightened. For example the power of nature here in the Caribbean – in all its wrath – almost dwarfs human imagination. But you will know that courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to overcome fear, and you will quickly understand that moral courage that can be honed every day is just as prized and important as physical courage which will come to you, when needed, because it has been prepared for.
You will not do this because you are super-human. You are not. But you are now part of something bigger than yourself, you are doing something that is greater than yourself, and you will have skill and capability and – increasingly – experience, that others do not have. You will know the team is stronger than the individual not through words but practice, you know that if you train hard you will fight easy, you know that your fellow Marine is now the person you would never, ever let down so you will lean off each other and stand together and you will do all of this because – in the end – you know that when all else fails – if not ‘you’ – then who can the Territory and its people rely on.
The Regiment will give you all the opportunity to lead. Leadership is not about the rank that is worn permanently on your arm but the actions and behaviours that are on display, in the moment, and the reputation that builds as a result. The roles this Regiment have been entrusted with requires a small team ethos to develop; so Junior Commanders will carry much responsibility. Each and every Marine on parade will find themselves confronted by leadership challenges.
A REGIMENT DESIGNED TO DELIVER EFFECT
The national challenges are represented in your cap badge. Two symbols laid on top of one another. The Phoenix – a mythical bird that rises renewed and strengthened from the ashes of disaster, in TCI’s case natural disaster, an experience we know here too well. And the crossed Tridents representing the support you will provide to the protection of our maritime borders both on land and sea.
Therefore, from the outset, you are a Regiment focussed on ‘Mission’. You wear your promise, your covenant with the Territory in terms of your delivery, as the single most important accoutrement to your uniform, your cap badge. Your Regimental identity is your mission – and your mission is your Regimental identity.
If we wish to look for an example of that, we need only look to the fact that before your basic training was concluded, you’d been instrumental in detaining 15 who had landed illegally on our shores and who were bringing a considerable quantity of contraband with them that would do us, as a society, harm. You did that professionally, compassionately, intelligently and purposefully but the point is you did it. This Regiment looks good on parade – as it must – but it is in the bush, and on the water, and in the wreckage following a hurricane where the difference will be made.
Of course Regimental life is more than just mission. It is about bonds and brotherhood and sisterhood and camaraderie. We hope your time in the Regiment is ‘fun’. If it isn’t you won’t, in the long term, be effective as a Marine or as a Regiment.
A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
Of course, to the people of this Territory, the Regiment is not just about what can be delivered, but also about the way we think of ourselves as a nation: our national identity, something I have spoken of before. This Regiment is I believe a strong signal of not just national identity but also national maturity.
As we mature as a nation our conversation as to what we mean by that word ‘nation’ also matures. We talk a great deal about both unity and diversity in TCI and I suggest before us is an example of how both can, indeed both must, sit comfortably together.
For example the Regiment speaks with one voice and within it, of course, engages in English but it can utilise Creole and Spanish and must have this language and cultural understanding to succeed in its tasks. It has a maritime infantry role, but both men and women serve in this Regiment alongside each other and go through the same training. On parade are those proud to call North Caicos and South Caicos, Providenciales and Grand Turk, their home island. There are many old TCI family names represented in the Regiment and there are also TCI/Bahamian’s, TCI/Haitians, TCI/Dominicans, TCI/Jamaicans and TCI/Guyanese serving in the ranks. Some in the ranks were born in the UK.
Diversity of ages brings differing strengths. The youngest on parade is 18, one is over 50. Half the Marines are in their twenties, fourteen of them are in their thirties. Three are in their forties The average age suggests a Regiment of mature experienced adults. There are some big physical men in this Regiment but I’ve also found someone my size!
Staying with diversity, and with an eye to the skills the Regiment inherits, before you is a doctor, there are boat captains, divers, life guards, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, plumbers and carpenters, those that understand water sanitation and sewage, paramedics and firemen, managers and security guards, computer programmers and communicators, those that understand our main tourist industry, our large resorts and our airports.
In short this is a Regiment made up of volunteers that represent not only the totality of the Turks and Caicos Islands, but the very best of the Turks and Caicos Islands. There is both unity and diversity on parade, because unity and diversity are mission critical.
MANY TO THANK:
There are many to thank. The UK Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappy MP, was here this week and he and a predecessor in that role, Lord Mark Lancaster – himself a UK reserve officer – have proved unrelenting in their support as has the UK’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir NickCarter.
The British Defence Attache, with us today, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Westlake, Royal Marines, has kept his eye on both the vision and on the detail, in equal measure and our Permanent Secretary for National Security – Tito Lightbourne – has provided critical policy and budgeting support including Chairing the Defence Board and my thanks to those who sit on that BOard giving freely of their time and experience.
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst played an early and influential role training our officers, with more Sandhurst training to come, and having the Queens Personal Bodyguard here who are also a reconnaissance Regiment – the Household Cavalry – and the excellence of their soldiers, and the example of their ethos – has got us off to the best possible start. Our thanks to them under the command of Major James Heath. The enduring presence of Sergeant Major Dan Collins of the Rifles Regiment has helped anchor the new Regiment in daily professional practice and will continue to do so, so my thanks to General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Colonel Commandant of the Rifles, for releasing to us, one of his best.
A huge vote of thanks is due to the fantastic employers who are prepared to release some of their most valuable staff to serve in the Regiment, and therefore serve the Territory, and to the families who have stood resolutely in support. In terms of commitment a family joins a Regiment, not just an individual.
POLITICAL UNITY AND SUPPORT
A Defence Force that doesn’t have political support, or national support behind it, will surely fail as night follows day. This Regiment would not be before us had it not been for the complete commitment of two people, our previous Premier and our Present Premier. When Honourable Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and Honourable Charles Washington Misick, as the then Leader of the Opposition, were asked if a UK Trained Regiment was something TCI wanted, as part of the delivery of our National Security Strategy, they were unequivocal in their support, both in initial word and subsequent deed.
Forming a Regiment from scratch, at time of Pandemic, with the economy at its most uncertain, when everything was harder than it normally would be, was not straightforward. There was a General Election and a change of Administration and a compressed budget cycle. If nothing else the formation of this Regiment was an act of focussed, cross-party, national political leadership, and national political unity, to deliver national security. That thanks must extend to include members of the previous Cabinet, and the present Cabinet, and to the past and to the present Legislature. The round of applause, from all sides of the House of Assembly, on Christmas Eve 2020, when the Defence Act passed, tells those on Parade that this Territory stands with them, as they stand for it.
THE WEIGHT OF COMMAND
My final word of thanks and reflection goes to the man on parade on whom so much rested and on who so much now depends. The Commanding Officer, Lt Col Ennis Grant. He was the first man recruited to the Regiment. At one point we had a Regiment of one man. I asked him to place great trust in others, that they would deliver, and I had to put great personal faith in him, and he in himself, around his own personal delivery and drive. The Regiment that stands before us today was never inevitable. Colonel Grant placed his reputation and credibility on the line and then threw himself, meticulously, into planning and delivering, researching and recruiting, brainstorming and directing as well as program of inspiring personal development.
Colonel – a word to you – many people have been involved and have helped – some close and some distant – but in the end Command, I am told, is the loneliest of roles. Your Regiment, the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, now stands before you: trained to a basic standard. They are no longer recruits, they are Marines, and this is no longer an aspiration but a formed and disciplined Regiment.
We collectively said we would have this Regiment ready for this Hurricane Season and on 31st July 2021 it is here. It is youthful and its journey towards full professional development is only just beginning – there is a long road ahead – it cannot run before it can walk – but it is here and you are stood in front of it, in Command.
All of us here today entrust this Regiment to you – a trust easily given – because it has been earned by you. You will soon instruct the Regiment to march off the Parade Ground and into its future – a future for itself, certainly, but many here hope it is also a symbol of a new and better future for the way this Island both secures itself and thinks of itself. All of us at this parade salute you, thank you for carrying the burdens as well as the pleasures of Command and we salute ‘your’ Regiment, as you salute us. We thank you for your service.
And so many God bless the Turks and Caicos Islands, may God bless the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment and most importantly, today, may God Bless our Marines who so willingly serve and of whom we are all so very very proud. “
“PNP Healthcare Ministers Carrying on Tradition”
By Randy Ewing
There are several areas that are critical to the everyday quality of life and standard of living in any civilized country: healthcare, economic development, adequate infrastructure, public safety, and education. Yet, as Sabrina Green highlighted in her recent article, there remains a troubling reality in the Turks and Caicos Islands: too often, our own people—particularly qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders—are marginalized when decisions are being made about the future of our country.
I want to focus specifically on healthcare.
Under the current PNP administration, several ministers have held responsibility for the healthcare portfolio, including Hon. Jay Saunders, Hon. Shawn Malcolm, and now Hon. Kyle Knowles, who is also my cousin.
I am not writing this because I expect anything to be handed to me. I am writing as a Turks and Caicos Islander and as a healthcare professional who has spent more than 26 years working in the healthcare industry.
My efforts to offer my expertise to the government were never motivated by money, political ambition, or the expectation of special treatment. They were motivated by something much simpler: giving back to the country that produced me.
I am from the soil.
I am from Blue Hills, Providenciales. I know our people. I know our culture. I understand our eating habits, the history and circumstances behind those habits, the foods that are locally available, and the realities that many families face when healthier food choices are more expensive or less accessible.
Professionally, I bring more than two decades of healthcare leadership and consulting experience. I hold an MBA with a concentration in Health Administration. I am a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with a healthcare concentration and a change-management specialist with healthcare experience. Over the course of my career, I have held leadership positions and worked with organizations including Memorial Hospital, Aetna Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, as well as within the U.S. federal government. I have also provided consulting services to healthcare organizations, municipalities, cities, states, and organizations throughout the Caribbean.
I share this not to boast about my credentials, but to make a simple point:
There are Turks and Caicos Islanders who have spent decades acquiring knowledge and expertise that could be valuable to the development of our country.
Why aren’t we listening to them?
I understand that the government has engaged outside consultants to provide advice and expertise. There is certainly a place for specialized external expertise. But I believe we must also ask an equally important question: What measurable improvements have these investments produced for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands?
Our healthcare challenges remain.
Our people continue to face serious health issues. People still have to travel overseas to obtain medical treatment. Families continue to
worry about whether the healthcare system will be there when they need it. And many residents remain concerned about whether they are receiving the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare they deserve.
So I ask our leaders: Where are the measurable outcomes?
Where is the long-term strategy?
What is the plan for developing sustainable healthcare capacity within the Turks and Caicos Islands?
And, perhaps most importantly, why aren’t more qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders being brought to the table?
This is not an argument against outside expertise. It is an argument for including our own people alongside it.
We know our communities in ways that an outside consultant cannot immediately know. We understand our history. We understand our culture. We understand the socioeconomic realities that influence health. We understand what people eat, what they can afford, what resources are available locally, and the barriers that prevent people from living healthier lives.
That knowledge matters.
Healthcare policy cannot exist only on paper. It has to work for the people who actually live here.
As the Turks and Caicos Islands continue to grow and prosper economically, we must also ask whether that prosperity is translating into better health outcomes and a better quality of life for our people.
Economic growth means little if our people cannot access adequate healthcare.
Infrastructure means little if our healthcare infrastructure cannot meet the needs of our population.
And progress means little if our people continue to believe that they must leave their own country to receive the care they need.
Minister Knowles, I respectfully ask you—and every minister and policymaker responsible for healthcare—to listen to the Turks and Caicos Islanders who have spent decades developing expertise in healthcare.
Listen to the professionals who have returned home with knowledge.
Listen to the people who understand our communities.
Listen to those who are offering their expertise not because they want something from the country, but because they want to give something back to it.
I have made that offer.
My experience, my education, and my professional knowledge are not simply credentials on a résumé. They represent more than 26 years of learning, leading, solving problems, and working to improve healthcare systems.
And I believe that expertise should have a place in the conversation about the future of healthcare in my homeland.
The Turks and Caicos Islands belong to all of us.
Our healthcare system belongs to all of us.
And our people deserve a healthcare system designed around their needs, informed by evidence, strengthened by expertise, and built with meaningful participation from the very people who call these islands home.
It is time to stop asking whether our people are qualified enough to contribute.
It is time to start asking what we are losing by not listening to them.
Our people deserve better.
And those of us who have the knowledge, experience, and willingness to help should not stop offering it.
Marvin Martin, MBA, LBBH, CMS
(STOCK PHOTO)
enabling digital transformation across key sectors and supporting enterprise customers
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (September 17, 2026) – Liberty Business has officially launched in the Turks and Caicos Islands, signalling the company’s continued transformation and strengthening its commitment to helping businesses navigate digital change, drive growth and build greater resilience.
The announcement was made during a special stakeholder event attended by government representatives, business leaders, industry
partners, customers and members of the media, marking the next chapter in the company’s long-standing relationship with the Turks and Caicos Islands.
“Today represents far more than the introduction of a new name. It reflects our continued evolution as a business and our commitment to being a trusted technology partner for organisations navigating an increasingly digital economy,” said Susanna O’Sullivan, Vice President General Manager, Flow North Caribbean, Liberty Caribbean.
“Through Liberty Business, we are bringing together the strength and capabilities of Liberty Caribbean with local expertise to help businesses across the Turks and Caicos Islands connect, protect, innovate and grow. We want to be a partner that understands the ambitions of our customers and works alongside them to create meaningful business value.”
Liberty Caribbean is the operator of Flow, Liberty Business and BTC, serving customers across more than twenty markets in the region.
The launch of Liberty Business builds on the company’s long-standing presence in the Turks and Caicos Islands and its continued investment in communications infrastructure, technology and digital capabilities across the Caribbean.
Today, Liberty Caribbean operates one of the region’s most extensive communications networks, supported by approximately 50,000 kilometres of subsea and terrestrial fibre infrastructure, helping enable resilient, secure and high-performance connectivity across the region.
For businesses, the evolution comes at a time when technology is playing an increasingly important role in productivity, customer experience, cybersecurity, business continuity and growth.
“Businesses today need more than connectivity. They need technology solutions that can help them operate efficiently, protect their
information, support their people and respond to change. We are excited to begin this next chapter with businesses in the Turks and Caicos Islands and to work together to build a smarter, stronger, more resilient and more connected digital future,” said O’Sullivan.
Liberty Business brings together an integrated portfolio of enterprise solutions, including advanced connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud services, data centre solutions, managed services, enterprise mobility and unified communications under a single brand dedicated to supporting the evolving needs of business customers.
Also speaking at the launch, Joanne Missick, Country Manager, Flow Turks and Caicos Islands, said the introduction of Liberty Business demonstrates the company’s commitment to evolving alongside the local business community.
“The Turks and Caicos Islands is a dynamic market with tremendous potential, and our businesses are increasingly embracing technology as an enabler of growth,” said Missick.
“From tourism and hospitality to financial services, real estate, construction, professional services and entrepreneurship, organisations are looking for ways to become more efficient, secure and resilient. Liberty Business gives us the opportunity to engage our customers differently – understanding their individual needs and helping them identify technology solutions that can support their ambitions.”
Missick added that the company’s approach is centred on building lasting relationships with businesses and providing solutions that address real-world challenges.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Thursday, 17 September 2026: The Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture has partnered with the Turks and Caicos Islands Elections Department to bring an exciting national election experience directly to high school students across the country with the launch of the 2026 National Student Council (NSC) Election.
Held under the theme “Your Voice. Your Country. Your Future.”, the initiative will give students from all 14 public and private high schools
the chance to campaign, vote and compete for national student leadership positions, while gaining first-hand experience of the electoral process.
Minister of Education, Hon. Rachel Taylor, said the initiative gives young people a national platform to share their ideas and develop their leadership skills.
“Our young people have ideas, opinions and perspectives that deserve to be heard, and this election gives them a national platform to use their voices in a meaningful way. We want our students to step forward with confidence, share the issues that matter to them and experience what it means to lead and represent others.” She continued, “I am particularly excited to see students from schools across the Turks and Caicos Islands getting involved, supporting their candidates and participating in the voting process. I encourage every school to embrace this opportunity and help us create an experience that our students will learn from and enjoy.”
Each high school will nominate one student candidate to represent their school at the national level. Candidates will campaign for the positions of President and Vice President, sharing their ideas, priorities and plans with student voters across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Both positions will be decided by electronic vote among high school students across the country.
The remaining four positions on the six-member National Student Council: Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and Public Relations Officer. will be determined through an internal vote among the top candidates following the national election.
The election will mirror several elements of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ electoral process. Candidates will choose a party name, colour and symbol, develop a manifesto and campaign slogan, and make their case to student voters. Their names, party information and symbols will appear on an electronic ballot, giving students the opportunity to experience the process as both candidates and voters.
Acting Elections Supervisor Willette Pratt stated that the timing of the initiative is particularly significant as the country continues its focus on civic awareness and youth participation.
“Coming on the heels of Constitution Day and as we prepare to celebrate National Youth Week this September, this is a timely opportunity
to put civic education into practice. We want young people to understand that democracy is not only about casting a vote; it is about being informed, participating and understanding that their voice matters. We are excited to see our schools and students embrace the experience.”
Once students are selected and endorsed by their school, candidates must submit a completed Candidate Information Form, a Student Manifesto of no more than 250 words, and a 45- to 60-second Campaign Video PSA introducing themselves and outlining the issues and priorities they hope to champion.
Candidates are expected to campaign fairly and respectfully, focusing on ideas, student issues and their plans as aspiring student leaders. Personal attacks, bullying, false or misleading information, and offering gifts or incentives in exchange for votes are prohibited. Breaches of the campaign code of conduct may result in the loss of campaign privileges or disqualification.
For candidates, it is a chance to share their ideas and test their leadership skills on a national platform. For student voters, it is an opportunity to have a say in who represents them and experience the electoral process first-hand.
With candidate selection underway, the Elections Department and Ministry of Education are looking forward to seeing students step forward, bring their ideas to the campaign and, ultimately, seeing young voters across the country make their choice at the ballot.
The 2026 National Student Council Election is an opportunity for young people to do more than learn about leadership and democracy — it gives them the chance to take part. Your Voice. Your Country. Your Future.
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