News
People need to be free to speak without fear of Victimisation
By Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
#TurksandCaicos, July 25, 2022 – A very dangerous culture of quietness grips the Turks and Caicos people and residents. This unnatural silence where people with opinions, concerns, suggestions or critiques are frozen by a fear of bringing their thoughts into open spaces is hampering the potential of the TCI by too often demoralizing and ostracizing the very thing the country needs most: PEOPLE, thoughtful people.
The “climate of fear” label of 2008 is still stuck to the back of the Turks and Caicos, make no mistake.
Only a few indulge in the freedom of expression, as far more people believe if they say what they feel or what they’ve experienced they will be washed away by a tsunami of victimization. Imagined or real, this is a prevailing view and it is a ‘kill shot’ to honest, earnest public engagement and national development.
A few weeks ago, Angela Williams of Ashley’s Learning Center – a special needs facility – decided to share her experience on a potential Ministry of Education partnership. The deal which to her once had hope, flopped when she was asked to do, what she says she could not. Williams believed the impasse developed out of some personal distaste for her by an unnamed ‘someone’ within the Ministry of Education.
A live streamed press conference from her school and media reports exposed the situation and thousands expressed outrage at the idea of the facility shutting its doors.
In uncharacteristic fashion, the Ministry of Education actually responded with notice of a press event. It was not what I expected of a seasoned Government office.
While it appeared the Ministry was innocently setting the record straight on the issue, the true mission emerged and it was nothing more than a strategic attempt, led by the highest ranking officials in the Ministry of Education to muddy the reputation of Angela Williams and her school.
The damage was done and the message was sent: when you mess with me, I will mess with you. Tit-for-tat; basically, child’s play.
A chance for enlightened leadership was missed; and partisan fans praised the Government’s response. It was not a praiseworthy moment.
Angela Williams should have been at that press conference with the Ministry of Education and the public, concerned about the welfare of dozens of special needs children, could have been given a ray of hope and a taste of something fresh from this newest PNP Administration.
We could have heard that an urgent meeting was called and the issues and concerns on all sides were hashed out and remedied. 
The Ministry would have not only demonstrated in a tangible way its desire to see the school continue, but it would have redeemed itself without the need to utter one slight against Ashley’s Learning Center.
A focus on the partnership and using the platform to lay out the Ministry’s own plans and strides in Special Needs education would have raised the bar and demonstrated an empathy and wisdom of a government quick to care, not to cut down. I believe this approach would have even earned the Ministry a public apology and a hearty thank you from Ashley’s.
In the weeks since both press events were held, there has been silence except for word that Ashley’s Learning Center is planning to certainly close.
The Education trio – Rachel Taylor, the Minister; Wesley Clerveaux, the Permanent Secretary and Jas Walkin, Special Needs Officer – came out in a live stream and shared damaging information and then rode off into the sunset seemingly feeling victorious.
But there was no win here. It was a significant regression.
The Ministry of Education owed the public the explanation; there was no error in their swift response to the alarming claim by Mrs. Williams. But we got way more than we bargained for, way more than we needed.
In any leadership position, there are days when one is the hero and days when one is the villain. It is impossible to control how people feel, but leaders are compelled to make those individual, independent decisions as situations emerge which help to shape public sentiment – for the positive – about them and what they stand for.
The people whom leaders serve need to be confident that they can express themselves without fear of unfair retribution; Protected by the Constitution but better than that, heard at the heart of their matter by leaders who understand the dynamism of their roles.
In retrospect, once you extricate the negative vibes between Ashley’s Learning Center and the Ministry of Education, you hear of some of the most progressive plans for Special Needs Education and Support the Turks and Caicos has ever revealed.
It took Angela Williams speaking out about her plans and issues for the country to learn about the intentions of the Ministry of Education which includes the construction of a Special Needs Centre. That was a first.
Public expression has a place of importance in a country under development. It is essential to not only have but to hear the dissenting voices, to welcome other ideas, broader perspectives and constructive criticism.
In Turks and Caicos, these varied expressions become particularly vital when you consider that the Government of the day was selected to serve by only 3,500 of Turks and Caicos’ 45,000 population.
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: — Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort recently collaborated with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and the Department of Social Services to support a youth camp hosted at the Oseta Jolly Primary School, underscoring the resort’s ongoing commitment to youth development in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The camp, which brought together security forces, government agencies and private sector entities, focused on equipping young participants
with practical life skills and character-building tools. A team from Beaches Turks and Caicos’ leadership and training departments joined the programme to deliver sessions on basic table etiquette, dining mannerisms, polite demeanour and public speaking fundamentals, all designed to help the students present themselves confidently in formal and professional settings.
General Manager of Beaches Turks and Caicos, Deryk Meany, said the resort views national development as an integral part of its corporate social responsibility. “We are always happy to be supporters in the development of the youth of the Turks and Caicos Islands. We continue to commit our team to help in creating the next generation of leaders who will provide support to the islands and help in its development,” Meany noted.
The initiative also received strong endorsement from the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Community Development, which has been championing holistic programmes aimed at building well-rounded young citizens. Minister Rachel Taylor highlighted the importance of collaborations like the camp in helping youth access structured guidance and mentorship. “We are happy to join in celebrating the growth and development of our youth here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Beaches Turks and Caicos continues to be one of our primary supporters in helping to develop well rounded individuals. This commitment from this resort has grown with the vision of the youth ministry to help in their overall development,” she said.
Taylor further emphasized that the camp’s timing was especially significant, coming as youth across the islands seek positive outlets and
constructive engagement. “This camp came at the most ideal time for our adolescents. With the support of our governor, the security forces, the social services along with Beaches Turks and Caicos, we are confident that the training needed for them to improve is on the right track,” she added.
Beaches Turks and Caicos Public Relations Manager, Orville Morgan, described the collaboration as an exemplary model of cross-sector partnership. “To be able to join with the security forces to provide support for the youth of the Turks and Caicos Islands is exceptional. We are happy to provide the necessary support to equip them to grow into being productive citizens of these islands,” Morgan said.
He noted that the resort team focused on practical etiquette and hospitality-driven skills that can be carried into the youths’ future experiences. “As a team, we were able to share in the basic table setting and dining etiquette for them, skills we are sure that they will be able to use in their next fine dining experience,” Morgan added.
Organizers expressed optimism that the camp’s blend of discipline, mentorship and soft skills training will have a lasting impact on participants. With stakeholders pledging continued support, the Beaches Turks and Caicos team and their partners aim to expand similar initiatives, further investing in the personal and professional growth of the next generation of Turks and Caicos Islanders.
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.
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