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CPL Arrears to be WRITTEN OFF as the program is PHASED OUT

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Deandrea Hamilton and Dana Malcolm

Editorial Staff

 

#TurksandCaicos, December 14, 2022 – The Crown Land review, jointly conducted by the TCIG and the UK Government has exposed that over 1,100 parcels of Crown Land are subject to long standing disputes about ownership and titles in the Conditional Purchase Lease program.  Now, the expensive and contentious CPL pathway to land ownership is heading to the scrap pile, with some last ditch measures agreed in order to give people in this precarious position a chance to finally secure properties in question.

The Review proposes to write-off arrears on Conditional Purchase Lease agreements to give land owners a fresh start and final opportunity to honour their commitments.

“If this policy is to be pursued, it will be necessary to have a finite period of time within which applicants must come forward to apply for the freehold and gain the benefit of the write-off,” explains the review, adding, “A finite time period, such as three years, would ensure that titles are quickly regularised and would also save the applicant from further delays requiring a fresh revaluation which would cause the freehold price to go even higher.”

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government is likely now to agree not to reintroduce Conditional Purchase Leases in the country as per recommendations included in the newly published crown land review. For those who currently have a CPL the recommendations set out specific guidelines on how to proceed.

CPLs in the Turks and Caicos provide residents with a three year lease on residential land after which they can either extend or terminate the lease. The review, in the fact-finding process, found that six CPLs were surrendered or terminated; that 383 were cancelled for non-payment of rent and 301 bought the free hold title.  It left hundreds of CPLs incomplete and unresolved.

The report, released on December 8, 2022 said: “But it was made clear that a large number of people still claim land under expired CPLs and have not done anything about selecting their terminal option. There are 1,101 parcels of Crown land in this position.  This is despite the fact that the Crown Land Ordinance envisaged that all CPLs, and all their two-year extensions, should have disappeared by 2017 at the absolute latest.”

A plan to bring some finality to those with unsettled CPLs has been laid out extensively in the review which also reveals that the CPL program is a monster-sized mess with both government and leaseholders at fault.

“It is clear that leaseholders have not complied with their obligations or sought renewal of their lease, and it is also clear that Government has allowed people to assume that this is acceptable by not taking active enforcement steps in the past. Together, these factors have contributed to a culture in which CPLs have not been adhered to for decades and this explains how there comes to be such a disparity between the original CPL freehold prices and the revaluations.”

The joint Crown Land Review has anticipated that a significant problem will emerge when the parcels of land in question are valuated.  Land prices in the Turks and Caicos Islands have risen sharply in the 10, 20 or 30 years since the CPLs were agreed and the appraisals to determine fair market value today will dramatically alter the costs in the original agreements.

The review offered a striking example:  “To take one documented example, the freeholds in a pair of undeveloped residential plots in Providenciales were offered in the original CPL at $6,750 and $8,900 in 1999, and upon revaluation were priced at $30,800 and $73,500 respectively in 2007; they have undoubtedly gone up much more since then. Other unconfirmed examples were given to us by members of the public who spoke of more recent valuations, such as from $20,000 to $200,000, showing a tenfold increase in the freehold price upon revaluation. The effect of such re-valuations is that any person who has budgeted in reliance on the original CPL freehold price, despite the CPL having expired, will not be able to afford the increase.”

It could mean, homes and other constructions on parcels in an incomplete CPL, where no freehold title is obtained by the leaseholder, would be lost.  The Review frankly points out that Government is not obligated to stick to the original price and that Government has been less than proficient in managing the CPL program, but if the CPL holder is able to pay off its rent arrears, then a new agreement could be drawn up with the help of a lending institution.

“Our conclusion is therefore that all arrears should be written off for anyone who buys the freehold. This will reduce the financial burden for people who choose that option, and it will also increase the likelihood of mortgage finance being available for the freehold purchase.”

A public awareness campaign is recommended to ensure no one in this category “misses out”.

The review also outlines who qualifies for the write-off; how and whom CPL parcels can be passed on to; recommends actions to distinct categories of CPLs; addresses government mismanagement and leaseholders who have lost documentation and after attempts to regularize CPLs the review suggests it is best to phase out the process entirely.

Recommendation 17: that CPLs should not be reintroduced. Turnkey housing (starter homes and rentals) should be the priority for those people still unable to afford undeveloped land even with the benefit of the Islander discount.

Government

STATEMENT BY HER EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, DILEENI DANIELSELVARATNAM: APPOINTMENTS TO THE CABINET OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT

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Turks and Caicos, February 12, 2025

 

TCI Cabinet named:

Acting on the advice of the Premier Hon. Charles Washington Misick OBE JP, pursuant to section 31(1)(C) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2011, I will appoint the following elected representatives as members of the Turks and Caicos Islands Cabinet at a ceremony to be held tomorrow 13 February 2025 at 10 a.m. at St. Monica’s Church Providenciales.

Pursuant to section 31 (1)(C)(7) of the Constitution Amendment Order 2024 and in consultation with the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Edwin Astwood, I will appoint an additional Minister to the Cabinet.

In line with section 36 (2) of the Constitution Order 2011, on the advice of the Premier, I will assign their respective portfolios as listed below:

  1. Premier, Hon. Charles Washington Misick OBE JP will lead the Office of the Premier and Public Policy and is to be appointed as Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Investment and Trade.
  2. Deputy Premier, Hon. Jamell Rayan Robinson is to be appointed as Minister of Immigration and Border Services.
  3. Hon. Erwin Jay Saunders is to be appointed as Minister of Innovation, Technology and Information.
  4. Hon. Otis Chuck Morris is to be appointed as Minister of Public Safety and Utilities.
  5. Hon. Arlington Alexander Musgrove is to be appointed as Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development.
  6. Hon. Rachel Marshall Taylor is to be appointed as Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture.
  7. Hon. Shaun David Malcolm is to be appointed as Minister of Home Affairs, Religious Affairs and Transportation.
  8. Hon. Kyle Robert Knowles is to be appointed as Minister of Health and Human Services.
  9. Hon. Zhavargo Jermaine Jolly is to be appointed as Minister of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment.

Following the ceremony, a meeting of Cabinet will be held at the Office of the Premier. I look forward to working with the Hon. Premier and the Cabinet in service of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Appointments will take effect immediately following their swearing-in.
Instruments of appointment will be published in the Official Gazette.

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Government

Why the Premier doesn’t need to be the Most Popular

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Deandrea Hamilton
Editor

 

Turks and Caicos, February 9, 2025 – It took some diligence and re-learning of the electoral process back in 2012 to understand the unique practice of voting for candidates in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

No longer were voters only choosing one constituency representative, but also five all island representatives. That has since ballooned to nine due to a constitutional change which eliminated appointed seats. Now, all seats in the TCI’s parliament are held by an individual who has been duly elected by the people.

Curiosity emerged in this 2025 national poll when E Jay Saunders, a PNP backbencher won the most votes in the all island category. He finished with 4,614 and topped Washington Misick, his party’s leader and the re-elected premier, who got 4,208 votes.

They were first and second, though the difference between them was 406 votes.

It’s not the first time the most popular finisher in the all island vote hasn’t also been premier. In fact, the first time this happened the person who got the most votes – Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson – had to be contented with serving as Opposition Leader because her party was not the one with the most elected candidates. That was in 2012.

In these islands, the premiership is won when two simple requirements are met.

One, when a political party elects its leader it is constitutionally entrenched within that document that the leader, if he or she wins their seat, will ascend to premier.

Leader of party equals leader of country if that party wins the most seats to form government and if that person is a holder of one of those seats.

Two, in order to satisfy the country’s constitutional requirement, you have to be elected to parliament and deemed the leader of the party with the most seats.

In TCIs case, we have 9 seats for the all island candidates.

Any individual who ended the day as among the nine people with the most votes, they would have satisfied that requirement because they would be among the nine elected in that category.

First or fifth, you’re in the nine and you’re the party leader, then you’re the premier.

If you’re a party leader and ended up the candidate with even the ninth highest amount of votes, you would still be qualified to be country leader.

Place in this category of the race does not matter. It’s why the fight for leadership is often so fierce within political parties, why a party has to be governed by a constitution so that clear rules are established and accepted and why the organisation has to be government approved or registered.

The governor then complies with the party’s written constitution about who he or she must swear in as premier if the said party racks up the most seats.

The PNP won the most seats; 16 of 19.

The PNP chose Washington Misick as its leader, therefore Washington Misick becomes the premier.

Popularity in the all island category in TCI gives one bragging rights (if they feel like it) and insight into how the public sees or accepts them. But, that’s all.

The voters in this 2025 runoff have demonstrated that of all the 20+ candidates that ran all island or at large, EJ Saunders was or is the most popular because he got the most votes in this category. He’s got to feel good about that fact and he should. That’s some seriously bankable political capital which he can spend in a bid to become the next leader of the PNP first, then the Turks and Caicos Islands if his party is able to repeat a victory in 2030, which is when elections are constitutionally due.

Popularity is super but in the Turks and Caicos’ system it does not automatically mean, premier.

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Government

Turnpike, Traffic Lights and Digital Gov’t feature in PNP Five Year Plan

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Danae Dennie

Staff Writer 

 

 

Turks and Caicos, February 8, 2025 – The Progressive National Party has won the 2025 election and now the clock starts ticking. As they take office, with their manifestos as their guide, the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) now await an improved society.

The Progressive National Party (PNP) has shared a plethora of  plans in its Citizen’s Contract 2.0, their manifesto which will be used as a blueprint for their five-year tenure for the TCI.

The question now looms, will they follow through on their promises or will they fall short?

The PNP has a track record of establishing beneficial initiatives within the country; they have instituted free education at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College for all citizens, introduced a national minimum wage and increased  public service pay.

So, what’s next? According to the PNPs’s Manifesto their vision is to build a society where social and economic progress is guaranteed for all citizens with equity, transparency and integrity as their guiding principles.

In the next five years the PNP shares that they will strive for sustainable economic growth  and development. They plan to create more employment and income opportunities for Turks and Caicos Islanders and boost the TCI’s potential.

Examples of these plans include supporting youth entrepreneurs through venture capital and equity investments,  and they plan to develop Agro Parks to boost the agricultural industry.

The PNP has also pledged to expand infrastructure.

As the TCI Tourism Industry booms, the infrastructure has to grow as well. The PNP hopes to expand the Howard Hamilton International Airport, South Dock and other ports.

Other developments include redeveloping the Millennium Highway to a four lane dual-carriage in each direction, developing a series of parallel roads to Leeward Highway to ease traffic congestion and facilitate traffic flow in emergencies.

As well as developing  the “Caicos Turnpike” from Providenciales to South Caicos.

They also plan to install a traffic light system in Providenciales to help regulate the flow of traffic, ease congestion and improve safety.

Energy reform is also on the list to be championed.

The PNP shares that it is committed to transforming the energy landscape of the Turks and Caicos Islands to ensure sustainability, affordability, and reliability. With plans to upgrade the power grid to accommodate an expanding renewable energy infrastructure.

A Digital Government is also being pushed for the TCI. They plan to ensure that every citizen and resident of the Turks and Caicos Islands has access to faster, more convenient, and more transparent government services through new technological advancements like AI and smart technology. They also plan to offer high-quality online courses and training to equip the young people of the TCI with the digital skills they need for the jobs of the future.

One of the major topics of discussion in this election was the state of healthcare.

In the PNP Manifesto, they shared that they  plan to build a better healthcare system that is resilient, prioritizes prevention, and embraces innovation. They will do this by establishing a National Health Services Authority (NHSA) and a National Health Information System (NHIS), this would provide Electronic Health Records, and a National Disease Surveillance System for tracking communicable diseases.

The PNP administration  also vows to rid the TCI of unregulated jitneys and provide  reliable, safe and cost-effective public transportation. Other plans include improvement on waste management. For social provision they plan to  establish new benchmarks and make provisions in the TCI budget to ensure that both equity and need are given full weight to improve the quality of life for TC Islanders. This will be done through initiatives like expanding the Children Nutritional Programme and providing high quality education at all levels as well as improving the sporting industry.

The PNP believes that every citizen should have access to adequate, affordable housing in safe fully serviced communities. In their next term, the PNP Administration will set up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create economically viable communities of at least 1,000 new homes each. Their goal is to complete three communities with 3,000 homes over the next five years.

Today’s youth are the future of tomorrow. The PNP acknowledges this and has vowed to increase access to tertiary education, skills and vocational training; expand the National Youth Service to offer apprenticeship, mentorship and subsidized training with the private sector as well as  establish accessible mental health facilities and services tailored to young people in every community, including counselling and crisis support hotlines.

The major aim of the PNP government is to meet the goals put in place in their Vision 2040 plan. The PNP shares that they are committed to the rule of law, control of corruption, government effectiveness, political stability, better regulatory quality, and accountability in order to reach these goals.

To build on this foundation, the PNP highlights its track record of keeping promises and its commitment to delivering on new plans that will drive the country forward. The PNP emphasized that the promises made over the past four years were fulfilled. With a vision for a better future for the TCI, delivering on their new plans is essential for the country’s progress. The nation has chosen to keep the boat steady, hoping for smooth waters and steady sailing in the years ahead.

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