Government
Premier denies dozing off during Budget Debate; memes question stamina and integrity
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, May 23, 2023 – ‘I wasn’t sleeping, I was contemplating’ so says Premier Washington Misick after a live video feed showed him with his eyes closed, head tilted back and mouth open in Parliament recently.
“I found it pretty distasteful that with everything that the Minister of Finance had to say, the only thing that they could capture was my sitting in a contemplative mood,” he said “ask my colleagues around me, that was not a sleeping mood.”
Screenshots of the moment were shared all over social media with residents wondering if he was actually snoozing
For many residents iIt raises the question of accountability for politicians when they are on the people’s dime. Misick maintains he was working on his own presentation.
While there were jokes, which some characterised as distasteful, about the premier’s health, marriage and stability, others raised mature points about the optics of the moment which was trending high, as both days Washington Misick was caught in this “contemplative” state.
“The children are watching. Sleeping on the job is often seen as a gross misconduct for the rest of us. Simply stating the facts. No feelings. Take breaks as needed but don’t sleep while you’re at the wheel,” was one of many comments the images elicited on Facebook.
Still the premier, obviously aware of the chatter said, “It’s absolutely disgusting – I praise God and thank him for my mental alacrity. By the time this country wakes up in the morning I would have done a full day’s work.”
He maintained he was blessed with good health and committed to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Some of Misick’s comrades in the House of Assembly had lambasted those sharing the pictures during the debate, but many residents chimed in anyway expressing disbelief and displeasure at the alleged sleeping incident via social media.