Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
#TurksandCaicoisIslands, February 27, 2024 – It has been days now since an interesting challenge emerged at the Progressive National Party’s National General Congress (NGC), and many in the public continue to wait with bated breath to see what play Washington Misick, the TCI Premier and PNP Party Leader will make after a delegate-led motion revealed that his own deputy leader in the party and in governance was prepared to challenge him for the leader post.
Fifty-one-year-old, E. Jay Saunders chose to take a precarious path.
He did not register his interest in the leadership race ahead of the NGC and it meant that a motion, according to the PNP Constitution, had to be put forth and a vote had to be taken on whether his late bid would progress to the leadership ballot.
“There were delegates who were saying to me that they wanted to put my name up, I knew that. But I told them that the delegates needed to say on the floor what they wanted to do. If they did not want him to run again as leader, they needed to articulate that matter on the floor. I’m an instrument of my party,” said Saunders in the one on one interview this past Sunday.
The result was 58 delegates voting in support of a smaller minority requirement as sufficient to enter E. Jay Saunders into the race; 88 voted that Saunders would need a larger majority in order to have his name advanced.
News of the result spread like wildfire. It was explained that when E. Jay Saunders challenged Washington Misick for party leader and delegates had the chance to cast their votes, Misick came out with 88 for him and Saunders lost the race with 58 supporting his candidacy. But the PNP Deputy Leader and TCI Deputy Premier, E. Jay Saunders said that was not how events played out.
He said there was a misunderstanding of the process in that he was never able to get to the stage to challenge Washington Misick, directly for PNP leadership.
“So there was a debate on whether or not that motion to have me added was going to require two thirds majority or simple majority, like fifty percent plus one; and that motion failed, if that had passed it would have put me on the ballot. That motion failed, so everything stopped at that point,” explained Saunders.
While in-party challenges for the leadership position anywhere are notoriously risky, members of the public in the Turks and Caicos are glued to their seats, waiting for the next act in a production that could end in termination for Saunders, who took a big gamble hinged – in part – on PNP delegates’ prodding from the shadows.
“My concern was always that there was 40 percent of the people voted for an outcome, that means that there is a noise in the market that says we want change and I didn’t know what that number was until it was yesterday. But my view is that we would find out what that was, if that number was more than 50 percent then that means they want the future to start now, and I am ready. If that number was under 50 percent, as it turns out, it means that they don’t want the future to start now, but I am ready,” said Saunders in an interview with Magnetic Media.
Saunders’ campaign was a quiet one; and while it was a surprise for some, there were others who anticipated his aspirations; after all it was not his first time offering for party leader. There was no public mudslinging or disparaging campaigns run in the media by any of the three men who showed interest in taking over as leader of the government PNP. From Saunders, there was also no bold public pronouncement of what he wanted and he hoped to bring to the table if given the chance to lead his party; for some this was disappointing. Though his campaign was soft and legitimate, it is unclear if that lessens the sting or diminishes the fact that E. Jay wanted the job, the Premier currently has and obviously intends to hold onto.
Saunders confirmed that since the vote, things have been cordial and there had up to Sunday night been no talk between the men about what transpired at the NGC.
“We spoke yesterday; we did not speak about that. After it, we shook hands. We had small talk, the party had a social last night and we were in church today.”
The party attended Community Fellowship Centre church, where there was a special Women’s Day service featuring visiting gospel minister, Katherine Hamilton of The Bahamas. Saunders remarked on the video, which had been widely circulated and featured Minister Hamilton, standing before both men, with heartening words for the younger leader.
“I hear the Lord saying, ‘Learn as much as you can learn because your time is coming, it is coming but do not despise your time of preparation’; I hear Him saying: ‘Don’t allow anything to cause you to miss the lessons, many strengths, much wisdom, your time is coming’.”
Saunders, who is also the son of former party leader and former chief minister, Norman Saunders explained that nothing he did was outside of the party’s constitution.
“I believe I can lead the party today and into the future and I believe Washington can lead the party today, because obviously he is the leader. But the decision the delegates would need to make is do they want the future of the party to start in 2025 or do they want it to start in 2030; now, they chose to have the future of the party to start in 02030.”
The facts are now, Washington Misick, who is 73-years-old, will continue to lead the PNP and that includes into the next general election which is constitutionally slated for early 2025. A constitutional amendment now lengthens the term to five years for a ruling party to govern in the Turks and Caicos.
Saunders believes he still has work to do under the PNP Government Administration and hopes he is able to continue that work. Two of three of his public jobs are hinged however on the premier’s prerogative.
While Saunders would only lose his position as a Member of the House of Assembly if unseated by a candidate in a general election, it is a well-documented fact that the Progressive National Party does not vote for its deputy party leader, it is a position appointed by the party leader.
Similarly, E. Jay Saunders was given his Finance, Investment and Trade cabinet portfolio at the pleasure of the Premier.
With one cabinet minister already removed due a disagreement with Misick despite her prowess as a front bencher, the looming question is, will E. Jay Saunders face an identical fate. Washington Misick has made it clear that “I have a deep bench” and he could chose to play one of those members and sideline Saunders.
The Progressive National Party’s NGC was held on Saturday February 24, 2024 at the Shore Club in Providenciales, TCI, mere days after the party – on February 19 – marked three years since its 2021 landslide victory at the polls.
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