Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
Because the party leader could very well become the premier, the public should not be shunned in any political party’s process for leadership selections. Yet, for a second time in recent years, a political party has convened without adequately informing and involving the Turks and Caicos general public and while some may argue that it is party business, the 9000 members of the electorate can argue most resoundingly that we have a right to know because whomever you put forth, even though on a party ticket, ends up on our very generous public payroll.
This past weekend, E. Jay Saunders the deputy premier and minister of finance, investment and trade fell short of gaining enough delegate support to challenge Washington Misick for PNP party leader. His bid was not registered ahead of the National General Council meeting and so there had to be a vote on whether his late bid should be accepted by two thirds of the delegates or a small minority.
Delegates voted 88 in support of him needing a large push and so his name was not added to the leader ballot and with Jas Walkin withdrawing his quest due to concerns about losing his government job, it left Washington Misick, essentially unchallenged and therefore returned as leader of the PNP.
Once again, emerging from how things went down were a wide range of perspectives which boiled down to a few choice words and characterisations. Delegates were either intimidated or unimpressed or uninterested or confused by the process. It is yet another in party vote for a leadership change that failed on the floor.
It happened also in 2020 when Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson was challenged inside her PDM house while sitting as party leader and premier. In an awkward twist and with a pandemic dictating how we gathered and how we travelled, an attempt to employ an electronic style of voting for the delegates across the archipelago went splat. It left challengers in the dust and Sharlene continued as the leader of the People’s Democratic Movement.
The party’s rules were followed, there was a message of unity preached but eight months later, the PDM suffered an historic defeat; holding onto only one of 15 district seats; the party leader also rejected by the electorate.
Only a general election can convey if that is the fate of a Washington Misick-led PNP, however, the larger more weighty message is that public participation will demand better organization at party conventions, true transparency and equitable processes which encourage leaders to come forward. Another point for consideration, having better insight into the public’s temperature and taste for this individual or that helps the goal of presenting a pleasing slate of candidates.
As spectators of the political process of nations nearby, we see selections and elections play out for years in some cases, right on television. There is polling and town hall meetings and live media coverage. The process is elevated and given prominent focus, because these nations nearby recognize the magnitude of what is at stake.
The winners get to be the government!
From in party debates and campaigns to speeches and feedback on the party’s voting process, these are carried live or in reporting by media.
Media is not given a backseat or forced to peep through windows or guess about events unravelling due to second hand information or wait days for a political party to explain what went on behind those closed, locked doors.
No Media is allowed in because there is tremendous value in its role to offer objectivity as journalists not only observe but show in photographs and video what is happening. Media also gets key messages out so that political parties can be heard by the masses and in turn gauge and gain feedback from the public they are angling to serve. What the public wants, what it expects, what it needs and who the public believes can help your party to deliver that.
The 9,000 voters in the Turks and Caicos Islands are depending on the delegates to convey these district concerns in their caucuses and through their voting. And the media augments communications in and out.
Moving towards independence demands that good governance principles kick in from the party level. The voter wants to see accountability and transparency, fidelity and charity and succession planning.
Self-determination and self-governance needs an evolving democracy which is nurtured by native leaders, who should be able to demonstrate empathy, appreciation and respect for the Turks and Caicos population. It cannot be left to the impersonal regime of British rules set up in 2011 for this territory by the British government; those are only the skeleton. The local political leaders are expected to bring the meat and the heart to the process.
We see it happening already with the Constitution having undergone several meaningful transformations, with all sides of the political divide chiming in.
That innovation and boldness is needed at the party level now as we expect the Turks and Caicos’ political leaders to involve the people, properly.
Let us know in the same fanfare you bring at election campaign time, when, you are holding these critical sessions. Let us hear what elections there will be and who is offering. It is healthy for new people to want to ascend within any organization and it is only fitting that the party delegates and by extension the general public is able to hear, for ourselves who wants to enjoy this upward mobility or who wants to stay.
Equally interesting, is for whomever is chosen or who are already executives, to speak to the party base with the public looking on. Voters want a firsthand view of the energy in the camp and the mantra which is motivating your supporters.
While it is true, that the public will not be able to vote in the party process it is certainly also true that it is worth knowing what the public thinks of anyone being considered for the party ticket in a constituency long before general election day. It is also important to hear decisively, repeatedly what each party stands for and if your message is one that resonates with the viewing public, then maybe you will experience the gains of galvanization, conversion or persuasion.
It behooves me that any party would want to skip this valuable form of ratification because at the end of the day, it matters not if you are the leader of a major political party if you end up not being a member of the Parliament. And if you are a member of the parliament, it means you are on the public payroll.
The public is who does the hiring and the firing. So wisdom says, it makes good sense for the public to be more intimately involved in who makes up the leadership of your party, because they could very well be the next government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
TCI voters have proven, they will reject what they do not want.
