Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

Turks and Caicos, February 4, 2025 – Both Political leaders have claimed victory following a 2-hour National Debate, hosted by Radio Turks and Caicos on Thursday January 30, 2025 and streamed live on Facebook.  Supporters of both the incumbent, Washington Misick, the PNP Party Leader and Turks and Caicos Premier and challenger, Edwin Astwood the Opposition leader of the People’s Democratic Movement are declaring that it was their representative who most ably demonstrated he is the best man to lead the country into the next decade.

Published polls are varied too, but they all, up to Friday afternoon had awarded Washington Misick (PNP) the winner of the National debate which was moderated by Almando Rigby, a John Maxwell certified Leader and Damian Wilson, a former deputy Director of the government owned radio station.

A vote orchestrated on Friday by @IAmLTBourne on X had 40% of his voters siding with the PDM, 60% siding with the PNP.  One hundred and fifty people participated in the poll up to the time we looked in. The same poll was made available to Instagram users by iamltbourne.  This time, 140 people voted with 59% supporting the PNP leader as the winner; 41% of the vote went to Astwood of the PDM.

Lightbourne has 1,289 and it is unknown how many people would have had access to the link which was shared, inviting people who watched the debate to vote for their winner.

Magnetic Media aimed to get its own feedback.  Members of the electorate who tuned into the debate and who returned a comment to us were almost even in their choice of who was the better man of the two candidates.

When Misick was preferred, it was explained to us that he showed himself to be a more seasoned leader with reports on accomplishments. When Astwood was preferred, it was said to be due to his unrelenting reminders of Misick’s shortcomings over the past four years and his apparent ability to get under his challenger’s skin.  Yet more were disappointed with the overall outcome of the face off, feeling no more convinced about which side should get the votes and which man would make the better premier.

The range of topics covered seemed to be satisfactory for the viewers.  However the promises about each plan fell flat, for too many courted by Magnetic Media.

Even the candidates were not impressed with each other; but then again that was to be expected.  Here was a particularly memorable string of swipes as the hopefuls entered a verbal foray on the illegal migration problems.

“There is nothing that he said tonight that should give you any confidence in him, nothing whatsoever,” said Washington Misick, TCI Premier, who added, “He doesn’t have a plan and I am so disappointed because I thought we were coming here to have a real debate based on plans.”

Opposition Leader, Edwin Astwood countered over the course of the 2 hours and 20 minutes that his party has plans and repeatedly accused the premier of “lies”.

“I’m not sure who has been in power over the last four years, maybe it is his brother the former premier, the honourable Michael Misick, maybe it is him because surely from what the honourable premier is saying here, he hasn’t been in office and he hasn’t been in power over the last four years,” said Astwood in rebuttal to Premier Washington Misick’s response to the issue of illegal immigration.

“The reality is that our people are waking up in the mornings and seeing droves of people running across, our people are reporting hearing their dogs barking and when they come out they see people in their yards; our people are calling it, they have a name, the ‘back pack people’ now.  They’re afraid to go walking in the mornings, not because of dogs, not because of animals but because they don’t know who they are going to buck up,”said Astwood, who had earlier called the PDM the party of Protection, Detention and Management as he chided Misick.

“But yet the premier is saying they have stopped the boats and they have turned them around.  That is not so, that is not the reality.   I don’t know which Utopia the premier is living in but that is not the reality of Turks and Caicos Islanders.”

Ahead of this scorching observation, there was a report from the premier on his government’s progress when it comes to stemming the flow of illegal migration.  He too had a response laced with biting words, aimed at clipping the wings of the PDM’s high tech plan for curbing illegal migration.

“My acronym on the PDM is not prevention, detection and management, it is Poor Decision Makers because he hasn’t said one thing here tonight that is practical, that is grounded in substance, that is even implementable.  He is dealing in generalities and he is expecting the public to buy into that.”

Misick said there are new police stations coming and he named them Blue Hills and Five Cays.

“We have drones in the air and we will be providing additional drones, we already have a Google system that we are working on that you can literally drive through Dock Yard or anywhere and see from the map where cars are, where people are sitting down outside their yard and what is going on there.  We are using technology in fighting crime.”

Residents, particularly the 9,353 voters, should make time to watch the debate which is still available on Facebook at RTC Station.  The Moderators questioned the leaders on other pressing matters like Education, Immigration, Youth Development, Healthcare, Housing, the Cost of living and an Independent Turks and Caicos Islands.

The National Debate was hosted by government-owned Radio Turks and Caicos and had over 38,000 views and nearly 5,000 comments.