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Three Winning Women: First the win to Parliament, then the appointment to Cabinet

Published

3 years ago

February 24, 2021

#TurksandCaicos, February 24, 2021 – Three women ran on the Progressive National Party (PNP) ticket and all three of those women have won their bids. All three of the women are also now appointed to the Cabinet of the country and will be the only women in the House of Assembly as elected officials.

The PNP frontline ladies spoke to the Magnate exclusively on Saturday following official news of the PNP’s 14 to 1 victory in the 2021 General Elections; the elation was palpable.

“It is an avalanche victory. I feel very happy, I’m excited and this could not have been done without the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands and for that, I want to say, thanks for their love and support over the years and I come for this wo’k,” said Josephine Connolly, third All Island member who is now the Minister of Tourism.

In the all island category of voting where the PNP emerged holding all five top spots and where the nearest PDM contender was some 600 votes behind the PNP’s lowest performance; it is agreed there was a message in the rejection by Voters of another PDM term in office.

“This says that the people wanted a change. That the people were not satisfied. We felt their pain. We told them that we could fix it and they have voted us in, so that they can get on and fix this country,” said Connolly who defected from the PDM in 2017, joining the PNP two years later in 2019.

Akierra Missick was an expected seat for the PNP; consistently turning in strong results and good performance and positive reviews from her constituents. Still, her margin of victory in the February 19, 2021 run-off was widened.

“I feel good. I feel that our team has worked very, very hard for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. I want to say to the people of Leeward and Long Bay; thank you for not only putting your trust in me but in our entire time and because of that six MPs (from Providenciales) will be proud to represent you in Parliament, but more importantly be your administration.

Affectionately called, “AK”, the stand-out Turks and Caicos Islander was under 30-years old when she became the deputy premier of the country. This time, under 35-years old, she becomes the leader of government business in the House of Assembly and the first woman to take on the Infrastructure, Housing, Planning and Development portfolio as its Minister.

“We celebrate in our yellow today, said a smiling AK who was donning a yellow PNP golf-styled shirt, “but once we form the administration, trust me we are working for each and every one of you; PNP or not. At the end of the day, we have to build a better Turks and Caicos.”

The election results have flabbergasted even the PNP; among the startling upsets was in Five Cays and Chalk Sound. Former school principal, Rachel Taylor is more than the new member of parliament for the district, she is the new Minister of Education after toppling Sean Astwood in ED#9

“I must say, Deandrea, I worked hard, so it was no surprise to me,” said Taylor who obviously assessed what went wrong in her first attempt for Electoral District #9. She continued with, “I knew exactly what it took to be successful this time because four years ago I was unsuccessful. I had started (in 2016) very late in the game, so I told myself, if you want to be successful, you must put in the work. The key thing about this is I knew the people, so when they came into the polling station, I could have looked them in the eye because I knew exactly who they were and I knew what their intentions were.”

Taylor will also manage Youth, Culture, Social and Library Services in her new job as a member of cabinet.

“You spoke resoundingly, that you wanted the change that we so desperately desire and we are here because we come for this work. We are here because we love people, we care for people and we want to change this country. We want to ensure that our people are first in everything we do.”

Related Topics:#JosephineConnolly #magneticmedianews #pnpwomenincabinet

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STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS EXPECTED TO ASSIST GOV’T PLANNING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2024

Shanieka

KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.

This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.

“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.

He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).

Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.

“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.

“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.

Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.

Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.

The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.

NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.

CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON

Caribbean News

Haiti- ECHO humanitarian efforts

Published

3 days ago

April 29, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff writer

#Haiti#Crisis#HumanitarianEfforts#ECHO, April 23rd, 2024 – Due to the worsening Humanitarian crisis in Haiti with an increase in death toll and injured people, The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), launched an emergency airlift of 5 flights carrying essentials which include up to 62 tons of medicine as well as emergency shelter equipment, and water and sanitation items. These were brought to Cap Haitien according to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on April 19, as the international Airport in Port au prince remains closed following the gang attack last month.

Caribbean News

Dominica repeals laws criminalizing gay sex

Published

3 days ago

April 29, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Dominica#LGBTQIA, April 24, 2034- Dominica has decided to remove colonial era laws that criminalized gay sex, joining Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.

This comes almost five years after a man of the queer community, whose identity was withheld for his safety, spoke out against Dominica’s laws in 2019, saying they violated his rights.