Editor

#TurksandCaicos, August 5, 2023 – The PDM’s appointed member to the House of Assembly may have been a bit more satisfied by Friday evening with the release of a strong statement from the president of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association; firmness is what everyone expects in the aftermath of another wild shooting – on Wednesday – in Grace Bay.

“We have had seven or eight murders since June 5th. We saw days where there were two murders in 24 hours. In these past two months, we have seen a shooting incident that saw 3 or 4 persons shot and by all accounts intentionally. We are seeing brazen day murders and now in the heart of Grace Bay.

In the past two years we have seen at least two beheadings and maybe a third. We have seen a trial witness killed in close proximity to CID. These historic events have whisked by without matching attention,” said Alvin Garland, Opposition Appointed member to the House of Assembly.

Garland expressed being incensed by the silence and the method of communication as violent crime grows in frequency and boldness.

“The PDM and I are calling on the Premier to address his people other than through a Press Release. The TCI has turned the corner and the question is how much more has to happen before we act decisively again?

The Minister of Tourism and TCHTA can no longer remain silent and must regain their voices to address our country’s visitors. In times when things were not as extreme, they were indeed vocal. We need leading voices and stakeholders on the record.

It is important to measure our comments in times like these but the silence must stop and the call for help must be urgently sent out,” said Garland.

Coming from the TCHTA was this, “Over the past two months, our Board of Directors has met with the Police Commissioner and the Governor’s Office to voice these concerns as we saw a serious trend starting once again of extreme violence not common to our islands.

We are concerned as an industry and as the nation’s largest employers that our citizens and guests must believe Turks & Caicos is a safe place to live and to visit.”

There has been no comment from the Minister of Tourism, however on Friday the TCHTA released its position on the shooting incident which forced a temporary road block following a barrage of bullets which left a 26-year-old man dead near a popular Grace Bay Beach access.

Hon Garland said this group was more vocal when the crime situation in the country was less serious.  Garland’s other advice, get outside help.

“We need outside help, not because we have no faith in our own, but because we need the extra skills and manpower, but this cannot be our fall back each time these acts are threatened or committed. The Bahamas assisted us greatly in stemming the violent tide and whilst we are aware that they too have their challenges, one more stint maybe warranted. But after this, we must have an ongoing plan that sees capacity built in in our own Police Organisation.”

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, July 31, 2023 – An oversight body for the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force RTCIPF is just one of the big ticket items that opposition leader Edwin Astwood says he is fighting to get into the new constitution.  Here’s what he wants:

“A Police Commission that oversees the police force instead of them just directly reporting to the governor,” he said.

Astwood made the remarks at a press briefing on National issues held on July 13th.

The push for an oversight body comes as the Turks and Caicos experienced two years of incredibly high crime, filled with gruesome murders.

Astwood’s Commission would be made up of past Commissioners, Inspectors, Justices of the Peace, and more to look over the functioning and operations of the Royal TCI Police Force.

Currently, as per the constitution, the Police Force answers directly to the Governor of the Turks and Caicos while financed by the public purse and government allocations, it is part of national security, which falls within the remit of the UK-appointed governor.

It’s an arrangement that has caused friction between the members of the House of Assembly, Residents, Governors, and Police in the past.  Some residents feel there aren’t enough checks and balances in police operations.  The issue came to a head amid the 2022 crime wave, with public confidence in the Force at an all-time low and its operations shrouded in mystery Alvin Garland, Opposition Appointed Member, told the House this:

“Members in this House that are elected by the people to represent the interests of the people in a time like this, when you have a very crucial situation which needs to be addressed by this house— are restricted, this is far from a democracy.”

As for those appointed member posts in the House of Assembly, it’s something that the PDM is going after in the new constitution as well.

“We should do away with all appointed members to the House of Assembly, ” Astwood said firmly.

Astwood maintained that he had the full support of Garland, himself an appointed member, and said it’s time for all islands to have their elected representatives back which would either expand or maintain how many political members sit in parliament.

“That will make four seats available in four districts and we are recommending that we give Salt Cay and Middle Caicos back their electoral districts.”

Astwood stressed that even with their small size, they had cultural differences from their neighbouring islands and deserved better representation.  He also indicated that he would support splitting some large constituencies if the public indicated that was what they wanted.

If Astwood and the PDM get their way, the Royal TCI Police would have to answer to a government body, a 180 turn from the current legislation that the opposition says will lead to more accountability.  It will also mean that every member of the House would be elected, cancelling the posts of: Government Appointed Member, which is one seat; Opposition Appointed Member, which is one seat and Governor’s Appointed Members, which has an allocation of two seats in the legislature.

Stuff Writer, 

#TurksandCaicos, July 17, 2023 – The Opposition PDM Party has filed a judicial review against the Tourist Board Dissolution Bill and the establishment of the Destination Marketing and Management Organization (DMMO) citing a lack of consultation. It’s a dramatic turn of events, announced during a July 13 press conference, as part of a well documented difference of opinion on the future of Tourism; the PDM vehemently oppose the introduction and passage of the Bill.

“We have now taken the decision that in the interest of justice – we have instructed council today (July 13) to proceed with serving notice to file judicial review regarding the dissolution of the tourist board, and also in relation to the process in which the government has proceeded with the implementation of the DMMO.”

Alvin Garland, Appointed Member of the Opposition, who is also an attorney made the revelation in response to Magnetic Media questions. The decision was prompted by the passing of the dissolution bill in a single sitting of parliament which would not have allowed room for consultation, the PDM party says.

“We have not been given ample opportunity to peruse the legislation or have any kind of consultation with our party, supporters, and in particular constituents of the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Garland said as he accused the government administration of rushing the controversial Bill.

He also maintains that it was contrary to the standing orders of the House, which he pointed out to the Speaker, but the bill was still allowed to move through the House, in protest the Opposition did not participate in debating the bill and have now moved to take even more serious action.

According to English law as defined by Wikipedia, ‘a Judicial review is a part of UK constitutional law that enables people to challenge the exercise of power, usually by a public body.  A person who contends that an exercise of power is unlawful may apply to the Administrative Court (a part of the King’s Bench Division of the High Court) for a decision. If the court finds the decision unlawful it may have it set aside (quashed) and possibly (but rarely) award damages. A court may impose an injunction upon the public body.’

The PDM is  confident that the party has firm grounds.

“Our constitution clearly states that the government for persons acting on behalf of the government must be lawful, rational, proportionate, and fair. The Judicial review is based on whether or not the decisions of a public office were reasonably fair, rational or proportionate. The grounds that we are going to be filing on in regards to the tourist board is that we believe there was no proper it- or any consultation conducted.”

The House of Assembly decision to allow the Bill to go through all three readings at once, will also be under scrutiny as grounds for judicial review.

“We continue to believe that it was not a fair process, not just to the opposition as the minority in the House but to the Turks and Caicos Islanders, who have their concerns,” Garland maintained.

Edwin Astwood, Leader of the Opposition has on multiple occasions, denounced the dissolution of the tourist Board as a poor decision and promised to advocate for residents regarding the issue.

The PDM did not say whether they were seeking an order to block the Dissolution of the Board but based on their well documented opposition to the process that could be possible.

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, March 9, 2023 – Each and every Government ministry should establish a new executive position, allowing for an officer to oversee that there is timely policy creation to ensure Government proposals designed to benefit the public actually come to fruition within the timeframe allotted; speaking to the vexing issue was Alvin Garland, Opposition Appointed Member to the House of Assembly.

Garland, who is the chairman of the Administration Committee which is responsible for the oversight of implementation in Government, was speaking in the House of Assembly on March 3.  House of Assembly Members were debating the 3rd Supplementary Appropriations Bill which reallocated $18 million from projects that should have been completed this year.

Garland specifically mentioned the Housing policy, where some $3 million has been allocated to its initiatives in the supplementary.  Garland said the concepts for affordable turnkey homes for residents had been on the table for some time, hampered by the lack of a Policy.

“This is a good and positive initiative by the government but I say the government has been slow, they could have been more forceful and progressive.”

He continued: “One of the issues with this government and previous governments is the failure to get policies in place and that is the issue that this administration is facing today- the lack of policies within the various ministries and departments,” Garland maintained.

In his State of The State address just days before Garland’s remarks, Washington Misick, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands had promised that a new delivery unit would be overseeing projects to ensure the efficient delivery of priority projects.

“Every project, every piece of legislation and every dollar spent must be guided by sound policy,

delivered on time, within budget and of maximum benefit to our people. This unit will help drive that process,” he had said.

Garland in his position as the chair of the Administration Committee,  revealed that he had seen the policy issue firsthand and despite how good initiatives sounded, without policies the Government’s plans would remain stagnant with people missing out on the benefits.

The Opposition member pointed out that all Departments that had appeared before the Administration Committee explained that their policies were still in the draft form.

In addition to slowing down benefits for the people, Garland said there was ambiguity in the civil service which was resulting in confusion, describing it as an issue that needed to be fixed immediately.

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, February 9, 2023 – More fall-out today for the PNP Government as it progresses toward an end to the TCI Tourist Board to establish a brand new set of entities, this time the Opposition PDM is speaking up in a press conference about change which has sparked controversy and harsh rebuke.

Minimal consultation with the public and none existent consultation with the Opposition on the new Destination Marketing and Management Organization is being viewed by the People’s Democratic Movement as suspicious and a huge mistake by the PNP Government Administration.

“Did you receive the blessing of the people who elected you to go down this road?  We are here elected by the people spending their money so surely there must be some consultation with the entire Turks and Caicos. Don’t force this DMMO on the people,”  Opposition leader Edwin Astwood said in a press conference on Thursday.

The conference was carried live on Facebook and joining the party’s Leader were Alvin Garland, PDM Appointed Member to the House of Assembly; Robert Been, Deputy Leader of the People’s Democratic Movement and the party’s National Chairman, Ezra Taylor.

The government has maintained that several rounds of consultations with stakeholder groups on decisions regarding the DMMO, were held. Still, the Opposition Leader, calling the decision about the dismantling of the TCI Tourist Board unpatriotic, questioned the extensiveness of those consultations.

“Did they come to the people or was it just a few of their friends who will benefit?”  He asked.  He confirmed that the Opposition, while presented with the plans recently, had not been consulted in any significant way, or had any significant input on the project which will define  the Turks and Caicos’ tourism future in the decades to come, if it is implemented.

“All House of Assembly members have had presentations on the DMO but you have to go to the people not just the HOA— there have been presentations, not consultations–– the appointed member and I voiced our concerns, and we are still raising our concerns.” He said

The PDM says not only has the Government not consulted the country significantly they expressed confusion about why the DMMO was being pushed through so swiftly.

“How much money has been paid, have the consultants been fully paid?” Asked Opposition Leader Edwin Astwood. “There are a number of red flags, the Government isn’t being forthwith and coming and explaining everything to the people” He continued.

Appointed member, Alvin Garland, reminded the government that it was not too late to change course as tourism is at optimal performance.

“Tourism is at an all-time high in this country, and there is not an argument that I believe can be made about why it is necessary, at this time, to dismantle the Tourist Board.”

Instead of making the Board redundant, which resulted in its 17 employees receiving severance letters last Friday, both Astwood and Garland advocated for enhancements at the TCI Tourist Board, in favour of keeping the organisation in tact.

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, November 4, 2022 – For the first time in TCI history a ‘gang’ is now defined by law thanks to the new Anti-Gang legislation.

In an effort to curb the violence that has racked up dozens of deaths in the Turks and Caicos in the last eight weeks Parliament has introduced the law which has serious implications not just for gang members but their families and loved ones as well.

Since the passage of the legislation on October 21st, legally a gang in the TCI is now described as “a combination of two or more persons whether formally or informally organized who engage in gang related activity.”

That “gang related activity” includes 24 offenses which the bill range from murder to manslaughter; theft of a motor vehicle; taking conveyance without authority; arson; handling or receiving stolen goods; possession of a bulletproof vest, gun or ammunition; rape; trafficking in dangerous drugs; blackmail and a host of others.

This decision is significant in that two individuals committing a crime together can now be charged as participating in gang related activity and those who facilitate them can be charged as ‘harbourers’ under the new legislation and face up to ten years in prison.

It differs from similar laws in countries like the Cayman Islands and Jamaica where the minimum required for a group of people to be considered a gang is three individuals.

Opposition Appointed Member Alvin Garland while admitting the bill was necessary said he had some concerns with that definition

“I think this is of particular concern to parents that have kids who could be unruly or well-disciplined kids that might be out there engaging in the type of things that their parents wouldn’t know of or couldn’t know of.”

While the bill provides a defense for individuals who can prove they had no knowledge of the gang related connections and for the parents of minors for those with children, family members, lovers, roommates and anyone else with knowledge of a gang member over 18?  Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, KC, explains what could get you sent to jail.

“Harbor means supplying a person with shelter, food, drink, money or clothes, arms, ammunition or means of conveyance or assisting a person in any way to evade apprehension.”

Security leaders have consistently asked family members and friends not to protect gang members in The Turks and Caicos. Now, that warning is bolstered by tough legislation which includes significant jail time.

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, November 2, 2022 – A rule of thumb for democratic nations worldwide is when extreme failings occur, whether violence, tragedies or humanitarian issues, Commissions of Inquiry are held to scrutinize the chain of events and whether proper procedure was followed to the letter, and if not, that those who failed are held responsible.

Residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands are now demanding there be a public probe into the handling of the most recent, heartless killing.  On Halloween night, a family of four was fired upon in the Dock Yard area of Providenciales; the lone survivor was the seven-year old daughter of the couple riddled with bullets.  Her three-year old brother and an unborn sibling did not make it.

The extreme cruelty of the triple homicide incensed the public, but  it was the nearly 12-hour time lapse between when shots were heard around 8:30pm October 31 and when police arrived at the scene, the following morning after being called there by residents, which has left people dumbfounded.

A cursory glance at the global scene and a recurring action plays out when it comes time for accountability amidst anarchy.

The US is currently going through inquiries into the January 6th riots and that is aimed at drawing even the former president to answer to his actions or inactions when the deadly mob swarmed the federal build.  Swing further north and in an ongoing inquiry, questions were put to a Canadian Police Chief who resigned over a ‘declining level of trust’ in the Trucker convoy protests which shut down Ottawa.

Jump to another continent, in South Korea an investigation is opened into the Halloween crush where more than 150 people died and as the Turks and Caicos reels in a wave of deadly gang-related violence, a demand and revelation about three weeks ago from Alvin Garland, the PDM’s appointed member in the House of Assembly becomes especially poignant.

“This house has to approve the funding for the police department every year but this house cannot enquire— into anything in the police department. The legislature which is responsible for scrutinizing the affairs of government is restricted from appointing a committee for the purpose of inquiring into the current state of affairs which is in the public interest. The legislature should not be prohibited or restricted from being able to appoint a select committee given this present time and what is taking place in our country.” he said referencing reserve powers given to the Governor which bar the House of Assembly from calling a detailed enquiry to the Police Forces operations.

Back then Garland had criticized the constitutional setup as undemocratic.

“Because he has this reserve power— the elected members in this house that are elected by the people to represent the interests of the people in a time like this, when you have a very crucial situation which needs to be addressed by this house— are restricted, this is far from a democracy.”

All this was before the public was alerted to the fact that our officers are on the street without an insurance policy. This was before accusations of poor police response time in the incident that left three dead and a young girl alone and afraid in a car with her deceased family just inches away.

By Wednesday, the police reports were updated but still lacking key details including confirmation of the woman’s pregnancy and the condition of the child survivor who witnessed the entire onslaught and sat stewing at the scene for hours.

The age of the baby boy, the Police confirmed as three years old and the girl child, as seven. The only survivor of the massacre, she was apparently bleeding heavily when she was found.

Some resident’s reject the idea that it was a triple murder instead counting what may have been the woman’s unborn child as in photos of the incident she appeared heavily pregnant. Many say that means four lives, not three.

Repeated reports reaching Magnetic Media are that shots were fired early on the final night of October.  Still, residents got up Tuesday morning and stumbled on the horrific scene before any officers arrived.  These passersby likely contaminated the crime scene and reduced hopes of catching the murderer or murderers behind the brutal crime.

The situation, left for far too long is again fueling the unspoken understanding, that members of the Royal TCI Police never head into live fire.

UPDATED

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, October 6, 2022 – There should be immediate changes to the constitution to allow the House of Assembly to be able to investigate what is going on behind closed doors in the Police force according to the PDM.

Opposition appointed member, Alvin Garland made the call in response to the Throne Speech authored by the PNP Administration and read in Parliament by the Governor in the House of Assembly on Monday (October 3, 2022).

Garland maintained that an investigation by a select committee into police operations was necessary but was blocked by the current constitution.

“The legislature, which is responsible for scrutinizing the affairs of government is restricted from appointing a committee for the purpose of inquiring into the current state of affairs which is in the public interest. The legislature should not be prohibited or restricted from being able to appoint a select committee given this present time and what is taking place in our country.”

He described the Governor’s statement that he would not accept Police Commissioner Trevor Botting’s resignation as insult to the Members of the House, criticizing the law that gave him the power to do so.

“This is an affront to us and a slap in the face that this one man could come in here and make a statement to us without any checks,  any balances, notwithstanding that the vast majority of the public has no confidence in the leadership of the force,” he claimed.

Garland criticized the constitutional setup as undemocratic.

“Because he has this reserve power— the elected members in this house that are elected by the people to represent the interests of the people in a time like this, when you have a very crucial situation which needs to be addressed by this house— are restricted, this is far from a democracy.”

Hon. Garland, who is a practicing attorney in the TCI, said changes should be made to give the legislature the power to inquire into all the governor’s responsibilities as the government is the one who funds them including the police maintaining that the government was not just a ‘rubber stamp’.

“This house has to approve the funding for the police department every year but this house cannot enquire— into anything in the police department. This house cannot continue to function as a rubber stamp for the executive. This house must be empowered to function in its own sphere independent from the executive.”

He maintained that whatever report the legislature received from the select committee was not binding on the executive anyway, they were merely recommendations, therefore he could not understand why the government was expressly barred from making any reasonable enquiries in the interest of good governance and the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, August 5, 2022 – Alvin Garland,  TCI Opposition Appointed Member of Parliament for the People’s Democratic Movement, PDM says there are better ways to go about providing relief than the current government stimulus program.

Garland offered that there was no continuing plan to bring relief and explained that lowering the cost of energy which he described as an inflation driver was a better way to approach the issue than a stimulus.

“The first option would have been for the government to waive the fees on fuel for FortisTCI for a period of three months initially,” he said.

He believes this would have caused a direct reduction in the cost of energy resulting in a reduction in the cost of living.  Additionally Garland explained the government should put laws in place to ensure that islanders have access to the main economic drivers of the country including construction.

“This has not been done and as a result our brothers are not benefiting from this boom that the Turks and Caicos Islands has been experiencing.”

The PDM member added, during the session on Tuesday July 26, that the money could have been injected into the MSME fund to provide more money for local businesses increasing their purchasing power.

He maintained these alternatives would have made a much greater impact in the lives of Turks and Caicos Islanders.

“While I support the government spending public funds to help TCI Islanders in time of hardship I believe the $16 million could have been better utilized.”

In this vein, Garland maintained that the government should have created stricter qualifying guidelines to make sure that the individuals getting the money were the ones who need it most.

He said the Stimulus was one thing but it had not begun to address the other major issues in employment and other sectors and while he supported the bill,

“It was nowhere close to the beginning of what needs to be done to truly empower Turks and Caicos islanders.”

The newest stimulus plan by the Progressive National Party administration was passed in parliament on July 28.