News
TCI House of Assembly Divided over Airport PPP
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, July 31, 2023 – An explosive back-and-forth in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, July 19th, has exposed a clear line of separation regarding the potential Public-Private Partnership to redevelop the Providenciales/Howard Hamilton International Airport.
Several senators on both sides of the House expressed concern over the Motion, while others defended it wholeheartedly.
Members of Parliament, including Akierra Missick, Member of Parliament for Leeward and Long Bay, Matthew Stubbs, Member of Parliament for The Bight, and Edwin Astwood, Opposition Leader, expressed serious concerns about the clarity of the motion and surrounding communication from the government.
The Opposition Leader continued to vocalise concerns about a partnership that could turn sour. 
“Our people have been burned too many times by these big contracts,” he said.
The Leeward and Long Bay MP emphasised the confusion stemming from how the $400 million project was being presented to the people, expressing that the government was allowing it to fester because of their approach to communication about the massive deal.
“The issue is we did not communicate effectively, where we were seeking to get to today. A press release here and there, an argument with Magnetic Media, a print release, [that] isn’t sufficient. We allowed this mischief to fester on the streets, and then we [the members of the House] are just obligated to agree on what is being put in front of us when no one said, ‘Let’s have a meeting.’ We meet on smaller bills all the time, so I was shocked that for something this detailed, members of the House, didn’t really get a chance to vent, articulate, or ruminate on where we need to go.”
Missick, taking offence to the insinuation that some members of the House did not truly understand the processes necessary in the procurement, revealed that not only had it not been discussed in a meeting with PNP backbenchers, but said she was confused and she knew others were as well because the documents seemed to suggest a PPP was the only way to go.
Akierra Misick during her statement said, “It says Section 26 of the PPO has decided to utilise a public-private partnership procurement method. Utilisation seems to be the result of a decision, not a consultation or a request for a genuine clear approach to support an option. I don’t believe that there had been any malice, but I would like to, when I say yay or nay at the end of this debate, make sure that I have made the best decision possible with the information that has been given to me.”
She questioned why an international airport operator was potentially being hired when the local companies had proved competent, maintaining that she was struggling to see the benefit to the islanders.
“[People] don’t want jobs working for international operators, so let’s stop throwing this idea of employment around without understanding what that actually means [my people] ain’t sweeping no bathrooms– my people shall own and operate their own businesses from this airport, and they should be able to do so without worrying about being priced out.”
Citing the massive surplus enjoyed by the TCI Government each year, she rejected the reason for entering into the PPP to avoid debt.
Following her contributions, the MP to the Bight also stood up.
“I would like to get a little bit more time— to get a better explanation on how Turks and Caicos Islanders will be benefitting from the redevelopment of the airport.’ Stubbs said and then queried what programs would be implemented to train islanders to take up positions in the airport.
“I need more clarification– this feels like an exploration— I am a PNP member, this is my government, but I have people to represent– to represent my people, I need more details,” he maintained.
The supporters of the bill, including Washington Misick, TCI Premier, Jamell Robinson, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development and Arlington Musgrove Minister of Immigration and Border Services, held fast to several points, including that residents would be able to invest and it was faster and more economical to do the PPP.
“The greater the amount of risk transferred from the government to a private investor, the greater the value for money for the project,” Musgrove said. “If the project is not executed through a PPP and executed through traditional contracting, the project would be the lead for an additional two or more years.”
The minister explained that public financing would be less straightforward and would likely lead to taking on more debt. He also said that public operators were less efficient than private operators, often only getting to 95% of what private operators achieved.
“Over the years, TCIG and the TCIAA simply have not maximized the income potential of the Providenciales International Airport,” he said.
Both Misick and Musgrove also seemed keen on emphasising that there was no sale of the airport, lashing out at social media chatter that they said was baseless.
Robinson, for his part, announced that residents would soon be able to buy shares in the airport, which was welcomed by both sides of the House. He explained how the potential investment could work.
“If each Turks and Caicos Islander finds $1,000 to invest in this project, we could easily find $15 million and [say]
this government finds $15 million to match that— and what if the NIB, through their Domestic Investment Fund, that’s the people’s money- invests 20 million dollars—right away were looking at 10 percent of whatever investment tied up in the duration of the contract– right then we would have some real ownership stake in our airport, ” he explained.
The contributions from Akierra Missick prompted a tirade from the Premier who lashed out at the MP for what he described as an ‘astonishing speech.’ He seemed to have taken issue with her comment that other Members of the House were ‘throwing shade.’
“I am not at all surprised about some of what has been said here today. This doesn’t apply to everybody, but clearly, on behalf of one person, the argument became too personal.”
He went on to slam the motives he perceived from the speeches, appearing to single out the representative of Leeward and Long Bay in particular.
“It was an astonishing speech from one particular person so far, I interpret that as a mixture of cherry-picking facts without any figures that I find to be self-serving and selective, and to be honest with you, distortion, misrepresentation, and misquotations that’s what I saw. This particular piece of infrastructure is just too important for us to allow ourselves to be distracted by people who are smarting over sour grapes, and that’s all. It is an intent to create confusion to the public.” He said of Missick, who until January of this year, had been a member of his Cabinet and was dismissed without explanation.
The Premier still did not address the concerns regarding how the motion was communicated to the public or other legitimate concerns raised by both the MPs who spoke.
Amid the verbal melee, the bill was pushed through and has since passed. But it passed without the input of the Opposition and several members who had to leave because of time constraints, including Akierra Missick.
News
Bankers’ Association President Samuels Finds Residents Hungry for Housing Financing at policy launch
Dana Malcolm
Staff writer
#TurksandCaicos, August 11, 2023 – Despite the Government’s attempt to create more affordable housing for residents with the creation of the new Housing Policy, many say they left the launch feeling less hopeful than they went in.
After the event, one resident expressed it was time to speed up a government-operated mortgage scheme, and those inside the launch event had a similar lack of faith in their ability to secure bank-backed mortgages.
Marcus Samuels, Head of the Banking Association, was hit with questions about how the Association would seek to help residents secure mortgages to purchase these new government homes, considering how difficult residents on both sides of the employment spectrum (private and public) found it to get approval for loans.
The pre-prepared question was met with applause from the ample audience who had gathered to hear about the programs.
“Homeownership isn’t rocket science, ” Samuels said, stressing that once residents came prepared with knowledge about their own paychecks and the size of the loan they could be offered they had a good chance of success.
Necessary information included:
- Level of income
- Level of previous debt
He also said the cost of housing could be lowered for buyers if the Government decided to decrease or forgo their taxes.
“There are some fees that we genuinely cannot move, like the Government stamp duties, which is usually one percent on the transaction. Thankfully, the Premier is here— the ball is in his court.”
Zhavargo Jolly, Event Moderator, fielded concerns shared by residents, including that the proposed cost of homes in the example (just over $ 200,000) was lower than the usual market value in the country.
There was also a concern that the mortgages seemed geared toward double-income homes, which was not the case for all residents, alienating single mothers, fathers, and other single-income earners.
While Samuels came prepared with calculations for a hypothetical $230,000 home that he said proved residents could be able to own a home with a down payment as low as $12,500 the audience was unconvinced. When he questioned them about whether residents believed they could afford a home after laying down the calculations the answer was still a resounding ‘no’.
Following the event, Bishop Coleta Williams, Chaplain to the House of Assembly, also spoke on the programs expressing concern that residents would be paying back the loans for years to come.
Residents, in the comments of the live video which was carried on Facebook, expressed being disappointed that more representatives from the Banking Association weren’t present at the meeting when arguably one of the biggest roadblocks to housing is financing.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, August 11, 2023 – Many Turks and Caicos Islanders are spending unsustainable amounts of money on housing, according to data gathered by the Housing Department via the National Housing Needs Survey, emphasizing the need for affordable homes.
Dominique Durham, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development
“Respondents of that Survey provided that the majority of households spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing expenses. Now, as a rule of thumb, especially in America, if you spend more than 30 percent of your income on housing, it is deemed not affordable,” Dominique Durham, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, revealed.
He shared other significant data collected that showed the dire state of the housing market locally, including that nearly a quarter of residents live in damaged homes.
“It also revealed that 21 percent [of respondents] are living in homes in need of repair and 69 percent are looking to purchase a new home within the next five years,” Durham said.
Despite the intent to buy a home, the survey also revealed that many Turks and Caicos residents thought the housing market needed more affordable options for them to be able to bring that dream to fruition.
The majority of residents (32 percent) voted for the Government to create more options for affordable housing when asked what would best improve their housing needs.
Other popular suggestions included:
- Creating Government housing loan programs (25 percent)
- Housing subsidies (15 percent)
- Home improvement/refurbishment programs (11 percent)
All of those suggestions voted on by residents have made their way into the Housing Policy as either short-term or long-term programs.
Jamell Robinson, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development
“Long-term projects include inclusionary zoning, large-scale housing through public-private partnerships, and eventually, we will be establishing a National Housing Authority and Trust whereby we hope to lend at affordable interest rates. We also are looking to roll out help-to-buy schemes in the near future as we appreciate that an issue is also access to financing,” he said.
The Government is aiming to use these suggestions, voted on by residents, to fix the gaping hole in the market, but even with these new programs, there’s one thing residents say they need to purchase homes– better pay.
Jamell Robinson, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, was hit with the question of whether the Government would start to pay residents more so they could have more cash to afford housing.
The minister said step one was increasing public cash flow (with a pay and grade review for the public service now being conducted), and step two was upskilling all individuals to make them more marketable in the private sector.
“Our Job– is to ensure that our citizens as Turks and Caicos islanders can add value to themselves so they can participate more in the open market, and one of those ways is by making the community college free so you can access higher education– in a free open market which we have here, it’s hard to dictate to the private sector what they can pay a specific individual so we want to grow our individuals to make sure that they can level up,” he explained.
The Housing Policy launched on July 27th in Providenciales.
Caribbean News
Trinidad & Tobago Emancipation Day Marked with Major Events Attended by Prime Minister and other Dignitaries
#TrinidadandTobago, August 11, 2023 – Prime Minister Dr the Hon Keith Rowley and Mrs Sharon Rowley attended the Distinguished Open Lecture by His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, The Asantehene at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus last evening (Thursday 3rd August, 2023).
The Asantehene is the Guest of Honour in commemoration of this country’s 2023 Emancipation celebrations.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for Tunapuna, the Hon. Esmond Forde, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Senator the Hon. Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the Hon. Camille Robinson-Regis, Minister of Education, Dr. the Hon. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister in the Ministry of Education, the Hon. Lisa Morris-Julian, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Dean of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, Professor Mark Wuddivira and Lecturer Department of History, Dr. Debbie Mc Collin were also in attendance at yesterday’s lecture.
Prime Minister Dr the Hon Keith Rowley and Mrs Sharon Rowley also visited the Desperadoes Pan Theatre at George Street, Port of Spain last evening (Wednesday 2nd August, 2023).
Dr Rowley welcomed His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, The Asantehene and his delegation to the pan theatre where His Majesty was treated to various aspects of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival which culminated in a performance by the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra and a demonstration on the playing of the national instrument for the Asantehene.
“They now see Africa, not through European eyes, as a dark continent, but as the cradle of human civilisation, citing the discoveries of its great empires. They talk of it glowingly, as the world’s fastest developing economic region in the 21st century, having just overtaken Asia, and of its six of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world and of its minerals, critical and indispensable to the technologies of the 21st century green economies.
Today, recognising the pain of the Middle Passage, and the centuries of colonial brutality, I salute the African community, a people, who through grit and determination, is on the march, striving for further discovery and self-realisation, searching, and transforming themselves for the challenges of the 21st century.
Let us all reflect and educate ourselves as we celebrate African Emancipation Day 2023.”
Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley
Prime Minister of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
on the occasion of Emancipation Day 2023
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