british takeover | TurksJournal

House of Assembly votes to repeal VAT, final decision rest with Governor Todd the Dictator
Published in TCI POST on 01st February
The House of Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to repeal the VAT law…………
The Governor put himself in a very awkward position regarding the VAT Bill. It was unprofessional, undiplomatic and dictatorial for him to publicly announced before the elections that an elected government cannot repeal VAT.
Now the governor has his his ego to protect and no doubt would use his considerable offensive colonial powers under the TCI British imposed constitution to veto the bill repealing VAT.
Nevertheless the government and the opposition did the right thing in voting for the repeal of VAT. The only voice in the House of Assembly that argued against repealing the bill was the governor’s appointed member Lillian Misick.
Should the Governor veto this bill whether with the advice of the Secretary of state or or his own accord, it is likely to trigger a series of events which could see civil disobedience on one hand or a spirited diplomatic effort to ensure that the bill is repealed.
The Minister of Finance stated that if the bill is not repealed that he would refused to enforce the law as it relates to VAT. I have no confidence in this approach although I wholeheartedly admire the tenacity of the Minister of Finance.
The trio of the Governor, the AG and the CFO will just do what they do best. They will intimidate and threaten civil servants to enforce VAT. The Governor made it clear in a recent press release that the TCI is jointly governed by him and the PNP. This is a clear admission by the governor that there are two governments performing at the same time in the TCI.
So folks the fight is far from over, in fact it has just began. John Glasgow

By Vivian Tyson

Galmo Williams, the last premier to rule the Turks and Caicos Islands before the British takeover, is urging Turks and Caicos Islanders not to lose sight of the visions of the vision that the Progressive National Party has for the country and so, they should stay the course with that party.
Speaking at a PNP rally at the party headquarters on Airport Road in Providenciales on Friday, March 30, the former premier said that it pained him to see how the country was currently being run and the role some locals play in its political and financial capitulation.
“It pains my heart how some of our own are trying to down-press the PNP, but the PNP will never give up. For God’s sake; for the country’s sake; for your children’s sake, never give up. It doesn’t matter where we are now, but it is about where we want to go. I believe with all my heart of hearts that our best days for this country are yet ahead.
“It doesn’t matter where we are now, but let’s look at where we want to be. When we look at our young people, when we look at all the money that we spent on education, and when we look at investment and other opportunities that we have given to our young people; when we look at tourism and the infrastructure that we have put in, we can say that the PNP is the way to the future,” insisted Williams.
He pointed out that the scores of young people that the Turks and Caicos had educated through scholarships at universities overseas, and the strides made in development and tourism, would enable the country to get back on track and power to greater success.
“So, let no one from nowhere, no colour, no creed, to tell you what we, as Turks and Caicos Islanders, cannot be. We can be whatever we want to be. We can go wherever we want to go. So, for God’s sake, for your sake, for your children’s sake never give up,” Williams urged.
The former premier told the gathering that he was happy to have been catapulted to the rank of party leader and premier, having joined the elite class of individuals such as Norman Saunders and Bob Francis, while stressing that his elevation was due to the people love and confidence in him.
“I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to share that office (Premier and PNP Leader) of the highest position of the party and our country of our great leaders like the Honourable Norman Saunders, Bob Francis and all of the leaders of the PNP. At the age of a little bit over half a century, I think it is a great opportunity, and the reason I was given that opportunity was because of the support of the people from Cheshire Hall, Long Bay and of course, all of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

published in SUN,Turks and Caicos Islands on 17th of April 2012