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Anthony L. Hall is a descendant
of the Turks & Caicos Islands,
international lawyer and political
consultant - headquartered in
Washington DC - who publishes
his own Internet Weblog at
www.theipinionsjournal.com
offering commentaries on current
events from a Caribbean
perspective
COMMENTARY
Is all the talk about TCI independence just that: all talk?
Friday, April 14, 2006
by Anthony L. Hall
Last week, members of the United Nations Special Committee on decolonization held public meetings in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) to explain the various options available for TCIslanders to gain greater self-determination, if not independence. According to TCI Chief Minister, Dr. Michael Misick, he invited the UN delegation “to participate in the public education process to inform citizens of their rights of the options they have towards self-determination.”
However, CM Misick’s invitation for this delegation - headed by St. Lucia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Julian Hunte - to educate TCIslanders about independence was probably as ill-advised as Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie’s invitation for a delegation - headed by Bajan Prime Minister Owen Arthur - to educate Bahamians about the benefits of joining the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME). After all, Bahamians not only rejected the CSME but many resented PM Christie’s attempt to have outsiders influence them.
Although, CM Misick’s invitation was probably more ill-advised because it seems he has not even bothered to determine how many TCIslanders actually want independence. Indeed, as convinced as he seems to be that independence is the will of the people, Opposition Leader, the Hon. Derrick Taylor, seems equally convinced that this desire for independence is more a reflection of CM Misick’s “power-hungry” political ambitions than of a consensus amongst the people he governs. And, it does not foster constructive national debate on this critical issue for CM Misick to demean Mr Taylor’s Party and the TCIslanders it represents by claiming that:
“…a colonial mindset permeates the PDM with an attitude that would perpetually make the people of the Turks & Caicos subservient to the British government.”
Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that his claim conjures up the attitude that once made Bermudians who opposed independence the laughing stock of all British Overseas Territories. Because, while in power in 1988, Bermuda’s anti-independence Premier, Sir John Swan, impugned the integrity of all who had informed and credible opposition to independence by reportedly exclaiming:
“With the Americans to feed us and the British to defend us, who needs independence?”
Yet, despite PM Swan’s egregious political gaffe - which could easily have motivated Bermudians to vote for independence just as PM Christie’s motivated many Bahamians to vote against CSME – Bermudians have consistently rejected opportunities (via referenda and elections) to become an independent nation. And it’s instructive to appreciate that no native people amongst the British Overseas Territories are more educated about the rights and benefits of independence
But, notwithstanding CM Misick’s condescension towards TCIslanders who oppose independence, Mr Taylor maintains that his Party is concerned that the independence envisioned by CM Misick stems more from a yearning for personal “power and prestige” than from a proper assessment of “what is sustainable” for the TCI as a wholly independent nation. And, he points to Haiti and Dominica as cautionary examples in this respect.
Nonetheless, it is as misleading for CM Misick to suggest that Opposition leaders lack the courage to embrace independence as it is for Opposition leaders to suggest that CM Misick wants independence only to be “firmly ensconced in the country’s history as its first Prime Minister.” Furthermore, it is undeniable that the TCI is as prepared to sustain the challenges of independence as any former British colony was upon declaring independence from Great Britain. Indeed, I stressed as much when asked by the editor of the TCI Free Press about the readiness of our country for independence in an interview a year ago this week:
“I think national independence is as fundamental and inalienable a right as any other human right enshrined in our Constitution. Indeed, it is the founding right that gives real meaning to all of the other rights that are codified in a civilized society.
As for being ready, I believe it is untenable to even suggest that our people are not ready to be independent. In fact, I believe we are today every bit as ready as the disorganized, war-ravaged, slave-dependent white colonists of America were when they won their independence from Great Britain over 225 years ago.
Of course, it is incumbent upon our leaders to ensure that our political and economic institutions are functioning at a level to sustain the internal and external pressures that come with independence. And, without presuming too much, I think we are more prepared [in all of these respects] than many of our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean were when they gained their independence many years ago.”
Accordingly, it behooves CM Misick to give credence to his belief in independence by allowing TCIslanders to decide the matter in a referendum as soon as practicable or by making independence the central theme of his Party’s Manifesto in general elections next year. Moreover, as my views above clearly indicate, it is superfluous for CM Misick to call on a UN committee at this stage in our national development to prepare us for independence. And none other than the head of this committee, Ambassador Hunte himself, endorsed my views by acknowledging that:
“Many former territories were not as constitutionally or economically equipped as the TCI when they moved to the next level of their political development. the Turks and Caicos is uniquely prepared in both respects if you choose to move to the next level of political development [which, of course, is independence].”
Therefore, given our unprecedented and unqualified readiness, if CM Misick fails to move our country forward by bringing the question of independence to a national vote now, he will be exposed as a hollow politician who – as Mr Taylor suggests – is more interested in posing as an independent leader than in assuming the duties and responsibilities of governing an independent nation.
Your move CM Misick…
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