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No confidence in Turks and Caicos premier, say MPs
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| Published on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 |
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(Caribbean Net News) Nine of the thirteen elected Progressive National Party (PNP) Members of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Parliament, including Deputy Premier Floyd Hall, and Minister for Health, Lillian Boyce, have reportedly written to Governor Gordon Wetherell stating that they no longer have confidence in the leadership of Premier Michael Misick.
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| Turks and Caicos Premier, Michael Misick |
According to an article posted on the TCI Sun newspaper website on Tuesday, the rebel MPs want Floyd Hall to assume the post of Premier and Lillian Boyce that of Deputy Premier. The Sun is well known as an engine of support for the PNP and its editor, Hayden Boyce, is the husband of Minister Lillian Boyce.
The Sun reported that the other signatories to the letter are backbenchers Karen Delancy (Deputy Speaker); Wayne Garland (Junior Minister of Tourism; Amanda Misick; Norman Saunders (former Chief Minister); Samuel Been; Royal Robinson and Greg Lightbourne.
Those MPs who did not sign the letter, according to the Sun, were Minister of Natural Resources, McAllister Hanchell; Minister of Immigration, Galmo Williams and Minister of Public Works, Jeffrey Hall.
The position of Education Minister Carlton Mills is not known at this time.
The call for Misick’s removal comes a day after the government’s escape from debate on a motion of no confidence submitted 22 days ago by the opposition Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and scheduled to be read on Monday in the House of Assembly. As a result of political maneuvering and a premature adjournment, the motion and all House business was set aside on Monday.
The PDM MPs – Leader Floyd Seymour, appointed member Doug Parnell and elected Member Arthur Robinson – may nevertheless have succeeded in prompting the nine rebel PNP MPs to take action against Premier Misick.
Although the PDM-sponsored no confidence motion was postponed this week, PNP members still have to deal with the possibility of it going forward in the next House session. At that time, not only would the motion be read, but it would give the opposition the venue to question before the public in House sessions each and every alleged error and misstep by the PNP government during the last five years and, in particular, the alleged mismanagement, excessive spending and heavy ongoing debt load that is being placed on TCI residents via numerous new taxes.
If the majority members of the PNP succeed in removing Misick, local observers speculate that he may be in a more vulnerable position in relation to the ongoing Commission of Enquiry into government corruption and dishonesty, as he would no longer be part of the current administration and any action taken against him by the Commission would have no great consequences so far as the ongoing governance of the TCI was concerned.
However, independent sources in Providenciales indicate that Misick is attempting to counter the efforts to remove him by removing those who are leading the move to oust him.
According to a release from the Government Information Services, Misick will be holding a press conference at his Regent Village Office in Grace Bay, Providenciales, on Tuesday at 7 pm.
Attempts by Caribbean Net News to reach Governor Wetherell for comment were unsuccessful. | | | | Reads : 1549 |
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