Commentary: TCI hurricane relief: fewer criticisms, more helping hands... please
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| Published on Friday, September 19, 2008 |
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By Anthony L Hall
In the wake of the destruction Hurricane Ike wrought in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), reverberating criticisms of the government virtually drowned out desperate cries for food and water. The cries have now subsided but the criticisms persist.
No doubt you’ve read comments by some very informed critics that have been published here in recent days. I, however, was loath to contribute to this deluge of post-Ike criticisms - until the editor of this news site asked me on Tuesday to comment on the Open Letter fellow TCIslander Ben Roberts addressed to British officials.
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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 weblog, The iPINIONS
Journal, at http://ipjn.com
offering commentaries on
current events from a
Caribbean perspective
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In his letter, Mr Roberts brilliantly crystallized the complaints against our beleaguered government but warned that:
“If your British Government does not act soon Turks & Caicos will sink into a black hole of never before seen frustration, despair, and lawlessness.”
With utmost respect, I disagree. After all, this warning not only exaggerates the state of affairs in the TCI but also betrays the resilient and law-abiding nature of our people.
It is undeniable, however, that a growing number of TCIslanders harbour the frustrations and concerns Roberts expresses in his Open Letter. And it behooves the British government to take heed.
But he and others should be mindful that the British have initiated a legal and political process - namely the Commission of Inquiry - that will ultimately assuage these frustrations and redress these concerns.
Not to mention that the Americans seem poised to indict key government officials any day now on a battery of international fraud charges. And this, of course, would compel the British to assert the direct rule that I and my colleagues at the TCI Journal maintain is necessary to clean-up the political mess Hurricane Mike has left in his wake.
That said, I fully appreciate that the behind-the-scenes work of the Commission has created a vacuum into which Hurricane Ike has dumped a watershed of cynicism and concern amongst TCIslanders about Britain's regard for our country.
For example, after the government declared Grand Turk and South Caicos disaster zones, people were utterly stupefied when our new British Governor did not assert direct control over fundraising and national relief efforts to ensure the honest management and equitable distribution of all donated funds and emergency supplies; to say nothing of ensuring the enforcement of law and order.
After all, given the allegations of government corruption now under investigation, allowing Premier Misick to manage this national crisis is rather like allowing a fox to guard the chicken coop.
Therefore, even as I sympathize with the Commission's modus operandi (of quietly gathering the forensic evidence necessary to prosecute these allegations), I urge the British to “act soon”, not to prevent us from sinking into a black hole, but to prevent TCIslanders from losing all confidence in, and respect for, British authority in this UK Overseas Territory.
Accordingly, I encourage the Commission to appoint a spokesperson, preferably a Belonger who commands the respect and attention of most TCIslanders, to keep the people duly informed about, and properly vested in, its activities. In addition, I implore Governor to seize control over the chaotic and politicized mess our hurricane fundraising and relief efforts have become.
Beyond this, I encourage my fellow TCIslanders to be patient and rest assured that British (and American) authorities have almost as much interest as we do in holding our leaders to account for their alleged misdeeds. And the day of reckoning in this respect may come sooner than they expect.
In the meantime, instead of sitting at their computers and spewing out the now-commonplace criticisms of Premier Misick, I respectfully submit that these restive critics would do more for our country by contacting Clive Stanbrook (at IGA Supermarket in Provo) or Lillian Misick (at Misick's Bakery in Grand Turk) to lend a helping hand with the relief effort. | | | | Reads : 1139 | | | |
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