Turks & Caicos opposition leader calls for premier's resignation
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| Published on Monday, July 16, 2007 |
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GRAND TURK, Turks & Caicos Islands: Floyd Seymour, the leader of the People's Democratic Movement (PDM) opposition party in the Turks & Caicos Islands, has called for the premier Michael Misick to resign, following an alleged assault by Misick on another opposition Member of Parliament, Arthur Robinson.
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| Arthur Robinson, Opposition member of the Turks & Caicos Islands parliament |
Caribbean Net News reported on Saturday that a confrontation on Thursday evening between Misick and Robinson, reportedly led to Robinson being punched in the chest several times by Misick.
The incident apparently stems from an attempt by Robinson, along with Shaun Malcolm, national chairman of the People's Democratic Movement (PDM) opposition party, to videotape Misick’s return to the country by private jet on Thursday evening at around 6:15 pm.
According to Robinson, the PDM opposition planned a press conference on Thursday night at which they accused Misick of being an "absentee premier", given that he reportedly spends the bulk of his time in California, and elsewhere out of the country.
The opposition suspects that Misick got wind of this in California and hurriedly flew back to the country on Thursday evening so that he could assert that he had been in the country all the time and thus accuse the opposition of lying.
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| Floyd Seymour, Leader of the Opposition in the Turks & Caicos Islands |
However, Robinson and Malcolm videotaped Misick's arrival at the airport in order to provide evidence to the contrary but, after doing so, and when they were leaving the vicinity of the airport, they were accosted by Misick and his armed bodyguards, who reportedly confiscated the video camera belonging to Malcolm being used for this purpose.
Robinson claims that Misick himself reportedly punched him (Robinson) five or six times in the chest.
In separate interviews with Caribbean Net News, both Robinson and Malcolm confirmed the reports and added that, subsequent to the alleged assault on Robinson by Misick, the premier’s office attempted to persuade the local police not to accept complaints in the matter from the opposition politicians.
This has led to further claims of obstruction of justice by the opposition politicians, as the police force in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory, is under the control of the governor, not the elected government.
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| Turks & Caicos Islands Premier, Michael Misick |
On Friday evening, Misick, in an address to the country, claimed that it was Robinson who attacked him. Misick indicated in his statement that he saw someone adjacent to the airport pointing an object at him, and he was unable to determine whether it was a camera or a firearm. He went on to say that he feared for his life, yet apparently nevertheless drove directly towards the perceived threat, presumably thereby placing himself squarely in harm’s way
The opposition party has also expressed concern that, two days after the incident, the national radio station had yet to carry reports of the incident as a news story. They say this is particularly important as it is the only form of news available to many residents of the country that do not have cable.
Indeed, according to a Google news search as of Sunday evening, Caribbean Net News was the only online news source -- locally, regionally or internationally -- carrying any report of the incident in question. It is understood, however, that the Turks and Caicos Sun carried a report of the alleged incident on Friday. | | | | Reads : 312 | | | |
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