By Ben Roberts

Every day, every hour, every minute, and every second that ticks off the clock, the British are showing more and more that they lack the capability of dealing with the state of affairs in the Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is clear that in their alleged claims to have intervened in the Turks and Caicos to stamp out corruption and restore progress and development for this Territory, these colonial Overseers have become victims of their own ego and fallen afoul of what appears to be a long-held British colonial delusion that anywhere, anytime, and by any-means-necessary they can get the better of anyone.

Their stumbling around in the dark in the Turks and Caicos is rather shocking to watch. This is clearly evident in their dealings with the forever-dormant, obscure, and virtually unknown Civil Service Association. A body that, as long as the Turks and Caicos citizens can remember, has played no part in the life and good governance of the Turks and Caicos and its people. It is quite clear now that the British have fallen into a trap created by none other than the British. Hence, they are reaping only what they have sown.

Should the Civil Service Association be looked at with any seriousness by anybody, given their history? Or should one say lack of history? Many questions need to be answered here. If the CSA is a body that advances the interests of the civil service then why, during the disgusting period of runaway intimidation and victimization of civil servants by the last PNP government, do we have no incidence of them going to bat for these victims by calling a strike or making loud noises against that PNP government?

There is a civil servant that the British quietly side-lined but we have no indication of them having done anything improper during the corruption carnival of the PNP. It is quite puzzling as to why this happened, and it appears to be related more to British ulterior motives and advancing their sly agenda. Why has this CSA not come out against the treatment of this member of their body? How is it that this CSA instigates strike action but, by all accounts, there is no democratic vote by this body prior to such an action taking place? Can the CSA show minutes to this effect?

How can the CSA be thought of as credible and taken seriously when it attacks its own members when they have reservations about joining in, or getting fully on board, with strike action? See a letter at TCI News Now by a Samsune Taylor titled: “Now the ‘strike’ is getting personal,” dated November 30, 2011. The letter includes a text message where the CSA leadership is savagely attacking two civil servants by name for not being in lock-step with their action. Is this not intimidation similar to the recent PNP government and, to a much lesser extent, governments before that? So, given all of this, how can anyone view the CSA with any degree of credibility and seriousness?

This last question is a big one that requires repeating. How did the British Turks and Caicos Interim Government arrive at being involved in dealing with the CSA in matters of governance important to the Turks and Caicos, given that body’s track record to date? Simply put, the British are now reduced to reaping what they have sown.

In coming to the Turks and Caicos and installing their Interim Government they thought they were so clever. To the surprise of many, they retained more than a few known to have enabled the corruption, while removing some not known to be involved. Moreover, they refused to come anywhere within a ten-foot pole distance of many of those they knew who, despite the ‘climate of fear’ in The Turks and Caicos they likened to Red China, publicly insisted that they intervene to restore good governance. This was so strange and telling.

Such shenanigans actually resulted in reducing the legitimacy of the British. Quite laughable given the fact that they came to the Turks and Caicos with the express purpose of rehabilitating a Territorial Government that was ’lacking in legitimacy.’ So because of their behaviour the British now have little choice but to deal with an obscure CSA agency whose motives, actions, and credibility, many question. They have, in effect, done themselves in.

But the question is what does this mean for the Turks and Caicos? Simply put, it seriously retards the rehabilitation process for our country. Here is a case in point:
The British Turks and Caicos Interim Government has assessed that the civil service is bloated and seriously overstaffed, with a lot of it taking place during the last PNP government.

This assessment is quite correct and fits with citizen observation of party faithful being put into jobs at record rates (mind you, in all fairness, this happens with either party taking office in the Turks and Caicos, but in the last elected Turks and Caicos government it took on epidemic proportions), irrespective of qualifications, suitability for the post, or job performance.

We even have instances of having no record of a person being hired or a description of their job duties. Yet they are, and have been for some time, on the Turks and Caicos government payroll.

So the British Turks and Caicos Interim Government has concluded that to remain financially solvent they have to resort to seriously trimming the civil service. This is a correct assessment. It has to be done. But what do we have coming from the CSA leaders. They are demanding that jobs be ensured, and have said nothing about those ’filler’ jobs that were given out simply for party allegiance in the last PNP reign, resulting in a bloated and costly civil service.

Such a position on this matter works well for a CSA and its leadership if they have political aims down the road. It is, pure and simple, ‘political pandering.’ However, it does nothing for the financial health of the dry-as-Mother-Hubbard’s-cupboard Turks and Caicos Treasury. It does nothing for having a highly professional, responsible, and customer service-oriented civil service. It does nothing but retards the prompt rehabilitation and renewed progress of the Turks and Caicos.

But this is a situation that the British unwittingly created. Not good for our country, and definitely not good for our people no matter what political side they are on, or their station in life. For these reasons we must cut the crap and the British must sit down with, and engage, those Turks and Caicos stalwarts committed to the advancement of their country to seriously hammer out a solution that will ultimately best benefit both the UK and all Turks and Caicos citizens.

Ben Roberts is a Turks and Caicos Islander. He is a newsletter editor, freelance writer, published author, and member of TC FORUM. He is the author of numerous articles that have been carried by a variety of Internet websites and read worldwide. He is often published in Turks and Caicos news media and in the local newspapers where he resides. His action adventure novel, Jackals of Samarra, is available at Amazon.com, and at major Internet book outlet sites. He can be contacted at: grandt730@aol.com

December 12, 2011

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