News from the Turks and Caicos Islands for
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Commentary: Alas, throwing Premier Misick overboard is necessary to save the TCI...
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| Published on Friday, October 5, 2007 |
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[Author’s note: Throughout this article, I have interposed a series of rhetorical questions that I hope will guide fellow TCIslanders in discussions with family members, neighbours and friends about this very serious call to action.]
“...If Chief Minister Michael Misick fails to move our country forward he will be exposed as a hollow politician who is more interested in posing as a national leader than in assuming the duties and responsibilities of governing a nation.” [Now prophetic words from an April 2006 article (linked to below), in which I questioned Hon. Dr Michael Misick’s motives for flirting with the prospect of TCI independence.]
In the fall of 1973, President Richard Nixon of the United States had every right to feel invincible. After all, he was still reveling in a landslide re-election victory, his political opponents were rendered virtually irrelevant and he was becoming as famous abroad as he was at home. Yet, within a year, he was forced to resign the presidency in utter disgrace.
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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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Today, Premier Michael Misick of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) also has every right to feel invincible. After all, he is still reveling in a landslide re-election victory, his political opponents have been rendered virtually irrelevant and he is becoming as infamous abroad as he is at home. Yet...
(What does it say about a national leader who seems more interested in fraternising with B-list celebrities than in networking with international statesmen...?)
Regrettably, as farfetched as the comparison above might seem, the parallels between Nixon and Misick do not end there. And anyone with only a passing knowledge of U.S. history will appreciate not only the dire implications this raises, but also the grave consequences it portends for Premier Misick, his enablers and, most important, the TCI.
However, this is neither the occasion nor the appropriate forum for a full exposition of the eerie and foreboding similarities in this respect. Instead, I shall suffice to note that many of the allegations in the bill of particulars that led to Nixon’s downfall are now being alleged against Premier Misick. And not least among them is the recent charge that he had evidence of one of his crimes erased from a videotape, which, of course, mirrors one of the more damning charges U.S. authorities leveled against Nixon.
(What does it say about a national leader who leads by inciting fear and intimidation rather than by providing hope and inspiration...?)
Meanwhile, it behooves members of the ruling Progressive National Party (PNP) to heed the grievances of people who have taken to the streets to protest the government’s employment policies. Because it’s a reflection of how far removed from the concerns of ordinary labourers Premier Misick has become that he has dismissed them -- with indignation -- as unwitting pawns of a vanquished, mischief-making Opposition People’s Democratic Movement (PDM).
But I suspect there are conscientious and informed PNP ministers who know that these people’s grievances are well-founded. And, moreover, ministers who know that the Premier’s short-sighted strategy for economic development, which seems predicated on exploiting cheap foreign labour instead of employing local workers, is enough to make all patriotic TCIslanders disillusioned and disaffected with his leadership.
(What does it say about government ministers who stand by and watch as a national leader grounds their ship of state...?)
Most troubling of all, however, is the growing realisation that Premier Misick’s gamble -- of building our economy on beachfront resorts -- now looms like a house of cards. Never mind that he seems blissfully ignorant of the fact that the sub-prime mortgage mess in America is bound to turn the foundation upon which our booming economy was built into quicksand.
But there’s no greater indication that the Premier is grounding our ship of state than his double-talk about the need to “broaden our tax base.” After all, if the government has already “increased revenue collections from $98 million in 2003 to over $215 million this year”, it insults our intelligence and assaults our pocketbooks for him to suggest that “gone are the days when there will be no tax” in the TCI.
In fact, instead of his irresponsible talk about taxation (triggering unwarranted concerns in the international investment community about our coveted tax haven status), the Premier should be announcing what additional government services will redound to our benefit as a result of the increased revenues he’s so fond of boasting about!
(What does it say about government ministers who stand by and listen to a national leader proclaim that taxing poor people is necessary for their country to “mature into a jurisdiction of low tax”...?)
Although, it would be understandable if the “large investments” the Premier claims his government is making were actually benefiting more than just a select few TCIslanders. But it is plain for all to see that, after years of promising to build a first-rate infrastructure of hospitals, schools, roads…police force, etc, the Premier’s government has only delivered third-rate services for local (as opposed to tourist) consumption.
(What does it say about a national leader who declares himself a virtual pauper upon entering office, but is soon living like a king (in his public and private life) and flaunting worldly possessions that would make an ordinary millionaire green with envy...? Because even if married to an American TV actress, his wife would have to be raking in Oprah-like millions to fund their royal lifestyle.)
More to the point, however, I cited Nixon’s corrupt and failed presidency above as a cautionary and instructive precedent. Because, as it proved to be with Nixon, it is my informed opinion that Misick’s invincible pride is but a prelude to a spectacular fall.
Therefore, I caution all members of the ruling PNP to consider carefully whether blind loyalty to this Premier is worth risking their careers, if not their freedom, for. After all, just as those who covered up Nixon’s crimes were only masking a “cancer that was growing on his Presidency”, those who fail to report Misick’s (apparent) misdeeds are only masking the terminal state of his premiership.
And rest assured that no matter how many kickback schemes or shady land deals any PNPer may have transacted (especially involving the promiscuous granting and selling of irredeemable Crown Lands), doing the right thing now will likely reduce his or her liability to a misdemeanor in the eyes of appreciative TCIslanders and, more importantly, in the calculation of investigators from the Commission of Inquiry into TCI governance now being conducted by the UK’s Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC)...
(But never mind Nixon, what does it say about a national leader who has a living example in his own Party -- of the legal and political consequences of abusing power to feed greed that knows no bounds -- yet follows that example down the same path to perdition...?)
Accordingly, I entreat the honourable members of the PNP to follow the instructive precedent set by the members of Nixon’s inner circle - who threw him overboard to save their ship of state. (I just hope our Premier is not like so many TCIslanders who never learnt how to swim...)
Of course, I appreciate that PNPers might prefer to wait for the British to hold the Premier to account for his patently-suspect governance, which has people talking about the TCI as if it is being governed by an African kleptomaniac. I fear, however, that a mere cursory FAC audit of our public finances would uncover such egregious abuses and misappropriations that the British would (indeed should) feel compelled to dissolve yet another PNP government, and put our country into receivership... again.
But I have no doubt that, despite appearances, there are still PNPers who would rather sacrifice their careers than have the British impose another humiliating suspension of our Constitution “to restore respect for the rule of law and good governance in the Turks and Caicos Islands”.
Therefore, I urge them to rally around their “Gerald Ford”; i.e., a man (or woman), of unimpeachable integrity and probity, who can assume leadership of the PNP and, by extension, the premiership of our country -- after we bid good riddance to the untenably-flawed Dr Michael Misick.
(What does it say about a country where freedom (or integrity) of the press is such that no newspaper owner dares to publish any article critical of the leader out of fear of retaliation: i.e., losing political patronage or jeopardising financial interests...?)
NOTE: I have focused exclusively on the Premier’s dereliction of duties because I believe that we are, in fact, not only “mature” enough to take responsibility for the mess he’s gotten us into, but also intelligent enough to figure out how to clean it up.
But it would be tantamount to ignoring the big white elephant in the room if I did not acknowledge the Governor’s dereliction of duties that have contributed to our national woes. After all, he has special responsibilities for dealing with the menace of illegal (Haitian) immigration, which has made us liable to charges of human rights abuses and negligent homicides; and for combating the scourge of predatory crimes, which is threatening peace and tranquility in our island paradise.
Therefore, I admonish the FAC to reserve a special section in its report to cite and censure the Governor for his appalling failure to perform his constitutional duties...
Link to several Related Articles:
Premier Misick: A wannabe gangsta... | | | | Reads : 538 |
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