Oswald Skippings

Oswald Skippings was born in the nation’s capital of Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands where he attended both primary and high school. After graduating from high school, Mr. Skippings taught at the Ona Glinton Primary School.

A few years later he became a social activist with our national hero JAGS McCartney in the 70’s as a part of the Turks and Caicos Youth Organization and later a founding member with JAGS and other of the Junkanoo Club, another activist group commonly referred to as the Black Power Boys. This group stood for equal rights and justice and represented and assisted the people of the TCI especially the poor, oppressed and underprivileged, inclusive of the civil service, through demonstrations and other civic and legal actions, fighting for the human and fundamental rights of the people nationwide.

In 1975, along with McCartney and others, Skippings became a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Movement, the first official political party of the TCI under a new constitution which for the first time provided for a ministerial government. The PDM won the 1976 general elections and at the age of 23, Skippings under the first Chief Minister JAGS McCartney became the first Deputy Chief Minister and minister of Health, Education, Welfare and Local Government. In 1980 after McCartney’s death, at the age of 27 Skippings became the youngest Chief Minister in the world. He later became Chief Minister again in 1988 and won 11 of 13 seats. He married in 1989 and is the father of four sons.

Skippings retired from active politics in 2007 after having held most of the ministerial portfolios and serving in parliament for 31 years as the then longest serving member of parliament not having lost an election. On demand by the PDM he returned to politics in 2012 and lost at the polls after a party conspiracy that undermined him in the campaign.

He always had a passion for the youth and consequently he made great efforts over the years to develop and empower them in areas such as education, employment, sports and culture. These efforts resulted in groundbreaking achievements such as contracting the First Nation sports coach, establishing the first governmental national sports and culture bodies, sending for the first time local sports teams to the CARIFTA Games, the Florida and Gator Relays, the Pan Am Games and the Commonwealth Games. He also established the first comprehensive national scholarship program available to all classes of society and established the Youth Day Holiday in the TCI. He was always sensitive to the needs of the poor, needy and underprivileged and as such has proven over the years to be a philanthropist.

Moved by a strong conviction of a divine calling to return to serve his people and deliver his country from a strangling colonial hold under an undemocratic, draconian constitution, and other established corrupt influences, he formed a new political party in January 2015 called The Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) of which he is its current leader taking the party into the next general elections.

Mr. Skippings is also an ordained minister and pastor who has pastored for a number of years and although he does not currently pastor a congregation, he ministers in church, he has a radio ministry, a prison ministry and has ministered internationally including the USA and South America.

His extensive experience of government, his political acumen, his impactful eloquence and his dauntless and relentless approach to representing his people and country have earned him the respect of his counterparts internationally as being an astute politician and statesman. His extensive list of accomplishments are outlined in a separate document.

As a result of the current oppressed, impoverished and disempowered condition of his Turks and Caicos people, with the leading of Jehovah God, Mr. Skippings is determined, to lead The Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) to victory in this upcoming general elections and provide his people with the kind of representation and leadership that would deliver them and bring about real, sustainable political and economic empowerment which they deserve.