Leader of the Opposition Hon. Edwin Astwood responded to the Premiers State of the State address, adding that ‘What You’re Hearing … Is Not What is Happening.’
Tonight, in his one year ‘State of the State’ address, many things that the Premiere said were inaccurate or did not present the real picture of our people and our country. Many times, the Premiere has told us that the Turks and Caicos economy is the best that it has ever been, and that it is really booming. Well, that may be true for the members of his inner circle, and for the wealthiest people in our country. So, he is right, that it is really booming, but for whom? The truth is that for the Premier and many of his friends, they have never, ever, had it so good, but for our middle class, our working families, our mid and lower-level government employees, our small business operators, our small contractors, the truth is the economy is not good.
We see that real wages for the average TCI worker are lower today than they were in 1980. That is, the average TCI worker, after adjusting for inflation, is earning less today than he or she did forty-two years ago despite huge increases in comparison to previous salary levels. Sadly, many of our people are struggling to pay bills and to keep their heads above water, economically. Somehow, the Hon. Premiere neglected to mention this in his address.
Yes, the economy is great for the Premier’s friends and his inner circle, who are each earning more than all our teachers, nurses, policeman, customs and immigration put together. Yes, the economy is booming for those individuals, but it is not booming for the other 80% of the workers in the TCI who are living paycheck to paycheck, praying that their child doesn’t get sick, or their car breaks down, or that they lose their job, or their business closes down. This reality does not reflect a booming economy for ordinary TCI citizens.
I heard nothing that is allowing our people to live their “best lives”, nor any action, plan, or policy that has them on the way to living their best lives. We all can see who are living their best lives.
I heard nothing that puts the interests of Turks and Caicos Islanders first. I heard nothing that indicates that they are building a country that works for everyone. I heard nothing of the vision of the Premier’s and his Government’s vision for our country.
We are facing a moment of great change in the world and in our Country. As we continue to tackle with the symptoms of the Global Pandemic, we must identify and implement an ambitious new plan for our people and our country, that involves asking ourselves what kind of country do we want, and how could our people benefit more from the opportunities available here. In fact, this is not just an opportunity for the Government, it is a duty. The Government must be firmly on the side of its people.
There is no mention of any economic and social reform that has been put in place by this Government that helped to change the conditions of our people and many struggling local businesses. Instead, you only heard mention of many policies and measures that were introduced by the past PDM Admiration that are now bearing fruit such as the customs exemptions on the construction materials, the first-time homeowner’s policy, the home refurbishment policy, the Agriculture Policy, the works program, and the ‘Chance for Change’.
In his address the Hon. Premiere stated that his government is committed to Transparency and Accountability. However, we all know that this is completely false, and we have many examples, such as the Beach & Costal Vending Bill, and the closing down of the Tourist Board, both which have proved that there is no Transparency, and so by him stating this, it is truly a misrepresentation of the facts.
The Premiere stated that tourism numbers are up, and that 2021-2022 numbers are twice that of 2019-2020, and credits this to the country being open early and safely. Yes, the numbers are higher, but it is amazing that in 2020-2021 we were still able to attract visitors when the entire world was on lockdown. Let me remind the Premier that he was the main person initially leading the charge against the safe opening of the country, and other members of his team previously strongly criticize the travel portal (there are videos to prove this).
The Hon. Premier talked about the improved Health Care; however, we have not seen any significant funding or lifesaving policy which improves the country’s ability to manage and care for those severely suffering from the manifestation of COVID-19 Infections, most are being sent out of the country for treatment, most of whom sadly do not return.
He boasted about the high Net cash flow of 180.4 million, but what good is it to have this if the high cash flow is not flowing down to those who need it most.
In addressing the cost of living, the Hon. Premier spoke of waiving 50% of the duties payable on imported construction material. This is nothing new. What we did not hear is what the Government is or intends to do about the overall effects of the supply chain crises on our country and our people. The people want to hear about real stuff for real people.
We heard about the purchase of land and the lowered stamp duty, and a zero-rated option, but Hon. Premiere how many of our people can really benefit from this? How much of our people are buying and selling land, when they can barely afford to put food on their tables? Who is greatly benefitting from this? Nowadays most of our people, especially those who have just entered the labour market, cannot afford the purchase price of land and homes in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and not to mention how difficult it is to get a loan being Turks and Caicos Islanders.
The concession packages which the Hon. Premier mentioned, that are being offered by Invest TCI is nothing new. Signs were all along roadways advertising this for about two years now. People wanted to hear of drastic changes being made in making this program easier to access, and the funds more accessible.
In respect to Crime in our country, all can conclude that there has been the fundamental mishandling of the crime situation by the Elected Government by failing implement measures to combat crime by addressing the root causes of crime. We heard nothing of a laid-out plan to tackle crime, only he talked generally about continuing to increase resources to the police and the TCI regiment, with increased equipment and manpower. He then mentioned the role that our churches, parents, youth groups, and schools have to play, but nothing about the role that his government has to play. Then he went on to talk about the funding for roads being re-directed to address crime. It is unacceptable for a government to not have a plan to at least try to succeed stem out crime.
The Premier affirmed that, finally, they have setup a committee to review the minimum wage, and it is not being addressed in isolation, but with a social services package to make sure it is effective. This is good Hon. Premiere, we welcome this. No one had expected this to be arbitrarily put in place. Even the man on the street knows that a minimum wage number will not be pulled out of the clear blue. What about fair wage and compensation packages and what about a suitable living wage? Nothing was said on that.
Tonight after 1 year, or 12 months, or 52 weeks, or 365 days, or 8,760 hours, or 525,600 minutes, the Honorable Premier and his Administration have not addressed the frustration and concerns being expressed by our people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Many persons are already fed-up of being ignored or being told that their concerns were invalid, and even on occasions being told that they were wrong for voicing the concerns that they did have. Our people, including many of their supporters are sending the message that they will not be ignored anymore. They want their government listen to them, and to be on their side.
Many of our people now believe that everything this Government is doing appears to be driven by foreign interest and the privileged few, and those with access to influence. Many now believe that this government’s priorities do not include those of the regular working-class people. From the Premier’s address, he is proving that his government is not working for our people, especially for those whom life could sometimes be a struggle, but who get on with life, and get on with their job, because they have families to support and bills to pay. They don’t ask for much, but they want to know that the people who they have elected to Government are on their side, working for them. Sadly, this one-year-old PNP Admiration has proven that they are not that government for the people. Nothing that was said will bring hope to the regular working-class people and meaningfully improve their lives.
As important as it is to discuss tonight, it is somewhat more important to discuss what he did not say. I will do so in My Party’s press conference scheduled for Monday, 21st February, 2022.
The Honorable Premier and his team are hoping that our people of the Turks and Caicos Islands Deny What We See and Believe What He Says – I will not let that happen.
