The deadline of January 14, 2011 for interested parties who still wish to comment on the revised recommendations, submitted by constitutional and
electoral reform Advisor, Kate Sullivan. the constitutional reform consultant hired by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), has
announced a deadline of January 14, 2011 for submissions from interested parties.
The constitutional and electoral reform process was one of the top stories of 2010 that grew out of public statements by the FCO’s then Director of
Overseas Territories Colin Roberts, a Labour Party appointee, who had indicated that the process would go forward with minimum consultation with
Islanders themselves.
This was vehemently objected to by residents in the TCI who voiced their objection via the local and international media and through their
participation in another of 2010s top stories — the large and peaceful Unity March in Providenciales in March 2010.
The FCO Advisor later switched gears and conducted two rounds of town hall style meetings on all the populated islands. Ms. Sullivan met with
concerned citizens, who did not hesitate to speak out and network with her. In her first round of meetings, many reported she had a laid back,
unconcerned attitude and was not taking notes.
However, her second set of meetings, which came after her first set of recommendations were published and, after the May 2010 general election in
Britain, which put the former Labour government who appointed her into opposition, she appeared more open and consultative.
Unfortunately, on the most populated island of Providenciales (Provo), she was met not only by concerned residents but also by angry demonstrators
who burned her recommendations in the parking lot and who caused her to close down the meeting early.
During the earlier second round of meetings she mentioned she would conduct yet a third round after she issued her second revised set of
recommendations. This second revised set included stronger restrictions on enlarging the voting franchise and the mandatory requirement that the
deputy governor remain, as before, a Belonger.
However, Ms. Sullivan and His Excellency Governor Gordon Wetherell became the target of yet another demonstration at the Provo airport the day that
the new Minister of Overseas Territories Henry Bellingham visited and announced a delay in elections from the proposed date of mid 2011.
Demonstrators known to be activists from the Progressive National Party (PNP) hurried to the airport to intercept Bellingham but met Ms. Sullivan
and the governor instead. Sullivan and the governor had to be escorted by police to their waiting plane, which flew them back to the Nations
capital, Grand Turk.
Sullivan later announced she would not conduct any further meetings, but would meet with the TCI All Party team, which had been initiated by the
Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership and who themselves conducted town hall meetings around the islands. The All Party Group is headed by attorney Wendell Swan, who was part of a delegation that appeared before the United Nations Committee on Decolonization, pleading the TCI case.
Constitutional reform is one of the principal milestones recently set by Bellingham that must be met and passed before elections can be
rescheduled.
Sullivan has now said that she will be concluding her recommendations and forwarding them to Mr. Bellingham, who will then prepare a draft
constitution and has set a deadline of January 14, 2011 for late submissions from interested parties.
