Poppy-cock is how Neil Smith, spokesman for His Excellency the Governor, has described vicious rumors of the capital Grand Turk moving to Providenciales.
Smith was responding to the circulated rumors carried in yesterday’s edition of TCI News Now, which quoted two reliable sources within the interim government as having independently leaked a so far unannounced consideration of a move of the capital from Grand Turk to Providenciales.
This possibility had been raised early in the previous Michael Misick administration and according to the writer, it now appears that the reasons for considering the move have actually become more cogent.
The writer listed a number of reasons why this move may be necessary, including the fact that many government services are duplicated, with the largest operations in Provo; suggesting that moving the capital would save residents expensive travel costs and time traveling to Grand Turk to conduct Provo and Caicos Islands-based business.
The article also listed possible evidence of such a move being the planned reduction in electoral districts on Grand Turk from four to two, noting in the event the governments administrative functions move to Provo, the population of Grand Turk could drop significantly.
Reasons given in the past for not making the move according to the article, was that, prior to the cruise ship port being established on Grand Turk, the capital islands economy depended almost exclusively on governmental activities.
The newspaper article quoted the sources as saying another factor, is the possibility of even larger economic growth on Provo and the other Caicos islands due to the soon to be completed Provo Airport expansion. Provo is anticipated to accommodate international wide bodied flights, as well as larger, more frequent flights from the nearby United States. Grand Turk airport currently is equipped to accommodate full size commercial narrow body aircraft.
The inside sources, the paper noted, have speculated that the Waterloo, the Governors residence Waterloo, could be turned into a historic attraction for stay-over tourists, leaving Waterloo vacant.
But with all the articles reasoning for relocating the Nation;s capital Grand Turk to Provo, the Governors spokesman Neil Smith told RTC News when contacted that this vicious rumor is just poppy-cock.
Mr. Smith said he does not know where the rumor comes from or whose pro-mul-gating it, but said nothing could be further from the truth.
Smith said he has spoken with both his Excellency the Governor Ric Todd and Mr. Phillip Rush-brook, Director of Strategy in the Governors office, who both categorically deny talks of any such move of the capital to Providenciales.
Smith said he does not know who two sources from the Interim Administration the writer of the story in the TCI News Now article is quoting, but promises residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands that that matter is not up for consideration. It is not even on the agenda of the Interim Administration, he told RTC News.
Reaction to the news of the capital relocating to Provo, though bandied about in previous years, has generally been that, while acknowledging that the possibility has been aired from time to time for several years, it is likely to meet with considerable resistance in the TCI.
Consultative Forum Chair Lillian Missick told RTC news QUOTE:- Not in a pigs eye will that happen.
