TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the meeting of the Cabinet at the House of Assembly Building, Grand Turk on Wednesday, 9 July 2014.
All Ministers were present except Hon. Premier and Hon. Minister of Health.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Advised the Governor to agree and sign the Development Agreement with Circle Holdings (Third Turtle) which will see a new $100m hotel, casino and marina built on the Turks and Caicos Islands. The 17 acre vacant site includes 775 feet of sea frontage and 1300 feet of marina frontage on the famous Grace Bay. The Development is expected to create 300-400 new jobs and bring additional tax revenues of around $9m to TCIG;
· Reviewed a proposal from Adventure Resorts Ltd on the development of an eco-adventure resort for Five Cays, Providenciales. The development proposes a low-rise, low density development designed to blend in with the environment and will include tourist accommodations, spa, fitness areas and recreational areas. Cabinet confirmed its support for the development subject to satisfactory completion of investment processes;
· Advised the Governor to agree amendments to Regulations 3 (1) (g) and 3 (2) (f) of the National Parks Ordinance. The amendments will facilitate passenger transportation services by hovercraft to South Caicos, North Caicos and other areas that are currently difficult to access with traditional vessels including transportation of passengers through National Parks and Nature Reserves;
· Approved establishment of an International Finance Marketing and Promotion Working Group. The working groups terms of reference will include development of new financial services products, new legislation and a strategy to market TCI as a well regulated International Financial Services Sector with superior products and services. Membership of the working group will include private and public sector financial services practitioners;
· Welcomed two proposals from shrimp farming developers and confirmed the Governments support for the development of shrimp farming and shrimp farming methods that have minimal negative impact on the TCI environment. The developments will be subject to full environmental impact assessment and planning regulations;
· Advised the Governor to agree amendments to the Fisheries Protection Ordinance that are in keeping with recent developments in TCIs fisheries and advancements in fisheries science in order to improve the management of finfish, pelagic species and other marine species;
· Agreed that the Caribbean spiny lobster season 2014/15 shall open on 15th August 2014 and close on 15th March 2015;
· Agreed that a Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) sponsored Green Economy initiative be undertaken in TCI July - October 2014. The initiative will involve a review of existing environmental literature and knowledge, including legal capacity, governmental capacity and capacity of non-governmental organisations to implement management protocols. The review will be conducted by expert consultants , who are retained by JNCC. Their findings will be presented to a Project Oversight Group, which will include stakeholders from government and the public and private sector;
· Received a report from the Department of Environment and Marine Affairs on the development of appropriate measures for the sustainable management of queen conch (strombus gigas) and agreed that the matter be subject to public consultation including a public awareness campaign to alert key stakeholders to these important developments;
· Approved the appointment of members to the following Boards and Committees; Immigration Board; Ms Dorothy Malcolm (member) and Ms Jennifer Glinton (member); Planning Board; Mr Marvin Simmons (member); Education Advisory Committee; Ms Alexandra Missick (Deputy Chairman.)
PDM Welcomes Recent Announcements
The PDM in a release to RTC news states that they believe that the Government has made a step in the right direction by withdrawing the ill-fated Payroll Bill.
We believe the decision to bring this Bill in the first place was a waste of time. We also believe this is another look into the mind of a Government who refuses to accept the social plight and difficult circumstances in which our people are living and seem prepared to throw up barriers to inward investment than to make it more conducive for investment. We are disappointed that the Minister of Finance announced that he had alternatives in the event that the Bill failed but we are left wondering what they are even weeks later. We see a rolling back of taxes as we have been calling for, a move which many countries have already proven to be a stimulating factor for their economies. The PDM held this position since it was elected to Office and the Government continue to introduce tax after tax. We are hoping that this is the first step of many steps to providing relief to the people. We will continue to stand firm in our position that we can not tax our way out of a recession and to push the importance of growing the economy through inward investment.
We are calling on the Government to stop playing politics with the defeat of this Bill and to stop insulting the right thinking people of this country. The amount of $5.6m projected could never fund the projects that the Government is now claiming. It claims a loss in revenue but there is a lot of fluff in areas that will be revealed next week.
We maintain that this Government is not serious about savings because if it were, it will deal with the white elephant in the room - the monster healthcare cost. When it pays more than lip service to the budget killer - healthcare, then we will believe that it is truly interested in developing a solid, realistic fiscal strategy.
NHIP
We are also please with the NHIP Amnesty and call on the Government to release the amount being abandoned in the interest of transparency and the amount due to be collected. We await the NHIP Audit and will address our concerns during the Budget Session next week.
Credit Rating
The triple B rating places these Islands solidly in the investment bracket and we are hoping to be able to only go higher in future ratings. The PDM was happy to meet with the representatives of S&P and to play our part in this important exercise. However we must be clear that this rating is valid for unsecured debt. We maintain that our Alternative Plan was best as secured debt will capture better rates. We know PDM's
Plan is certainly a step in the right direction and the Government's venemous attack revealed their lack of maturity in the governance of this country and their willingness to in good faith hear ideas from anyone other than their small circle.
We believe that the people of these Islands deserve something better.
During the Budget Session we will unveil the full PDM Alternative Plan.
IMF warning for Trinidad and Tobago
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Wednesday warned that Trinidad and Tobago remains vulnerable to a decline in energy prices, and called for structural reforms to diversify the economy and improve its growth potential.
The IMF said while it welcomed the improved growth outlook, and noted the strong external position and limited fiscal vulnerabilities, it agreed, however, that the reduction in economic slack and the need for a durable consolidation of the fiscal position suggest that a tightening of macroeconomic policies may be necessary in the near future.
Source-Caribbean Media Corporation
St Lucia Security minister denies getting report from Jamaican police on extra-judicial killings
St Lucia National Security Minister, Victor La Corbiniere has denied “rumours” that members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have submitted a report on their investigation into alleged extra-judicial killings by members of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF).
Last year, the government of St Lucia enlisted the help of the Jamaican police to investigate the RSLPF. This came on the heels of the United States withdrawing security related assistance after claims of human rights violations.
On Wednesday, La Corbiniere dismissed suggestions that the JCF report, which some say is long overdue, has been tendered as “absolutely untrue”.
“When the report is received, at the appropriate time it will go to the appropriate places and there will be appropriate disclosure, but I can say to you that the report is not here... The report is just not in St Lucia,” the Minister declared.
In August 2013, the United States suspended all forms of assistance to the RSLPF, citing allegations of serious human rights violations.
“The Department of State has made a policy decision to withdraw training and material assistance to the Royal St Lucia Police Force due to credible allegations of gross human rights violations," the US State Department said in a statement at that time.
This was also acknowledged by Prime Minister, Dr Kenny Anthony, in a nationwide radio and television broadcast.
As a result, Police Commissioner, Vernon Francois, was prevented from travelling to the US to represent the Regional Security Service (RSS) at a conference of Black Police Chiefs.
Source-CMC
FIFA dismisses Uruguay/Suarez biting appeal
FIFA has dismissed appeals by the Uruguay Football Association and Luis Suarez over the striker's four-month global ban for biting, it was confirmed Thursday.
"The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject appeals lodged by both the Uruguayan player Luis Suarez and the Uruguayan FA," a statement said.
"The terms of the decision taken by the FIFA Appeal Committee were communicated to the player and the Uruguayan FA today."
The FIFA statement said the decision was not binding, meaning Liverpool star Suarez could still appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Suarez was thrown out of the World Cup and banned from all football activity for four months after being found guilty of biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in a Group D game on June 24.
It was the third time Suarez had been found guilty of biting an opponent in his career.
Kerry Faces Uphill Battle to Defuse Afghan Election Standoff
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry could arrive to a skeptical audience in Afghanistan this week, as he tries to resolve a deepening crisis over a disputed presidential election which has stirred ethnic tensions in the fragile country.
Kerry is expected to arrive in the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday to try to mediate between the feuding camps, according to candidate Abdullah Abdullah, although U.S. officials have not confirmed the trip.
Afghanistan has plunged into political chaos in recent months as a protracted election process to pick a successor to President Hamid Karzai has run into a deadlock between the two leading candidates: Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani.
Preliminary results from the June 14 second-round run-off put Ghani, a former World Bank official, in the lead with 56.4 percent of the vote, but Abdullah has rejected the count and his aides have threatened to set up an alternative administration.
Ghani's camp, confident in its victory, is wary of Kerry's mediation efforts, while Abdullah, who has alleged widespread fraud in the vote, welcomes the initiative.
The United States, Afghanistan's biggest foreign donor, is in the process of withdrawing its forces from the country after 12 years of fighting Taliban insurgents, and it is unclear what leverage Kerry would have in resolving deep-seated rivalries.
Kerry is currently in neighbouring China.
Source-Reuters
China, US Discuss Economy, Cyber Security
The United States and China vowed to make progress on disagreements over cyber hacking and economic disputes as they wrapped up two days of high-level talks in Beijing.
The sixth round of the U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue addressed issues ranging from climate change and cybersecurity to economic reforms and diplomatic tensions with China’s neighbors.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday he had a "frank" discussion with his Chinese counterparts about cyber attacks, which he said are hurting American companies.
China rejects U.S. charges that it is stealing intellectual property from U.S. companies, instead accusing the U.S. of conducting its own espionage against Beijing.
Thursday’s talks began with a breakfast that included entrepreneurs from the United States and China.
At a time when there are continuing tensions between the two nations, many see economic cooperation as a key opportunity.
TCI residents urged to ensure homes meet building code
Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) property owners are being urged to check that their designer, architect and contractor have followed the new 2014 TCI Building Code and, if they are concerned about the strength of an existing property, to have it checked by a structural engineer.
This advice from the TCI Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) follows the discovery of significant levels of substandard workmanship on the properties on the TCI capital Grand Turk that were damaged by Hurricane Ike.
Engineers overseeing the repairs to homes on Grand Turk are concerned by what they are finding when they open up the cracks left by Hurricanes Hanna and Ike.
Dr Virginia Clerveaux, Director of Disaster Management, expressed her concern at this news: “We know that the buildings worst hit by Hurricanes Hanna and Ike were residential – almost 90% of all the homes on Grand Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay suffered damage, with many of those completely destroyed.
“What we have seen through the process of repairing homes for the EU Project is that it was the more recent block built homes that suffered the most structural damage. We now know that this was because of previous poor building practices. It is vitally important that the public realise that following the TCI Building Code and using the correct materials will help them stay safe and protect their families and belongings in the event of any future hurricane.”
“It is easy to see why these homes suffered the damage that they did,” said Joe Jardine of engineering firm CSE Limited.
“When the homes were built, the builders used beach sand and limestone aggregate in the concrete mix, and sometimes they have used too little cement which makes the concrete light coloured and crumbly. Two things happen in this situation, first the salt in the beach sand and limestone makes the steel in the wall rust away completely and this weakens the whole structure, second, when too little cement is used, the concrete isn’t actually holding the wall together and the concrete crumbles away when it is exposed by time or weather.
“What is particularly worrying is that we have seen these practices continuing today in new homes too. Many new built homes have been built with the contractors trying to cut corners by using beach sand, limestone aggregate and too little cement. Sometimes people think that they can avoid the problems of using beach sand by adding more cement but this produces a whole lot of other issues and doesn’t stop the rebar from rusting. Sometimes the house has been so badly built that it can’t be repaired cost effectively.”
PDM 39th Convention on South Caicos
TCIFA LAUNCHES CONCACAF GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL FOR GIRLS
The Turks & Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) is pleased to announce the launch of The Confederation of North Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Grassroots Festival for Girls. This festival will be focused on the U-12 girls, and the TCIFA is anticipating them to turn out in large numbers. The festival consists of two sections: a course and the event. The course will take place from 19th – 20th July, with the festival being held on July 21st.
All activities will be hosted at the Academy on Venetian Road in Providenciales. Both parents and coaches are encouraged to participate in the course, which is promised to be both educational and enlightening.
Heather Dyche, a CONCACAF Instructor, will be the lead trainer for both the course and festival. Dyche has an extensive background in football, which includes Olympic Development Director for New Mexico and various positions within the coaching field. Dyche is currently the National Instructional Staff for the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and currently holds a National Youth License and a USSF C license.