International Anti-Corruption Day celebrated in the TCI
Monday, December 9, 2013 is the International Anti-Corruption Day. Since 2003, the United Nations designated December 9, of every year to raise awareness on the evil and scourge of corruption worldwide and the collaborative efforts of the international community to combat and prevent it.
The theme this year “ZERO CORRUPTION=100% DEVELOPMENT” was conceived by a young student from Rwanda, Southern Africa and adopted by the International Community. It conveys the message of the corrosive effect of corruption on national development and ‘reinforces the idea that development can thrive only when societies tackle the root causes of corruption’
Corruption undermines democracy, creates unstable governments, enriches a few persons but makes many poor and consequently sets countries back economically. Besides the common form of offering and receiving bribery, corruption comes in other various forms such as using of position of power or trust for the purpose of benefiting oneself or another person’s; breaking the law or undermining due process and covering it; silencing those who expose corruption; knowingly or recklessly allowing a private interest to conflict with or improperly influence ones public duties.
The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the OECD Convention Against Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Transactions (the Conventions) are the two binding International legal instruments which have continued to provide the legal framework and impetus for the on–going global campaign against corruption.
The Turks and Caicos Islands has fully complied with and surpassed the principal requirements of these Conventions by enacting several local laws which are specifically designed to combat bribery and corruption, ensure integrity, probity, accountability and transparency in public life. These laws include the Integrity Commission Ordinance, the Political Activities Ordinance (dealing with political campaign financing, among others things), the Public Procurement Ordinance, the Public Finance Management Ordinance, the Public Service Ordinance and the Code of Conduct for Persons in Public Life issued by the Integrity Commission in accordance with the 2011 Constitution. Some of these enactments and instrument are the first of their kind in the Caribbean region, including the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories.
The Integrity Commission is pleased that the provisions of these laws are being actively enforced by the respective agencies charged with their implementation. More importantly is that majority of persons in public life and their public bodies have demonstrated their support and commitment to the Commission’s campaign for a TCI where corruption is never tolerated, a TCI where integrity, honesty, probity and accountability are re-integrated into the culture and everyday life of the people. In this regard, the Commission is happy to note in particular:
• That the 2011 Constitution has reinforced the establishment and powers of the Integrity Commission as an independent anti-corruption agency and one of the institutions that protect good governance.
• That there had been up to 98% compliance rate in the filing of Declarations by persons in public life and 100% compliance rate in the filing of Registrable Interests by all Members of the House of Assembly;
• That there was substantial compliance by the political parties and independent candidates on donations and campaign expenditure under the Political Activities Ordinance during the last general and by–elections.
• The approval by the House of Assembly of a 100% increase to $1.1m in the budget of the Commission for the current financial year.
Eugene Otuonye, Q.C, Director of the Integrity Commission, commenting further on this International Anti-Corruption Day said: “Although TCI is currently compliant with the principle requirements of the international Conventions against corruption, the vision of the Commission remains a corruption-free TCI. Realising this vision will be daunting but achievable and more than anything, it will require the continuing and unwavering support and commitment of all citizens and residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
NELSON MANDELA WAS A FATHER OF THE WORLD
Every once in a while through circumstance and divine intervention a Great One emerges to change the course of history and transform the lives of people for the better, "Mandiba" Nelson Mandela was such a Great One. A son of the South African soil but a father of the world, Nelson Mandela fought both peaceful and violently for what he believed in and was relentless in his pursuit for freedom. Nothing good in life comes easy or without a struggle, Mandela gave up his freedom, being incarcerated for 27 years, to secure and ensure the freedom of others; not only the freedom of South Africans oppressed by Apartheid but the freedom and hope of every person in the world to whom injustice was metered out.
Nelson Mandela will be remembers by millions now and millions in the future as he had changed the lives of many, even those unborn. My first encounter with Nelson Mandela was at the National Stadium in Jamaica in July 1991, one year after being released from prison. I could remember that day as if was just yesterday. Even though the distance between us was a few yards, it seemed as if I was in his front of his face and he was speaking to me and me alone as every word he said was transformative and motivating as I listened in awe.
The world will remember him as a man with morale and compassion for human dignity, the world will remember him as a warrior, a peace maker, a President, a Noble Prize winner, a husband and a father to all.
On behalf of the Government and the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands I wish to extend condolences to the Mandela family during this time of bereavement, and encourage us all to celebrate the life and legacy of the Great One, "Madiba" Mandela.
Blue Haven Grand Opening Weekend
The Blue Haven Resort and Marina had a successful opening celebrating the Resorts a three-day community festival that started from December 6 - 8.
Blue Haven hosted a wide array of events featuring live music, DJs and dancing, pig roasts, BBQs and clambakes, arts, crafts and cultural fairs, beach volleyball and beach soccer tournaments and a bonfire with Fire Dancing Show.
The 1st Annual Corporate Budweiser Beach Volleyball tournament was won by the Amanyara team, which dedicated their USD 500 donation to a charity of choice to the Provo Children's home. Names of the winning team: Geraldine Burtschi, Reinaldo Garcia, Putu Aryanto, Mario Singer, Isaiah Gardiner and Blue Haven's Roland Rutjens (all in photo from left to right). Also on team, but not in photo: Marija Paroscio, Milena Curovic and Daniel Clayton
A group of children from the Provo Children's Home came and supported the Blue Haven team in executing the event. 630 USD were generated for the Provo Children's Home through t-shirt sales and the USD 500 Beach Volleyball tournament. (winners photo attached)
60 children in the Under 12 and Under 15 age groups of the TCI Football Association played in beach soccer exhibition matches and a tournament on the Blue Haven resort beach. (pictures attached)
The TC Friends of the Arts hosted the 4th annual Art and Crafts Expo at Blue Haven with over 35 exhibitors present in the tent. A sum of USD 1,543 was raised for TC FAF's scholarship fund.
10 students of the Turks and Caicos Community College supported the event by joining the Blue Haven Resort and Marina team this weekend to gain experience in event management and resort operations. The team worked in different areas throughout the weekend. This is part of a larger ambassador program that the Community College and Blue Haven Resort and Marina have initiated to support the college's longterm sustainability and give the students hands-on work experience allowing them to enter into the TCI hospitality industry after their studies.
The entire opening weekend was dedicated to the Enable Passion kiteboarding team that is currently crossing the Atlantic ocean expected to arrive in Turks and Caicos at Blue Haven on Tuesday, Dec 17th. Blue Haven and our kiteboarding partner Big Blue Unlimited are organizing for a group of local kite boarders to meet the Enable Passion team and kite onto our TCI shores with great community support. Any local kite boarders that wish to join have to register with Big Blue Unlimited to ensure a safe and well organized process for this global sporting event. Briefing for the kiters is being held on Wednesday, Dec 11th 6pm at Salt Bar & Grill.
Kitch Penn organized a Junkanoo to complete the event activities.
The new Fire & Ice restaurant was successfully opened on Saturday. Special on the menu are the daily signature North Caicos pig roast and clam bake.
We hope to see many community members regularly for dinner according to the Management.
LIME JOINS ANTI-CORRUPTION GROUP
Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), the parent company of LIME, has joined Transparency International’s (TI) Business Integrity Forum, a group of companies committed to ensuring that their operations and business dealings are corruption free.
TI was established in 1993 to monitor and publicise political and business corruption. It now has representation in 100 countries.
The Business Integrity Forum is a group of over 30 leading companies. Member companies must pass a due diligence procedure which ensures that their overall ethos and policies are consistent with TI’s approach and values.
Members commit to uphold the following principles:
• Operating to high standards of integrity and transparency
• Having, or putting into place within a stated period, a detailed anti-bribery & corruption policy
• Commitment to implementing the anti-bribery & corruption policy throughout their operations, and having, or putting into place, a monitoring and evaluation process to ensure effective compliance with the company’s policy
CWC’s Code of Conduct and Anti-bribery policies are regularly reviewed and updated by its Board and are published on the company’s web site.
Dr Robert Barrington, Executive Director, Transparency International UK, said:
“By joining the Business Integrity Forum CWC is demonstrating that it has a serious commitment to act in an ethical manner in all of its markets. Corruption damages economies, the free market and the fabric of society; it is a major factor in perpetuating poverty and creating unfair competition for clean companies. We are delighted to welcome CWC into our Business Integrity Forum, a coalition of companies that are willing to help us in the fight against corruption.”
Tony Rice, Chief Executive of Cable & Wireless Communications said:
“We are pleased to become a partner of Transparency International as we share the organisation’s views about corrupt and unethical business practices. We are committed to operating fairly and with integrity in all our markets and believe that corruption and bribery hurt economies, by deterring inward investment, and impact our customers, by increasing business costs.”
CWC is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index, and in Panama is an active member of the UN Global Compact (renamed locally as Surmase).
Government wants to promote local and manufacturing in the TCI
A recently convened meeting of senior Government Officials from the Office of the Premier, Ministry of Finance and other Government Departments with local manufacturing stakeholders has been lauded as a significant step forward in deepening partnerships, in relation to the development of a National Manufacturing Policy which would guide and promote the further development of the sector in the Turk and Caicos Islands. The meeting which was held at the Disaster Conference room in Providenciales, on the October 31, provided an opportunity to reconnect with the local manufacturing stakeholders and establish clear communication channels with the industry for information sharing.
The engagement was attended by representatives from a diverse group of manufacturers, ranging from persons in the food and beverage sector to steel-framing and manufacturing. The broad aim of the Meeting was to provide for an exchange of views on how partnerships between the Government and Stakeholders could be deepened, not only in the development of a Manufacturing Policy to guide and promote the development of the sector, but more importantly to forge a long term partnership to promote the development and growth of local manufacturing companies to effectively compete with imported goods in terms of quality and quantity, to the point where surplus local manufactured products can be exported and made available throughout the region and possibly the US and the EU.
The meeting attendees received presentations from key Government Departments (Commissioner of Labour, Customs Concession Officer, Director of Environmental Health, and Director of Investment) highlighting current and potential policies and legislations which should be considered in developing a manufacturing Policy. The meeting was held against the backdrop of efforts by the Turks and Caicos Government to attract inward investment, seriously l0ok at the issue of Food Security and to ensure that local manufacturers scale up collaboration with the Government to confront the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities associated with the economic revitalization of the islands.
During the Meeting, industry stakeholders placed strong emphasis on some common priority areas, for which policy guideline is required. These include the need to create the ambient policy environment to strengthen the productive and competitive capacity of local manufacturers. The discussions underscored the need for local manufacturers to formalize themselves as a unified legal body, possibly in the formation of a Manufacturer’s Association as a tool for further and continued dialogue with TCIG.
The Premier, Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing commented, “the Manufacturing Policy will not only form the basis for the establishment of a manufacturing industry to diversify the economy in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but it will also form the framework that will allow us to eventually meet our long term goal of becoming a formidable industry as we aim to raise the regional competitiveness of the country. The development of a manufacturing industry will also have immediate positive impacts on the economy in the provision of jobs, there would be more security in the availability and provisioning of food for the country and it will strengthen one of our weaker revenue streams, that is, revenue from exports. A successfully implemented and managed Manufacturing Policy will ensure that the dynamics of our economic activity would eventually shift from being consumer and importer based to that of a producer and exporter.”
The Meeting also emphasized the importance of support in the areas of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, need for clear and concise manufacturing standards. Participants also placed particular emphasis on the issue relating to the practice of “dumping” of inferior and expired shelf-life products into these islands by exporters from the US, Latin America and other regional countries.
Pope Francis named Time Magazine's Person of the Year
Pope Francis has been named Person of the Year by Time magazine.
During his nine months in office, the Pope had pulled "the papacy out of the palace and into the streets", managing editor Nancy Gibbs said.
"Rarely has a new player on the world stage captured so much attention so quickly - young and old, faithful and cynical," she added.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was runner-up.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the then cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires, was made Pope last March. He named himself Francis after a 12th Century Italian saint who turned his back on an aristocratic lifestyle to work with the poor.
Since then, he has eschewed some of the more regal trappings of high office, made headlines by washing the feet of prisoners, and is planning some major reforms to the Church.
"In his nine months in office, he has placed himself at the very centre of the central conversations of our time: about wealth and poverty, fairness and justice, transparency, modernity, globalisation, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the temptations of power," Ms Gibbs wrote.
Obama-Castro Handshake Draws Attention at Mandela Tribute
Tuesday's memorial service for Nelson Mandela generated some informal diplomacy and political controversy, alongside the praise for the late South African president.
In a moment caught by television cameras, U.S. President Barack Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro as he walked to the podium.
The handshake was notable because the United States and Cuba have not had diplomatic relations since 1961, at the height of the Cold War, and the U.S. maintains a trade embargo on Cuba. Relations have begun to thaw in recent years.
U.S. officials say the handshake was not pre-planned. But they say the two leaders did not have a substantive discussion, they only exchanged greetings. White House aides say the United States still has "grave concerns" about Cuba's human rights situation.
Mr. Obama also exchanged greetings with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, but U.S. officials say Mr. Obama did not see the memorial service as a "venue to do business."
The two leaders have been debating the possibility of a continued U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw in 2014.
The United States says Mr. Karzai must sign the pact by the end of this year or there will be no choice but to withdraw all American troops after 2014.
Mr. Obama is popular in South Africa, and thousands of people in the stadium cheered when his image appeared on the giant screen overlooking the field.
In contrast, South African President Jacob Zuma was booed each time his image was shown on the screen. Many South Africans have been angered by recent accusations that Mr. Zuma spent close to $25 million in taxpayer money to renovate his private home.
In all, more than 70 heads of state attended the ceremony, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and India's President Pranab Mukherjee.
Japan to Beef Up Military in Response to China: Panel
Japan will set up a new amphibious military unit and deploy surveillance drones as part of its new defense plan in response to China's growing military power.
The proposals were included in drafts of new security strategy and defense guidelines released Wednesday. They are set to be approved by the Cabinet next week.
Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said the new plans will be "historic" in helping shape the country's national security direction.
"As the security environment surrounding our country is increasingly getting severe, the Abe cabinet has been working on restructuring defense and security policy with our determination to protect the lives and property of people of Japan under any circumstances. At its core, I am certain that the National Security Strategy which we studied with you and new defense guidelines will be historical documents which will shape the direction of our nation's defense and security."
The drafts warn of what is called China's attempts to change the regional status quo by force. They specifically mention Beijing's new air defense zone in the East China Sea, which includes islands also claimed by Japan.
To help defend the area, the plan calls for the creation of amphibious forces at Naha Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa. It also proposes introducing surveillance drones and early-warning aircraft at the base.
The defense strategy says Japan should respond "calmly and resolutely to the rapid expansion and step-up of China's maritime and air activities."
Responding to the Japanese defense plans at a daily briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei called the accusations "unreasonable."
"China is closely watching Japan's security strategy and policy direction. Japan's unreasonable criticism of China's normal maritime and air activities and hyping up of a China threat have hidden political motives. We urge Japan to pay attention to Asian neighbors' security concerns, comply with the historical trend, follow the path of peaceful development, and make due efforts to improve relations between the two countries and maintain regional stability.''
The Japanese defense plans also spoke of worsening regional security. In such an environment, the texts said Japan should strengthen its own military capabilities, while continuing to deepen its alliance with the United States and others. It also proposes relaxing a ban on the export, development and production of Japanese weapons.
Since taking power last year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to strengthen Japan's military, boost its global security role, and seek to revise its pacifist constitution.
Source-Voice of America
Burma Frees 44 Political Prisoners
Burma has released 44 political prisoners, in the latest step towards fulfilling President Thein Sein's promise to free all political detainees by the end of the year.
Even after the amnesty Wednesday, activists say at least 40 political prisoners remain jailed in Burma, which is trying to recover from decades of military dictatorship.
Initial reports said some of those freed were only recently detained under a new protest law rights groups have described as oppressive. Others were said to be connected to Burma's decades-old ethnic conflicts
Hundreds of political prisoners have been freed in a wave of amnesties ordered by Burma's reformist, but still military-dominated, government. Many of the releases have come during or just before key international moments.
Wednesday's release was no different, coming as foreign dignitaries gathered in Burma for the Southeast Asian Games.
During a visit to London in July, President Thein Sein promised to free all political prisoners by the end of the year. Critics have called for him to act immediately, saying the dissidents should not be used to win concessions from the West.
Some rights groups also fear he may soon have more prisoners to allegedly use as bargaining chips.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says that in addition to those political detainees in prison, another 230 people face charges over their political activities.
The arbitrary jailing of political opponents was a hallmark of Burma's military rulers, which ruled for five decades until 2011.
In addition to the prisoner releases, Burma's new government has relaxed media censorship and allowed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to successfully run for parliament.
The reforms have won praise from Western Governments, many of which have loosened economic sanctions against the Southeast Asian country.
Ukraine PM Requests $27 Billion in Aid for EU Deal
Security forces are pulling back from crowds of protesters around a central square in Ukraine's capital after a night of clashes between police and pro-European Union demonstrators.
Scuffles between the two groups took place early Wednesday in Kyiv's city hall, as police wielding batons tried to drive protesters out of the building.
Reports say the protesters fought back by spraying water from fire hoses at the security forces. Police buses were later reported to be leaving the area.
Hours earlier, security agents stormed a protest encampment in the square and ripped down a tent city erected by the demonstrators.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement expressing "disgust" with the actions of Ukrainian authorities for introducing bulldozers and riot police to the scene, rather than exercising, in the words of Secretary of State John Kerry, "respect for democratic rights and human dignity."
Kerry said that "respect for democratic principles, including freedom of assembly" is fundamental to the United States' approach to Ukraine. He said these values are universal, not just American. He called for "utmost restraint" and said human life must be protected.
The protests began in late November, after the Ukrainian president backed away from a long-anticipated trade deal with the European Union, in favor of repairing and improving economic and political ties with Russia.
On Wednesday Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Ukraine is requesting $27.5 billion in financial assistance from the European Union before it signs an association agreement with the 28-nation bloc.
Mr. Azarov said Ukraine is inviting the European Commission to consider under what conditions Ukraine's industry and economy will work.