A secret cable released by Wikileaks has disclosed that the United States Embassy in The Bahamas had expressed the view in 2009 that The Bahamas was not seriously interested in forming a federation with the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The cable was reportedly dated September 3, 2009 and classified by Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Nassau Timothy Zuniga-Brown. It was
published by the British newspaper the Guardian on Tuesday.
In late August 2009, during a visit to The Bahamas, former TCI Premier Michael Misick suggested that a federation be formed, following his
resignation as premier in the light of allegations of corruption.
The United Kingdom assumed direct rule of the TCI in August 2009 as a result of widespread allegations of corruption by Misick and members of
his administration.
In response to the federation idea, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said on September 1 that he would be happy to discuss a federation. However, he
added, that could only be done, once the constitutional crisis in TCI was over.
Such talks, Ingraham said, would need to be driven by the peoples of the respective countries.
Former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell was cited in The Tribune on September 2, 2009, as stating that
The Bahamas and TCI joining was a “fascinating idea worth exploring.” But he too said the constitutional crisis would need to be resolved before the
idea could be pursued further.
The US Embassy in Nassau regarded the statements by representatives of both political parties as not serious.
The GCOB (Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas) and opposition statements on federation are rhetoric, designed to placate a historical
neighbor during uncertain times, said the wiki-leaks cable.
Mitchell was careful to note that the times in which the two countries were united, most recently from 1965 to 1973, were not entirely happy.
If the UK is able to quickly stabilize conditions in the country and restore government confidence, little is likely to materialize from the
federation suggestion. However, if economic conditions worsen, there could be increased calls for The Bahamas to take action; calls The Bahamas is
unlikely to heed, he said.
Mitchell was referenced in a second wiki-leaks cable dated June 3, 2009. Zuniga-Brown’s name is attached at the end of the cable, which describes a
fractured TCI political class in response to the intervention by the UK.
The point on the fractured nature of TCI’s political leadership was reinforced by former Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell. Mitchell,
shadow foreign affairs leader for the Bahamian opposition party, recently led a delegation to TCI that wanted to explore ways to rally CARICOM
against London resuming direct rule, said the cable.
According to the wiki-leaks cable, Mitchell told the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Nassau that they found surprising ambivalence among TCI
government officials and that the opposition PDM refused even to meet with the Bahamian delegation. This explained the lack of serious
Caribbean-wide efforts, at least for now, against the resumption of direct UK rule, Mitchell said.
