His Excellency the Governor Peter Beckingham, is optimistic about the Turks and Caicos Islands, even as he prepares to leave the country next week, upon completion of his gubernatorial responsibilities in the TCI.
“After three happy years in the beautiful country of Turks and Caicos Islands, Jill and I will be leaving with great sadness next week, on 10 October – and with great relief that the islands were, unlike others in the region, untouched by Hurricane Matthew. It hardly seems possible that it was almost three years to the day that we were in the House of Assembly for a memorable swearing-in ceremony.
We both count ourselves privileged to have lived in Turks and Caicos. Everyone, from Ministers and opposition leaders to resort owners and taxi drivers, have welcomed us warmly wherever we have gone, from shopping in Provo to walking in Middle Caicos,” His Excellency said.
The Governor said in his farewell address to the nation that it is important to look forward not back, something which he intends to remind himself of as he begins to work outside the Foreign Office.
“I am optimistic about TCI. Its economy is looking stronger than most in the region, and we have an international brand which is increasingly recognised from New York to London.
It is vital that TCI’s leaders and population preserve its wonderful environment. There is plenty of space for development, and what has happened in South Caicos, for example, in the past three years with a completely new runway under construction and new resorts, is an extraordinary example of TCI’s economic strength,” Governor Beckingham said.
“TCI’s success is based heavily on the fruits of private enterprise, and in the future, as one senior public servant said to me just last week, the civil service needs to continue to raise its game. It’s good that motivation and training is being increasingly recognised, but there are still vulnerabilities, for example in delivery and customer service, where we need to get sharper.
Similarly it is my hope, and that of Ministers in London, that whoever leads the country after the next election will retain and strengthen the open and corruption free government TCI has developed, and a rigorous and resilient economy. Our painstakingly achieved reputation, demonstrated by the fantastic achievement of a Triple B plus rating from one of the world’s largest rating agencies over the last two years, can be dashed quickly. A return to the high spending extravagances of an earlier era could be disastrous,” His Excellency said.
