Mr. Speaker, I rise to give this honourable house a statement on the Ministry of Home Affairs, Public Utilities and Transportation, where I am humbled by the awesome opportunity to serve as Minister.
Mr. Speaker, the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King noted, “there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” These words, Mr. Speaker, could never be more relevant than today as I recall my recent visit to Her Majesty’s Prison here in Grand Turk.
Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank the amazing Superintendent and staff of the Prison for the incredible work that they do on a daily basis to maintain stability and control of the prison, and for their care for the inmates. I wish to also acknowledge His Excellency the Governor, the Premier, the Deputy Speaker and my ministerial colleagues for their support and interest shown in the prison. But Mr. Speaker, having visited the prison twice now, I must also commend the prisoners themselves, for the efforts that they too are making to help ensure that the institution is a safe and calm environment, which would allow for the eventual and successful rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders.
I am aware Mr. Speaker, that the prison has recently emerged from a period of grave instability, and it is certainly now in a much better place, but Mr. Speaker, this sense of stability remains fragile, not least of all because of the very nature of the business, but also due to the absolutely critical need for the immediate rehabilitation of the facilities, and the urgent improvement to the state of living of those we have responsibility and care for.
Mr. Speaker, I am constantly reminded by the Superintendent of the words of the late Honourable Nelson Mandela, who stated that “no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” Mr. Speaker, based on that rule, and the deplorable state of HMP, we would certainly be judged very harshly as a nation. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, words such as inhumane, cruel and unjust are just some of the labels that would come to mind, and we would be known as a nation that has no heart for the most vulnerable of our citizens. And, Mr. Speaker, while there are those amongst us who would deem this a fitting environment for offenders and those who would seek to terrorize our communities, we must forever be reminded that, these are very own sons and daughters, our siblings, our nieces and our nephews Mr. Speaker, and while we support a system of justice for their actions, we should want that to be in an environment that promotes and supports the opportunities for their full rehabilitation and reform, because the fact is, Mr. Speaker, prisoners will one day re-enter society and when they do, they become our neighbors, our in-laws and our colleagues, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they have the greatest potential for success once they have resettled. Mr. Speaker, this is only possible if we do what is right, and we must do it, if for no other reason than the fact that prisoners too are human beings and should be treated as such.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, my ministry is immediately seeking to bid in the upcoming budget for the redevelopment of HMP infrastructure to address the collapsing buildings, the dysfunctional sewers and the condemned water cisterns and facilities. With these improvements to the structural security, the management of HMP can fully focus on the rehabilitation and reform programs that are critically needed. These programs, Mr. Speaker, would foster, cement and support a spirit of hope in prisoners and the desire to be better, more productive citizens in our communities. This is possible, Mr. Speaker, and I am confident that two years from now this institution will be an effective institution for reform and change.
Mr. Speaker, I wish that I could stand here today and say to this honourable House that the prison is the only challenge facing my ministry, but sadly Mr. Speaker, that is far from the reality on the ground. Having met with my team at the Ministry, and the Heads of Departments, it is blaringly obvious that the departments are suffering from a consistent lack of investment over the years, and while some might argue that they did not fall within successive governments’ priorities, based on what we faced as a nation over the years, I would argue Mr. Speaker, that this Ministry is the critical and essential network of any safe, functional and productive society, and unlike the other sporadic distractions and crisis that rise and fall over time, which often demand the greatest focus of governments, critical services such as Domestic Fire Service, Water, Energy and Utilities, Postal Services, Communications including radio, Road Safety, the Government’s publishers and supplies stores form the infrastructural support systems that should never be neglected and ignored, due to the profound risk doing so presents to our communities and the very lives of our citizens.
Mr. Speaker, I pause here to recognize the hardworking men and women of this ministry who, despite all, have continued to push forward and work with what they have, while continuously fighting for a better way of working and for the necessary investment to improve their efficiency and the satisfaction of their customers. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, it is apparent that their cries were either falling on deaf ears, or they were being heard but unheeded, I don’t know which it is, but whatever the case, little to nothing has been done in support of this ministry in the past and as a result we are now faced with the following Mr. Speaker:
Two corroded and severely damaged fire engines that have been deemed unfit for operation when carrying a load of 500 gallons.
No fire halls, neither in the nation’s capital of Grand Turk, nor in the nation’s economic capital, Providenciales, which leaves our equipment in the exposure of the elements, and our officers displaced and challenged in their response times in fire-fighting.
An inefficient, incomplete and fragile water network, which leaves many unconnected to our water mains, and those connected with lower performance standards and an expensive operation for the generation of water.
Obsolete and outdated printing equipment in the Government Publishing Department which limits the true potential of the unit which could otherwise be developed to offer a full suite of printing services.
Insecure and exposed postal services which can be a target for the disingenuous amongst us, and thereby opening us up to unimaginable national security risks.
Unstable and limited radio communication services throughout the islands and the inability to respond to technical issues and outages, and to offer an additional suite of services.
Inefficient and cumbersome delivery of services for motor vehicle operations, which continues to frustrate our customers and staff alike.
Mr. Speaker, these are just some of the challenges. These are coupled with the insufficient human and operational resources such as specialized staff, vehicles and information systems and databases that would allow a more effective and timely delivery of our services.
However, Mr. Speaker, while these are indeed some of our greater challenges, my team and I, we, see them as opportunities and ways in which we can improve our departments and our offerings to the public, and towards this end, Mr. Speaker, we are looking forward to the opportunity to have some, if not all, of these initiatives addressed and funded under this great government.
Rest assured, Mr. Speaker, we are not blind to the fact that there is extreme pressure on the financial resources of the government and the competing priorities of our government, but we remain persuaded by our conviction that, as a government, we must ensure that these critical departments of this ministry and our communities remain operationally safe, sound and effective in the delivery of our services.
Despite all Mr. Speaker, there remains some positive movements by my ministry, some of which I would like to highlight:
Postal Service
The introduction of a barcode system for the creation of labels and the trackability of mailbags
The introduction of a stamps contract
The work towards the introduction of a Global Track and Trace (GTT) system
Radio Turks and Caicos
Preparation for IP Broadcast
Water Undertaking
Commissioning of a million-gallon water storage tank for Grand Turk
The repair of critical facilities in Salt Cay
The implementation of a customer billing system
Energy and Utilities
Review of, and proposed, modernization of the Electricity Ordinance to allow for renewable energy generation which will be advancing to the House in coming weeks
Finalization of the TCI Energy Policy
Preparation of the TCI Energy Community Outreach and Communication Strategy
Consultation on the establishment of a Multi-Sector Public Utilities Authority – The reports from which will be presented to Cabinet in coming weeks
And many more
Mr. Speaker, as mentioned, we continue to press on with the work, and in the next twelve months our focus will particularly be aimed at accomplishing the following:
Implementation of a new database for the Road Safety department to enable real-time sharing of data relevant to stakeholder departments such as the Police Force and Immigration departments.
A review of the telecommunication sector to mitigate the real risk of being completely disconnected from the global society and economy; to better regulate the telecommunications sector; to address convergence in the industry and to introduce new ways of utilizing and integrating technology into our everyday activities.
Improving HMP Services by upgrading the infrastructure (building new blocks, upgrading sanitation, plumbing and electrical systems, install lighting and fencing), training staff to ensure their safety and that of those in their care, as well as delivering rehabilitation programmes to improve self-sufficiency and re-settlement.
Providing the islands of Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Salt Cay with efficient, sustainable and environmentally conscious water service through reverse osmosis.
Providing the islands of the Turks and Caicos Islands with an effective response to emergencies and fire suppression along with engaging in active campaigns for fire prevention education and awareness.
Rebranding of Radio Turks and Caicos and providing all radio listeners throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands with captivating, modernized listening along with informative and educational programmes.
Provide the Public Service with high-quality printing services and Gazette Publications in a timely fashion.
Implementation of laws that will facilitate and encourage greater use of alternative energy and improve regulation of public utilities through the establishment of a multi-sector regulatory agency by March 2022.
Do not be misled Mr. Speaker, these are all tall orders, but as I have said repeatedly, I come for this work…and I have a team that is no stranger to work…and we have a people and a country who deserve only the best that we have to offer. It is on this merit Mr. Speaker, that I stand in commitment to this work being done.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to address this honourable House. May God bless you and the members. May He always bless our people and our beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands.
