Premier, Hon. Charles Washington Misick and Opposition Leader Hon. Edwin Astwood will head a bipartisan delegation of Turks and Caicos Islands’ leaders to further talks with a Delegation of senior British officials at Waterloo, Grand Turk from Monday, October 16, 2023, through Thursday, October 19, 2023.
The Government and the Opposition politicians will present a united front in talks with senior British officials from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office over proposed changes to the Turks and Caicos Islands’ constitution designed to protect the island’s right to make its own decisions on domestic matters and recognize the modern relationship between the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United Kingdom. The proposal document comprises the most significant set of changes to the Constitution since it was implemented twelve years ago.
Premier Misick and his cross-party delegation hope to achieve some significant amendments that will have an impact, among them:
The renaming of the House of Assembly to Parliament, so members of the House of Assembly would become MPs. The creation of parliamentary secretaries which would perform the role of junior ministers. The removal of the UK’s power to disallow bills passed by the House of Assembly.
Clear consultation, notification, and discussion processes between the British government and the Turks and Caicos Islands government, especially if the UK is going to implement laws for the territory. It also spells out the areas that the governor is directly responsible for and the devolved subjects where he has no day-to-day jurisdiction. Removal of the power of the Governor to regulate international financial services.
Another major proposal is the formation of an independent Police Service Commission, which will be chaired by the Governor. The other five members, who cannot be sitting MPs, must have relevant experience in law enforcement, criminal law, or national security. Two of them are to be nominated by the Premier and one by the Leader of the Opposition. The other two members will be appointed by the Governor in consultation with the Premier and Leader of the Opposition.
The Commission will have the power to hire and fire senior officers in the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, including the Commissioner, and to exercise disciplinary control, which will also need to be approved by the National Security Council.
The return of the role of Cabinet Secretary to better manage the flow and implementation of Cabinet decisions is another key proposal.
