TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – Statement by the leader of Turks and Caicos Progressive National Party given at a joint press Conference with the leader of The People’s Democratic Movement:
In the course of human events, there comes a time when political foes must come together and put aside partisan political differences to fight for the common good. This is one of these times.
And so, today marks the first time in the history of Turks and Caicos Islands that the Leaders of both political parties have appeared in a joint press conference and indeed only the second time in our history that we have agreed to join forces to face and indeed fight the issues facing our country.
Many persons have asked why now? The challenges that we face are grave and could have grave consequences for us all, if we do not unite, and so, my answer to that question is simply, if not now when? And, if not us who?
You see, for too long we have set back and allowed certain things to take place in our country that seeks to undermine our people, our process and our traditions and so we unite to march against the evils that face our country, and I would invite all Turks and Caicos Islanders and those who care about our land to join in and to be a part of this GREAT UNITY MARCH on Monday, March 8.
We must march to show our support not for the PDM or for the PNP but for the Turks and Caicos Islands, because we need to send the message loudly and clearly both far and near that the people of these Turks and Caicos Islands are UNITED and are fed up with how we are being treated, mistreated and marginalized in our home land.
We must march because the world must know that Gordon Wetherill does not have the support of the majority of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Indeed we must tell them that the people of these Turks and Caicos Islands DEMAND an immediate return to democracy and self rule.
We must march because the world must know that we do not support the enlargement of the franchise in our country. For it is our view that any expanding of the franchise only serves to further marginalize our people, taking away the political power that we have, leaving us without the economic power (which we never had) and indeed the political power too.
We must march and the world must know and understand that we do not support foreign people coming into our country and dictating to us what our Constitution should be like. What should be included in and excluded from our Constitution. We need the world to know that we demand to be a part of that process. Our people must sit on any team reviewing our Constitution. We do not trust others to do our people justice.
We must march because the world must know that we demand that no foreign person should dictate to us as a people who we allow to become Belongers and Residents of our land. This is our land and we must protect it how best we can.
We must march because we must tell the world that any new Constitution enacted should not take away any of the gains and autonomy which we have achieved over the last many years of struggle and indeed should not leave us worse off than the last Constitution we had.
We must march to show the world that we the people of these Turks and Caicos Islands demand a full referendum of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands before any changes to our Constitution is made, for it is the only way to fully know and understand what the SETTLED WILL of the People of these Turks and Caicos Islands are.
We must march to show the world and the criminal element within our community that we as a people stand against crime.
We must march to show the world that we will not stand idly by watching others go to work day in and day out while our people are unable to find work in the private sector while at the same time this regime plan on laying off even more of our people in the public sector.
We must march to say that we do not support this regime dabbling into our pension fund, raiding national insurance to advance their agenda to marginalize our people.
We must march to say to the world and the lending institutions involved that any financing arrangement must be fully laid out and discussed in open by our people before we can accept the burden of repaying same.
We must march because we are against taxation without representation. We must say to the world that we are against the imposition of new taxes on the heads of our people in these already tough economic times. We must demand that the powers that be not destroy our people with the burden of these taxes and loans without their consent. None of us voted for any person in this regime and so none of them in this regime has the authority or the legitimacy to burden our people like this.
These are just a few of the reasons that we march. I am confident in this effort, that unity is strength and that there is strength in numbers. You may disagree with any of these reasons for which we are marching but I am confident that no person can disagree with all of them.
And so on behalf of the Progressive National Party, I invite all of our people from Hawks Nest to North West Point to come out on Monday and march with us in unity for the future of our country and all of our people.
Together we must stop this madness in our country for either we will fight this together or we will be slaughtered separately.
Thank you, and May the God of our forefathers bless our Turks and Caicos Islands today and as we March on UNITY DAY.
