Submission from Mr Lee Ingham
First, let me thank you and the persons associated
with this inquiry for extending the time for submission of concerns
relative to the Overseas Territories, but specifically as it relates
to the Turks & Caicos Islands.
I am a native Turks & Caicos Islander who
currently resides in the United States, but make frequent visits
back to my islands-home. Invariably, when I visit, regardless
of the government in office, I am bombarded with complaints and
concerns about the direction in which the country is headed. I
must say that in most cases, the complaints are partisan; however,
I listen, offer my opinion, and make it known that I am a native
Turks & Caicos Islander, but not a partisan. I have friends
and family members in both camps, and in my opinion, with a few
exceptions, members of both the PNP and PDM, when they are in
the government, seem to use their positions for self-aggrandizement
and control their offices as little fiefdoms to dole out the country's
largesse to their loyal followers and humble serfs. The one constant
conclusion that reach from most of my discussions is this: the
politics of fear so pervades the country that people are afraid
to speak in certain group settings, the newspapers do not engage
in any sort of investigative journalism and those who do attempt
to shed light on some of the illegal, immoral activities of those
in power, are ostracized and/or marginalized. I fear for the future
of my native country if the current trend continues.
The three areas that concern me most about what
is currently transpiring in the Turks & Caicos Islands are:
(1) immigration; (2) education and (3) corruption and the acquiescence
or complicity of those who are in positions to oppose or criticize
decisions of the government.
As you know, the native population of the Turks
& Caicos Islands is rather small. So, understandably, there
is a need for importing people for the labor force if the country
is to continue its rapid development. However, it seems that the
importation of workers is controlled in such a way by those in
power, that they are the beneficiaries at the expense of the natives.
For example, I have heard it said that "locals don't want
to work". I believe that to be false. A truer statement might
be: "locals don't want to work for the low wages that are
being offered". I believe that the local people will work—that
is the work ethic that I grew up in the Islands—if the government
would ensure decent wages for the workers and not allow immigrant
workers to be exploited for the greater profit of themselves and
their compliant investors. If this problem is not addressed in
a serious manner, soon the country will be dominated by ex-patriots
and/or there will be a serious conflagration between the native
workers and the displaced local people who perceive the immigrant
workers as their rivals. The immigration problem has to be controlled
to prevent this from happening. I have written an article suggesting
an independent commission to study the issue, but I am sure that
it was not taken seriously by those in authority. In that article,
I pointed to the fact that there is a plethora of native professional
people living in the US, the Bahamas and other countries with
expertise and experience in most areas that could be beneficial
to the country. These people, if they are willing, should be recruited
and invited, by the government, to come and take part in the development
of their native country. I do believe that many would accept the
opportunity and the challenge.
The educational system, as I see it, is worse
now than it was when I was a student in the country almost a half
century ago. There appears to be no educational plan. Too many
teachers are being imported and, (even though the following statement
might be too general), do not have the interest of the students
at heart. They have jobs!! I have been in higher education in
the US for over 30 years and have made efforts to assist where
deemed most appropriate, but because those in positions of authority
lack the knowledge, experience and/or qualifications to be in
those positions, the result has been indecision, nepotism and
a steady decline in the educational system. As I see it, students
are ill-prepared for work beyond the secondary school level; but
generous scholarships are given for educational pursuits, mostly
in the US, based on political affiliation. There have been numerous
accounts of students who come to the US for educational purposes,
with government scholarships, but use the funds for their personal
use, and, in some cases, are deported from the US for illegal
activities. I believe that knowledge of US institutions of higher
learning is lacking by the students who come here and, perhaps,
most importantly, by those who are in position to grant the scholarships.
What is even more troubling is the fact that many of these students,
even though they are given government scholarships, do not return
to the country to help in its development, and when some of them
do return, there is no system to accommodate their return and
placement in the work-force. I do believe that the appointment
of the current Minister of Education will bring about some changes,
but I fear that because he was appointed, he might not be allowed
to bring about the necessary changes that will improve the system
for the benefit of the country.
I believe that it was Lord Acton who is believed
to have said: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely".
Given the rapid economic development that is taking place in the
Turks & Caicos Islands and the dictatorial approach to governing
that currently exists, "absolute corruption" might be
closer than we think. It appears that any and every investment
in the country is gotten as a result of kick-back to a government
minister or his/her immediate family. It is true that the country
is experiencing economic growth, but it is too obvious that the
government ministers and their close supporters and their immediate
relations are accumulating great wealth as a consequence of their
being in their positions. If you consider the wealth of these
people pre-control of the government, while and post-control of
the government, the discrepancy becomes too obvious. There may
be other explanations for the accumulation of wealth by the government
officials, but I seriously believe that government funds are being
used as personal bank accounts.
I make my comments freely, voluntarily and you
have my permission to use my comments as you see fit.
14 December 2007
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