JULY 19TH, 2019 – JULY 26TH, 2019
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VOLUME 15 - NO. 28
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NEW GOVERNOR PROMISES TO ‘CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE’ by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
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ewly-appointed Governor His Excellency Nigel Dakin has promised to “care about the people and the future” of the Turks and Caicos Islands, stressing that his early focus will be on properly understanding issues relating to crime and illegal immigration. “I therefore promise to ‘care’ about the people and the future of these islands, an easy promise to make, and an easy promise to keep, because both myself and my family have cared about the future of this region for a very long time,” the 56-year-old military veteran and career diplomat said on July 15th, 2019 during his swearing-in ceremony at the House of Assembly in Grand Turk. “You will find I will take my responsibility to represent the interests of the Turks and Caicos Islands seriously and diligently.... So I promise to seek to understand the collective wisdom of these islands by listening to as many people as I can – from as many different walks of life as I can; I promise to ‘listen’.... in the end - judge me as you see it - is that you will find me ‘clear’ and by being clear you fill find me ‘straight’. To ‘care’, to ‘listen’ to ‘serve’ and to be ‘straight’ seem to me four good words, four good anchors, to be held accountable to. In the end this is going to be a Governorship based on values. Whether I ‘care’, ‘listen’, ‘serve’ and whether I’m ‘straight’ will best be judged by my actions rather than my words.” Two days after he was sown in, Dakin was photographed mingling with residents of Dook Yard, in Kew Town, Providenciales, which is mostly populated by legal and illegal Haitians. The visit sparked heated discussion on social media, with some persons accusing the Governor of showing preference for the interests of Haitians over Turks and Caicos Islanders. The SUN was reliably informed that Governor Dakin was taken on patrol of areas in Kew Town and Five Cays by members of the Police Force after he had a scheduled meeting with them on Wednesday, July 17th. Following the criticism, Governor Dakin explained and defended his visit to Dook Yard and Five Cays in an Instagram post. He stated: “If there’s an issue go to it don’t have it described to you”. So that’s what I did today, visiting the Haitian communities in Dockyard and Five Keys.
His Excellency Nigel Dakin sworn in as Governor of TCI The Turks and Caicos Islands officially sworn in the 15th Governor to the territory, His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin. The Governor was sworn in by Her Ladyship the Chief Justice Margaret RamsayJust about the most complex issue in my in-tray is illegal immigration and I know - not least because national leaders of political parties have told me - how important this is to the people of TCI. It’s part of a global trend, not only impacting TCI but TCI is particularly vulnerable. Intercepting sloops requires clever use of information and physical bravery on behalf of the police but - thanks to them - and the immigration service - this is a relatively straightforward and well rehearsed part of the answer to a complex set of problems.” He added: “The others impact on almost every aspect of how a society runs: schools, health, child-protection, ‘accidental’ citizenship, property ownership, voting rights, demands for cheap
Hale at the House of Assembly in Grand Turk on Monday, July 15th. Pictured is Her Ladyship the Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale, His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin, Speaker of the House
Hon. Dwayne S. Taylor, Clerk Mrs. Tracey Parker, Deputy Clerk Mrs. Lydia R. Butterfield and Sergeant at Arms: Mr. Anthony Cumberbatch. (See page 22 & 23 for more photographs).
labour and those willing to provide cheap labour; how a society has to strive to be both humane but also protect its borders in a way that allows it to be comfortable with all those that call it home and live there lawfully. On day three, do I have the TCI answer to this global trend: ‘no’. But I’m quite certain the answer doesn’t lie in considering the problem from inside my office.” Dakin, who is married to a Barbadian (Amanda) and who said he has been in the Caribbean every year for the last 35 years and visited many of the islands in the region, said he “may be a True Brit, but I’m a Brit who cares deeply about the UK’s relationship with the Caribbean, and the Caribbean’s relationship with the UK”. Governor Nigel Dakin chatting with a youngster while on a tour Continued on page 2 with police
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