THE END OF SHANTY TOWNS

The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) established last year to tackle a myriad of issues relating to the proliferation of shanty towns in the Turks and Caicos Islands, will soon be fully operational and aims to return the TCI to its former glory.

During the opening of its office on Tuesday, July 25, at Unit 20-22 Laporte's Plaza, Academy Way, Downtown Providenciales, the stakeholders involved explained that the unit would work to rid the country of shanty towns in an effort to make communities throughout the islands safe again.

Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam said: "This unit being set up is a very welcome approach, but I think it also is a fundamental foundation in tackling this and providing appropriate safeguards and protections. It demonstrates the whole system's approach in recognising the issues, it is not just about tackling the hazardous building, the social, the environmental, the economic but also the wider implications..." What are your thoughts?

Correct

She's correct. If our government works to remove policies that degrade the country and add policies that upgrade it, we will soon see the difference. It seems obvious, but this government is the first to notice that.

Wishful thinking

It is a mighty and pious aspiration to seek to return the Turks & Caicos Islands “to its former glory”. Sadly, those halcyon days are gone. The TCI has been invaded by the needs and absolute desire to survive of the Haitian illegal migrant community.

Her Majesty’s government and a series of TCI governments were complicit in this and by awarding illegals the right to live in the TCI. The shacks, shanty towns, and ghettos that erupted in the wake of the population migrant wave lingered even though they were being given papers and “rights to citizenship”.

Over the last fifty years in TCI, ghettos just sprung up around the country and elected governments refused to do anything about it.

It seems as if they just wanted to win elections, earn huge salaries, and take bribes but never had any serious intent to represent the people. Why take office if that is the reason? Not doing anything is defensible because they always get elected. Various ministers of works, and ministers of planning sat idly by and on their hands while they witnessed the rush to build shacks and ghettos in the TCI. The mere fact that in 2023 they are establishing an Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) to tackle the myriad of issues is a stinging rebuke to the political system in the TCI. It is not fit for purpose. Somehow internal groupings, urged by the UK Government must be made to get the locally elected government to do the things they were elected to do and fully possessed of the powers to do. This ISU 50 years after the fact of illegal migrant housing confirms that TCI governments were asleep.

Are they serious?

Ministers should be asked what is the meaning of the phrase ISU? It could not be termed Informal Settlements Unit because a more appropriate reference must be, “Is you serious”. You all have sat around, on your hands, ignoring the situation, seeing the development of ghettos in your country and remaining silent as lambs.

Either ministers do not know their powers, do not know what to do with those powers, or as the public is sadly becoming aware, they really do not care one iota about this country except their salaries.

TCI ministers are never really tested because they are related to persons all across the political divide and the electorate will not countenance anyone, calling out their cousin, brother, or distant relative.

So, they feel free to take office, betray the trust of the people, misapprehend their mandate and simply travel for that per diem. Elected ministers since the start of the ministerial system were the only ones with legislative, political and real power to do something with the shanty towns in the TCI. No governor, deputy governor, or permanent secretary ever had those policing powers to make that difference. They however elected to “Do Absolutely Nothing”. Now the TCI is a country of extreme Wealth, gilded and surrounded by huge gaps of ghettos and poverty. Rest assured they will go into the next election to campaign that they have done something about an issue which, but for their indolence, was created while they presided over it.

Funny and sad at the same time

Unit being set up to deal with illegal migrants and ghettos -what a lark. Where is the Unit designed to empower the native-born Turks & Caicos Islander in his country?

While all of this is happening, ministers are free to sit around and play games. Where is the unit, the fund or the money set aside to empower Turks & Caicos Islanders?

Not the Small Business, MSME programme at Investtci. It is time to get serious about the issues that affect TCI people and their welfare. The need for the ISU exposes deep gaps in concern and proper public in the TCI. It seems that the entire political system is on trial in the TCI and people are asking why do we need to vote. Evidence is seen in the numbers at the last election, 2021. Given the sentiment on the “street”. It is time ministers take the TCI and its people seriously. This enterprise of trading in shacks is not one of those ‘serious moments”. The fact is that TCI allowed itself to be invaded by illegal migrants. Ministers were aware that there were marriages of convenience but did little and nothing to police those social infractions. They now “reap the wind” and it is paying dividends to a dysfunctional community.

Better late than never

As bad as things are now—they can get so much worst.

There is no denying that the governments of the TCI have been asleep at the wheel. That is a discussion for another time. We need to start this process; we need our country back.