VIEWS ON THE ROYAL VISIT

Their Royal Highnesses, the Earl and Countess of Wessex were greeted to a typically warm Turks and Caicos Islands welcome on Wednesday last, after landing at the JAGS McCartney International Airport in Grand Turk.

Prince Edward, the youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and his wife Sophie, were welcomed to the Islands by His Excellency Governor Nigel Dakin. During his brief visit, His Royal Highness met with TCI’s leaders, unsung heroes, who have contributed to the development of the islands, including through the administration of sport and youth development.

What are your thoughts on the Royal Visit?

Huge waste of time

Honestly, people could find better things to do with their time, the Royal Visit was a huge waste of time, what did it achieve? Why are we so eager to roll out the red carpet for people who don’t care if we live or die?

The visit mattered

It matters, we don’t want the UK to throw us away. The pandemic and the Haitian crisis both tell us we need a carer who will preserve our local independence.

Waste of taxpayers’ funds

Tax payer’s monies paying for a wealthy family to visit the Turks and Caicos Islands when the said taxpayers’ electricity is off; can’t afford food let alone healthy foods; have to rely on NHIP for healthcare which is disastrous at best; are losing their homes in foreclosures; etc. etc. My thoughts? It was a waste of taxpayers’ monies!!!

A missed opportunity

This “Royal Visit” was filled with more symbolism than substance which is redolent to all Royal Visits. It is interesting that TCI is getting the attention of the Crown.

Usually, when a territory is coming to the attention of the power brokers in London, they send out a Royal to spread the message of ‘good faith’. Being “non-political” entities; Royals are used to convey messages of policy, direction and the overall feeling of goodwill from the Crown. This Royal, one of the “well behaved ones”, however, removed from the line of succession to the throne brings a pleasant greeting. It was an opportunity for Government and Opposition to send a united message as to where they want this country to go.

The TCI is at a crossroads in its direction and ties to London are an issue and on the table is the matter of eventual selfdetermination. Meeting with “TCI’s leaders and unsung heroes, who have contributed to the development of the islands, from sport governing bodies; major donors to sport development and those who have accomplished greatness in sport, such as TCI’s first Olympian Mr Delano Williams, who represented Great Britain in 2016; TCI’s 2022 Commonwealth Games athletes; TCI’s pro boxer; a collegiate ice hockey player and a competitor in NCAA division one basketball in the United States” sends a good message.

By and large, the visit went well. The government, however, missed a vital opportunity to convey to the UK government about where they want to see these islands go. It was one of those rare moments where they could have taken the official opposition into goodwill talks and sent the message. Despite being “apolitical” the British Royal Family retains a lot of quiet power and influence over things political.

A real royal welcome

With Prince Edward staying away from scandal, extra–marital affairs and the things that make modern-day royals “exciting”, it was good that they sent him and not one of the others. Taking a cynical note, it should be arranged that a Royal is sent in monthly.

In that way, there would be a constant rush to clean the Leeward Highway, maintain the roads, get rid of the trash and derelict vehicles etc. It is a sad indictment on a community to see that the only time cleanliness is taken seriously into account is when a Royal comes in. The money was there in the budget all of the time to clean up the Leeward Highway on Provo and the streets of Grand Turk.

What about developing an in-built sense of national pride so that the Islands would be kept clean and well-maintained at all times? The tourism product needs more attention than these “eye-servant” gestures when “Massa” comes. The Islands should not be cleaned only when the Royals come down. They should be maintained and cleaned at all times. This is simply not good enough with the government projecting a revenue projection in excess of $400m at the next budget.

Symbols of unity and hope

Seeing the Prince pass through the JAGS McCartney International Airport should be taken as a unifying moment. This is a time when TCI needs to look within and find symbols of unity to rally behind. McCartney’s legacy and memory are both a unifying and “gathering” symbol. Looking within, TCI needs to find a way to reconnect in a deeper way with its Christian heritage and the practice of Christianity itself. The culture, history, folklore and music of all of the Islands (the “Real TCI”) need to be fully embraced in times like these. More TCI arts, music, food and history should have been on display. This is the image that should have been given to the Prince and one to endure for the development of the tourism product. It was good that sprinters like Delano Williams and former government officials were seen at some of the events. This is a start and should be continued. It sends that much-needed message of unity: that TCI leaders can debate, argue, resolve policy issues and personal relationships.

As “Royal” as it was, this visit was more about the TCI and its future than the incident of a visit from London. Old soldiers like Mr Bobby Fulford and others were seen greeting the Prince. This is good stuff. In the aftermath of this visit, the TCI and its people should look inward, look to unite, come together and seek to build the nation. That time has come. It would have been good to have the Prince tour North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos and Salt Cay. These islands can use more international exposure as they too are critical components in the building blocks of the TCI. They too are an important part of the TCI’s heart and soul. Apart from these considerations, the visit by and large was a success.