Decolonisation in Reverse - British Take new powers in Turks & Caicos 'constitution'

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Turks and Caicos Islands Sun

New constitution transfers powers from Turks and Caicos Islanders to the Brits, says PNP leader Clayton Greene


Leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP) Clayton Green says the new Constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands, “makes the Government of the People subservient to the dictates of those in a far away land and rapes us of our worth as a people”.

In a press release issued late Thursday, Greene said:

“The reality is that the constitution that has been published today is by and large what those of us who met with the Minister in London expected to receive. That is however not the issue. The issue is that it is not a constitution that has the buy - in of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islanders because it is not a negotiated document. That is a significant indictment.”

Greene, who is the managing partner of the law firm Stanfield Greene, said the new Constitution remains a document that is “designed to transfer governance from Turks and Caicos Islanders and place it exclusively in the hands of the British Government in the person of their appointed Governor”.

He added: “There is nothing in it that is worthy of celebration because nothing in it speaks to the hopes dreams and aspirations of the Turks and Caicos Islanders. The reality is that we have come too far and accomplished too much for ourselves that we will never be satisfied with a constitution that that does not recognize our worth as a people. We aspire to be more that a “territory”.”

According to Greene, who was a former Speaker of the House of Assembly of the Turks and Caicos Islands:

“This constitution does not recognize that. It makes the Government of the People subservient to the dictates of those in a far away land and rapes us of our worth as a people. I will never be satisfied and will therefore do every thing that I can to hasten the day when we can negotiate the constitution of our choosing.”