fp Turks and Caicos

After months of a debilitated government, the Council has begun to address critical issues that burden the country. In its eight meetings, it has addressed such issues as civil service, public works, national health insurance and education, to name a few. One major issue which has been on several of the agenda’s is the financial crisis in the country.

While many are still feeling the sense of stagnation in the air, representatives say they are working diligently on the extensive list of issues.

“The situation that brought us to this point did not happen over night, likewise it will take time to resolve it, “Advisory Council member Ms Edith Cox told the fp. “The time between the intended suspension of the constitution and the actual suspension resulted in a standstill in governance. There were a lot of housekeeping matters that had to be attended to. We are working through the issues and things are starting to move forward. ”

It seems the expectations of the population are not matching the reality of the current government challenges. While many expected a switch to be turned on when the new government was installed which would move processes forward, the financial and practical restrictions have created hurdles that take a great deal of time to overcome. Financial instability being the major crisis and the restructuring of the civil service the second. Recently training has been taking place to create more efficiency in the civil service.

While the Consultative Forum plays the role of discussing the issues of national concern, their function is to ensure the public is aware of the things that are happening and bringing community concerns to the forefront. The role of the Advisory Council is to listen to those concerns and the concerns of others, bringing them into consideration when they are in council with the Governor. “ “The Advisory Council sits in private council with the Governor to advise him on matters brought to our attention,” and although he does have the ultimate say, Cox says Governor Wetherell listens, things are discussed and to date all decisions taken by the Council have been accepted by the Governor.

One of the greatest challenges continues to be the financial crisis. “Years of poor fiscal planning and financial mismanagement went unnoticed, due to the then development boom. We are now faced with a difficult financial situation, with no resources to draw from. It is a disappointment that following such unprecedented growth there are no reserves to fund government initiatives, create jobs and support social programs while our economy recovers. ” She says the large amount of construction gave people a false sense of security and when the construction came to a halt, people were not prepared. “The government and the people were living in the moment and this is now causing grave problems for us as a country. It is going to take time to turn it around.”

Cox says she would like the public to know the country is open for business. “The Advisory Council remains committed to the development of the Turks and Caicos Islands, its financial stability, good governance and improving the welfare of its people.”