| Simons quits forum to seek PNP leadership: Astwood, Missick appointed | | Print | |
| Monday, 15 March 2010 18:39 | |||
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In a surprise announcement, Consultative Forum Chairman Carlos Simons resigned from the forum on Monday, March 15, because he intends to vie for leadership of the Progressive National Party. “I regret have to leave in mid-stream; however, the prospect of helping to lead the way to the return of self-rule as the head of the PNP (as one of the two major political parties) and of assisting in securing responsible management of the country’s affairs in the long-term thereafter is a duty I feel obliged to undertake,” Simons said in his letter of resignation to His Excellency the Gov. Gordon Wetherell. “For the sake of the people of the TCI please accept my very best wishes for the success of the interim government over the remainder of the period of direct rule,” Simons wrote. “I would have preferred that there had been no such period as you know. However, you will appreciate that its success now, as with any government, is critical to the improvement of the lives of the people.” The governor accepted Simons’ resignation with regret and thanked him for his service. “I am grateful to you for the skill and wisdom with which you have managed the affairs of the forum as chairman and the guidance you have provided,” the governor wrote in a letter of acceptance to Simons. On Thursday, March 18, the governor appointed Cynthia Astwood and Rev. Courtney Missick to the forum, but he has not said who will replace Simons as forum chairman. One day after the governor announced March 9 that all public servants would get a 10 percent pay cut next month, Simons objected to the governor’s decision on behalf of forum members, but he apparently had decided to resign before that decision. “As I said to you when you informed me of your intention to step down at the end of February, I am sorry that you are doing so; but I fully understand that, having decided to contest the leadership of the Progressive National Party, you feel it is the right thing to do,” the governor said in his letter to Simons. Simons, Queen’s Counsel and senior partner in the Miller Simons O’Sullivan law firm, has publicly renounced the government of former Premier Michael Misick but pledged his loyalty to the PNP. While Simons wished the interim government well in the remainder of its two-year rule, PNP leader and former Premier Galmo Williams and other PNP stalwarts denounce the British and have called for immediate return to self-government. In January, former minister of Natural Resources McAllister Hanchell attacked Simons, saying no member of the Governor’s Advisory Council or the Consultative Forum should be allowed to hold an executive position in the party. “Mr. Hanchell confuses loyalty to the PNP as a party (and to the TCI as a country) with loyalty to former Premier Michael Misick and the government he misled,” Simons said in response to Hanchell’s suggestion. “The two are not identical. I confirm my loyalty to the former and continue to renounce the latter.” New forum members Astwood and Missick are both very active in their communities. Astwood was born in the TCI and received her education in Grand Turk and the United Kingdom, where she graduated as a State Registered Nurse, State Certified Midwife, Theatre Nurse, Intensive Care Nurse and Health Visitor. She took up employment in the Chief Secretary's Office as an Administrative Officer, responsible for overseas and local training, district administration, coordination of all funding agencies, overseeing budgetary preparation and responsibility for protocol. She was promoted to Under Secretary in the Chief Secretary’s Office and subsequently was appointed Assistant Chief Secretary. She was made the first female Chief Secretary in the TCI and in the region, a post she held with pride for many years, during which she served as Acting Governor on many occasions. Astwood was awarded with an MBE followed by an OBE in appreciation of her work in the TCI. She is involved in a number of charitable organizations and prides herself of being a community minded person. Missick was born and raised in Kew, North Caicos. From an early age he had a keen interest in gardening. He fulfilled this passion by working as a gardener in a number of resorts. He is currently the pastor of Grace Temple Church in God. He is also a business owner and a farmer. He serves as an active member of the Human Rights Commission.
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