“Peter ain’t no better than Paul”                      

Introduction                       

Last week, I did a review of the Government, therefore this week, I will do a review of the Opposition. The PDM which is the official opposition party for the Turks and Caicos legislature only won one seat in the 2021 election.

Some may say why do a review when there is only one member in parliament along with the appointed member. However, I believe no matter the size, you can still be effective and furthermore, the party still exists.

The readiness of the Opposition.

I believe the Opposition should be proactive. While there are articles and press conferences by the Opposition, I find them to be reactive and non-relevant.

You don’t have to wait until the Government do something and then you opposed. For example, you waited until the employees got their letter from the Tourist Board to make it an opposition issue. The DMO is in the PNP contract and the DMO was discussed by the Government more than a year ago. Why did you have to wait?

Why do you have to make an issue when the Premier removed a Minister from his cabinet? This is not a relevant issue for the Opposition to deal especially since this has been done by both parties in the past.

Bringing awareness to the public

I appreciate the article that the Opposition brought to the public about the insurance. However, what were your next steps to ensure that this is impactful.

Don’t mislead the public.  Educate the public on how Government works because you can have all the ideas and I don’t think any of the political parties are bankrupt of ideas, it the implementation and enforcement of these policies and law that matter.  Tell the people how you plan to alleviate the red tape and bureaucracy. If you were Government, what are you plans to expedite policies and projects. Tell people why you will be different from the Government or the previous administration.

In 2022, the Opposition met with NIB after the announcement of the increase in rates, However, you misled the public into believing that the increase was not necessary or there are other ways that the NIB can meet their shortfall. However, this rate increase was not new, it was planned a long time ago when the Opposition was in power except it was delayed for two years especially given the pandemic situation. Bring awareness to the public about the actuarial review because in my opinion, your views were totally different from the views of NIB.

You talked about having a plan to deal with crime but under the previous administration despite having a 12-point plan, it was concluded that crime was a spiritual issue and should not be political so why are we making crime a political issue again.

Lead by example while in opposition

I believe the opposition does not have to wait until they become Government to bring about changes. Why do you have to wait until you become a representative to make a change in your constituency? You can make changes now by starting with small things. Show the people you can bring about a change even when you are not in government. Do you know how powerful and impactful that will be?

Do workshops and bring people together and address the issues of the country. Don’t just talk about them, and don’t just include supporters of your party. Act while you are in opposition and currently you are not acting, you are just talking.

Independence

This is 2023 now and the political parties have yet to discuss and educate the public about independence. Given that Hon JAGS McCartney wanted an independent TCI, why doesn’t the opposition find a medium to educate the public on the pros and cons of independence. In fact, what is the position of your party on independence.

Cost of Living

The Opposition has not addressed the cost of living. What will they do differently from the Government? Does the Opposition have plan? Does the opposition think there should be a price control? Does the opposition think we should have a deep-water harbour?

Shanty Towns

What is the Oppostion’s position on shanty towns and the housing deficit in the Turks and Caicos Islands? If you become the next government, how do you plan to address this?

Population crisis

What is the Opposition plan to deal with the population crisis in Turks and Caicos? This has not been mentioned. How will they close the gap? What are the plans to encourage Turks and Caicos Islander to return home? Are they okay with the plan whereby we have to bring in people to fil the jobs?

Conclusion

Despite the one seat, the Opposition can still be impactful. In my opinion, the current opposition must do more to be considered as the Government in waiting. On second thoughts, this may not matter because it appears over the last few years, people vote against the sitting Government and the Opposition automatically is elected as the new Government.