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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
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Nassau, The Bahamas -- Led by Philip "Brave" Davis, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell, a Bahamian Parliamentary delegation attended the opening of Parliament in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Rt. Rev. Laish Boyd, ArchBishop of The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Diocese set the pace for the new Government, with a sermon at an Ecumenical Service at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral on Front Street in Grand Turk.
DPM Davis said that Turks and Caicos and The Bahamas have always had a close relationship.
"It is a significant step in the right direction. The fact that elections were held and Turks Islanders were able to express themselves to lead, guide and direct policies that impact their lives. So it was a tremendous step in the right direction. I think, as the Premier pointed, out there is still a lot of work to do," he said.
Mr. Davis said as elected members of the Assembly they will have to decide what are the laws that are now in place they feel will better their right to self-determination, and determine how they will deal with those laws.
"Additionally, once they have gotten there, they have to, as a unit -- as opposed to allowing the political interest -- they'll have to subordinate this political interest to the common good of the island. Once they are able to do that, they can shape themselves," said the Deputy Prime Minister.
He said further that at the end of the day if they feel comfortable with what they have, then it will remain the same. "If they don't feel comfortable with what they have, we'll be prepared to assist them in moving to where they wish to be."
Minister Mitchell stated that the Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to resume negotiations to ease the passage of travel between the two countries.
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"For us, now that the people of Turks and Caicos have control of their internal affairs once more, it is a question of how we deal with them on the constitutional issues which they face; the constitutional advances they want to make to be sure that their views on self-determination are represented in the wider world in a way that the power which has the legal responsibility for them may not be able to do. Secondly, to see what ways the relationship between The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Island can be confronted in some constitutional legal fashion," said Minister Mitchell.
"I suggested to my colleagues that we look in the first instance at the issue of passage we travel, which would if possible put in place a seamless role between the two countries for certain purposes. That's the first step. We had started that conversation before the interruption of democracy here and we'd like to resume that conversation."
In addition, the delegation included the Hon. V. Alfred Gray, Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government; the Hon. Khaalis Rolle, Minister of State for Investments; the Hon. Hope Strachan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport; Picewell Forbes, M.P., Bahamas High Commissioner to CARICOM; Arnold Forbes, M.P., Chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation; Senator Joseph Curry; Hubert Chipman, M.P., Opposition Spokesman for Foreign Affairs; Theo Neilly, M.P., and Mikhail Bullard, Foreign Service Officer.
© Copyright 2012 by thebahamasweekly.com
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