Visit To The Turks And Caicos Islands
(See comment following the photo essay)
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands in Grand Turk at the House of Assembly 9 March for talks on migration and security cooperation
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with Dr. John Freeman the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands in Provodenciales 10 March.
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with the Leader of the Opposition Washington Misick in Provodenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands 10 March
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with Deputy President of the Bar Sarah Knight in Provodenciales in the Turks and Caicos 10 March
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with Bahamian attorney George Misick in Provodenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands 10 March
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell with the Bahamas Striping team in Grand Turk headed by Atario Mitchell 9 March.
It has been almost a decade since the last official visit of a Foreign Minister of The Bahamas to the Turks and Caicos Islands, the British territory which sits on our southern flank and which is inhabited by our kith and kin. The two countries are really one in every sense of the word except in the political, legal jurisdictional sense. It is a false construct. Virtually everyone in the Turks and Caicos’ Islands has some family or friends in The Bahamas. Inagua and Mayaguana are in fact closer to the Turks and Caicos than they are to Nassau. It is an accident of history that they are two countries. It is unlikely that they will ever be one, although they should be one. What is possible however is a seamless border. That would mean for all intents and purposes except voting that the two countries can act as one economic space. The people who are Turks and Caicos Islanders would be able to move freely into The Bahamas and vice versa. That has been a wish of the PLP since the 2012 general election and even before that, but there is resistance from the Turks Island side because they’re afraid of being overwhelmed by the larger Bahamian partner. However, the fact is they are already overwhelmed by the Bahamian presence and they need a counter balance to the other presences particular the rich English who see the Turks as a place for the grabbing and are seeking to recolonize it. The Foreign Minister of The Bahamas, Fred Mitchell went to the Turks and Caicos Islands from Thursday 9 March to 12 March. The first purpose of the visit was to show the flag in support of the Bahamian Company Bahamas Striping headed by Atario Mitchell and Dominic Sturrup. The second purpose was to hold talks with the government and people of the Turks and Caicos on the idea of a seamless border. Let’s give two examples. The Premier of the Turks Charlene Cartwright was born in the Rand Hospital in Freeport. The Bishop of the Bahamas Turks and Caicos’ Islands Laish Boyd is a descendant of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Professor Gilbert Morris is both Bahamian and a Turks and Caicos Islander. It just makes sense.