Volume 22 Issue 5: Feb. 2, 2012 - fp Turks and Caicos

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▶ 04 Local February 2, 2012 _ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ www.fptci.com Five new permanent secretaries’ experience, qualifications fp Susan Malcolm Susan Malcolm has been assigned to the Ministry of Environment and Home Affairs. She brings to her new role indepth knowledge of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and the Policies, Procedures and Guidelines governing the Public Service, having served Government for over 36 years in key strategic positions and having obtained tangible outputs in each area. Ms. Malcolm is well versed in the area of Organisational Development, Strategic Planning, Route Cause Analysis, Process Re-engineering, Policy Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation. She has a proven track record of making prudent financial and budgetary decisions and to effectively manage, oversee, coach and mentor staff and delegate authority. She is a devout advocate for Situational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence. Ms. Malcolm is able to conceptualise, propose, develop, implement and evaluate sustainable projects for TCIG. She can also assess and utilize financial, technical and human resources to ensure maximum outputs, and is knowledgeable of the principles of Project Management to plan and organize work for special assignments, projects as well as to meet deadlines. Ms. Malcolm is currently Permanent Secretary and Head of the Public Service Commission Secretariat/Office of Public Service Management. She oversees all Human Resource related matters affecting the Public Service and handles grievances as well as provides recommendations, supports H.E. the Governor, the Chief Executive Officer, Permanent Secretaries and other staff members on such issues. She served as Under Secretary in the Ministry of Health from 2002-07 and acted a number of times as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry. She also worked as Under Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources where she managed the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources and the Coastal Resources Management Project. Ms. Malcolm was an Education Planner in the Ministry of Education where she helped develop a 5-year Education Plan and Education Database Programme in the 1990s, and also contributed to the development and production of the first Social Studies Book for the TCI. She also worked as Head of the Public Service Commission Secretariat; was a Graduate Teacher at the H.J. Robinson High School; and a trained teacher at the Ona Glinton and Eliza Simons Primary Schools. Ms. Malcolm holds a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management, a Bachelors Degree and a Teaching Diploma. Wesley Clerveaux Wesley Clerveaux has been assigned to the Ministry of Government Support Services. Mr. Clerveaux is a results oriented, high-energy, hands-on professional with a successful record of accomplishments in Natural Resource Management, Fisheries, training and public relations. He also brings to the position experience in fiscal management, legislative development, strategic planning, policy formulation, ambassadorial relations and customer service with a strong focus on providing the public, local businesses and international partners with the highest quality of service. Mr. Clerveaux’s major strengths include strong leadership, commitment to the principles of good governance, project management, resource mobilization, excellent communication skills, being a strong team player, attention to detail, dutiful respect for compliance in all regulated environments, supervisory skills, budget management and other administrative tasks. He has a thorough knowledge of current Government structure, roles and practices, and a clear vision to accomplish government goals. Mr. Clerveaux has since 2005 been Director of the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, where he oversees the overall management, planning and deployment of human and other resources and coordinates the review and development of Strategic Plans for the effective management of Protected Areas. Mr. Clerveaux also worked as Deputy Director and Chief Conservation Officer, charged primarily with management and development of the fisheries resources and coordinating implementation of surveillance systems and the scientific monitoring programme for fisheries. In the early stages of his career, Mr. Clerveaux also worked as Scientific Officer in the DECR and Technical Assistant in the Fisheries Department. Mr. Clerveaux holds a Masters degree in Natural Resources Management, Bachelors degree in Biological Science and a wide range of specialized certificates. Ministry of Environment and Home Affairs Anya Williams Anya Williams has been assigned to the Ministry of Finance and Economics. Ms. Williams brings to the position effective management, communication, leadership and interpersonal skills; ability to prepare and present clear and concise reports; strong presentation skills; and excellent teamworking and multi-tasking ability. She has a successful track record with completing given assignments on time, works well on her own initiative, welcomes the challenge of problem solving and is versatile and adaptable. Ms. Williams has, since 2003, worked as Budget Director in the Ministry of Finance where, among other things she is responsible for the preparation of the Government’s annual budget and the implementation and monitoring of that budget through monthly analysis of revenue and expenditure. She also oversees the management of 84 functioning departments’ revenue, expenditure and other operations; and ensures the effective utilization of resources as it relates to investment opportunities, repositioning of funds to meet priorities, and program performance. She is one of the principal advisors to Government on all policy and financial related matters. Ms. Williams has also worked as Accountant with Torrin’s Surveys and Intern with the TCI Financial Control Unit Office. Her major accomplishments include undertaking a successful operations review of the Government which led to the cancellation, review and re-tendering of services resulting in cost savings in a one year period of over $80 million in 2008-09. She played an active role as a Member of the TCI Tourist Board and through critical review and renegotiations, was able to rid the body of $8 million in debt. She served as a member of the Ten Year Development Plan Working Group and the National Health Insurance Plan Working Group. Ms. Williams holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Accounting and an Associate degree in Law, English and Accounting. Ministry of Government Support Services Judith Campbell Judith Campbell has been assigned to the expanded Ministry of Health and Education. She brings to this position 20 years of public service management, with particular emphasis on the following competencies; communication, problem solving, leadership and vision, resource management, service delivery and team building. She is qualified in Environment Impact Assessments and boasts 10 years experience in reviewing and assessing EIAs for tourism development projects, including the EIA for Carnival Cruise ship port on Grand Turk and about 50 percent of the hotels on Providenciales. Her experience also includes development and management of terrestrial and marine parks which involved preparation of management plans, cost recovery and revenue and managing stakeholder relationships. Ms. Campbell is currently the PS in the Ministry of Health and Human Services where she is responsible for the management of the TCI health care system, financial and performance management, project development and business cases, and providing high quality advice to the CEO and the Advisory Council. She also served, between 2006- 2009 as PS in the Ministry of Natural Resources, where she provided oversight for the TCI environment, lands and fisheries. She also served as Director in the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, providing strategic direction to staff, and managing fisheries, national parks and environment in general. Prior to that Ms. Campbell worked as the DECR’s Chief Scientific Officer responsible for design and implementation of resource monitoring plans and appraisal of development projects and EIAs. Ms. Campbell also worked as Director of National Parks and Biology Teacher at the Clement Howell High School. Ms. Campbell has Masters degrees in Environmental Law and Policy and Marine Resource and Environmental Management, and a Bachelors degree in Biology. Ministry of Finance and Economics Ministry of Health and Education Clara Gardiner Clara Gardiner has been reassigned to Ministry of Border Control and Labour. Ms. Gardiner first took up the position as Permanent Secretary in this Ministry in August 2009. This after a six year stint as PS in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. Ms. Gardiner had earlier served for one year, from 2002, as the Under Secretary in the Education Ministry. She worked with the Department of Education from 1999, first as Education Officer and then from early 2002 as acting Deputy Director. Ms. Gardiner has also worked as a Graduate Teacher and Head of Department at the HJR High School. Ms. Gardiner brings a long list of major achievements to her post. These include joint coordination for construction of the National Stadium for hosting the 2007 CARIFTA Games. She also worked on development of the Scholarship Policy and Scholarship Database System, and the production of Strategic and Development Plans in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. In her current Ministry, Ms. Gardiner has led its almost completed Business Plan and change programme, the coordination of the Radar Station Project Working Group (targeted for a summer 2012 completion), coordination of the Irregular Migrant Contingency Plan Working Group, clearing of the Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) backlog and the public consultation on Pathway to Citizenship. Ms. Gardiner has served on or is serving on the Higher Education Advisory Board, the Culture and Arts Commission, TCI Community College Board of Governors, CXC Administrative and Finance Committee, National Trust and Immigration Board. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Training and Human Resource Management, a Bachelor of Science Degree, a Certificate in Public Administration and an international Baccalaureate Diploma. Ministry of Border Control and Labour P.S. Susan Malcolm P.S. Wesley Clerveaux P.S. Anya Swann Williams P.S. Judith Campbell P.S. Clara Gardiner Office of Public Sector Management (Human Resources, Information) Works, Housing and Utilities Environment and District Administration Home Affairs and Public Safety Structure of new Ministries Finance Trade, Tourism and Communications Former Ministries Health & Human Services Education, Sports, Youth and Culture Labour Border Control
p www.fptci.com___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ February 2, 2012 f local ▶ 05 DFID minister says 2012 elections are uncertain The U.K. minister of state for International Development Alan Duncan has told the Parliament that it’s still uncertain that elections will be held in 2012 in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but he still hopes it can happen. Duncan said in a joint statement Jan. 30 with Foreign Minister Henry Bellingham that setbacks have occurred in achieving a budget surplus by 2012-13, which is one of eight milestones set by DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for elections. “Our view remains that the UK Government will only be able to set a date for the elections when the milestones have been reached,” Duncan said. “We still hope that they will be met in time for elections to take place during 2012.” Duncan’s statement Further to the written statement of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr Henry Bellingham of 9 December 2010, [Official Report, columns 40-41WS,] setting out milestones that Ministers judged would have to be met before elections could take place in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), Mr. Bellingham and I wish to update the House. The Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office current jointly assess progress towards achieving the milestones to be the following: Implementation of a new Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order, in support of recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, which underpins good governance and sound public financial management. A new Constitution Order was laid before Parliament in July 2011. In due course it will be brought into force by the Governor, after which elections must take place within 30 days. Introduction of a number of new ordinances, including those making provision for: (i) the electoral process and regulation of political parties; (ii) integrity and accountability in public life; (iii) public financial management. A legislative drafting team is working on numerous Ordinances (locally enacted laws) relating to TCI Government business, including public accountability and financial management. Ordinances relating to elections, conduct of political parties and the Integrity Commission are also all currently being drafted. It is expected that drafting of a number of these should be completed by the end of March. Establishment of robust and transparent public financial management processes to provide a stable economic environment and a strengthening of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s capacity to manage their public finances. Expenditure control has been largely re-established. Consolidated government financial statements have been produced and submitted for audit for three of the past four years. Public reports on the state of the public finances are being issued quarterly. Rolling 13-week cashflow forecasts are being produced. The Finance Ministry is being restructured to be more effective in managing the finances and newly appointed permanent secretaries will be firmly held to account for the sound management of finances in their ministries. Implementation of budget measures to put the Turks and Caicos Islands Government on track to achieve a fiscal surplus in the financial year ending March 2013 New taxes and fee increases are expected to boost revenue by 20% compared to 2010/11, reaching US$164m in 2011/12. But expenditure is expected to be higher than originally forecast leading to a budget deficit of US$26.8m, which is considerably higher than the budgeted deficit of US$3m. Additional revenue measures, a reduction in the size of the public service and revisions to the National Health Insurance Plan have been put in place designed to bring the budget into surplus in 2012/13. Implementation of a transparent and fair process for acquisition of belongership. In November the TCI Consultative Forum launched a territory-wide consultation on the options for a new pathway to Turks and Caicos Islander status. The consultation process will finish in February. Initial reaction has been favourable. In the meantime, the backlog of permanent residence applications has been cleared. Significant progress with the civil and criminal processes recommended by the Commission of Inquiry, and implementation of measures to enable these to continue unimpeded. To date, over 900 acres of Crown Land worth approximately US$150m and US$2m in cash has been recovered by the civil recovery team. In December 2011, eleven people, including four former ministers, appeared in court to face criminal charges. They are due to appear before the Supreme Court in TCI in early February. Implementation of a new Crown land policy. Key decisions have been taken on this sensitive issue. A new policy to manage Crown Land better in the future was announced in 2011 after discussion in the Consultative Forum and Advisory Council. The Crown Land Ordinance will be ready soon. Substantial progress in the reform of the public service. Plans have been drawn up to reduce the number of ministries from nine to five by the end of March. Five new permanent secretaries have been recruited by rigorous open competition and have been appointed on fixed-term, performance-monitored contracts. Technical support to ensure the effectiveness of the new ministries is under consideration. A voluntary severance scheme, which will reduce numbers in the public sector by 300-400, is due to be completed in February. Summary Much work has been done by the TCI Government and by the TCI public service, with the support of the United Kingdom Government. Assistance has also been provided by the European Union and Canada. Good progress is being made thanks to the commitment and hard work of the Interim TCI Government and the people of TCI. However there is much still to be done. Finally, setbacks last year have adversely affected progress towards achieving a budget surplus. Our view remains that the UK Government will only be able to set a date for the elections when the milestones have been reached. It is not yet certain when we will be able to say that all of the milestones have been met, but the Interim Government, with UK-financed technical assistance, is working hard to achieve them. We still hope that they will be met in time for elections to take place during 2012. Citizenship meeting disrupted, cancelled A consultation meeting Jan. 26 on the method for obtaining status that was organized by Filipino residents was disrupted by a handful of Turks and Caicos Islanders and was canceled before it could get started. “It was unfair to the Filipinos who duly heeded the (Consultative) Forum’s admonition to register for this meeting and paid out of their pockets to organize it — just as groups of Turks and Caicos Islanders have done without any fuss or controversy,” forum Chairwoman Lillian Misick said in a statement. “And it was disrespectful to the forum members who signed on to lead tonight’s discussions — just as other members have done without any fuss or controversy.” “For my part, I can only beg our people to consider the source of their information before acting on it,” she said. “Because, instead of being proud of what happened tonight, all sensible Turks and Caicos Islanders should feel nothing but shame. I know the vast majority of us do.” Devon Williams, an islander who spoke out at the meeting, criticized Misick for her statement, saying she was out of touch with islanders. “It is quite sad and discouraging that Mrs. Misick is so busy trying to insult locals that she is unable to find time to come up with a comprehensive solution to empower Belongers and protect the indigenous population of these islands for government debt shackling,” Williams said. Williams said the group Misick called a “belligerent mob” included a former speaker of the Legislative Council, a former deputy chief minister and minister of education, teachers, accountants, business owners and a major contractor. On the same night, another consultation meeting was held at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Center for Turks and Caicos Islanders that occurred without incident. The Consultative Forum launched a three-month public consultation in November to help develop a new policy for obtaining resident status in the TCI, which is one of the requirements set by the U.K. for return to elected government. Requests for meetings with forum members, comments and other correspondence during the consultation should be e- mailed to citizenship@gov.tc . The deadline for comments is Feb. 17. Have your say Comments on the resident status process will be accepted until Feb. 17 by e-mail to citizenship@gov.tc. Explanatory documents and questionnaires about the process can be found online at www.gov.tc. Police briefs Three accused of attempted murder, other charges in robbery outside RBC Three men accused in the Jan. 13 robbery of security guards outside the Royal Bank of Canada have been remanded in custody on multiple charges. Daniel Been Jr., 22, Odessa Williams, 19, and Darrison Nash, 20, are charged with attempted murder, robbery, conspiracy to rob, carrying firearm with intent to rob, discharging firearm and discharging ammunition. They are scheduled to appear March 9 in the Supreme Court on Grand Turk for a sufficiency hearing. On Jan. 13, three guards from a local security company arrived to make a transaction when they were attacked by two people wearing masks, police have said. The robbers fired shots, wounding one guard and getting away with an undisclosed amount of money, police said. Autopsy to be performed on French tourist found floating in Grace Bay An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death of a 55-year-old French tourist found floating in Grace Bay. The tourist, who had gone snorkeling aboard a local dive boat, was brought ashore and taken to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead. Man jailed for 28 days for assaulting police officer Wayne Tucker was sentenced Jan. 31 to 28 days in prison for assaulting a police officer and escaping lawful custody on Grand Turk. For daily detailed crime reports and other police information, visit the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force website at www.tcipolice.tc.
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Volume 22 Issue 5: Feb. 2, 2012 - fp Turks and Caicos

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