Youth Parliament Second Sitting
#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – The second sitting of The Turks and Caicos national youth parliament took place on Thursday March 16th with a focus on Crown Land.
Deputy Premier Darron Hilaire Jnr moved the motion to pass the Crown Land Amendment Ordinance with the full support of his party. He maintained that it was time to turn TCI Islanders into homeowners and give the upcoming generation something to look forward to. Hilaire maintained that financial literacy in schools was a big part of creating a wealthier nation.
Ideas were tossed across the room including letting BOTCs in on the crown land benefits (Deputy Premier); Partnership with utility companies under a Utilities Association (Min Home Affairs) and making sure all residents – native or not – had access to affordable housing (Premier).
The opposition went against the proposal to include BOTCs maintaining that land is power and there was not enough to go around (Opp. Member Lewis) and there were other more important uses for Crown Land like for recreational development (Opposition Leader).
The country was represented by a full slate of youngsters during Thursday’s sitting including :
Speaker – Hon. Alex Taylor
Premier and Minister for Public Policy- Hon. Dixie Smith
Deputy Premier & Minister for Finance, Investment and Trade- Darron Hilaire Jr.
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Border Control Services – Arean Louis
Minister for Home Affairs, Public Utilities and Transportation – Shakia Lewis
Minister for Education, Youth, Culture, Library Services and Employment Services- Lee-Anna Sutton
Minister for Health and Human Services – Sasha Arthur
Minister for Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Culture and Maritime Jatavia Howell
Government Appointed Member – Adrian Parker
Attorney General – Brooklyn Williams
OPPOSITION MEMBERS
Leader of the Opposition- Manville Donnie Gardiner
Opposition Appointed Member – Andy Missick
Member of the Opposition – Ariel Neely
Member of the Opposition – Layton Lewis
GOVERNOR’S APPOINTED MEMBERS
Governors Appointed Member – Brandi Green
Governors Appointed Member -. Dismercy Nicole Lugo Bernabel
The debate was spirited and respectful with concrete and well thought out ideas presented by both the opposition
and the government as they debated land ownership; moving it from a paltry 11 percent to at least 30 percent in the coming years.
In the spectator’s gallery were: Washington Misick, TCI Premier; E Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier; Jamell Robinson, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development; Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education and Labour, including Youth and Opposition Leader Edwin Astwood.
They were joined on the sidelines by several students of local high schools who were able to witness their countrymen conducting themselves with ease and poise in The House of Assembly. .
