TURKS AND CAICOS NEEDS A BIGGER GOVERNMENT, PREMIER SAYS

The government of the Turks and Caicos Islands is pushing to make the local administration bigger by increasing the number of ministries and ministerial portfolios.

Under the current system, the Cabinet of the TCI is comprised of nine elected members and two ex-officio members, along with the British-appointed Governor, totalling 12.

As the territory embarks on constitutional reform talks with the British government, Premier Charles Washington Misick has declared an intention to increase the number of ministries.

In what he advocates as a modernisation push, Premier Misick has cited economic expansion and the growing size of the territory’s population as justifications for increasing the number of ministries and splitting portfolios.

The Premier has told the TCI House of Assembly that the current system is unsustainable.

“A government that is stretched too thin cannot govern well. A Cabinet that is overloaded cannot give proper attention to the serious decisions that affect the lives of every family in these islands. Expanding the executive is about ensuring that the people of the TCI are served by a government properly equipped to serve them.”

He also stated: “The Turks and Caicos Islands is no longer the territory it was twenty years ago. Our economy has grown. Our population has grown. The complexity of the issues we are called upon to manage - healthcare, infrastructure, financial services, immigration, environmental protection, foreign investment and the full range of public administration - has grown enormously.”

THE POPULATION of the Turks and Caicos Islands could reach 55,498 people by the year 2027 – compared with 32,199 in 2012.

Figures from the TCI Government put the current population at a little over 50,800, up from 32,000 in 2012. According to projections by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America, this population could reach 55,000 in the next few years.

While precise figures for increasing the number of ministers and ministries are not known, Premier Misick has rejected a return to a system of having any further unelected officials in the House of Assembly as unappointed members.

At present, other than the UK-appointed Governor, the Deputy Governor and the Attorney General, who are members of the civil service, are the only ex-officio members in the Cabinet.

According to Premier Misick, “To return to appointed membership of this House would be a retrograde step, one that runs contrary to the democratic aspirations of our people.”

The ruling Progressive National Party(PNP) headed by Premier Misick, has placed the issue at the centre of the constitutional reform talks with the British government.

Another issue which recently emerged was that of extending the term limits, which Premier Misick has rebuffed. He rejected allegations by the opposition that he had tried to extend the constitutional two-term limit for the Office of the Premier, describing such claims as “a diabolical lie”.

76-year-old Mr Misick (the older brother of former Premier Michael Misick, sentenced in May on corruption charges in a long-running high-profile case) had previously served as the Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 1991 to 31 January 1995. He led the PNP to consecutive victories in general elections in 2021 and 2025.