Letter to the Editor: Letter to the Secretary of State – treatment of mentally ill persons in the Turks and Caicos Islands

November 6, 2017

Dear iNews,

As you shall discern – the ‘opportunity cost’ of funding wars is social neglect.

If one thinks through Britain’s administrative conduct in the colony of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), then what is found is that Britain has an international duty to administer to the needs of people of the TCI. There is then a response by way of an Executive Order to imprison the mentally ill so as to save the money that would otherwise have to be spent to send such persons to a mental hospital overseas. Then when funds are needed for the Treasury in the TCI and there is a shortfall, the UK permits commercial loans to be obtained, thus further inflicting hardship on the TCI while benefitting the bank. Why would the UK want the TCI to borrow at commercial rates, while not as an obviously viable and more cost-effective alternative, granting necessary funds to address the needs of the people? Well – to permit the making of profit at the expense of the people in the TCI, of course. Just consider the size of available of available overseas aid money – over 11 billion pounds allocated annually ( see: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/403381/SID-2014-revised-UNDP-figure-feb15.pdf) – so why then grant independent countries those monies while simultaneously imprisoning mental health patients in the TCI to save money in a British overseas territory?

What really galls me is the barefaced effrontery of it all.

At the time of the intended West Indies Federation, Her Majesty’s Government accepted responsibility for financing the Caribbean in those circumstances, in terms:-

“Grants for benefit of certain West Indian colonies.

The Secretary of State may—

(a)from time to time make, to the government of any colony to which section five of this Act applies, being a government whose resources are, in his opinion, insufficient to enable it to defray its administrative expenses, grants of such amounts as he may, with the approval of the Treasury, determine”

“Expenses.

The expenses incurred under the last foregoing section by the Secretary of State shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament, and any increase attributable to an Order in Council under this Act in sums payable under any other enactment out of moneys so provided or out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom shall be paid out of moneys so provided or out of that Fund, as the case may be.”

The Federation failed, but the point remains one of then British accepted responsibility for British colonies, incidentally, some of which to this day still do exist. By parity of reasoning, therefore, since in 1962 Her Majesty’s Government felt a need through the UK Parliament to impose upon the British Government a duty to fund in the event of financial shortfall in the colonies, then one must assume that in today’s needy British colonies faced with similar financial constraints, the same considerations should apply and the colony be funded by Her Majesty’s Government when the need so arises. In theory, HMG provides financial assistance via the Department for International Development ( i.e. not full funding, for the colonies do generate revenues for themselves). Actually, HMG, as in the case of the Turks and Caicos Islands, directly benefits as a major flight path traverses the Islands. Thus, each day for every flight going over the Turks and Caicos Islands HMG directly collects for the British ( not TCI )Treasury. When the TCI runs short of funds, it is made to borrow, and British banks are willing lenders at commercial rates of interest, and the people of the territory ultimately repay to HMG’s advantage. Since Britain is the ‘mother country’, I suppose this all gives an inverse meaning to sucking mother’s milk as financial blood is drained from the baby.

Yet, HMG is able to find endless sources of funding to prosecute illegal wars in a place such as Iraq or lend costly support to NATO bombing to destroy the state of Libya, while simultaneously pleading penury when social welfare, medical and housing needs arise and do exist in one of Her Majesty’s colonies in the Turks and Caicos Islands. And, of course, the highest Human Rights standards are upheld ( as we have witnessed with the Governor’s Executive Order authorising the imprisonment of the mentally ill at Her Majesty’s Prison – to save money) in such a place when HMG has the ultimate responsibility for the territory.

Indeed. If only the British public were educated on the true nature of and reasons for Britain’s ongoing relationship with the British territories in these modern days of enlightened British rule in Her Majesty’s colonies.

Courtenay