No Democracy with Debt in Grand Turk

Post author By Cem Kınay
Post date 13 February 2012

Regarding Caribbean News Now Minister for International Development Alan Duncan said Britain had been “firm but fair” by telling the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) it could have elections once it sorted out its budget deficit.

Minister for International Development Alan Duncan

In December 2010, Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) minister with responsibility for the Overseas Territories, Henry Bellingham, announced a formal list of “milestones” to be passed before the TCI can return to internal self-government, following the imposition of direct rule by Britain in 2009.

The eight requirements include:

— Constitutional reform
— New legislation covering elections, integrity in office
— Public financial management reform
— Balanced public budgets
— Reform of laws for granting belongership
— Progress with criminal prosecutions and civil recovery, plus support for continuing investigations beyond the next election
— Crown Land policy reform
— Civil service reform

“We’ve been firm but fair – the understanding we have is that if the islands can meet eight milestones, which include governance and reforming the public sector, but of course, crucially, getting the budget deficit into surplus, then they’ll be able to have elections again…” Duncan said.

“They’ve had to reform the public sector yes, they’ve had to sack some people… The governor – and I have to say the people of the Turks and Caicos — have been very good at facing great austerity, but if we get it back on course, then their politics will be back on course as well,” he added.

Duncan described how he had discovered the problem.

“George Osborne went into his office and there was a bit of paper saying ‘there isn’t any money’. Well, on my first day as Minister for International Development, I went into mine and there was a bit of paper saying ‘Minister, the Turks and Caicos Islands have got a budget deficit of £30m and it’s growing’,” he said.

The Department for International Development (DfID) is the department which, under the International Development Act, has the duty of care for the finances of Britain’s overseas territories and Duncan said he had “to leap into action and say you know, we’ve got to cut this deficit.”

He acknowledged that the British government wants to have elections in the TCI in 2012 but he said, “We’ve got to get the money right first – otherwise we, DfID, the government here, are going to have a massive bill.”

“So we are really doing … is trying to turn around a massive mountain of debt and getting the money back on track,” he said.

posted in Caribbean News now 13.02.2012

Tags Alan Duncan, continuing investigations, criminal prosecutions, Dellis Cay, Elections 2012, financial management reform, foreign and commonwealth office, Grand Turk, Joe Grant, Lillian Misick, politics in turks and caicos islands, Providenciales, public budgets, public financial management, Turks and Caicos islands, UK Overseas territories

By Cem Kınay

With many important hotel investments and international awards, Dr. Cem Kinay is one of the world's most important names in the tourism industry.

As the founder of the Austrian, Vienna-based Gulet Turistik(1987) and Magic Life Hotels(1990) chain, he created the "All Inclusive" hotel experience for European tourists.

He managed the Magic Life Hotels chain, which has a total of 20,000 beds and 23 hotels in Austria, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia and Bulgaria, with more than 8000 teammates, as the fastest growing and most successful hotel concept at that time.

Millions of guests were hosted during 15 years, in Sarigerme, Marmaris, Bodrum, Belek, Side and Kemer in Turkey, Kos, Crete, Corfu and Rhodes Islands in Greece, Arlberg in Austria, Hamamet in Tunisia, Mahdia, Djerba, Egypt Sharm El Sheikh and Nile.

In 2021, the establishment of the Anatolity Sustainable Culture and Tourism Foundation was started with Elif Dağdeviren.

In 2020 he did consultancy for construction of u

In 2019 he was founding board member for Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency .

In January 2019 his book “Be Human.Be Smart “was published by Destek Publications.

In 2018 his first book, “Akıllı Ol.İnsan Ol” was published by Destek Yayınları.

2017 Cem KINAY founded Cem KINAY XPD Consulting, providing investment, concept design and digital transformation consultancy for domestic and foreign investors.

In 2014/2015 he was GALATASARAY SPORTS CLUB Board Member.

In 2012 he moved to Istanbul.

In 2009 he had to leave the island after the coup in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the seizure of power and projects by the British government.

In 2006, he was honored by the President of Austria with important and valuable awards such as the "Austrian State Order".

Under the management of Cem Kinay, Gulet Turistik and Magic Life Hotels chain won more than 50 valuable awards from important organizations.

2005-2009 As the founder of The O Property Collection, he made the investments and real estate development of the Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay Hotel and Bulgari Hotel in the Turks and Caicos. In that years he worked with the world's most magnificent architects like Zaha Hadid, Piero Lissoni, Antonio Citterio, David Chipperfield, Shigeru Ban, Kengo Kuma, Carl Ettensperger and Chad Oppenheim.

In 2004, he sold his shares in the Magic Life Hotels chain to the German TUI group, he moved to Miami, lived in America and Turks and Caicos Islands until 2012.

2003 Opening of the first “All Inclusive” Magic Life hotel on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura.

2002 Opening of the first “All Inclusive” Magic Life hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

2001 Opening of the first “All Inclusive” Magic Life Nile Shiphotel on the Nile river in Egypt.

2001 Opening of the first “All Inclusive” Magic Life hotel in Varna, Bulgaria.

2001 the German TUI joined Magic Life hotel chain.

1998 The first Magic Life Jet was designed and started to fly in cooperation with Austrian Airlines.

1997 Opening of the first "All Inclusive" Magic Life hotel in Hammamet, Tunisia.

In 1997, he was awarded as "Man of the Year" by Austria's important economy magazine "Trend Magazine".

In 1996, he was awarded as the "Tourism Manager of the Year" by the Hotel and Tourism magazine "Traveller".

In 1996 Opening of the first "All Inclusive" Magic Life hotel on the Greek island Kos.

1995/1996 Opening of the first “All Inclusive” Magic Life Ski Hotel in the Arlberg / Austria.

In 1994 The first "All Inclusive" Magic Life Yacht gulet sailed in Bodrum.

In 1990 He founded with his partner Oğuz Serim the Magic Life Hotels Chain and opened the first "All Inclusive" hotel, Magic Life Sarigerme.

1977-1984 Vienna University Faculty of Medicine

1969-1977 Istanbul Austrian High School

1969 he graduated from Ağrı Alpaslan Primary School.

1958-1969 he lived in Aşkale/Erzurum, Diyarbakır and Ağrı.

He was born in 1958 in Istanbul Bakirköy.

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