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What is happening in Turks and Caicos Islands with British Direct Rule?



PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — Shaun Malcolm, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), and Oswald Skippings, former chief minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands and former deputy leader of the PDM, both strong advocates for the suspension of the constitution and the removal of the democratically elected Progressive National Party (PNP) government along with their own party’s parliamentary representatives, have now apparently reversed their positions. 

The pair has recently openly attacked the interim government, with Skippings publishing two controversial opinion pieces, where in one he gave a pass to now disgraced former PNP premier Michael Misick, claiming that Misick was not the master or the mind that masterminded the corruption in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In the other commentary, Skippings protested that there seemed to be little benefit in removing a corrupt regime. 

Shaun Malcolm, on the other hand, has recently had several letters published in the TCI Journal weblog. These letters were apparently published with the intent of exposing the alleged corruption of the interim administration. 

Malcolm is believed to have been the only person that appeared on behalf of the TCI Journal at press conferences hosted by former Governor Gordon Wetherell. Local sources have reported that Malcolm and TCI Journal co-founder Gurcharan Singh are currently facing legal difficulties in the United States, UK and Canada. Singh is said to have fled the South Florida area to hide from creditors and civil law suits that allege serious financial wrongdoing. 

These former supporters of British direct rule seemed hopeful that their commercial activities would be supported by a British-led Government in the Turks and Caicos Islands. 

An aviation company formed by Malcolm and another PDM national governing council member who openly campaigned for Skippings to become leader at previous PDM conventions, was touted as having secured some 99 acres of very valuable land in the Providenciales International Airport on a long term lease. This transaction alone would have made them all instant multimillionaires. Land around the airport sells for $500,000 per acre. The transaction was supposedly backed by an expatriate developer of the exclusive Aman Resort in Providenciales, where the hotel villas rent for some $15,000 per week. 

Former premier Michael Misick had alleged that former Governor Gordon Wetherell was bestowed with lavish gifts from the resort in exchange for favourable immigration appeal decisions but this was denied by the former governor. 

However, sources within the interim government allege that the proposed airport transaction reeked of favouritism and special treatment and the interim government would not be in the business of making instant multimillionaires with Crown land as the main variable in the transaction. Malcolm’s local company apparently invested nothing in the transaction but was using local contacts and purported support of the British government as leverage. 

In any event, the airport deal has now apparently collapsed, with the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) entering into a commercial transaction with international ground handler ServiceAir. 

A complaint over the ground handling matter has been lodged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by another local supporter of the suspension of parliament, Albray Butterfield Jnr, who owns TCA ground handling. He was also the choice to be deputy leader of the PNP but later had to resign after a majority of PNP national governing council members voted against the appointment. Butterfield has complained that the government should not be in the business of competing with local business. 

Now that the multimillion dollar deals have soured, these former politicians and strong supporters of the suspension of the constitution appear to have turned against the British government. 

Butterfield has now sent another open letter accusing the governor of various nefarious deeds.

published on 10th of March 2012 in Caribean News Now

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.