TCI Sun
Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson
Reacting to the extension of Attorney General Huw Shepheard’s contract, Opposition Leader Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson says she is disappointed that Governor Ric Todd has “seen it fit to make long term appointments for persons in whom the public has shown to have little faith and confidence, especially when he himself leaves in only a few weeks”.
In a press release issued Monday evening, the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) leader stated: “We have found the current AG (Huw Shepheard) to be less than very helpful to us in the Opposition in Parliament. He unfortunately does not seem to want to be held into account by answering questions in Parliament. We hope that going forward he will have more of a spirit of working together and understanding his role clearer.”
Of concern, the PDM leader said, is the fact that a few months ago, the Government called for the AG’s recall.
“I’m sure the Government must now feel slighted and disrespected,” Hon. Cartwright-Robinson continued.
The Opposition Leader added: “Unfortunately, I am not surprised by the Governor’s announcement of a further three year contract for the Attorney General. It was done recently with the Police Commissioner and the Director of the Financial Services Commission. At least he announced this one and it didn’t have to be forced out through questions asked in Parliament.”
Hon. Cartwright-Robinson, the first female Opposition Leader in the Turks and Caicos Islands, added: “This period has seen great challenges and we have placed too many persons in high ranking positions where we, as a people, could perhaps have benefited from more experienced individuals. There has been a serious concern about the lack of experience of many top personnel. Major blunders have been made that have caused a serious decline in trust and confidence. People are definitely all the more now concerned about the Governor’s decision to reappoint certain individuals.”
