Deandrea Hamilton /EDITOR / https://magneticmediatv.com/
TCI| E Jay Saunders at 3:09pm today confirmed that it is official, he will join the backbench of the Progressive National Party, that Washington Misick, Turks and Caicos Islands premier and PNP party leader has decided to strip him of the ministerial portfolio which includes his role as the deputy premier and the minister with responsibility for finance investment and trade. Both are constitutionally granted at the pleasure of the serving premier.
Residents weighing in ahead of the official confirmation had said, they expected as much and are not shocked that Saunders, who challenged the premier for leadership of the PNP on Saturday past, would be axed.
“It happened to AK (Akierra Missick) it will happen to E. Jay said one of our subscribers.”
Saunders made the reveal in a WhatsApp chatroom he had created to keep local media informed.
“Fyi, its official,” he typed.
When asked by our Dana Malcolm, if the termination meant he would no longer be deputy premier and would still hold the post of finance minister, Saunders said it means, “I’ll be joining the others in the back bench.”
E. Jay Saunders, had even earlier in the day confirmed to Magnetic Media he had seen the rumors circulating about his termination; rumors that also said Jamell Robinson, currently the minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development was top of the list to replace him as deputy – but at that time, there was no official recall of his post in the Turks and Caicos Islands Cabinet.
Now, that is all changed.
We have reached out for comment from the premier on the events of Saturday and the National General Council of the PNP and his decision to cut E. Jay Saunders from his front bench, but there has been no reply up to publication time.
It is also reported that another who challenged Washington Misick for leader of the PNP has been disciplined and may lose his government job. Jas Walkin, the North Caicos District Commissioner, despite withdrawing his name from the ballot after a warning from the Office of the Deputy Governor is now on suspension.
