A Tale of Being Marginalised in One’s Own Country

An Open Letter to the TCI Governor and the TCI Integrity Commission

I struggled for days contemplating whether or not I should write this article. I told myself to let it go, to move on quietly, as so many of us are expected to do when the system fails us.

Sabrina Elizabeth Green, Translator & Founder, ProLingo Solutions Ltd., Turks and Caicos Islands

In speaking out we often fear ridicule, victimization, being labelled as troublemakers or even worst, blackballed all together for simply standing up for what is right. Finally, after considerable deliberation, I was lead to do so.

Silence feeds injustice, and if we, as Turks and Caicos Islanders, do not speak up when wronged, then the cycle of exclusion continues unchallenged.

This is not about my personal disappointment, I am merely an illustration of a forgotten people, whose dignity has been traded for progress; this is about us all, the unfairness, unethical conduct, and the growing pattern of marginalisation faced by qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders in their own country, by institutions that should embody integrity.

For over three decades, I have served the Turks and Caicos Islands as an interpreter in both Spanish and Haitian Creole. From the age of seventeen, I have helped bridge linguistic and cultural divides in our communities and public institutions so that justice could be fairly administered.

With years of experience and formal qualifications, I founded ProLingo Solutions, a homegrown company created to professionalise and streamline interpretation/translation services across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The goal was simple: to ensure that translators and interpreters throughout the islands are certified to international standards, and that both public and private entities could access qualified, competent, and trained professionals through a transparent and efficient local system that provided language services for most languages. Where deficiencies in domestic capacity existed, services would be provided by an international sub-contractor through ProLingo Solutions.

In April 2025, I mentioned this business venture to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, hoping to work with the court system again. He appeared enthusiastic. He admitted that the courts were overwhelmed with cases involving non-English speakers and said my proposal was exactly what the Judiciary needed.

At his request, I submitted the full written proposal, including rate structure, staffing plans, and training models. I had every reason to believe the matter would advance.

Then came silence. Despite numerous calls and emails, I received no response, not even an acknowledgement of receipt for the proposal sent. Finally, after contacting him via  Whatsapp, he replied to my request for an update by stating that he would forward the proposal to the Chief Justice for discussion.

On October 9th, 2025, after six months of waiting for a response, I sought an audience with the Hon. Chief Justice. I was successful in obtaining an appointment with her and the meeting was scheduled for 10:00am on October 15th. The Registrar was also present at this meeting. Upon learning that my proposal had never reached her, the Chief Justice expressed concern and admonished the Registrar in my presence, then instructed him to apologise to me for “dropping the ball.”

Her Ladyship was otherwise gracious and very encouraging. She requested a detailed rate breakdown by day, week, month and the annual costings for services, and even spoke of piloting the service within the Judiciary once in receipt of the rate schedule. I left the meeting hopeful.

The requested information was sent to the Registrar immediately and I began rallying up my interpreters for the anticipated trial run.

But once again, only silence followed.

Days after the meeting, I was reliably informed that allegedly, the entire meeting, including the apology, may have been nothing more than a performance. It was alleged that there was never any genuine intention to engage a Turks and Caicos Islander for this service and that certain individuals within the Judiciary generally preferred to contract from outside the country. Disbelief swept over me.

“Could it be possible that I was only invited to the meeting for the purposes of checking a box?” If true, this is both disheartening and deeply troubling.

On Monday, November 3rd, 2025, I received an email from the Registrar, written “on the direction of the Chief Justice.” It stated that my company was unsuccessful due to “budgetary constraints” and proceeding with ProLingo Solutions would require the Judiciary to go through an “Invitation for Tender Process.”

That explanation, however, raises serious questions. If procurement rules were truly the obstacle, why was I not guided on how to participate or reapply? Especially after my proposal offered alternative methods of engagement. Further, what is wrong with going through the tender process? And allegedly, why has another company, one that mirrors my proposal, been contracted for the same service without facing those same restrictions?

It is further alleged that this new company, reportedly based in the United States, is unlicensed and untaxed in the Turks and Caicos Islands yet is scheduled to begin Judiciary work on November 7th, 2025, via Zoom. It is also alleged that the Registrar maintains close personal ties with individuals associated with this company and that financial incentives may be involved.

These are all allegations, but they deserve serious scrutiny.

Is it not curious though, that the Judiciary, which has long adhered to an established system for managing its translation needs, chose now to depart from that practice only after receiving my proposal, and is now opting instead to engage a foreign entity to carry out the very initiative I had proposed?

“Please bear in mind that this is not about who was hired; it is about how the process unfolded. When local professionals are silenced, overlooked, and their intellectual property appears to be used without acknowledgment, it undermines the very values that justice stands for.”

My proposal, the product of years of professional experience and development, was submitted in confidence. It outlined not only financial models but also training and certification systems unique to ProLingo Solutions.

If it is true that this information was used to structure the foreign company’s operations, it raises serious concerns under intellectual property and administrative law. Whether through negligence or intent, such actions damage trust and erode public confidence in the Judiciary’s commitment to fairness.

Here is the bigger picture though - Beyond this single event lies a broader and more unsettling truth; the growing climate of fear and exclusion within our country. Many Turks and Caicos Islanders no longer feel represented or protected, and our duly elected government appears paralysed into inaction. Those without the “right connections” are too often left to navigate a system that seems to reward silence and punish self-reliance, forcing capable citizens to stand on their own and fend for themselves in the very land they call home.

Integrity, it seems, is demanded only of locals. Time and time again, we hear of the allegations where some foreign workers have engaged in questionable dealings or practices and yet appear to walk away unscathed, while Turks and Caicos Islanders on the other hand, are often the ones dragged through the justice system, humiliated, and made to feel unworthy in their own land after their characters have been assassinated.

I am fully aware that by speaking out, I may be targeted, but I stand by what is right, and that is what matters most to me, besides, I am quite comfortable and confident enough to stand on my own.

Please know that this is not an attack on anyone’s nationality or origin; it is a cry for fairness and equity in a country that is forgetting its own.

 I did not learn to speak foreign languages by accident, but because I believe in understanding and connection across cultures and an overall genuine love for all people. I am smart enough to recognise that foreign expertise is sometimes necessary where local capacity is limited. However, that reality should never come at the expense of qualified and competent Turks and Caicos Islanders who are deserving of the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to their country’s growth and development.

This environment has created silence, a silence that stifles innovation, crushes ambition, and erodes the national spirit.

But all is not lost, now is the time for us to stand as one, to look out for each other as though our very lives depended on it, because they do. We must take the lead in demonstrating how we care for one another, so that those who live and work among us will be guided by the same example.

It is my considered view that had the Registrar, even for a moment, believed that I was supported or properly represented within my own country, there might have been no need at all for me to write this article.

Turks and Caicos, our dignity and our children’s futures depend on our ability to stand in the face of wrong and call it what it is. Do not be deceived, we are good enough; in fact, in many cases, we are better; I implore you to not give up, but stand up for what is just.

If we cannot demand a fair opportunity in our own country, then tell me, where can we be expected to demand one?

What happened to me is not unique. It reflects a growing and painful pattern: many qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders are continuously passed over for contracts, and positions that should rightfully build local capacity. We are told to study, to work hard, to invest in our communities, yet when we do, our innovation is quietly repackaged and our ideas outsourced.

This is not progress; it is silent displacement.

I now respectfully call upon Her Excellency the Governor, the Turks and Caicos Islands Integrity Commission, and all relevant oversight authorities to investigate this matter fully. This appeal is not about bitterness; it is about fairness.

If processes are being manipulated, if intellectual property is being used without permission, if foreign entities are being granted preferential treatment outside of domestic procurement and licensing standards, and where foreign workers are given opportunities over interested, qualified and competent Turks and Caicos Islanders, then these actions must be addressed.

Accountability is not hostility; it is the foundation of justice.

“Fear cannot build a nation. What builds a nation is transparency, fairness, and the courage to confront uncomfortable truths.”

Again, I really did not want to write about this unfortunate incident. Like many others, I have considered the consequences of speaking openly and honestly in a small community where personal relationships often blur the line between duty and discretion. But truth must be spoken and there is no better time than now.

I have spent my life helping this country communicate across language barriers. Today, I am communicating something far more urgent: that the dignity and rights of Turks and Caicos Islanders must be defended.

If this letter brings awareness, sparks reform, or simply reminds those in power that fairness must never be selective, then it will have served its purpose.

We, the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, are not asking for charity; we are asking for fairness. We are not asking for privilege; we are asking for equality. And we are not asking for silence; we are asking for justice.

If someone does not stand up to the atrocities happening around us, they will continue to happen. So, why not now? Why not me?

Sabrina Elizabeth Green is the Translator & Founder, ProLingo Solutions Ltd., Turks and Caicos Islands