There are conflicting views on action Britain has taken in Turks and Caicos islands after a commission of inquiry uncovered what has been declared as systematic corruption, or serious dishonesty and incompetence by those who were in authority.

Even without access to all of the facts surrounding such allegations, it would seem in a world of mass communication at every level, Britain would not make such a move without concluding that there was sufficient hard evidence, to warrant moving in to halt what they determined was a wave of out of control abuse of power in that jurisdiction.

While some take the view that Britain over reacted, others feel if Britain had delayed taking action after what was described as an abundance of evidence, they would have been under fire for allowing it to continue.

Doing nothing in the face of activity that reportedly fell dreadfully short in upholding levels of integrity and honesty, could very well place democracy itself in great danger for that country.

In a healthy democracy the people should be able to question those they place in power, with the expectation that they conduct themselves with dignity especially in dealing with the peoples business.

It would seem unwise to assume that all the citizens of TCI would oppose action taken by Britain aimed at protecting the interest of the people in light of what has transpired. Undoubtedly there are those who do not share that view, and see Britain as using too heavy a hand in its intervention.

Sometimes when democracy is threatened, it calls for strong measures to safeguard the principles needed to ensure democracy stays alive.

Anyone who truly believes in honesty should support efforts to promote good Government anywhere. There has been no world condemnation of the action Britain has taken, aimed at restoring honour and a return to a stable administration for the people of TCI. It is also significant to note that no shots were fired and there was no bloodshed.

Hopefully TCI will again be able through the election process to rebuild an administration that will result in the people conducting their own affairs with confidence that the proper principles are being adhered to.

Bermuda has always had close ties with TCI since our early history and so it is paramount that the situation there be resolved. Sadly corruption has affected many Governments across the globe.

As for Bermuda there is no need to fear similar action as long as a code of basic democratic principles is upheld by the country's leaders.

Although there are rumblings in many quarters about this Governments performance in the recent past, it is doubtful conditions have crossed the line to a point where such action would be initiated or contemplated by the British Government.

In fact the action in the Turks and Caicos should be a wake up call to any territory under British Authority that while the British Government keeps its distance in how these countries conduct their affairs, they maintain the right to act if the interest and protection of the people appears under serious risk.

It was a move anticipated by observers, and one that should be applauded by people who still believe that no one should be above the law including Government officials.

There are those who are critical of Britain taking over direct rule of TCI and while it is a major move, they should be more concerned about protecting the values based on honesty and transparency in the running of any country.

The entire situation should be an opportunity to seek ways to implement safeguard procedures throughout Government policies to detect any attempt to circumvent laws of the land for financial gain.

Many Governments around the world have engaged in highly questionable activities that benefited a few.

The risk of that happening is always there, and no one should take it for granted that any Government will automatically operate with the highest principles as a priority.

When there is democracy it must be protected because it provides the avenue for challenging anything that poses a threat to its core principles.

These include the freedom of expression and the right to agree or disagree with the fundamental goal of moving to the higher ground of understanding. No country can afford to take those values lightly.