AG decries being tossed under bus, says gov’t passes laws slapdash
Attorney General (AG) Dawn Smith has decried a recurring pattern of government members using persons in her post as a scapegoat whenever issues in governance are highlighted to the public.
Smith raised the concern in response to the Dr Natalio Wheatley-led Virgin Islands Party (VIP) blaming former AG, Baba Aziz, for the massive error that led to 688 persons being illegitimately awarded Belongership status back in 2019/2020, and for the House of Assembly (HOA) being recalled days before the general election to correct the blunder.
“The Attorney General was under the bus bad, bad, bad, bad during the Commission of Inquiry. The Attorney General under the bus again,” AG Smith while expressing disconcertion about the practise.
“It is no comfort to me that my predecessor is the one being accused and accosted this time because ‘today for him, tomorrow for me’. I cannot tell anybody what happened in 2019 because I was not there. But given my own experiences as Attorney General, I can only imagine. But what I will say is that I have always my known my predecessor to be a careful and good lawyer and very professional,” she added.
The AG also called on other attorneys in chambers to take careful note of yesterday’s HOA proceedings, take their time in performing their duties, and stand their ground.
Gov’t passes laws slapdash
Smith also hit back at the government for seemingly always passing legislations in an uncoordinated and slapdash way.
The Attorney General further noted that she has always cautioned against this approach and has continuously urged the government to have proper public consultation on every draft legislation; for Cabinet to only approve well-thought-out, researched, and sound policy; for draft legislation to be scrutinised by policymakers to ensure that it reflects policy objectives; and for lawmakers to be given “ample time between when I bill is laid in the House and when it goes to committee so that representatives can engage with their stakeholders and come back to the House to debate intelligently and bring issues that have been raised from their interactions with their constituents.”
“In my tenure, I’ve never seen it done,” AG Smith expressed. “What I know is if we had done [those things], we would not be here today.”
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The present Attorney General is a waste of time. She talks a good talk but is a waste of time. She wants to degrade all the work & advice by the past AG at the expense of her own people to satisfy the Governor and her ego. This action needs to be taken to court. The Governor cannot continue to be allowed to act above the law and try to make us think otherwise. The present AG was the PS in the Premier’s Office when the NDP has her facilitate an 70-person fast track for their rich white friends ONLY who lived in the BVI less than 4 years & the NDP & her left out the Caribbean people who were living in the BVI for years and this is being overlooked. One must ask why? Now all of a sudden, she as the AG can condemn the advice of the last AG who advised her on her fast track as PS. The Governor, Auditor General and the now Attorney General THINK WE ARE STUPID! This is all another part of the plot to try to influence the outcome of the elections.
The current AG is the best one we have had for a long time. Unfortunately, Baba Aziz was just not a good enough lawyer and acted more like an administrator than a lawyer. Many of his opinions were simply wrong. It does not surprise me that he mused the technical point.
Stop disparaging the good name of the former AG and the current AG. We have entrusted them with a job that few people in their profession would take on because of all the stress and minimal rewards that come with it. We should be grateful to both.
You are wrong. This AG (a proud BVIslander) is doing a difficult job and discharging her duties to the territory with distinction.
She is correct! Just before the HOA dissolved they passed almost 20 Financial Services Bills in haste!
Clearly, you seem to have read a different article.
WEll WEll
so when the former speaker refuses to use the gov’t counsel.Rhw same AG … WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT ?
It has long been puzzling why Fahie let the fast track happen.
It has seemed totally out of character for him to be concerned about injustice.
And why the COI was so concerned about it was slightly puzzling too in view of the many other more serious crimes being committed everyday by the government and its members.
But now all becomes clear.
Fahie kept his gang sweet by allowing their significant others , the WAGS and HABS , to by pass the immigration laws. And hid it by allowing legitimate candidates to be fast tracked as well.
Hiding them in the crowd.
So not out of character at all. For any of them.
(WAGS – wives and girlfriends
HABS – husband and boyfriends )
The VIP must go Madam AG thank you for your statement. Natalio is no different from Fahie. Just like how Fahie put the Claude Skelton Debacle on Ralph who can’t defend himself.
Natalio is the same the people better open their eyes and see unless VIP is gone Head Coach will always have the influence to run this country and the tax payers pay for his legal fees allegedly.
This is the problem, this is exactly why we ended up with this VIP Government. This “must go” at any cost nonsense has to stop. VIP has to go then what? Who do you honestly think will do a better job of the options being afforded to us in the upcoming elections? They always say don’t pray for who going but for who coming. I would rather give Sowande another chance at being Premier before I vote for either of the other parties and that is a fact.
Did nothing major as Permanent Secretary at Premier’s office.
Did nothing major at FSC.
Same now as AG.
You did a good job summarizing the AG’s career lol.
I would like to point out that no one threw the AG under the bus. The AG’s contention that there is a pattern of government members using persons in her post as scapegoats whenever governance issues are highlighted to the public is misleading, at best. Did the mistake occur within the AG chambers? Yes. Irrespective of whether she was in the post in 2019, she must acknowledge that the issue originated from the AG’s chambers and take responsibility for explaining and correcting the error. Therefore, her crying about being thrown under the bus is unprofessional because, when you are appointed to a position of leadership in any company or organization, the leader has a fiduciary responsibility to address and rectify any existing deficiencies identified.
If you recall from the AGs position statement during the COI, the AG stated that “Lawyers (and the other persons tasked with setting and assessing compliance with rules, advising on how to foster compliance and taking action if rules are broken) should play a key role.”
Moreover, the AG further explained that “As the principal legal adviser to the Government, the Attorney General has to ensure, so far as possible, that the operations of the Government are conducted lawfully and constitutionally; and that the Government is not prevented from lawfully implementing its chosen policies. This has translated into the vision statement of the Attorney General’s Chambers, which is”…to uphold good governance and the proper and adequate administration of justice… ” in the Virgin Islands. Essentially, the Attorney General’s Chambers stand at the interface between policy and law. The problem with this AG is that she uses the concept of “principal legal adviser” to overreach and seep into areas of government that are not her concern instead of providing LEGAL ADVICE and representation to all Ministries and Departments of Government.
While I agree that the Government can improve how it passes laws, this point has nothing to do with the 688 persons being illegally awarded belongership status. Furthermore, the AG’s open criticism of the Government not having proper policies is an indictment of her time spent in the Government as a Permanent Secretary.
Until Mr. Baba Aziz speaks and tells his side of the story the blame game is just hearsay. It is quite possible that Mr. Aziz advised A. Fahie in 2019 that the $1500 fee for belongership was illegal and Fahie chose to ignore that advice.
The current AG is in that position simply because she is a belonger with the legal qualifications. Unfortunately she lacks the legal experience at this time to be the AG and result is a weak enforcement of the laws of the BVI.
You raise a very interesting point, until we see AG Aziz’s legal opinion the people are unable to judge what took place with Fast Track, why has the government not made this available, because, that will determine their culpability or otherwise.
Advise does come via a legal opinion. Why did they not place it in the addendum. This way we would know what Aziz said.
I agree. The current AG does not have the experience. She does not litigate, cannot draft legislation, and needs to learn about government (see track record as PS). She was hired on the premise of being a belonger but is unable to deliver/perform the critical aspects of her function. Her appointment is nothing more than a duplicate charge to the public’s purse, and unfortunately, taxpayers won’t be able to get a refund.
Thank you AG for standing your ground! The truth needs to be told. This vip government insulting everybody intelligence. Mr Aziz is not present to defend himself but he was a careful and wise AG. How can they overlook their HC who is in disrepute for being a criminal and having no regard for the law? How can they overlook that fact and instead choose to tarnish the good name and reputation of Mr Aziz, on zero grounds. Why did the Speaker allow that! That entire VIP government needs to go!
Hurry dog eats raw meat…Haste makes waste…When yo rush the brush things always get darb
I’m glad that you addressed this AG. I’ve suspected for some time now that many of our leaders are of the view that to take sound advice is a weakness. But, on the contrary it fosters wisdom and understanding.
Additionally, they do not seek God’s wisdom and understanding when bringing and debating bills brought to the house. They do not go home, sit down and go through them with a fine tooth comb to understand their visionary ramifications. Persons in the community would put stop signs before them and they read those signs as go!
May God continue to keep and bless the work of you and the Auditor General’s hands.
A native Virgin Islander to the nth generation
Integrity , is not in their genes , so show them what it is / and that you ain’t no puppet or scapegoat , my respect to you ? ( straighten them out ) they using -racism – colonialism – ect to decieve their own people to hide their corruption
All these blind VIP loyalists!
There must be a reason that the AG Office is always kept understaffed and underpaid. So it’s easier for elected officials to do whatever the hell they want.
And to the blogger trying to discredit the AG because she is a BVIlander — Is it that VIP is really not for its people? The AG is a qualified lawyer and because she is a BVIlander she also serves as an inspiration to young Virgin Islanders who are rarely given the opportunity to be in these types of positions because its our own people that maintain a system to keep us back.
? is a mistake ayo deaf!? ??
Dawn please. Why did the AG Chambers not advise against approving the applicants for residency and belongership at the same time? Stop trying to cover up for other people.
Ordinarily resident means, inter alia, impending lawsuit.
Maybe they did.
Maybe Fahie ignored it.
Is there any”Minutes” taken during these conversations when in Cabernet’s with the past AG?
We all need to be grateful to the AG for letting her voice be heard in the HOA yesterday. And she did an excellent job in her two part presentation. She was impartial in her speech and she defended the former AG, her staff and herself in a very prudent manner. She did not hesitate to call the spade a spade and I have much respect for her for doing that. Taking into consideration the crisis that we are faced with in this country we must stop this party mentality and do what is right to save this nation. The lying tongues, the mistakes, the many narratives, the deception and all the wrong doings must be done away with. It is time to stop the level of madness with this VIP government. We must get rid of them.
Ms Smith, the public full well know what the problem is. This Government take advice from no one. They know it all.
it always good to be able to read a blogg and learn something from doing so ? and my respect to both of
You / the woman has shown that she is honest and fair , and is prepared to do the right thing , even though she know those hypocrites who is using their power , the people and the country for their advantage will come at her negatively hopefully there is more like her
WEll WEll
so when the former speaker refuses to use the gov’t counsel.Rhw same AG … WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT ?
Fast Track price was to expensive, the correct price is $825. They were over charge 675. ……..price for Residency is $325. And Belonger is $500. .. ……. Selfish People
ALL blame points to one man and one man only now election in nigh he ask for relax bond to get in his 2 two pence
People one man blame black trump who remember the saying want all get none at all greedy bossy maan I just vex
The AG did an excellent job of exposing the wrong doing of the government . The dictator was using the unsuspecting Caribbean people for his personal gains both him and his party
He is using the same old tactics DIVDe and CONCONQUER
Put Caribbean people against Indigenous BVIslander
VIP must go thank God there are sensible people both Caribbean and Indigenous to keep this country moving forward
Start winning and we will listen to you then..
you forgot greedy / sharks ? SHARKS are predators , so it comes natural to them ,an example ,t ever since she had to pull off the X speaker’S WIG , when he tried his usual OVERSTEPPING of of his POWER , he has been blogging negatively of her so thats just his vindictive mentality / for instance ( oh please and @ OH PLEASE is the same individual blogging the same shit / that’s why the premier hab to drop kicked out he was acting like he owned the HOA , and was spoiled by the coach in allowing him to have his own way , look at how much thousands he was allowed to sQuander of our taxpayers money ?
@Wellsaw
You just said that VIP is no good. If you apply the same yardstick on the performance of NDP, they are no good either. You appear to be saying that you know how to fix BVI problems to take the nation to greatness. Please get your name on the ballot and present your magic wands for votes
AG and all sick a dem
This H**fer
She is very weak. We need a real Attorney General from somewhere overseas. Look at the condition of the Chambers. Months, if not years, to get matters out of there.
The current AG sure has gotten under your skin, that usually happens when the truth is told.