COI made a spectacle of all of us — Skelton
Opposition legislator Ronnie Skelton said the 2021 Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Virgin Islands turned elected leaders into a public display, leaving the public with a distorted view of events.
Speaking during the House of Assembly debate on the Constitutional Review Commission Report, Skelton criticised how the COI was carried out. “The COI report, the COI Commission of Inquiry came here and made a public spectacle of all of us,” Skelton said.
He described the hearings as theatre, comparing them to dramatic scenes in films. “The picture, the antics, the image of a clearer complexion sitting up here drilling… like an African, what we used to see in the African movies. It looks wrong. But they just take a snapshot in time, and that was it, and our people believed that,” he said.
Skelton admitted that not all of the blame lay with the inquiry. “What happened is some of it was our fault,” he explained, noting that internal failures had left gaps. But he insisted the approach taken by the inquiry overshadowed those issues. “They have huge problems where they are. Huge. But because we have no say in some of the matters, this is what happened to us,” Skelton argued.
The Commission of Inquiry, led by Sir Gary Hickinbottom, was launched in 2021 by then-Governor John Rankin. It examined allegations of poor governance, corruption, and misuse of public funds. Its final report contained 45 recommendations, including reforms to procurement, political finance, and public service management.
The report triggered the United Kingdom’s threat to impose direct rule through an Order in Council, a move strongly resisted by local leaders. Instead, an agreement was reached to implement the reforms under local governance, overseen by a monitoring framework.
Earlier this week, UK Minister for Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty confirmed that the Order in Council would be lifted, saying that the Virgin Islands had made “significant progress” on governance reforms.
Skelton pointed to the wide-ranging nature of the recent constitutional review, noting that 57 recommendations were made, informed by over 200 oral and 73 written submissions. He highlighted that contributions came from a cross-section of society. “I see people there who just came in on contract two or three years ago making their recommendation,” he said.
Despite disagreements, Skelton emphasised that constitutional reform must reflect the will of Virgin Islanders. “Changes in the constitution should be requested by the people of the country. When you’re going to put yourself inside of it and appoint who you want and who you think and that kind of stuff, that’s wrong,” he insisted.
He warned that without greater self-determination, the territory could continue to face similar interventions in the future.
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Oh yes, the master plan — hire people, then refuse to listen to them. Permanent, contract, part-time… doesn’t matter. Why actually support the very people you brought in to strengthen the place?
Sure, there are always those that don’t fit in anywhere. But most contract officers I’ve seen come here want to make things better. They push, they improve, they lift up the teams around them. Yet instead of encouragement, they’re met with hostility. Brilliant.
And sure, close the borders too — because nothing says “progress” like shutting out talent and ideas until everything stagnates.
The people deserve better.
It made a spectacle of you because you are a BUNCH OF CLOWNS!
Did you thief any more money without our consent in the last week?
Hinkinbottom, an extremely unpopular and disliked UK judge, was brought in by Governor Augustus Ulysses “useless” Jaspert with a brief to recommend the suspension of the constitution and the imposition of direct rule.
Despite his best efforts, including breaching BVI law, Hickinbottom failed to find any serious corruption but made the recommendation that “useless” had asked for – leaving the UK Government to take the unprecedented step of rejecting the primary recommendation of a Commission of Inquiry.
The CoI was not a bad idea, but Hickinbottom was so busy trying to bully ministers and civil servants that did not discover anything that we all did not already know.
Is it ever going to be possible to start these discussions with “The Premier, HONORABLE Andrew Fahie ASKED for the COI. Some say he badgered Jaspert for a COI into the NDP and its corruption. Instead we got a COI into ALL parties, governments, and the corruption therein. Followed by Jaspert finally relented and called for a COI and Higginbottom arrived and did his thing. Why do we insist on leaving out how the COI arrived on our doorstep? Also I find it difficult that someone I’m supposed to trust holds the view that because the UK has corruption the BVI should not have our corruption called out. So let’s say this is again the pot calling the kettle bottom black. But what the COI did, regardless of how it was accomplished, was show to us, “the people”, the taxpayers, the VOTERS, what was going on which we either did not know or did not want to have come to the light. That’s the rub. And again, let’s remember who asked for the COI to be made public, televised live and it will live on in perpetuity on Youtube for all of us to see. Some of the behavior and the responses are seared into our brains and memories because our “leaders” made complete asses of themselves in some unthinkable way or another. So please folks, let’s give credit where credit is due. If it wasn’t for someone’s bad mind we might have continued to happily live in ignorance. But the bad mind back fired and now we mad. Well folks we should all remember the one about digging graves, dig two just in case. We didn’t just get one or two, we got a whole monumental tomb.
Where is the COI report that the BVI paid for?
Is this transparency?
This man is the perfect example of why the COI was absolutely necessary, to shine a light on selfish, greedy, and undeclared (and therefore potentially illegal) practices.
While talking about what’s best for the people, he’s pocketing an extra $36,000 a month on top of his already enhanced salary just so government can rent his office space.
Do the math: from 2017 until now, that’s $3.74 million.
And with the government building now delayed until mid-2027, we’re looking at another $756,000.
By then, taxpayers will have shelled out a staggering $4.5 million in rent.
The secret millionaire.
And we wonder why the people don’t trust leadership.
Nice work if you can get it.
Please ask our Government to move out. There are many companies waiting for space who are offering better payment packages.
BS!!!
A lot of public officers and professionals are already at low morale — and they’re marching with their feet. The warning signs are there: when people feel unsupported, they leave.
Without experienced and capable leadership, the very backbone of our public service will continue to walk away — and the whole Territory will feel the impact.
Now the COI people done gone, the real question is this, we going slip back inna the old ways, or we going keep up some of the good, modern and open work we start.
Only time go tell.
It’s a shame that it took people from another country to come in, investigate, and blow wide open just how far our beautiful Virgin Islands had fallen. We should never have reached that point.
And truth is, we’re still not out of the woods yet. We need real help: with crime, with scandals, with our roads, our teachers, our nurses, even our basic water supply.
The people deserve better, and the work is far from done.
With EDUCATION…can’t get any worse than that!!!
If those who came under the microscope were serious and upright stewards of our patrimony, no Commission could’ve made a spectacle of them. The COI didn’t script the mess. It just turned on the lights. You weren’t framed, you were merely found wanting.
I see a lot of people here on contract working in low-paid but essential roles — hospitality, catering, care services. The question is simple
If they weren’t here, who would be doing these jobs?
Also, they aren’t the ones committing all the crime.
No Sir it showed the people who you all are!
Ronnie, you were made a spectacle, because all of you continuously do that to your selves.
Poor governance, corruption, misuse of public funds? All still continue! Open your eyes!
sure did
exposed a lof of hidden dirty schemes yall was doing
we know yall corrupt but seeing it in black and white just confirmed it for us
You only need to watch the performance of key people to see how poorly we looked to the world.
C.O.S-C was on display for all to see. What a shocker!! And he still gets regular airign whenever this news site or the yellow belly site listens to his radio propaganda show.
COI exposed all the thieving.
Still being craftly done
The most crucial help we need is with our level of awareness. To those that are comfortable on the plantation this subject is taboo but we will continue to waste time and money living lies and illusion. The pastors and preachers are more dangerous than the politician.
Sir, Relationship Matters. The relationship between our government and the people should be a fundamental aspect of democracy.
However, what we are facing is a toxic dictatorship.
Whenever we let down our guard, they all fall in line and manipulate our people.
They have continued to exhibit no ethics, no morals for their constituents, only loyalty to their pockets. We can stand up and act and say to them No, we will not stand with you at this time in this abusive relationship. We reserve the right to get rid of these crooks and get better representations before voting for independence or self-determination.
Let’s take a simple vote right now.
Hit Like if you agree
Dislike if you disagree
I can Never Forget the Coi Sitting where a Sitting Minister of Government along with The Drug Cartel Premier who Dubbed “Belonger Status” as A Sacred Gift But had it Not been for MS. Adams the Then acting Governor, That Sacred Gift would have been given to a Rapist and a Murderer. “The Sacred Gift.”
Come October 1st, 2025 That Once Sacred Gift will be Worth $2,500. (Hon. Sacred Gift).
It is the last two or three administrations that have made a spectacle of themselves, and that have allowed the Territory to fall into it’s current disgraceful decrepitude, but in Trump style, always easier to blame others, especially when there has been zero accountability for missing millions of the public purse, and millions wasted on airlines, banks and parties. The state of the Territory is a result of actions by locals. The CoI called it out, but elected pols instead want to paint a land of milk and honey (for themselves) instead of learning from this and trying to improve the Territory’s governance. Recall that the CoI was precipitated by the discovery of 5,500 pounds of cocaine in a policeman’s backyard, followed by Fat Hog Bob’s demise in his house.
JULIE- AN (AKA) JUDGE WIGGIE , WE ALL KNOW WHO BEGGED FOR THE “COI” EXCEPT FOR YOU & MR ALOOF (AKA ) RON- E / BECAUSE Y’ALL STILL TRYING TO CONVINCE US THAT IT WAS THE WHITE COLONIALIST SLAVE MASTERS DID THIS AND DID THAT AND A WHOLE SET OF SH*T SCAPEGOATING ) @ CREDIT WHERE DUE , YHANJ YOU FOR BREAKING IT DOWN FOR US , HOPEFULLY THOSE TWO HYPOCRITES READ YOUR BLOGG AND GET THE MESSAGE / BUT THEN AGAIN THEIR EGOS IS IN CHARGE OF THEM •
Has he forgotten the famous three that were arrested for drug smuggling and money laundering!! Of course there is corruption but they continue with the rhetoric that the COI was wrongly done to them? God only knows what state the place would be in without the COI.
It’s very telling when the only person in government who consistently reports the TRUTH is the Auditor General.
It was her office that exposed the Ministers’ secretive pay hike.
It was her office that reported Ministers’ corrupt dealings to the Governor and the COI.
If you need a laugh (or a cry), just type “BVI COI” into YouTube — you’ll see how our beloved politicians behaved, dodged questions, and danced around where all the money went.
This has been happening for years, and it must stop.