Constitutional Review Commission to submit report soon

In the coming weeks, the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) is expected to submit a report on the work it has done over the past several, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has disclosed.

The Commission was approved by the Cabinet in June 2022 to consider the aspirations and changes the people of the territory wish to see in the next constitution.

However, the Commission experienced some administrative delays at the start of their process, which affected the start of the public consultation phase by some months.

Premier Wheatley praised the level of responsiveness by the public during the public consultation phase, noting that this caused the Commission to extend that segment in order to hear from as many interested persons as possible.

“I understand that, despite the end of January deadline for comments, the Commission has continued to receive comments since then, including two in recent weeks. Thus, the Commission requested the full 18 months allotted to it,” Dr Wheatley told the House of Assembly recently.

According to the Premier, the public’s interest and participation in reviewing the Constitution and shaping constitutional relationships indicate a strong desire among Virgin Islands residents to have a direct say in their governance, reflecting the essence of constitutional government.

“So, to be delayed due to high interest and participation should not be viewed as something that is negative. To the contrary, it is very positive under the standards of British constitutionalism,” the Premier argued.

Terms of reference for the Commission include recommendations for examining whether independent institutions enshrined in the Constitution are sufficient and effective enough to ensure good governance.

The CRC is also being asked to consider making recommendations in relation to the powers that need to be reserved to the Governor, and how issues as to the exercise of devolved and reserved powers, respectively, when they arise, are to be resolved.

Recommendations are also to be made on a mechanism for the transfer of reserved powers to the devolved BVI government in the future, without a further change to the constitution being required, is also expected to be explored.