Framework agreement timeline meant to ’hang’ BVI, Smith says
Local attorney Jamal Smith has roundly rejected the two-year timeline agreed between the BVI government and the United Kingdom (UK) to implement governance reforms recommended in the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report.
In a recent interview with the Talking Points radio show, Smith said this timeframe was insufficient for the BVI to complete the lengthy list of agreed reforms.
Smith pointed to the possibility of the governor partially suspending the BVI’s constitution through an Order in Council currently held in reserve in the UK parliament and said the timeline “was literally meant to hang us”.
The proposed suspension was the first and main recommendation made in the COI report but will now only be implemented if those agreed reforms are not accomplished over specified timelines within the two-year period.
“It seems there is a unanimous position or unanimous view by the elected officials that the Order in Council should be rescinded, and we should not be pressured into it. That’s not democratic. I personally don’t share that view,” Smith expressed.
He argued that the government can’t ‘have its proverbial cake and eat it too’ by arguing against an Order in Council that they signed on to in the framework agreement in the first place.
Smith expressed concern at the government’s lack of consultation with the public before signing on to the agreement. He questioned why there was a subsequent call for community meetings after the agreement had been signed. “If you (the government) had come to me (the public) before, I was not going to agree to some of the things that you had signed on to,” Smith said.
“We have some timelines which are absurd, because you cannot expect to turn around a sinking ship in six to eight months. It is impossible so the timelines were ridiculous,” Smith added.
The attorney argued that the government is now beginning to realise that there is a problem with the agreed timelines.
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I agarre with You on this one but i still want You tto take a seat
But you don’t think that that ridiculous charge against Myron is to hang him as well? Can’t you see it is part and parcel of the same UK strategy. Make your people look corrupt so that they could hang us and do what they want? So should Myron understanding this shut up and let them smear his name and character without defending himself?
I don’t know if is sense you don’t have or if it’s your badminded ness is getting the best of you.
He is talking foolishness. The Government signed a Framework agreement that did not include the Order in Council in reserve. After the Framework document was signed then the UK Government announced that the Privy Council had adopted the Order in Council to be held in reserve to suspend the constitution. The Unity Government was not aware of the UK Government’s actions until after the Framework was signed. Stop talking what you don’t know..
Governor, Please throw them all out and start over… NOW. The people are tired
Making anybody look bad , the people who is doing bad is doing an excellent job of it all by themselves, so they don’t need any help / the coach asked for (COI) and he got it , check the script ?
to be silent and thought a fool then to speak and remove all doubt.