Governor vows to continue pushing for COI reforms
Though he is set to demit office at the end of this year, Governor John Rankin has signalled that he has no intention of slowing his push for the implementation of the good governance reforms that the Commission of Inquiry (COI) recommended for the BVI.
In a recent interview with 284 Media, Governor Rankin said he will be very busy during his final six months as there is still a lot of work to be done under his portfolio.
“I’ll be keeping busy, I’ll not be putting my feet up, I will keep on working very hard until the end of the year. There’s a lot to be done in terms of supporting good governance here in the territory, in terms of the reform process, my continued support for the police and the public service, and my continuing to work in partnership with the government to get those things which the territory deserves. So it will be a busy period between now and the end of the year,” Rankin explained.
Much of Rankin’s tenure as Governor was marked by the COI reform process which has not been a smooth one. The reforms are supposed to establish good governance practices in the territory after the COI found that successive governments carried on a culture of poor governance and lack of transparency for many years.
The elected government has done well in getting started on a number of the reforms that were recommended but recently Governor Rankin said the reform process wasn’t moving fast enough.
The Governor said he may have to use additional powers to speed up the process if he doesn’t see certain changes soon. These additional powers are given in the BVI constitution but would not be taken well by local leaders, as they see such actions as Britain exerting unnecessary powers over the elected government.
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All bark and no bite!
Time is running out on his time here.
Order in Council could be enforced by year’s end if VIP government continues to ignore the Guv’s warnings.
Guv just pull the plug on this madness
When will he reform his own office so they can send us a black governor?
Remember. Governors have historically saved making controversial moves until they’re on the way out the door. Rankin’s big move could be coming soon… If he has the stones.
We all know what happened when the last Premier riled up the last Governor!! I hope this Premier riles up this Governor, as he appears to be doing, and the Governor does what we hope for, dissolving government and cleaning out of all of the government departments and GSB’s. Get proper prosecutors in and sort the criminal prosecution department; speedy trials with proper prep and maybe we will win a few trials!
The only way the Territory will return to financial stability is to reduce government employment and expenses. Weed out all of the dead wood, put proper systems and management in place.
blah, blah, blah
Mr Rankin you ended up being a disappointment.
The COI was a big show that exposed so much corruption and not one person has been brought to justice.
If it was not for the U.S, AF would still be the reigning king of the BVI.
What purpose have all your UK detectives in the country served. How have they help to make the RVIPF any better. Here we are with high-day robbery and no one has been caught.
Why do we have such a high rate of unsolved murders and crimes. Have the criminals outsmarted the police and prove that they are all incompetent?
You came, you are about to depart the BVI, you got your sun, sand and sea and now sail off into the sunset, leaving the BVI criminals confident that they are above the law. Corruption will therefore be the style of the day.
Thank you for nothing
United Kingdom have far move issues than British Virgin Islands
Did the COI change anything at all?
Not that I can see. Same old rats in the same old cheese shop while the guard ,Rankin, talks a lot but does nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Shameful.
If the people who are posting above and asking the governor to suspend the constitution are local people then colonialism has damaged us to point where we cannot be repaired. We sick in our heads. Let him suspend it and let the UK citizens inherit your children’s inheritance. Play stupid.
Governor please. Get yourself and your office in Order, in short Order.