Governor wants consequences for boards that don’t meet standards
Governor John Rankin has hinted at the need for more serious repercussions for statutory boards that fail to meet the mark of standards that are in place for them to function effectively.
In his most recent quarterly review of the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report, Rankin said greater momentum is needed with both ministers and the statutory boards taking ownership and responsibility for governance reform.
“Where boards fail to meet the basic standards of governance, there must be real consequences,” the Governor insisted.
According to the Governor, this is especially true for the Boards which are entrusted with significant public finances. He singled out the Festival and Fairs Committee as a glaring example of this delinquency.
“We have seen in the example of the Festival and Fairs Committee, that despite the responsibility of the Board to manage public funds, they have not met the legal requirement to submit audited accounts and annual reports since 2017,” Rankin wrote in his report.
Rankin described the absence of audited accounts as an indicator of poor financial management, giving rise to potential corruption, and said it must be taken seriously and remedied rapidly.
“Where boards are unable to cope with this responsibility, questions must be asked about their structures and memberships. It is vital that boards are equipped, or are adequately supported, to meet their obligations,” the Governor added.
In the meantime, the governor said some boards, such as the Airports Authority, have undertaken corporate governance training, and the Ports Authority undertook internal training on political interference. Whistleblowing and conflict-of-interest policies have been put in place by some boards, such as the Ports Authority and the Recreation Trust.
He also commended the International Tax Authority and Recovery and Development Agency for their continued commitment to good governance standards.
The COI recommended sweeping changes to the constitution of statutory boards and the government has since been advertising vacancies for posts on these boards and has since enforced term limits and other restrictions in the wake of the report.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
getting fed up of he now
Standards are required everywhere else, but only in the BVI, people like Frazer get elected saying everybody honest and it’s unnecessary to dshow how money is spent. More of our politicians need to speak up for setting these standards of accountability or we will think you are all as ignorant as Frazer. Don’t assume for the quiet majority. We are listening and the silence is deafening.
Dear Service Boards,
Please refuse!! Please help to drive the Governor to take over and clean house one time; everyone out, proper management in!!
Service Boards are a waste of money and simply need to be replaced with a proper manager. No Ministers involved. No nepotism.
For Kye to pass his responibilities for Public Works to a group of beholders who will also be related to everyone under them should be prosectuted as a crime against common common sense and decency!!
It’s all by design. Dissect the expenditure of the Festival & Fairs Committee and you will be blown away!
H.E
needs to be burden with the consequences of his words and his actions.
is the crime many board members commit during their tenure but are rarely prosecuted due to protective nepotism.
I agree. The consequence should be jail. I am still trying to wrap my head around SSB and the Joe Hill fiasco. The BVI ranks amongst the worst in SSB benefit payouts when compared with other Caribbean island states. You shouldn’t be a board member if you can’t distinguish between a project that helps the SSB increase its ability to pay its contributors better benefits and a terrible idea.
It is important to note that the policies put in place at BVIPA was done by the same lawyer those corrupt people fired. On another note BVIPA Board requires vision.q
We also need laws to hold Governors accountable because no one should be above the law, not even the Governor. There are laws to hold the President of US accountable, there are laws to hold elected officials accountable, therefore there MUST be laws immediately put in place to hold BVI and all OT Governors accountable. This is the 21st century and good governance MUST be a standard across the board because absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Maybe ensure that there are boards in place first place as by law? National Parks hasn’t had a board in 2 years.
Holding people accountable? In BVI? In public office?
We will have nobody left.
And I am all for it!!
@ Licher and Sticher Good – To many cousins of ppl trying to avoid hard topics on these boards. Whether it’s Trade, SSB etc etc Accountability is lacking. Between incompetence to corruption, the entire SSB board needs to be thoroughly audited ie probed with impunity
@ Shoot Yah Shot – Trade? Surprised no activity or improvement? That’s what you get by placing it under a tired 70 yr old minister that has never ran a serious business in her life. She always seems to need a nap. Come to think about it, has any of these ministers ran anything successfully or shown qualities that we want in leadership.
If the views on this chat represent the thinking of our country we are in deep shi….
Cant you see our Government lacks leadership and the Governor is quietly setting up the incompetent leaders .. The Premier is failing so we need to stop playing the blame game and cleam up
Crime
Unemployment
Rising food prices
The outdated views of haters … mentality
We need to teach our youth
Put programs in place to get them off the block
Too much talk and no action
Engage in capital projects that benifit the country
Not individual under hand projects to benifir a few individuals. That is the Animal Farm mentality
Uk will find an excuse to strengthen its foothold in the Caribbean and not lose the BVI
Mr. Governor,
You used BVI Festival and Fairs as an example, but you need to look at the larger Boards. Social Security, for example has not provided audited accounts for a number of years. Right now, there is no Board.
Why is this Statutory Board not being looked into? It appears that people are afraid to come out and say that there’s no leadership there, incompetence reigns supreme at the top and that institution is on an imminent collision course with failure.
Mr. Governor, please, please look into the Social Security Board before it’s too late.
Help Me -SOS –
Grand Mother Anguillian
Married and live here my grandfather Tolian
Father Born her married Kittishian
I born here
So am i still an outcast OUTSIDER
, they smash “0utsiders” to the bone but they marry into thr outsiders , their mothers or fathers , might be an outsider ,
Their niece and nephews have children with outsiders , one of their great grand parents might trace back to an outsider , so pray tell
Who is the outsider or outsiders The White
Children born in the BVI, the grand ild elders who can be traced back to Anguilla, St kitts, Guyana, santo Domingo
Who in the sixties and seventies help to bear and birth our children . My grandma came from Anguilla my father was born here, i was born here am i an OUTSIDER?
Who can help ?
Glad he raised this troubling and vexing issue. Tired of hearing about non-functional boards right now where members are being handsomely paid each month and no meetings have been held for several months.
How can you in all conscience take money you did not work for, Board Members? It is the TAXPAYERS’ hard earned
Funds you are STEALING!
This nonsense needs to stop!
PS – Don’t talk about the board members who sit down, say nothing, do nothing and collect their monthly ‘stipend’ for contributing zilch.
Everything under this man is a failure but he harping on everything else in the country. The police especially with his buddy the Commissioner is the worse it has ever been. The DPP office loses every case and is causing the government millions in malicious prosecution cases. The court registry takes forever to return probates and provide other services. Do your work as well governor. You ain’t looking good either. Less by example and not just talk.
Punitive Governor. Keep an eye on this bloke.