Governors trying to ‘claw back’ power since 2007 constitution
Former legislator Ronnie Skelton has argued that some tensions remain between the elected government and United Kingdom-appointed governors in the territory after revisions made to the 2007 constitution resulted in the removal of previously held powers by the Governor’s Office.
These tensions were particularly evident during the tenure of former Governor Augustus Jaspert and former Premier Andrew Fahie, who repeatedly clashed in the public arena. At the time, Fahie accused the former governor of trying to bully his government in some instances.
“The problem that we have encountered is that the 2007 constitution took away authority from the governor and put it in the hands of the Premier and the Cabinet,” said Skelton while explaining some of the dynamics of power-sharing in the territory.
Since those changes, Skelton said the governor, despite being the Chairperson of Cabinet, is only a non-voting member of that governing body and remains essentially powerless in the decision-making process.
“He used to have a vote. So the 2007 constitution took that away from him and put it in the hands of the Cabinet. But he chairs the meeting and he sees the [Cabinet] paper. Just like how in the British system the Prime Minister will go to the king now and have a discussion before Cabinet and all kind of stuff,” Skelton further explained.
In the absence of that previously held power, Skelton argued that successive governors have been trying to re-balance the power dynamic.
The former legislator stated: “But this constitution is not fully used by us, so to speak, because every step of the way, the governor was trying to claw back power, so to speak. But it’s just a natural phenomenon. It’s just a natural phenomena for a human being. You took some stuff from him and he’s going to try to get it back.”
Skelton pointed to the National Security Council as an example where the governor previously held sole responsibility before the 2007 constitution but said this responsibility is now shared between the governor, the Premier, and another minister.
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Which hole you crawled out of after 4 years? Oh, election time coming up. We heard no word from PVIM since 2019. Is it a viable party or it was disbanded after serving its purpose to make the NDP lose the election? You knew that the UK was trying to claw back the BVI power and out of spite you still formed a party and make the country end up with the most dishonest leadership we could have ever gotten. So your actions helped the UK to claw back out power.
He was one shouting corruption corruption after he and the NDP broke up. All the time when he was there it wasn’t corruption. It is the deceitfulness of politicians like you who have us where we are.
With this type of knowledge where was your voice after the COI report to help people to understand what the UK was doing?
Not a step back!! We must yeild no more power back to the people who has never cared for or respected us. And, God did not put them here to rule over us or determine what ind of destiny we shall must live.
Not one step back!
It’s such an ignorant statement. The Governor’s role should not be needed in modern times – but it is. There is too much corruption in the BVI not to have some kind of oversight and due to the relationship with the UK, it is appropriate that it comes from them.
These statements read as being from desperate men with their hands in the cookie jar.
Uk just need to stop with this colonialism bull! Master days are done!!! Uk is amongst the most dirty in the world!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2FomACJ0YNo
Check it out!
Because it asserts BLACK LOCAL will and desires to run its own lives, destiny and country it is , ignorant. That is the expected and normal assertions that cometh from the minds of haters, supremists and greeders, typical hate…
The best life those governors live is when they are here in the BVI. What you expect?
Rats want the cheese shop to themselves.
Awwww … did Govy not give something to you that you wanted? You play both sides so well. 😉
You sound so dumb. He is a member of the Constitution Review Committee. He is answering questions relating to our review of the elements of the constitution. He never mentioned PVIM or even running for elections. Stop being such a hateful person! Check yourself!
We have nothing to offer the UK. We are tyrranical, corrupt, back stabbing crabs in a barrel that are too busy whingeing and lying to realize our only resource is our children, who we can barely be bothered to educate since the government coffers are consistently emptied into the pockets of the gollums we keep electing, hoping for a crumb, whilst leaving the schools and kids to rot or leave in the great brain drain. (we have known about Althea Scatliffe campus for 10+ years)
As much as the UK would like to jettison our sorry butts, it CAN’T. It just wouldn’t look good on the evening news to leave a fledgling nation drowning in division and corruption as we are.
Don’t get me wrong; many of us want to work toward government transparency and accountability, public oversight and eventual independence. We feel outnumbered by those who lie and scheme and shout loudest, claiming we need less oversight so they can just keep on doing what they’re doing. This week has been full of bad news and bad faith actions by everyone. Shame on all of us.
Stop being simple and be real. The same principles to hold elected officials and public officers accountable and transparent should apply to the Governor. No one should have that kind of power and the people, nor the system have no way to hold them accountable. The Governor should also be an elected office.
Our slave mentality is who have us where we are today. If a politician hand pick someone to Chair a major committee or commission without a transparent process, we are quick to yell corruption. But the Governor has the power to do this in many areas and does it like the COI, and many other areas, and we say nothing because we think that once it is Uk it is ok. WAKE UP PEOPLE! WE are being set-up.
You can tell that most of you that blogging against Mr. Skelton do not check the UK news. More and more of the UK citizens are crying out against their colonial leadership and many groups are crying out against racism, but the UK controls the media so the people’s voices are not being heard loud enough as yet but it soon will. The Uk leads out of fear and to have you do as they say and not as they do. We in the BVI are better than this.
my mom one day told you (Ronnie Skelton, Myron Walwyn, A. Christian and another. For four years you sat silent and the public never heard from you. Truly I thought you was bed written how I myself havent heard from you for years.
Now all of a sudden now next election is due you coming out making comments and offering your views on matters.
You and your party will never get the mass to vote for you and your party. Truly Cindy stand a better chance than you guys, as much as people do not like her she still stand a better chance of obtaining more votes than you.
because of what, she being there in the public eye every since election finish.
TRULY YOU GUYS ARE A BIG LET DOWN. I will be sitting out this election and many more until I see true people willing to work on the behalf of the ISLAND AND NOT THEIR INNER CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
The Uk has mastered throughout their Overseas territories for years and to present day how to organize strategies to always have the people of the OTs not believing in their leaders but rather believe in them through the governors. The governors are always seen by most of the people as a knight in shining armour. Why? They do not have to look for votes. The Constitution allows them to get what they want and do what they want and claim it is in the best interest of the people when it is not and when it goes wrong blame the public officers and the politicians and get away with it. They are above the law and over the police who administer the law with a UK in all OTs. A governor can never act in the best interest of the BVI or any other OT as we are not their boss. They will say otherwise but they can and must only act in the best interest of the UK. These people continue to fool us, but we are waking up.
All these local politicians are garbage. All of them just concerned with having free reign to sink this place even faster; no plans for the country future; cant even maintain what we have already just trying to use the ‘Us’ vs ‘Them’ tactic instead of figuring out how we actually stopping the blatant corruption in this place that we all know exist and is stifling us to death.
All YO still fighting it / all yo still pushing this racist rethoric and colonialism sh*t as an excuse to cover your rear ends , it ain’t working the people have gotten wise to the game you all playing ( only valley YO got brains ?
This whole concept of the governor being infallible comes from the bible. Christianity is nothing more than a military weapon of mind control. Many blacks are happy to sell out their fellowmen because of the money that can be easily made from a brainwashed population. Its easier to fool people than to convince them that they been fooled. The situation will continue until the narrative changes.
You and your mother does tell lie alike. She teach you what she know to do. Set of liars
No Ronnie,
They Governors have been trying to stop you people from destroying this place. Not because they care about here, but because the care about what it would mean for the UK.
Think about that.