Hold gov’t accountable for the yet-to-be-delivered Freedom of Information Act
Residents of the British Virgin Islands should hold their elected representatives accountable for the constantly promised and yet-to-be-delivered Freedom of Information Act, Governor Augustus Jaspert has said.
The Act has been a constant fixture in the Speech from the Throne in the last few years. The Speech from the Throne is delivered by the sitting Governor and is done to outline the legislative agenda the elected government plans to pursue.
“It is really important that those speeches from the Throne are implemented,” the Governor said during a press conference on Friday. “That is something that I hope you all (the public) hold us to account … the government and the public service has a duty to then implement them.”
His remarks were made in light of another Speech from the Throne scheduled for the next few weeks.
History of promises
In March last year, Governor Jaspert’s Speech from the Throne under the previous National Democratic Party administration said Government was planning to implement the piece of legislation in the House of Assembly in 2018.
During that time, he said he had noticed a trend where former governors made legislative promises in their respective throne speeches that local government never followed through on.
Freedom of Information is one such Bill that has often recurred. But Governor Jaspert hopes this year is the final time talks to introduce the legislation will be mentioned in a Speech from the Throne, he said at the time.
“The Freedom of Information Act is something that I support … I hope that when we get back from summer break, it will be brought forward,” the Governor had said.
If the Bill is ever introduced and formally passed, it will include ‘guidelines on how persons can access public records without any exemptions’, Governor Jaspert had said back in March.
The Bill is also expected to include recommendations for the establishment of a Freedom of Information Unit, which will provide the public with ‘the appropriate administrative mechanism to make and receive requests’.
In response to the much-touted Bill, then Opposition Leader Andrew Fahie said if the NDP failed to implement the Bill, he would have it implemented if his Virgin Islands Party is elected into office.
It is now left to be seen if Fahie, who is now the Premier of the British Virgin Islands, will keep his word.
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All ayo are a waste of time
As I read through these comments I am wondering if this is political propaganda or if MY PEOPLE are really this stupid. To have all these senseless comments attacking the governor and former government when the suggestion in the article is a sensible one, to begin to fight for the freedom of information act that will benefit us as a people. If this is the level of intelligence of my BVI people being displayed on this blog we really are in trouble, we are truly a bunch of lunatics.
Them don’t want to answer no questions that’s why it’s not forthcoming
And what about the Whistleblower Law? That was a key promise Fahie held out to us.
This man did not investigate the ndp and now talking piddle
This is the worse governor ever. He has his own agenda and let the last government rob us blind.
We needed a new governor. This one is a failure.
Governors should be seen and not heard.
Between us they say he working with members of the last government for him to try to destroy the present government so he can try to take over to get a promotion from back home.
This article is part of that agenda. He wants to run for political office when he goes back to the UK. “Delivering the BVI” would be a feather in his cap.
We must hold the governor accountable because he doesn’t want to investigate the plane, pier park and mamy other questionable act in his time in government. He met the wall beimg investigate so that is not him. He is a waste of time.
While you’re at it he needs to investigate the … security contract.
The Governor is playing the BVI people for fools. Under the Constitution he alone has the power to investigate anything in government that seems to have gone wrong. The reason he is avoiding it is because he is trying to save his friends in the last administration. He needs looking into.
All this guy does is blog bad all day on the present government while ignoring the past ones wrong doings. What a wicked man.
This man is about himself and all he is trying to do is to put us to fit each other so that he can try to take over. The BVI deserves better than this man.
I think you mean fight but you are correct with what you said.
A spoiled brat when they don’t get what they want. This defines the guy.
The Constitution needs modernizing to hold governors accountable.
Yes!!!!!
Why did you stay quiet for so long while the NDP was doing so much wrong, but you want to vilify the VIP which just come? Seems you liked how things were going under NDP? Something fishy.
Well said. He knows who all he’s protecting and why. He needs to be investigated also.
Just come and so much damage already. Image what they would do if they last out the 4yrs.