Walwyn: Let public officers run for elected office without resigning
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn has called for changes to the law to allow public officers to contest elections without first resigning from their jobs.
“It’s time that we allow public officers to run for elected office. What are we afraid of? Find a mechanism for it,” Walwyn said during the constitutional debate in the House of Assembly. “Why, if I want to represent my country, I got to resign from my job? I can’t see the sense in it.”
Under the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, public officers are barred from contesting general elections unless they first resign. The restriction is meant to prevent conflicts of interest and maintain political neutrality in the public service.
But Walwyn argued the rule is outdated and unnecessarily blocks many qualified professionals from entering political life.
“We need to make sure that we get the biggest and brightest brains in the country and the civil service has most of those, but those people can’t run,” he said.
He cited a case in Barbados where, he claimed, the issue of public officers’ constitutional rights was successfully challenged in court, suggesting the same could happen in the Virgin Islands.
The Opposition Leader acknowledged that safeguards would be needed if the law were to change.
“If I have a permanent secretary who ran in the election and comes back expecting to be my permanent secretary, it can’t happen,” he said. “But you can come back to the service in another position, with whatever you had intact.”
Walwyn also criticised restrictions on civil servants’ personal lives, saying many feel forced to “duck and hide” even at political rallies.
“Your spouse [is] running for an election and you can’t go under the tent to clap? And we think that makes sense?” he asked. “Everybody’s got political leanings. We got to move past some of these things.”
His comments add to the wider debate on constitutional reform and political participation as the Virgin Islands prepares for key negotiations with the United Kingdom.
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Finally an adult in the room. The number of persons eligible to run for election in the BVI is too low that is why we get the low quality of legislators that we have.
Sir, while I understand what you are saying, The Part about having Big and Bright Brains is Not Indicative of the present Display in our HOA. I am sure Most if Not All members of the HOA are
Well Educated But the Performance sometimes make one Think If indeed they were. It seems like Basic Common Sense is Not so Common anymore. It doesn’t take a Genius to Run for Political Office or any Position of Authority. With Common sense and a Pure Heart, One can do What is really required of Them. The People of this Territory will continue to suffer if there is No Change in Current Leadership Because Most Hearts are Wicked, Greedy and Selfish. This Territory is Crying out for Honest, Transparent, Accountable, and Caring Leaders in All Sectors. Then and Only Then can we Pride Ourselves as Living on One of the Best Planet on Mother’s Earth. At Present, We have Lost our Bragging Rights.
Well educated and being intelligent are two different things. I agree with Hon. Walwyn. We need better and wider choices available to us. We are settling for the best of the worst.
The problem is that the ppl with those qualities won’t be elected
Agreed! We need to ATLEAST BE ABLE to elect persons who KNOW the ins and out of the government-our civil servants.
Why do some people use capital letters for every word in a sentence in their prose? It becomes hard to read and appears not educated.
Can you illustrate, about whom, you speak?
No. If we do that, how would the civil service function any better? They would undermine tasks that they disagree with so that the representative fails and they would run to replace him.
The system that we have is designed the way it is for a reason, the solution to our problems is to have standards for performance not to rewrite the rules. Civil servants must serve the government with no exception and if they want to run they should resign first, then pursue the role they desire.
Imagine if MW was working in the premiers office, do you think he would sabotage the government agenda or diligently work towards its success. We need a deep level of thinking on these issues rather than to get up and talk fart trying get public support. And politicians should understand the system of government before trying to run it.
Two Cooks spoil the pot
Myron go home
@you watch, you saying Myron go home?? Who you think you are? At least Myron own a home, your home up in your A–s home!!