Order in Council meant to abolish BVI’s democracy — Premier
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has once again blasted the Order in Council held in reserve by the United Kingdom (UK) government for the BVI’s constitutional suspension and said it was designed to abolish democracy in the territory.
Outgoing Governor John Rankin has repeatedly stated that the Order in Council was put in place to ensure the BVI’s compliance with a framework agreement with the UK to implement good governance reforms emerging from the Commission of Inquiry (COI). But Premier Wheatley described the parliamentary mechanism as a coercive tool instead and argued that governance reform does not have a start date or end date.
“We call it an Order in Council but what it is doing in essence is abolishing democratic governance from the Virgin Islands and it is being used to threaten us and it is completely inappropriate,” Premier Wheatley said recently.
Dr Wheatley, while arguing that the UK has had its own share of procurement and other governance challenges, contended that the UK falsely tied progress on governance reform to the Order in Council and to a specific date.
“They’ve replaced three Prime Ministers in a number of years. They’ve removed Prime Ministers for impropriety in public office. They’ve had their own procurement challenges. Reform doesn’t have a start date and an end date. It’s an ongoing process and it’s a part of our democracy,” he argued.
He added: “This Order in Council is a coercive tool. It flies in the face of democratic governance; the same democracy that we agreed to in that declaration between the United Kingdom and the overseas territories. We must flatly reject the use of this Order in Council as a coercive tool.”
Premier Wheatley shared that his government has been working under duress to implement the many COI recommendations and under the constant threat of having democracy removed from the territory. He urged residents to join with his government and take a stand to demand the removal of the Order in Council.
The government and political opposition have blasted Governor Rankin for a request to the UK for additional powers for his office. That move could mean the removal of several roles traditionally held by elected officials of the territory.
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Yes. They REMOVED people for IMPROPRIETY IN PUBLIC OFFICE. Imagine that. Accountability. We can only dream. Sounds like their democratic system of law and order is working. It’s a shame ours still isn’t. Despite all of the empty promises from our government, the UK is the only one doing what they promised to do.
Sounds like a condemned man trying everything he can to avoid execution!
However, the true tragedy of it all is the feckless UK and their endless talk, and zero action. Do something, or what are you here for?!!!!!
I desperately do not want my home taken over, but at day’s end, such issues here have now become beyond salvageable with no interest from our elected representatives to change anything. It has almost become a dictatorship with one man calling the shots! The harsh reality is that the current elected members benefit greatly from the current state of affairs and change is not in their best interest and any thought of Country first is unimaginable to them! Therefor it is unlikely to ever happen!
A thorough cleaning of this house has to happen, and new direction and new blood injected into this place so that we can get ourselves out of the gutter and back to the promise land that we all know the BVI can and should become.
Successive governments have brought us to a point where the only solution is to raze this place to the ground and begin again. The current status quo cannot and must not continue!
As for any of you old guard and/or you delusional lunatics that won’t like what has been said above and see everything as perfect, or those of you that support the currents state because you have milked the country’s coffers for your own benefits, then SHAME ON YOU! Put Country first for once in your life!
The current state of politics and scaremongering is beyond what is acceptable. When the general populace as a whole feels the tension, and it can be cut with a knife, then we all know we are way past the point where we as a people need to stand up, do what is necessary! We must get OUR HOME back on course and in a positive direction for not only ourselves but future generations that desperately need us to step up and do something!
For once let’s put our Country ahead of ourselves!
Please remember the conclusion of the COI was the need to close down the four hundred million dollars a year ‘PIGGY BANK’ of the Virgin Islands, How rude of our colonial masters, so inconsiderate to ask for accountability
Natalio Wheatley give up all the bull you are coming up with because when the UK ready to take over the BVI You, your brother, the UN and anyone else you are crying to wont stop it, and from speaking with people and reading the blogs a lot of us would love that. The Turks and Caucus is doing very well after they took them over and got rid of all the crooked politicians, I am sure they were lied to by the crooked politicians like we are been lied to by our crooked politicians a takeover would put us on the right track. The Order in Council was put on the BVI because the UK knew that they dealing with a bunch crooks that’s the bottom line. UK stop dragging your feet and do something to help the people of the BVI so we don’t have to listen to this Bull$h1t day in day out. UK stop talking and do something, Governor Stop talking and do something the UK give that power you are leaving Natalio Wheatley get with too much.
Lol…you sound vex. I understand because I vex too. Abysmal leadership in BVI and enough is enough. I think the UK needs to start having dialogue with the population so we fully understand what the takeover will look like. Right now, we not sure. I am open to having this dialogue. Let’s go UK!
Perhaps the Hon. Premier misunderstands. The Order in Council was meant to remedy the territory’s lack of democracy.
In any other country or city with here claims the leader of the state would have already resigned or step down. Why is your leader still there?
Have you heard of Trump? Boris Johnson? None of them resign. The big boys do what they want…
Situations that took years to create cannot be corrected in 1 year.
Situations that took years to create cannot be corrected in 1 year.
Seems this man is mentally d***nged.
Stop confusing the people of the BVI . This is not an attack on our democracy. Listen to what the Governor says.
You are misleading the country and putting racial divide with the AGE old shackl s of slavery and colonialism
If you had balls you would have stand up for the BVI when the Premier was doing all his fraudulent work
You keeping us in modern day shackels and using our money for yiu and yiur cronies benifit