Penn supports term limits for Premier’s post
Health Minister and Chairman of the NDP, Marlon Penn said he is in favour of term limits for the post of Premier of the BVI and argued that the territory should follow other countries in adopting this practice.
“I support term limits for the position of Premiership … but not particularly for the different positions,” Penn said on the Talking Points show recently.
Penn argued that the basis for his position was centred on the small size of the territory’s population and noted that term limits on all legislators could potentially create a problem.
Penn used the example of the Cayman Islands whose constitution he said allows someone serving as Premier to only serve for two consecutive terms before having to leave office.
That person may then serve as an ordinary member of the House of Assembly or as a minister of government afterwards, where they can have an opportunity to share the experiences they have gained in serving as Premier.
“So, you don’t lose that institutional knowledge from someone who has served as a Premier, who has seen certain things, and who was part of the policy decisions for certain things,” he explained.
“Definitely, [I agree with] term limits for Premiership. You don’t have a Premier that’s sitting as a Premier for 12, 16, 20 years. I think those days are long gone, we shouldn’t be doing that,” Penn argued. “Just like other countries have term limits for their leaders, I think, at least for the leadership position, there needs to be term limits.”
Penn’s view concerts with an opinion expressed recently by constitutional review commissioner Ronnie Skelton, who argued in an interview that term limits were not necessary for all legislators.
During the same interview, Chairperson for the Constitutional Review Commission Lisa Penn Lettsome said the issue of term limits has been raised by persons who’ve attended the public meetings across the territory.
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I agree that a person should not serve as Premier more than three terms.
The other districts and Territorial elected members should not have term limits but the Premier seat should.
Hopefully this is his last term.
I do not know what the retirement package should be but what I do know and agree is the one that existed was outdated and needed modernizing.
Do us a favor and step aside now.
Two terms for all elected members to prevent fiefdoms like some of the districts. Elect the Premier, get rid of At Large, expand the districts to twelve.
We need term limits on district reps too because they do nothing after 2 terms
Marlon aint do jacks**t during the last 3 1/2 years
Term limits aren’t needed here. Voting block is too small. If you want Frase gone then beat him, same as Andrew, Omar, Lavity etc
I don’t disagree
Ok Thanks now please be gone.
I am in total agreement with hon Penn Position. I will also add that the Speaker needs to be an elected member. Should be a 3 yr term. Of course they can be re-elected. Allow the public to elect who they think is the best person to avoid the bias and have a more control professionally run HOA.
If we could get an honest leader with integrity and vision and was willing to put the taxpayers needs 1st, he or she could stay in as long as they like.
Also, the Governor needs to be elected by the people of the BVI.
Yes and Yes
I don’t know about this one. A population of 30,000 with many can’t vote and a large number of belongers disqualified from running for election through the “grandfather clause” it may not be a wise choice to restrict the willing through term limits. We barely have suitable willing candidates who run for elections each term. What we need is voters making educated decisions instead of voting based on popularity and emotions.