Premier: Gov’t members just weren’t confident in Willock
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has confirmed that most members of the current government held no level of confidence in having former House Speaker, Julian Willock continue in that post.
“All the members did not have confidence in the Speaker to conduct the affairs [of the House] in the way that we all would like in this new dispensation that we have in this new era,” Dr Wheatley told the media at a press briefing late last week.
“The majority of members thought that we should go in a new direction as it pertained to a Speaker,” the new Premier added.
He said that direction meant installing a new Speaker that everyone had confidence in to conduct sessions of the House of Assembly (HOA) ‘in a particular way’.
Dr Wheatley further pointed out that many incidents had happened in the past that allowed people to feel that it was time to go in the direction of a new Speaker for the HOA; given the fresh start that was being taken in the territory.
Premier Wheatley did not elaborate on what those incidents were, but Willock’s time in the Speaker’s chair was not without a significant share of controversies, beginning from the start of his tenure.
The former Speaker declined to seat current Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool in the HOA immediately following the 2019 elections and later abandoned the issue at the High Court, leaving a trail of court fees in his wake.
He also moved an injunction against three Commission of Inquiry (COI) attorneys, accusing them of practising illegally in the BVI. This, too, was later abandoned and has been the subject of significant public debate after he was ordered by a judge to personally pay legal fees but declined to do so.
In the meantime, Willock announced his resignation just weeks ago, immediately following the arrest of former Premier Andrew Fahie and the release of the COI report by Governor John Rankin.
At the time, Willock suggested that he was given no choice by Premier Wheatley in offering his resignation and proclaimed his innocence of any wrongdoing in public office.
Willock told BVI News at that time that he would have been forced to face a vote of no confidence in the HOA had he not resigned.
The government has since indicated that a new speaker is expected to be selected sometime this week once the HOA resumes its sitting.
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Most of those same members that voted against him was sitting in the house before. why is only now they have a voice to speak up. this only proves they know right from wrong from before and went along with the bullshit. n—–o is sn**e and can not be trusted along with all the others.
We all know that wigman had the scoop on the brown bomber. Now make sure he pays his bill, with interest
Just as the people have no confidence in any of the previous elected members. PERIOD
At this point in our confusion we would like to know once and for all, who is going to pay the ex-speaker’s legal billS…it must not and cannot be us the people.
Seems to me they were all too frightened to say anything under Fahie. What a little dictator he is turning out to have been.
Finally somebody speaks the truth.
Nope not the truth so take that to the bank
Seems like a lie from the pits of hell!!! that was not the real reason they think we fool fool
THIS WHOLE GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION NEED SACKING…TELL TOO MANY DARM LIES THEN AND NOW
Willock was a casualty of a political war
He should have never been in the HOA in the first place. He is not mature enough to preside over the House without showing his biases and causing all that financial mess he made.
Writing all those stupid letters to the Governor when in fact all he was, was a mediator in the house.
He will definately be heard in silence now. Lol
Was Willock undermined?
The yellow site will now turn on the now premier and eat him up alive
But the owner is a vip so not sure about that
..is the name for members of that party.
When your own people dont like you it is bad. Them same man how there now don’t like one another. The all are rats.
Hope willock response and tell the truth showda needs to go i have lost faith
I don’t believe a word from Nat. the truth is the British hated w and he was sacrificed
He almost destroyed the youth parliament. You all were so caught up you didn’t see the resignations and changes to the select committee. Wake up.people
Boy, this Premier is a joke just like the Drew. Nuthin but empty rhetoric. Shawonde need to take a long sit down in the corner. When is election again?
Why we not hearing a word from the deputy speaker Neville Smith? Sheep you are an elected official do your part in the house!
Buoy,,they dump Joules like last week’s newspaper. That’s ruff