Premier to seek removal of UK Order in Council despite deadline miss
Premier Natalio Wheatley has announced plans to use his upcoming trip to the UK to advocate for the removal of the Order in Council currently held in reserve by the British Parliament.
This Order allows the UK to suspend the BVI’s constitution and impose direct rule if the territory fails to implement governance reforms mandated by the Commission of Inquiry (COI).
During a joint press conference with the Governor on Friday, August 30, Premier Wheatley stated that he will request the lifting of the Order, despite his governement’s missed COI deadline of August 31.
The Premier and Governor are scheduled to meet with the new Overseas Territories Minister, Stephen Doughty, in the UK on September 11.
“At that meeting, I will seek clarity on the review process and timeline and request the removal of the Constitution Suspension Order. From the outset, we have argued that the Order in Council is a colonial tool that has no place in a modern partnership. With a new UK government and a new direction, we have the opportunity to begin a new era of partnership based on mutual respect and democratic values as we work towards building a sustainable nation,” Premier Wheatley explained.
In early 2023, former Overseas Territories Minister Lord Zac Goldsmith indicated that the UK was unlikely to lift the Order in Council until further progress was made on governance reforms in the BVI. This statement followed discussions with Premier Wheatley and his government about removing the Order, which gives the UK the authority to suspend the BVI’s constitution and fully govern the territory for up to two years.
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Who does the gentleman think he is. BVI-population very dissatisfied with this government and their incompetence and waste of money.
Seriously? You haven’t even finished what you were supposed to do and you are jumping on a plane again at OUR EXPENSE!
And once you have actually finished the COI tasks you were supposed to do, here a few more to focus on..
– Persistent potholes and poor road conditions
– Frequent flooding in Road Town and other areas
– Inadequate education system and lack of investment in schools
– Deteriorating infrastructure at sea ports and airports
– Corruption and crime linked to the drug trade
– Lack of pension schemes for government employees
– Absence of strategic long-term planning for the BVI
– Insufficient environmental protection and climate resilience measures
– Need for significant improvements in the healthcare system
– Urgent need for economic diversification
– Lack of affordable housing development
– No audited accounts for the BVI government since 2016
The Order will be lifted and the COI recommendations have been sufficiently met for all intents and purposes, this is how the real world works. This is not a 3 page High school essay assignment. Sowande came thru with it, now we’ll have to deal with it. His legacy is set. Now it’s time for even the rest of you who are disappointed the UK won’t be taking over to find a new narrative b/c the old narratives are done now.
And it have private citizens taking their own money to buy concrete to fill pot holes while you worried about order in council
And funded a 3 day, sparsely attended, none money-making music festival, at a huge financial loss
“Premier to seek removal of UK Order in Council despite deadline miss”
Nobody asked you to, the order is there because good government has been lacking and the people want a choice.
All of this is going to BACKFIRE!!! on you big time. Go ahead to UK however, it is best you start thinking and fly BUSINESS CLASS AND CHECK INTO A REASONABLE HOTEL.
The only way things is going to change, the people have to get out and protest, you the people have and hold the power not the Premier. Aren’t you guys tired of the blows and beat downs that is inflicted on you everyday? It is time for a major shake up by the people. If you have to shut down Road Town then so be it. You have to do what you have to DO. And guess WHAT? There is nothing the Government or the police can do but stand on the sidelines and WATCH.
Totally agree with the shutting down of the Town. Halt the continuation of this Administration and call for ra dissolution of Government. We need to go back to the Poles and clean house PERIOD! Who or what does this darn nynconpoop thinks he dealing with? Enough of the darn shenanigans! We just can’t take no more of this bull crap.
The Poles won’t help us. They are more concerned by Russia.
SHUT ROAD TOWN THE F DOWN. WE ARE SOOOOOO DAMN TIRED OF THE BS ALREADY. PEOPLE PLEASE WAKE UP FROM BAD DREAM. THIS TRIP TO THE UK IS UNNECESSARY AND ANOTHER WASTE OF THE TAXPAYERS MONEY.I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF LOOKS LIKE A MINI VACATION TO ME. HE FLEES TOWN WHEN THE PRESSURE IS ON HIM. WE HAVE NO WHERE TO FLEE WHEN THE PRESSURE IS ON US. I AGREE, FORM A HUMAN CHAIN AROUND HIS PLANE AND PREVENT IT FROM TAKE OFF.
No thank you Mr Premier.
The UK should proceed with any and all sanctions and c restrictions. You didn’t ask but for the record,the peoples of these VI are disappointed and fed up with your Gov in totality.
Everything is askew mashup tethering. We are in Never land. Never ever did we anticipate that our country could be sinking so steadfastready to hit rock bottom in every aspect and you sir,appear to be in lala land.Floating and creating more uncertainty. I truly wish you would step down and allow thise with more experience wisdom and commonsense to attempt and perhaps save we,if you please Sir.
Let sleeping dogs lie Mr Premier.
Get busy showing we the people the repairs Installations fixings snd sprucing here at home keeping you busy. Make an effort .. Storm hurricane flooding threatening us daily for the next few months but you in the sky sipping champagne.
Erin Blakemore in an August, 16, 2024, article, Colonialism Facts and Information in National Geographic notes the following:
“The subjugation of indigenous people—and the exploitation of their land and resources—has a long and brutal history.
Colonialism is defined as “control by one power over a dependent area or people.” It occurs when one nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it, often while forcing its own language and cultural values upon its people.” Indeed, colonialism was/is exploitive, expropriating, brutal, dehumanizing, racist, discriminatory, prejudicial, exclusionary, etc., and a failed concept. It took the land, exploited the labour of people,exploited resources , giving back nothing.
Moreover, the UK has had control over the [British] Virgin Islands (VI) since 1672. However, the VI was the poorest of the presidencies in the Leeward Islands Federation. Some commentators describe it as the ‘Poor House’ of the West Indies.The level of assistance and service delivered was at a vanishing point. The VI was viewed as a poverty stricken place and was supposedly viewed as only useful as a ‘Bird Sanctuary.’ The Planter Class bolted from the territory. The economic, social, snd political progress made by the VI was due to the rugged individualism and self-determination of Virgin Islanders. This effort and progress by Virgin Islanders projected it into having one of the highest standard of living, quality of life, human development index, per capita income, etc., in the Anglophone Caribbean Region. Those who bolted are back and robust re-gentrification is rapidly occurring.
The one man Commission of Inquiry (COI) commissioned by former Governor A. Jaspert and led by Gary Hickinbottom was a control, power play. The UN tasked the UK in 1946 as the Administering Power with responsibility for assisting and guiding the VI towards a full measure of self-governance. The UK maintains unilateral power over any process(s) it gives to the VI, ie, suspending the constitution and inserting direct rule, eg, the constitution is currently suspended by an Order in Council but is in being held in abeyance, hanging over the head of the VI and its people like the Sword of Damocles. It is being used as insurance, leverage, a hammer, etc. Further, the UK-appointed Governor chairs Cabinet meetings, and no bill passed by the House of Assembly must be assented to by the Governor before it can become law. Was successive Governors at Mount Olympus asleep at the wheel and let the train derail or it was a deliberate action with ulterior motives to the let train derail?
Moreover, did the local government had some missteps, had failures, had some self-inflicted wounds, had so
some unforced errors, practice some poor governing decisions, etc. Yes. Most of deficiencies unearthed by the CoI should have been identified if there were periodic internal control audits, self-evaluation, creative destruction, etc.Nevertheless, the VI must fail forward, lean forward, capitalizing on its failures, setting a new course for the path forward.
Ed, you talking truth,, truth hurt, many want the truth buried. The sambos, appeasers,,etc will be up in arms with the truth..
We cannot keep pretending but must face the truth head on.
@E. Leonard, good read. But what is creative description?
We are all going down in a blaze of glory unless we as a people make the choice to stand up for ourselves.
There is no need for the Premier to travel to the UK. He can video chat the meeting from the BVI. More taxpayers money wasted that can be utilized in the Territory. We all need to surround his plane up at the airport and shut things down not allowing the plane to take off. The pilot is not going to run us over on the runway.
Breaking NEWS VG medical debacle.
Y’all can’t sit back and allow this to be swept under the rug.I WILL SAY IT. How can a person be a Health Minister and have no knowledge of medical terminology and was not fully trained/have a degree in the medical field. Hell, time for Larry the Lobster from VG to step down from his position.
Blah blah blah! You all complain every f**king day and when it comes time to go to the polls you either don’t show up or show up and vote F**K. Wear what you BUY!
14 year old kid in VG found with AK 47 in his bedroom!
This is the reality of the BVI at the moment..
All this fluff-chat. Between government and governor the people are suffering. While they score points in tit for tat. Ah yes here comes the big time smugglers still unchecked, rentals with AKs so police turns up the heat and only the little guys get squeezed. Not one gun smuggler ever caught. Then we blame the boys on the blocks. We are a mess.
Just legalize the weed already you can go back at each other’s throats after that. A near fist fighting governor, a premier in ruffled clothes. We’ve seen it all except meaningful progress.
One bill, first second third reading first I ever turned on HOA but its been going on 5 years stalled. They make no effort at all while some of us have medical issues that arent waiting & the international industry is not waiting.
Pointless bickering & grandstanding. Showande dont be afraid to be yourself. That’s why they took Fahie out too because he was going to do what’s good for the people regardless of his image. Not saying he was a saint as he was tempted and fell short, but as a politician he never let anything stand in his way when it came to working for the people.
Now? Its as if they hit rough waters and stopped rowing, boat adrift. No statutory board put together, no experts slated for positions, nothing. USVI one VI smile & wave: helloooo tourism.
people coming from the states don’t want to risk arrest for a relaxation on their vacation. Some of them wont even step foot in a place like Texas.
The ship is sinking.
BVI cns’t survive three more years of these incompeten nincompoos at the wheel of the ship of state.
Enough is enough! Time to call election.
Well if it ain’t the great historian who built Noah’s ark / who knows everything else / except why we blacks discriminating against our own black brothers and sisters who share the same ancestry . ( seems like he got selective amnesia or can only see on one side. HYPOCRITE
– ( the COI ) WAS BEGGED FOR ) ask the wigged one when we’re there when his master , the rodeo dude pleaded for it after SNITCHING on his own BVILANDERS , let’s hear you hypocrites HOLLERING NOW OH WE GOT SET UP BY THOSE COLONIALISTS SLAVE MASTERS . SOME IDIOTS WILL STILL BELIEVE YA’LL
This going to be wasted trip to the UK number what now?