Premier urges UK to help build BVI’s democracy
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has called on the United Kingdom to shift from direct control to partnership with the Virgin Islands, arguing that democracy in the territory should be strengthened through support, training and the transfer of key powers rather than the threat of direct rule.
Speaking at a parliamentary event in London, Dr Wheatley said the Virgin Islands was marking 75 years of parliamentary democracy this year and described the territory as “a good test case” for how the UK engages with its overseas territories.
He recalled that the Virgin Islands’ parliament was abolished in 1901 and restored in 1950 after a march in the capital by residents, most of them descendants of enslaved people.
Dr Wheatley framed his appeal in the context of a draft UK Order in Council that was held in reserve after a 2022 Commission of Inquiry found serious governance failings and recommended suspending the BVI constitution and installing an interim administration.
He said the report by British judge Sir Gary Hickinbottom had recommended that “our House of Assembly, basically democracy, be suspended for some time while the UK-appointed governor, with the assistance of an interim administrative council or advisory council, remedied whatever the deficiencies were”.
Dr Wheatley said he and other elected officials lobbied then Overseas Territories Minister Amanda Milling and then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to avoid direct rule and instead carry out reforms “through a democratic process”.
“You cannot build democracy by imposing autocracy. That is not the way to build democracy. You build democracy through participation, through empowering people,” he said.
The UK has since moved to revoke the draft Order after what Overseas Territories Minister Stephen Doughty called “important and significant progress” on the Commission of Inquiry reforms in a letter to Dr Wheatley.
Premier Wheatley said the UK could now help strengthen democracy by expanding training and institutional links for officials from the Virgin Islands and other territories. “One of the primary things the United Kingdom government can do is to help us with training,” he said. “You have an institute of government, I am told, which is very good. We do not benefit from those types of things.”
He also called for a gradual transfer of responsibilities now held by UK-appointed governors, including over the civil service and internal security. “What we should be encouraging is the transfer of those responsibilities to an elected government,” he said.
“In essence, that is really what we are asking the United Kingdom to do,” Dr Wheatley added. “To be a partner through using your experience, using your expertise, to assist us to develop and grow as democracies and to allow democracy to grow and to flourish because our democracies are not full democracies.”
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Great idea.
The UK should take control of all the areas the Government are failing in.
Roads, water, infrastructure, hotel development, Finances and financial reporting, Ministerial salary reviews, Project Management and tendering, coastal management and protection, incinerator and waste processing, derelicts storage and disposal, building renovation and refurbishment, school rebuilding, tourism plan planning, Trade Commission Act, Investment Act, Business Licensing Act, Minimum Wage, BVI international Arbitration Centre (BVIIAC), Whistleblower Act, Freedom of Information Act, aiport consultation and planning.
Training should then be done with the HOA and the P487 so that the Premiers request can properly be accomplished and and democracy in the territory can be corrected and strengthened and reintroduced with the UK support that has always been available but often been rejected (most clearly displayed by, corrupt and criminal leader in cheif Andrew Fahie), and then transfer of key powers to the people of the VI can happen rather than the threat of dictatorial rule that we currently live under.
That would set up nicely on the road to self determination in time for the 2031 referendum.
Daniel Pruce does not need to be in the bvi
BVI HAVE TO BUILD BVI DEMOCRACY NOW TONTO.
Pruce IS nothing to TRUST AT ALL AT ANYTIME.
No premiere Wheatley, you don’t really mean it, if UK help build democracy you would be arrested for alleged co conspiracy with bank of Asia to relief the tax payers of their money.
When we lose we uk passport i wanna see where we going be flying lol to all the CARICOM countries only lolool. Even worst now since trump not allowing no more anchor babies to born usa to get citizenship licks in we backside. only reason we on grey list and not blacklist is cuz we tied to uk once that let go all the financial corruption and illegal practices will get one blacklist one time. do some research on countries that are blacklisted and how it affects them and their residents. you can even shop online on amazon ebay etc etc better shop local and give them companies them 300% profit so you can get a 50c and 2 dollar discounts loooooool. we a joke mehson and killing we own while the elites get greedier and richer smh bvi will be a scary place after 5 years of independence
If you want democracy give all tax payers the vote. There might be some accountability then.