Tight COI deadlines were necessary

Tight deadlines agreed between the BVI government and the United Kingdom (UK) for the implementation of Commission of Inquiry (COI) recommendations were necessary, Governor John Rankin has insisted.

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley recently contended that his government recommended timelines other than those agreed, and disclosed that during the negotiation phase, UK officials and the governor pushed for more stringent timelines.

In response, the governor argued on the Talking Points radio show that quick timelines were proposed because reform is needed. He added that, although extensions were twice granted for the COI implementation, the government failed to move forward with the much-needed governance reforms as agreed.

Governor Rankin acknowledged that even though work was ongoing in some areas, it was simply unclear to him why deadlines were consistently missed in other areas.

He also pointed to the Whistleblower Act that was passed in 2021 and assented to by him as an example of one of the stalled pieces of governance reform.

“Now you need to put some administration around the Whistleblower Act, but here we are in 2024 with still no Whistleblower Act in place,” Governor Rankin said. “I think now there may be some movement to implement it, but there’s no good reason of which I am aware why the Whistleblower Act couldn’t have been brought into force longer. It simply hasn’t happened.”

The governor credited the government for its progress concerning Crown lands and consultations about residency and belongership but said it was unclear to him, why despite his urging, more hasn’t taken place.

The governor also indicated that despite a positive quarterly report issued in September 2023, it should not have come as a total surprise that he requested additional powers from the UK. Governor Rankin said he had previously made clear that if there were no signs of significant progress, then additional action such as the need for additional powers, would become necessary.

“So that was explicit in that report, and I was clear in my discussions with the Premier in the tripartite meetings that the period between September and December would be an important period to show progress, and unfortunately it hasn’t happened,” the Governor said.

The governor pointed out that although the work of implementing governance reforms could be difficult at times, he felt for one reason or another, that the government has not moved with haste to move the recommendations forward.

Premier Wheatley has repeatedly argued that there was a need for an extension to the timelines to allow for public consultation and to accommodate the legislative process.