Turnbull issues apology and moves to reinstate Climate Change board
Minister for Natural Resources Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull has issued a public apology to all the members of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund Board whose membership – as he puts it – were wrongfully revoked in 2019.
He further invited all those members to serve again.
During a statement last night, Turnbull said the board was highly energised and all members were hardworking, committed, passionate and high performing.
“Revocation of their appointments was not only counterproductive and wrong, but it was also unlawful. It is now incumbent upon me as the Minister for Natural Resources and Labour with whom responsibility for climate change rests, to offer a sincere apology on behalf of the Government of The Virgin Islands to each member of The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund Board who was duly appointed and serving and whose membership was wrongfully revoked on April 24, 2019,” the Natural Resources Minister said.
The members of the board included the Chairman Edward Childs – representing any sector responsible for making contributions to the Fund; the Deputy Chairman John Klein – representing the tourism sector; Dr Katherine Smith – representing an academic or research organisation; Dr Shannon Gore – representing a non-governmental organisation or community-based organisation; Shelly Bend – representing the financial services sector; and Ronnie Lettsome – representing an individual or ordinary resident of the territory.
“I have outlined the significance of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund which is directly tied to the urgent need to re-establish the Trust Fund Board … In the best interest of this territory, including respecting the rule of law, [I move to] to reinstate the board by humbly inviting all members whose appointments were revoked on April 24, 2019, to serve again with a reset of their terms of appointment,” Turnbull said.
The Minister said with the apology and his administration’s commitment to move forward with the implementation of the Trust Fund while strictly adhering to the noble principle on which it was established, he hopes all former members will be willing and able to serve again.
“Where this may regrettably not be the case, to ensure that the work of the Trust Fund is continued, any vacancies will be filled following the open, transparent, public process outlined in the Act,” Turnbull said.
“There are innovations and moments in the course of each country that shape and define its potential and future. The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund is one of those innovations and this is one of those moments,” he added.
The Natural Resources Minister explained that the legal establishment of the Fund puts the Virgin Islands boldly on the map both regionally and internationally as an innovative leader in sustainable financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation in small islands.
“Let’s take this opportunity to right a wrong and put the Trust Fund back on a path to success to safeguard the future of these beautiful islands we are blessed to call home. As Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, I look forward to a fully appointed board in short order and I pledge my support in the successful implementation of the Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund,” Turnbull said.
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He threw Butch under the bus
(Climate change) Money cant stop that from happening .The world runs on oil/blood.
thanks Mitch…Now we need an apology for revoking the appointments of all other Board members. Tourist Board, Ports Authority and Airport and the others… and for appointing those f@@ls and cri#$^%ls to replace them.
Its rights a wrong to the members of the board.
But , what exactly is the purpose of such a board?
How did Mitch ever ended up on this position… We need grown up professionals to manage affairs…..SMH
Look at the little power hungry, tantrum throwing opportunist. We really have kids running the government.
Wow. What a great moment for this Government. This is indeed a move forward if it is truly meant. i would like it to be taken a step further so we can understand what processes and prejudices were in place that dismantled this board in the first place. What systems are now in place so that those same self serving prejudiced decision processes cannot be allowed to happen in the future. Time for the territory to grow up.
Wow! Transparency in the land of the blind where the one eye man is supposed to be king? I wonder.
And what about the members of the other boards who were unceremoniously ousted out, to be replaced by the clueless cronies and ravenous relatives? They are owed apologies, too.
While we are on the subject, I thought that all of those jokey ‘appointments’ made from Feb 2019 and after, where the ‘family and friends club members’ reigned, were supposed to be rescinded, and replaced by new members through a transparent application process. This appears to be taking a mighty long time.
Please – do not pull any (more) wool over our eyes.
Is this a future premier we are looking at? Nah he is too honest.
Word is one of the paymasters is suspended.
Who is government official 1?
Any apology for any of the good locals who got thrown off boards after the COI report? Yes, we had some that needed to go but the others that were willing to serve what happened to those? No apology for the college board that the current Premier dismissed as soon as he became education minister? How come the COI didn’t make any inquiry into that or raised it as a concern? But we here apologizing to climate change board to appease the governor. Look at the names of the people heading the board and you will see why he needed to apologize. BVI wake up! We need much stronger leadership.
Good job. The BVI and our people are so mesmerized by dollars and shiny trinkets that no one seems to care about our damaged environment, even after Cat 7 Irma smashed us as science predicted. We have a childish attitude to it here – it’s ‘their’ problem (the rest of the world’s), we need to ‘develop’ so none of the issues apply to us, it’s a wyppl thing designed to oppress us more(??♂️), and ‘everyone else is destroying nature so no one going to stop me’. Plastic bottles, power station poisoning the air, reefs and mangroves covered in landfill so cronies can get free real estate. The last goes on.
Good luck to the board!
Ok. Thanks. Now what would be truly impressive would be for you to tell us where all the money that was collected from the environmental tax at the airports and ports has gone?
That was supposed to be paid in part to this trust.
The world relies on energy. The source should include wind, solar, and wave of which we have a sustainable abundance.
Our eyes will open in the future to climate change.
Right now the US is signing so much laws that really has nothing to do with inflaftion for one and comes under the so call “Climate change” and I see the BVI is coming under the delusion of the spins of the “Elite” Agenda.
We are living in the last days and the almighty is coming back to judge the world and destroy it in the appointed time.
We, that are believers of Christ are to prepare ourselves and others for his return. The dyas are going like a whirlwind and we must continue to care for the environment, yes.
But the Prince of the Air, Satan knows his time is short and doing all he can to eliminate mankind from off the face of the earth before Christ comes.