We have to learn better negotiating skills — Walwyn

Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn has indicated that elected leaders need to sharpen their negotiating skills to effectively counter some of the arguments presented by the United Kingdom in its latest report on crime-fighting agencies in the BVI.

A major recommendation in the report is the transfer of key law enforcement bodies such as Immigration and Customs from the control of the elected government to the Governor. The UK argues that these agencies play a crucial role in national security and should therefore fall under the Governor’s existing responsibility for security matters.

This proposal has been firmly rejected by all 13 elected representatives, who view it as a step backward for a territory that continues to aspire toward greater self-governance.

However, Walwyn pointed out that the UK’s recommendation is constitutionally grounded, particularly in Section 60 of the BVI Constitution.

“The powers that are being used to take control of Customs, Immigration and areas that have traditionally fallen under the Premier is being done through Section 60 [of the constitution]. And the reality is that the argument is strong because you can’t deny that these agencies have a huge security component,” Walwyn said recently on The Alliance radio show.

Given the strength of the UK’s constitutional basis, Walwyn argued that elected officials must offer more compelling counterarguments to effectively challenge the recommendation.

“We have to learn to negotiate and put better arguments together. The argument that my grandfather’s navel string is buried here and I’m 10 generations removed from the plantation – all of that is true but for this level of arguments, we have to find sounder ways,” he said.

He further noted that instead of relying on perceived sentimental reasoning, leaders should draw on the preamble of the Constitution to emphasise the BVI’s aspirations for self-determination and local governance.

“Our words to him (the Governor) is that even though you might have that inherent authority based on Section 60 of the constitution, based on the preamble which sets out the aspirations of the BVI people, it is not the wise thing,” the Sixth District Representative said.

Elected officials have frequently used the argument of deep ancestral roots in the BVI as a means of resisting what they view as UK overreach. They contend that their heritage and local knowledge make them better suited to govern.

This ancestral argument is also often used to rally public support on contentious issues such as immigration policy and appointments to high-ranking positions in both politics and the civil service.