Gov Pruce to request 'final' extended deadline for full CoI reforms
The Governor in the executive summary of the Sixth Quarterly Report published today said, “Based on my assessment of the current status of the reforms, I will write to the UK Minister for the Overseas Territories with the following recommendations: To extend the deadline for implementing the COI recommendations from 31st May 2024 to 31st August 2024.”
He said a final assessment of progress should take place after August, with a clear overall conclusion on whether the COI recommendations have taken root. This move according to Governor Pruce, will also keep options open of additional powers for the Governor and recourse to the reserved Order in Council to suspend the constitution if necessary.
Governor Puce said since becoming Governor on January 29, 2024, his team has been working intensively with Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley and all branches of the Government of the Virgin Islands to make progress in delivering the COI reforms.
Gov't 'keeping up pace' towards full implementation - Premier
In early 2024, Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) says his government was working towards the May 2024 deadline and was trying to meet as many targets as possible by that date.
The Premier’s statement came during a Friday, February 9, 2023, press briefing and update on Minister of Overseas Territories, Mr. David Rutley's Visit to the Virgin Islands as well as the CoI reform process.
“Let me say that we are still working with May 2024 as our substantive deadline for full implementation. We have to keep the pace up and do our best to meet as many targets as possible. If there are still any outstanding deliverables by then, these must be very few,” he said.
As of May, 23, 2024, the Governor said a total recommendation completed stands at twenty-nine out of forty-eight and four additional recommendations have been completed since January, and nineteen remain.
The recommendations which have been completed since January are the costed plan for the extension of the Register of Interests (B3; the cessation of House of Assembly Grants (B8); The review and consideration of criteria, processes and monitoring of grants for educational scholarships etc. (B11) and the audit of Crown Land disposals (B31), which has been laid in the House of Assembly and published.
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31 Responses to “Gov Pruce to request 'final' extended deadline for full CoI reforms”
Moreover, the timeline of completing the CoI was unrealistic and the UK and government knew it. The government went along with the unrealistic timeline to avoid the constitution being suspended. In the end, the constitution has been suspended and is being held in reserve and it and additionally powers requested by John Rankin are being held over the head of the VI and people as the Sword of Damocles. What is happening in the VI reflects the disunity of the VI people. In a twisted way they deserve how they are being treated behaving like Neville Chamberlain, Benedict Arnold, and Sambos and to the delight of the UK cabal. Instead of the cabal providing technical and other support to help the VI as the Administering Power, the cabal is requesting additional powers.
Nonetheless, despite of the CoI being pre-conceived some of the findings are the result of the behaviors and attitudes of VI governing officials which not have to be identified by Hickinbottom if periodic creative destruction was occuring, ie, self-evaluation. Mistakes were made and going forward government should learn from them. Government should lean forward, embrace the failures and go to work. The populace got some blame in this SNAFU, for they sat back with their dependency and political patronage hands out and let it happen. We need to get off our lazy asses and demand good governance, kicking the retired on duty to curb.
Also pay back social security for the money you stole to make un-affordable and flood damaged houses
Take note that it was a Labour government which suspended the constitution in Turks & Caicos in 2009. When the Governor says this is a final extension he isn't kidding. Be ready, this is happening.
Labour won’t take kindly to these ongoing abuses of the citizens and finances of one of it’s territories and unlike the Tories, they don’t care where the bodies are buried.
Sure, both parties would like us gone but they can’t cut us loose to become little Haiti- it would be a bad look for the UK. We need to fix ourselves first- and if we won’t do it….