Declaring interests to serve on boards could be ‘prohibitive’- Opposition Leader
According to Hon Skelton, the territory was able to progress because, among other things, persons volunteered their time and even while board members now get a stipend it may be discouraging for persons to serve on boards due to some of the stringent requirements.
Speaking during the debate of the Virgin Islands Tourist Board Amendment Bill 2024, at the Continuation of the Nineteenth Sitting of the First Session of the Fifth House of Assembly (HoA) on September 20, 2024, Hon Skelton pointed out that one of these “prohibitive” requirements is declaring interests.
“It will be extremely difficult if we continue to put things in bills that will prohibit or cause people to not want to serve. And we are creating legislation that will only allow people who probably don’t have anything in this life to serve on these boards. And I don’t think that is the intention, because when you look at the membership and the qualifications for members, you have to have a good standing in business...
“But if you are going to tell me that in order to get a stipend for sitting on this board to assist my country I have to disclose what my wife have, my children…it becomes seriously prohibitive to do some of this stuff, Madam Speaker.”
“We asking people to not serve”- Hon Skelton
Hon Skelton continued that it is a bit much for people to be asked to fill out a 7-page document about their private interests when they are giving of their time to serve. “I think we asking people to not serve. And we got this distance, Madam Speaker, because people served…But when you look at the person who is serving and giving their time, for them to have to do all of this, it’s prohibitive, why would I want to do this?
“And then the Register of Interest form has to go someplace, and eventually they going to tell you it needs to be an open form for anybody to check to make sure you are not doing anything wrong. But if somebody is doing anything wrong they need to pay the penalty.”
The Opposition Leader said legislators need to ensure such “prohibitive” items don’t end up in some legislation. “I think we can do good governance without some of these stuff,” Hon Skelton stated.
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20 Responses to “Declaring interests to serve on boards could be ‘prohibitive’- Opposition Leader”
“It will be extremely difficult if we continue to put things in bills that will prohibit or cause people to not want to serve. And we are creating legislation that will only allow people who probably don’t have anything in this life to serve on these boards."
Wellsah, the more you talk the less I think that your intelligent. Something is wrong with seeking to identify conflicts of interest that could lead to biased decisions and not those in the best interest of the public? Asking for a friend.
These people &^%$- up the country so badly, yet everything that is been put in place to create honesty, integrity and accountability they against it, giving in a fight..Seems like they don't want change,, they want things to remain in it failing state..
Why don't you tell Britain to take the ##(%! over itself or better yet, go there and leave BVI the hell alone sku*+!
Let them keep it up. Let the ^%$£" idiots run the place like they have always done. Nothing new here!!!
Assuming their traditional backhander’s will be available God bless your sacrifices!
could you imagine if Independence is accomplished, we have certain ones looking over movements and they are many malfunctions
under independence we will be our own watchdogs and one could only imagine
this is the same individual seeking a no confidence removal moments ago