Leaked letters show pressure from FCO for independent Recovery Agency
The Bill was passed in the House of Assembly with amendments on March 27, 2018 by 10 in favour and 2 against after a two-day spirited debate, however, there remains conflicting information as to what is in the Bill.
Leader of the Opposition Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1), who voted for the Bill, claimed that he got some amendments he requested; however, Premier and Leader of Government Business, Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) said it was not so.
Letter from FCO dated March 19, 2018
Our newsroom is aware that one of the items in the amended version of the Bill is that the Recovery and Development Agency’s (RDA) Chief Executive Officer has to be a local or a Belonger.
However, days before the Bill was passed, in a letter from Ben Merrick of the FCO to Premier Smith dated March 19, 2018, he made clear that “can I stress that this independence [of RDA] is an absolute essential for the UK Government…”
Many have said that the Recovery and Development Agency was like another government and the items demanded from the FCO may prove them right.
In the FCO letter of March 19, 2018 they outlined three areas of concerns and sections of the Bill that they wanted to be changed to avoid political interference from the NDP Administration. They were happy, according to the letter, to see the Agency will be “responsible for all procurements” as set out in the Bill in Section 6 (2).
Mr Merrick, the Director for the British Overseas Territories, made clear he was delighted for the Bill and Cabinet “have shown in establishing a structure and legislation which will engender international donor and investor confidence in the BVI.”
Letter 2 dated March 22, 2018: We are happy- FCO
In another letter dated March 22, 2018 from Mr Merrick, following a telephone conversation [between Smith/ Merrick], where he used more diplomatic language and softened his stands, he praised the Premier and his Cabinet for making the amendments the UK suggested.
The UK via Mr Merrick said, “the CEO could be appointed in concurrence with Cabinet, provided that Cabinet can only withhold their concurrence, if they have justifiable reasons and may do so only once.”
In the British normal diplomatic language, they claimed that “the UK has no intention of putting back the constitutional journey of the Virgin Islands, or to be perceived to be doing so.”
Dr Smith caved; What else we don't know!
With the UK Government getting their way out of Premier Smith, the Overseas Director said he was “grateful for the impressive leadership that you’ve shown in establishing the RDA and we look forward to continuing to support you in that.”
It is unclear what were in the other letters that Premier Smith did not share with either his Ministers or the Backbench, along with the most recent correspondence after the Bill was passed.
See copy of leaked letter dated March 19, 2018:
_01.png)
Follow Us On
30 Responses to “Leaked letters show pressure from FCO for independent Recovery Agency”
They are not listening and the people are out here suffering while the cost of projects are way over priced and then still over ran on top of that.
I was talking to a representative last night, and the representative simply put seemed disinterested in conversing, and this is not the first instance.
The Government has placed us in this position, as well as those we see "leaking" information. They seem to be incapable of running our affairs.
I here where yoir coming from and that is not a bad solution if we can go in a meeting and discuss things with these representatives; however, this is not the case. What do you suggest we do sir, to get some justice in our country?
They also absolutely do not trust smith and his gov to handle these funds without corruption and to play politics with it b/c they seen that he was being secretive with us.
Look at what happened with the cruise pier. Millions of dollars over budget and not a single person was held accountable. Same thing happened with the hospital. Truth be told the Governments of the BVI have a port track record when it comes to transparency and financial accountability. Until our politicians behave responsibly with tax payers money there will always be a need for the U.K. to step in and ensure transparency and accountability. It’s our fault, not the U.Ks. As a people we have lost our way. People willfully overcharge the government and yes it’s almost certain there are those whether civil servants or whoever who benefits for this type of behavior. The love of money and greed brought us to the point where we are.
We need honest God fearing politicians who will look after the interest of all Virgin Islanders rather than a few. Let the U.K. do what it must to ensure that the money is spend to rebuild the BVI in a reasonable way.