It was noted that while Works Minister Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool indicated that he was not speaking on behalf of the Cabinet during his Emancipation Service Sunday Morning Well remarks on August 4, 2013 on issues of self-determination, he was still speaking at the event in his capacity as Fourth District Representative and as a Member of government. Photo: VINO/File

“I find it very interesting when Ministers speaking in what they claim to be their private and personal [capacity]… speaking in a public forum and making certain statements, it’s kind of [a] little dangerous to do that,” Doug Wheatley stated on the Speak Out BVI radio programme aired on August 20, 2013. Photo: VINO/File

“I find it very interesting when Ministers speaking in what they claim to be their private and personal [capacity]… speaking in a public forum and making certain statements, it’s kind of [a] little dangerous to do that,” Doug Wheatley stated on the Speak Out BVI radio programme aired on August 20, 2013.

Co-host Sowande Uhuru agreed and stated while Works Minister Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool indicated that he was not speaking on behalf of the Cabinet during his Emancipation Service Sunday Morning Well remarks on August 4, 2013 on issues of self-determination, he was still speaking at the event in his capacity as Fourth District Representative and as a Member of government.

“It’s difficult to say that you’re speaking as a private citizen when the reason you’re speaking at the event and the capacity that you’re invited at the event is as the Fourth District Representative. It’s difficult to divorce yourself from your cabinet position and from your position as Representative at that point,” Sowande stated.

He noted that it was another thing altogether to call for a dialogue with the people on the issue or round of constitutional talks. He referred to the Minister’s call for a round of constitutional talks as something that was ‘pretty serious’.

Ministers gagged in other jurisdictions?

"I understand that in some jurisdictions, Cabinet officials are not really allowed to go on public forums like that and give own personal views on things," Doug Wheatley said. He felt that comments made by ministers can often be construed as government's position by members of the public. 

"When they are in fact allowed to do that it is after getting clearance from the Cabinet or from the Prime Minister as the case might be so that there can't be any sort of confusion about what the policy is," he added. Wheatley noted that while there was a provision for free speech under the constitution, he felt free speech was not unbridled.

Wheatley urged that Ministers be very careful when they speak in public especially when making pronouncements on controversial subjects or sensitive subjects that they do not appear to preempt the Premier or Cabinet or try to lead the Cabinet or public opinion in a particular way.

He offered that if Ministers of government felt strongly in a particular way, they should instead try to lobby the Cabinet and try with the force of argument to show why [government] should move in a particular direction.

Premier Dr The Hon. D. Orlando Smith at a press conference held on the same day, stated that the conversation on self-determination had already began and indicated once more that he was not in favour of calls for Independence, which he sought to distinguish from the issue of self-determination while claiming that the two are closely linked.

According to the Premier, the entire issue was a question of timing, “timing has to do with when the particular country is ready for that decision, economically, politically and socially. So that is the whole thing.”