BVI doing constitutional review with gun to its head!
Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool said the BVI is negotiating the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report’s recommendations with a proverbial gun to its head.
Vanterpool insisted that because of this, there should be no negotiations between the BVI and the United Kingdom (UK) regarding a move towards a constitutional review – which forms part of the COI recommendations – until there is no threat of direct UK rule.
Vanterpool was at the time arguing in the House of Assembly (HOA) for a debate over the COI report, which is now expected to take place today, July 19.
While insisting that the BVI was already under direct British rule because of a looming Order in Council in the UK parliament, Vanterpool called the COI report a serious matter.
“We have a Commission of Inquiry that says that we can’t run our own country and we let it go by like that?“ Vanterpool asked.
“If the Governor of the country isn’t satisfied with anything that the Cabinet does or the House does, he has a right to institute the rule right away; without even asking anybody,” the legislator asserted.
“We have to speak up,” Vanterpool argued. “We are going to talk about a constitutional review with a gun to your head by the people who you (the BVI) want the constitutional review against. [Do] you understand that?“
“[We should] leave the constitutional review alone till when we get past this stage. You cannot have a constitutional review to go discuss how we upgrade ourselves in terms of governing ourselves better when the same people who you’re upgrading yourself against have passed a law in the parliament of the United Kingdom to tell us ‘do what we say, or else’,” Vanterpool argued.
He said while there are some residents who believe the territory should go in that direction, that is entirely their prerogative and not for someone else such as the UK to determine.
“Don’t tell me that at this stage in my life, I cannot determine what I think is best for myself and my country, or if we went wrong, we can’t correct right without the help of somebody else. Don’t tell me I can’t do that,” Vanterpool added.
Vanterpool was at the time arguing in the House of Assembly (HOA) for a debate over the COI report, which is now expected to take place today, July 19.
While insisting that the BVI was already under direct British rule because of a looming Order in Council in the UK parliament, Vanterpool called the COI report a serious matter.
“We have a Commission of Inquiry that says that we can’t run our own country and we let it go by like that?“ Vanterpool asked.
“If the Governor of the country isn’t satisfied with anything that the Cabinet does or the House does, he has a right to institute the rule right away; without even asking anybody,” the legislator asserted.
“We have to speak up,” Vanterpool argued. “We are going to talk about a constitutional review with a gun to your head by the people who you (the BVI) want the constitutional review against. [Do] you understand that?“
“[We should] leave the constitutional review alone till when we get past this stage. You cannot have a constitutional review to go discuss how we upgrade ourselves in terms of governing ourselves better when the same people who you’re upgrading yourself against have passed a law in the parliament of the United Kingdom to tell us ‘do what we say, or else’,” Vanterpool argued.
He said while there are some residents who believe the territory should go in that direction, that is entirely their prerogative and not for someone else such as the UK to determine.
“Don’t tell me that at this stage in my life, I cannot determine what I think is best for myself and my country, or if we went wrong, we can’t correct right without the help of somebody else. Don’t tell me I can’t do that,” Vanterpool added.
