Beautiful Virgin Islands


CoI should not holdup Bills unless VI is under direct rule- Angelle A. Cameron

CoI should not holdup Bills unless VI is under direct rule- Angelle A. Cameron

Former Mrs BVI Angelle A. Cameron, who hosts the social media ‘My BVI’ talk show, has called on Virgin Islanders to understand the severity of the ongoing Commission of Inquiry in the Virgin Islands (VI), and its possible impacts to set the VI back more than seventy years in terms of its ability to be self-determined.

Speaking on the April 27, 2021, edition of the show, alongside co-host Bishop John I. Cline of the New Life Baptist Church, Mrs Cameron urged Virgin Islanders to ‘Look a Little Closer’ in terms of all that is happening and the timing of the CoI.

“People need to understand the details of it, what the inquiry can do, the positive sides of the Inquiry, the negative sides of the Inquiry.”

Pointing to recent statements by HoA speaker, Hon Julian Willock about (UK) Secretary of State Dominic R. Raab indicating that the bills are being further delayed due to the ongoing CoI, Mrs Cameron shared her concerns about the reasoning.


Impacts of CoI on VI economy


“Do we need to have good governance, and can a commission do that? Yes, these inquiries are said to do that. Is there good intent behind all of these CoI’s? Probably not, and those are realistic things that we really have to post to the public,” she said.

According to the former beauty queen, Virgin Islanders ought to also question the timing of the CoI, which came during the global coronavirus pandemic.

“Of all the things that matter the most, why is this being pushed? … as a community we need to be having these roundtable discussions, what does this look like? How is this going to impact our ability in the financial services world? Because it will have an impact, a direct impact,” she said while pointing to other industries like tourism and the possible impacts by the CoI.

United Kingdom Secretary of State Dominic R. Raab reportedly indicated that the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) (Amendment) Act is being further delayed due to the ongoing Commission of Inquiry in the Virgin Islands.

CoI & unassented bills


Pointing to recent statements by HoA speaker, Hon Julian Willock about (UK) Secretary of State Dominic R. Raab indicating that the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) (Amendment) Act is being further delayed due to the ongoing CoI, Mrs Cameron shared her concerns about the reasoning.

“It shouldn’t have anything to do with the other unless we are under direct rule, and we don’t know yet, unless our constitution has been suspended and we are unaware… so one should not lead to the other,” she said.

Mr Raab himself is under the microscope in the UK, having refused to release legal advice to back his claim that the UK government’s £5bn-a-year overseas aid cut is lawful – as he hinted it could be extended.

According to Cameron, to say that decisions on the bills are awaiting the outcome of the CoI, “They are linking two things that shouldn’t be and they are directly violating our constitution at present, so when we see these stories and inquiring coming up, we need to be aware as a public,” she said.

Mrs Cameroon illustrated that a CoI is just an inquiry and, therefore, it ought to not stop the business of the government from moving forward.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
×