Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Findings of CoI not 'justifiable' for direct rule– Cromwell Smith

Findings of CoI not 'justifiable' for direct rule– Cromwell Smith

Commentator and activist Mr Cromwell Smith aka Edju En Ka has said the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) Report is full of ambiguous language and lacks supporting evidence for the many serious pronouncements.

Mr Smith was at the time speaking during a May 11, 2022, episode of ‘Territories Talk’, a cross-border conversation on the challenges of British Overseas Territories.

“The report is not the easiest read, and I suggested to some of my colleagues that we get an attorney or someone competent in reading these types of documents to do an analysis of the document,” he said.

Smith said that given the language of the report, the legal mind could look at all that is being said and break down what recommendations of the report may not be in the best interest of the VI.

Cromwell Smith aka Edju En Ka (bottom) appeared on the show Territories Talk, alongside former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat Ms Shirley Osborne (top left) and host Shaina M. Smith-Archer on May 11, 2022.


No justification for direct rule – Cromwell Smith


Mr Smith added that the ambiguous language in portions read included phrases like, ‘may have been some dishonesty’ and ‘environment conducive to corruption’, which he said lacked supporting evidence.”

“Most of the recommendations I think are designed to strengthen civil service processes, more audits, and better structures and processes to make sure the administration is better and close some of the loopholes and so on,” he said.

Mr Smith added, “That gives me the feeling direct rule is not justifiable in the report although, Sir Gary Hickinbottom insisted that if the UK doesn’t implement direct rule, the challenges of the civil service and the politicians' disregard for good governance will continue indefinitely.”

Commissioner not qualified to make predictions on VI – Smith


He said such a prediction is one the commissioner, Sir Gary R. Hickinbottom, was not qualified to make on the future of the VI and its democratically elected leaders.

The predictions he said suggest, “As a people, we cannot fix a problem for ourselves, so if Britain does not take us over, those problems would never get fixed.”

Smith said another major challenge with the CoI Report was that it went further to absolve the Governor of the VI.

He said the CoI Report takes away the responsibility of the Governor and Governors in what it called possibilities of corruption or dishonesty.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×