Hon Malone was sworn in by His Excellency the Governor Mr. Augustus J. U. Jaspert acting in accordance with Section 52 (2) of the Constitution of the Virgin Islands and with advice from the Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1), appointed Honourable Malone as Deputy Premier for a period of three months with effect from December 17, 2019, according to a press release from the Department of Information and Public Affairs.

Hon Wheatley served with distinction

Premier Fahie congratulated Honourable Malone on his appointment and thanked the Governor and his Ministers of Government for agreeing to follow through on an unconventional area of the Constitution which allows the appointment of each minister to serve in the post of Deputy Premier for three months.

The Premier also commended the Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Honourable Vincent O. Wheatley (R9), whom he said served with distinction and demonstrated great enthusiasm while serving in the capacity of Deputy Premier. Honourable Wheatley served as Deputy Premier for an extended period of four months.

Local media house BVI Platinum had inaccurately reported on December 13, 2019 that Hon Wheatley was indefinitely appointed Deputy Premier, causing Hon Premier to publicly clear up the misinformation.

This was even as Premier Fahie had indicated several times that all his Government Ministers would get an opportunity to serve in the Deputy Premier’s post on a rotational basis.

BVI Platinum News subsequently corrected its article but blamed the lack of clarity in the Gazette for its error.

Rotation of Ministers

Premier Fahie said today that the rotation of ministers in the role of Deputy Premier for a period of three months each has enabled the ministers to improve and helped them to become more surefooted and confident in their decision making.

“You cannot expect people to perform if you do not give them the tools, the training and the opportunity to develop and sharpen their skills,” Premier Fahie added.

After the first year someone will be named permanently to the post.