Missed COI deadlines: Governor at fault too — Premier Wheatley
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has refuted a recent contention by Governor John Rankin that his government has been unduly sluggish in the implementation of agreed governance reforms between the BVI government and the United Kingdom (UK).
During a press conference last week on his latest quarterly report on the framework for implementation of reforms, Governor Rankin said he was encouraged by some of the progress being made by the coalition Government of National Unity (GNU) but expressed disappointment at the slow rate of the implementation of those reforms.
Governor Rankin detailed in his report that just 15 of the 48 COI recommendations had been completed at the end of December 2022.
“I am concerned that the overall pace of reform is slower than expected and it is important that the public do not lose confidence. It is essential that together we step up our efforts to achieve these important and urgent reforms; committing resources accordingly,” Governor Rankin said at the time.
But Premier Wheatley contended in a statement issued yesterday that reform deadlines have been missed for good reasons by all parties involved — both by his coalition government as well as the Governor’s Office.
“I do not want anyone to get the impression that it is only the elected government that requires extensions,” Dr Wheatley expressed. “The Governor does as well.”
He further argued that it was too easy to get the impression from the governor’s press conference last week that missing deadlines primarily refers to the elected arm of government.
“I want to be perfectly clear. I do believe that reform must be delivered in a timely fashion and that we must proceed swiftly. However, this cannot be at the expense of non-consultation with the public,” Premier Wheatley said.
In the meantime, the Premier shared that there have been serious capacity constraints within the public service which have led to a slowing down of some reform efforts.
He pointed to the Immigration Department in particular where it was noted that more support is needed in that area. “We are exploring how capacity can be boosted and technical expertise secured to help overcome the current capacity constraints faced by the Department,” the premier said.
Governor Rankin detailed in his report that just 15 of the 48 COI recommendations had been completed at the end of December 2022.
“I am concerned that the overall pace of reform is slower than expected and it is important that the public do not lose confidence. It is essential that together we step up our efforts to achieve these important and urgent reforms; committing resources accordingly,” Governor Rankin said at the time.
But Premier Wheatley contended in a statement issued yesterday that reform deadlines have been missed for good reasons by all parties involved — both by his coalition government as well as the Governor’s Office.
“I do not want anyone to get the impression that it is only the elected government that requires extensions,” Dr Wheatley expressed. “The Governor does as well.”
He further argued that it was too easy to get the impression from the governor’s press conference last week that missing deadlines primarily refers to the elected arm of government.
“I want to be perfectly clear. I do believe that reform must be delivered in a timely fashion and that we must proceed swiftly. However, this cannot be at the expense of non-consultation with the public,” Premier Wheatley said.
In the meantime, the Premier shared that there have been serious capacity constraints within the public service which have led to a slowing down of some reform efforts.
He pointed to the Immigration Department in particular where it was noted that more support is needed in that area. “We are exploring how capacity can be boosted and technical expertise secured to help overcome the current capacity constraints faced by the Department,” the premier said.
