Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2026

Rev Turnbull praises debates on motion for constitutional review

Senior Pastor of the Cane Garden Bay (CGB) Baptist Church in Tortola, Dr Melvin A. Turnbull has praised the debates on Virgin Island's upcoming constitutional review, adding that is a step forward for the Territory.

Dr Turnbull was speaking at the Sunday, August 2, 2020, Virtual Emancipation Service, broadcasted on social media as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Youths get the wrong message - Rev Turnbull


While he scolded legislators for certain behaviours in the House of Assembly, he said it is the youths who would ultimately suffer.

"Sometimes I wonder what is happening in the House, because of the attitudes and actions that are displayed sometimes... they talk from both sides of their mouths and send the wrong message to young people."

"They seem to care more about the next election, than the next generation... but in this debate, I heard the statesmen and the politicians, they found a cause that was greater than themselves," Dr Turnbull said.

Stubborn faith


He urged the people of the VI and especially legislators to continue with stubborn faith towards causes, indicating a strong belief towards it.

"We know where we came from, we know who we are and whose we are, and we know where we are going and no one and nothing will stop us"

"That's a stubborn faith, sounds like a stubborn faith," he said, while urging the Territory to move forward no matter what it costs.

Motion for Constitutional Review


Through the motion the government sought for the House to approve the establishment of and the composition of the Constitutional Review Commission for the purpose of conducting a full review of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007 (U.K.S.I. No. 1678 of 2007).

According to the motion, it was agreed between the United Kingdom Government and the Government of the Virgin Islands that the said Constitution may be reviewed after 10 years after the date of which it came into force.

The motion also stated that Cabinet has agreed, subject to the approval of the House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands for the establishment of a Constitutional Review Commission comprising nine (11) members: a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and six (6) other members to be nominated by the Premier and two (3) members to be nominated by Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and appointed by the Cabinet, for the purpose of conducting a full review of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007 (U.K.S.I 2007 1678).

The motion also contained information on the composition of the Commission which states: ‘the overall composition of the Commission should cover the main Islands of the Virgin Islands collectively and include persons drawn from the legal fraternity, academia, business, communications/public relations, and other areas of civil society’.

The motion was passed during the Thirteenth Sitting of the Second Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) of the Virgin Islands held at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom, Tortola, on July 28, 2020.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
×