Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Unconstitutional for gov’t to block Governor’s Office from using GIS

Unconstitutional for gov’t to block Governor’s Office from using GIS

Governor John Rankin has said he believes the Government Information Services (GIS) should facilitate the work of both the elected government and the sitting governor, without any hurdles.
The governor, who appeared before the Commission of Inquiry (COI) in a hearing yesterday, said there was a proposal and draft Cabinet paper created to effectively limit the communication services of his office.

The proposal, which came at the tail end of the former governor, Agustus Jaspert’s tenure, essentially espoused the view that it wasn’t the function of the information services arm of government to work with the governor. This was described as an old practice.

The move at the time left the governor’s office without access to the GIS and required the office to find other ways to publicise its own material.

“My understanding was A, that had not been the previous practice and B, it ignores the fact that the governor is part of government within the British Virgin Islands,” Governor Rankin said.

It was previously reported that under the proposed policy, communications from the Governor’s Office would need to be approved by the Premier’s Office before it could be disseminated.

But Governor Rankin said this position was neither practical nor in accordance with the constitution.

“The Premier has his responsibilities and I have my responsibilities, but I don’t think it would be the interest of good governance or consistent with the constitution, if any communication that I make required the approval of the Premier,” Governor Rankin said.

He added: “And obviously I would have been unhappy with any suggestion that any of my communications would be under a power of approval by the Premier or ministers.”

According to Governor Rankin, the government information services is there to serve government and he is a part of the government of the Virgin Islands under the constitution.

“I look to Government Information Services to assist me when I’m giving out messaging, for example in relation to preparation for hurricane season, in relation to the need for people to get vaccinated or any other matter of which I may wish to make an appropriate announcement. So, I think Government Information Services are there to serve the governor as they’re there to serve the elected government,” Governor Rankin stated.

In the meantime, the governor said he was happy to report that a practical way was found through that difficulty.

“I, for the most part, am content with the working as it stands with Government Information Services,” the governor said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×