Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Unity Gov’t had to ‘act quickly’ to prevent suspension of Constitution– Premier

Unity Gov’t had to ‘act quickly’ to prevent suspension of Constitution– Premier

Virgin Islands Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) says the suspension of the Virgin Islands (VI) constitution was the CoI recommendation on which the other recommendations rested, and as such, his Unity Government had to act fast in negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK).

The Premier made the statement during this Monday, June 20, 2022, episode of Tola radio's ‘Da Morning Braff’ radio show with host Floyd Burnett aka 'Heritage’ where he reminded that the VI is still a territory of the UK.

VI still a 'territory of UK' - Premier Dr Wheatley


“We are not an independent country, we are a territory… and our constitution is an order of the UK Parliament, and that constitution can be suspended at any time… that’s something that people need to understand,” he reminded.

“The United Kingdom, based on this recommendation, was prepared… of course, they had not made a decision as yet, and it was important for us to act quickly, but the recommendation was for the constitution to be suspended partially,” he added.

The Premier noted that the partial suspension was for the Cabinet and House of Assembly to be dissolved and for the Governor to have executive and legislative authority over the VI with an advisory council.

“The United Kingdom can do that without consultation, in fact, they have been through the Commission of Inquiry process gathering all the information, and right after the report was published… The Right Hon Amanda Milling was in the BVI by Monday,” for consultations he said.

“So in that process… we had to act quickly to give the United Kingdom an alternative to suspending the constituting and implementing these reforms themselves,” he added.

Premier Natalio D. Wheatley, during this Monday, June 20, 2022, episode of ‘Da Morning Braff’ radio show with host Floyd Burnett aka 'Heritage’, reminded that the VI is still a territory of the UK.


VI people serious about implementing CoI Recommendations- Premier


The Premier said the Unity Government proposed that the people of the VI be the ones to implement the recommendations.

He said the first order of business would have been for the VI to persuade the UK parties that the people of the VI were serious and capable of being able to implement reform.

“And It’s important to us because for the last 70 years and even beyond that, we have been fighting for the right to have our own House of Assembly, to have executive authority on ministerial government [and] to have our own Minister of Finance and control our own finances,” which he said will come through democracy in the best interest of the people of the VI.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"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
×