Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Oct 05, 2025

'We must be vigilant to protect reputation' of VI- Premier Fahie

'We must be vigilant to protect reputation' of VI- Premier Fahie

With many outside and even inside forces seemingly with an agenda to destroy the reputation of the Virgin Islands, which image is heavily depended on for the success of its financial services and tourism industries, Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie has prudently implored for the Virgin Islands to be “vigilant” to protect its reputation.
Be Vigilant


“We must be vigilant to protect the reputation of the Virgin Islands. We must not gratify those who hope we will shrink from the gaze of this Inquiry,” said Honourable Fahie during his contribution to the debate of the Register of Interests (Amendment) Act at the Sixth Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) at Save the Seed Centre in Duff’s Bottom, Tortola on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

The Commissioner of the Inquiry into Governance in the VI has requested each Member of the House of Assembly to consent to him having access to the part of the Register of Interests that records the declarations of that Member; however, the Register of Interests Act does not permit access to the Register in those circumstances.

Keeping with its promise to cooperate with a fair and just Commission of Inquiry, Government decided to amend the law to allow the Commissioner the information requested from the Register of Interests.

The bill was passed with overwhelming support from Members of the House.

‘VI not afraid of fair, impartial & transparent scrutiny’- Premier


According to Honourable Fahie, we must show that the Virgin Islands is not afraid of fair, impartial and transparent scrutiny and that we ourselves are committed to transparency and good governance, as is evident through the suite of legislation that has been brought to the Honourable House including, but not limited to the Whistle-blower Legislation and the Contractor General Legislation, with many more of the good governance legislation to come.

“But by this Bill, that is in question today, and the Government’s commitment to support the Inquiry’s work, we help to demonstrate exactly that.”

Premier Fahie also reminded that the Government set up the Inquiry Response Unit to ensure that proper and accountable standards are upheld in the Government’s cooperation with the Inquiry and that the Government makes a full and constructive contribution to its processes.

“Nothing could be more important to the welfare of these Virgin Islands than that the Inquiry reaches sound conclusions that are seen to be based on a fair and balanced process, that there is no area that is off-limits to its scrutiny and that no justification can be made for a charge that its work was deliberately impeded.”

Premier Fahie said the Government looks forward to the Commissioner’s work in examining the matters he has been set, both those that are under ministerial control and those that are not.

While some in the Virgin Islands welcome the Commission of Inquiry into governance, many are suspicious about the way it was planned and announced by controversial ex-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert (in photo), who was accused of trying to bully the elected Government of Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and trying to cause a strain between the Government and its people.

Due to the secret nature of the planned Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the Virgin Islands, both Government and Financial Services, whose success relies on the territory's good reputation, were caught off guard and unable to respond in a timely manner to counter the negative international press that the UK Government and the UK media collaborated on.


Suspicious CoI


While some in the Virgin Islands welcome the Inquiry, many are suspicious about the way it was planned and announced by controversial ex-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert, who was accused of trying to bully the elected Government of Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and trying to cause a strain between the Government and its people.

Mr Jaspert and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office kept the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) top secret from the elected Government but colluded with the UK media to ensure it was splashed across international newspapers almost the same time it was announced to the people of the VI.

Mr Jaspert, when pressed at a media briefing as to why he did not inform the Government of his intentions so that it as well as Financial Services would have adequate time to respond in an effort to prevent reputational harm, became aggressive at the person asking the question and could not justify his actions.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
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
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×