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All Gov’t Ministers to serve as Deputy Premier; Dr Wheatley appointed first

-Each Minister will serve for three months before permanent is named
After much speculation as to who would be appointed the Deputy Premier post in the new Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government, Premier Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) today, March 6, 2019, announced that every minister in his government will get the opportunity to serve as Deputy on a rotational basis, starting with the appointment of Dr Natalio D. Wheatley (R7). Photo: Facebook
Speaking briefly at the ceremony, Premier Fahie said, “I want to congratulate Natalio Wheatley at this time, I want to thank the governor also for allowing us to follow through in this area of the constitution which is unconventional, but we have Ministers with great ability and great potential and we want to make sure that your government is involved in capacity building.” Photo: Facebook
Speaking briefly at the ceremony, Premier Fahie said, “I want to congratulate Natalio Wheatley at this time, I want to thank the governor also for allowing us to follow through in this area of the constitution which is unconventional, but we have Ministers with great ability and great potential and we want to make sure that your government is involved in capacity building.” Photo: Facebook
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - After much speculation as to who would be appointed the Deputy Premier's position in the new Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government, Premier Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) today, March 6, 2019, announced that every minister in his government will get the opportunity to serve as Deputy Premier on a rotational basis, starting with the appointment of Dr Natalio D. Wheatley (R7).

During a swearing-in ceremony today in the presence of his Excellency, Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert, Dr Wheatley swore alliance to the crown before being made official to execute in the office of Deputy Premier for a period of three months effective March 6, 2019.

Unconventional

Speaking briefly at the ceremony, Premier Fahie said, “I want to congratulate Natalio Wheatley at this time, I want to thank the governor also for allowing us to follow through in this area of the constitution which is unconventional, but we have Ministers with great ability and great potential and we want to make sure that your government is involved in capacity building.”

Hon Fahie continued, “Every three months for the first year, each minister will be given the opportunity to serve in the post of deputy premier and after the first year, then someone will be named permanently to the post,” he said.

Experience 

According to Hon Fahie, the decision to appoint ministers on a rotational basis allows for each minister to get the experience and develop in areas they might never have the opportunity to see. 

23 Responses to “All Gov’t Ministers to serve as Deputy Premier; Dr Wheatley appointed first ”

  • wize up (06/03/2019, 13:19) Like (17) Dislike (6) Reply
    I just got a call from a blocked number: is it true that #3 will cross the floor and unite with the lady with holding the torch...
    • @wizeup (06/03/2019, 15:46) Like (14) Dislike (0) Reply
      And what would be the purpose of doing so?!?! Smdh!!!
      • wize up (07/03/2019, 10:10) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        @@wizeup: I was simply seeking clarification based on that phone call: you fully well know that strange things happens in politics(remember the prodigal son went back home after a while)keep the faith
  • good (06/03/2019, 13:44) Like (19) Dislike (10) Reply
    I like this move. All the best Natalio.
  • nah man (06/03/2019, 13:58) Like (13) Dislike (30) Reply

    This got to be a joke. What kind of experience will this man gain in the 3 months assigned? 

    • wize up (07/03/2019, 01:33) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
      @ nah man: you need a better understanding of government business: the 8 of of them should stay focused/united; hold internal meetings and present one voice; as a matter of fact after the 25 February 2019 the 13 of them should operate as one governing body because the 13 of them were elected by the people and have a mandate to lead this territory:
    • Legal tender (07/03/2019, 09:03) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply
      @ Nah man, a lot more than what you will gain while coming on here chatting piss. The move is an excellent one, give all the ministers a shot at it. Please accept that things will be done differently.
  • RealPol (06/03/2019, 14:50) Like (44) Dislike (7) Reply
    This 3 month rotation is avoiding making the tough call. Leadership is about making tough calls and willingness sometimes to alone by them. Any leader who expects to get a 100% by in on decision will be hamstrung making decisions. This 3 month experiment is design to keep everyone happy but in the end keeps no one happy. Stop waffling, grow a spine and make the tough calls. This is not a participative management call. Did the VIP have a post election action plan? Do the other ministers report to the Deputy Premier? What are the Deputy Premier responsibilities? Is the position just to act when the Premier is overseas? Well, with improved communications, the Premier can always stay in touch and in tune when out of the country.
    • @realpol (06/03/2019, 16:41) Like (25) Dislike (25) Reply
      Let the man run his government the way he see fit this is a good move everyone will get an opportunity to work and gain experience this is a change and learn at the same time i like it he doing thing differently give the ministers a break
      • RealPol (06/03/2019, 22:30) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
        @@RealPol, I’m not stopping the Premier from governing. I’m just expressing an opinion. If the Premier is thrown off track by a lowly, ignoramus blogger, then the BVI is in big trouble. Lots of prople will be expressing opinions negative/positive about decisions made by the Premier. He must roll with the punches. Having a different view does mean one wants the Premier to falter. The VI is a representative democracy with freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of the press....etc.
  • facts (06/03/2019, 16:47) Like (11) Dislike (11) Reply
    Fahie is we boy
    • No Deputy (06/03/2019, 20:19) Like (12) Dislike (2) Reply
      So if anything was to happen to the Premier God forbid... we will be in problems since there is no assigned Deputy to make sure our government will continue. No plans for tomorrow to protect the country. Risky decision because you afraid to make a call. Like people would gain any experience from acting in a post that have no daily duties.
  • Xxx (06/03/2019, 18:57) Like (6) Dislike (6) Reply
    The haters will not prevail
  • Happy! (06/03/2019, 20:56) Like (7) Dislike (1) Reply
    All the best sowande!
  • good move (06/03/2019, 20:59) Like (9) Dislike (7) Reply
    Fresh thinking. Good move.
  • Charley Rose (07/03/2019, 04:35) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    The decision to appoint the Deputy Premier on a rotational basis is a very good one. This will allow all the ministers to be able to fill the void if necessary. Without knowledge the people perish. The Constitution requires that there must be a Deputy Premiers at all times and that is why there is the appointment. In some countries there are more than one deputies. If the Premier is away from the territory, the Governor will appoint a Deputy Premier to act in that capacity of Premier.

    We are at a crucial state in the territory and it may require the Premier to travel with more than one of the ministers on official business overseas and as such someone of the ministers must act in that position. Those who are negative and are unaware of the functions of a government will want to criticize this move. However, Jesus was criticized and crucified so Hon Fahie move on and take the territory in a better position.
    • how? (07/03/2019, 13:00) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      How does Jesus being crucified have to do with people disagreeing with him politically? We as Christians expect to be persecuted for our belief in Him and His teachings not politics. Apples and Oranges here.
      • yes (07/03/2019, 23:05) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        I agree a lot of people do this. They use that scripture about Christians being persecuted and use it for every criticism. When it should only pertain to prosecution receive because of being a follower of Christ. They don’t know what it feels like to be truly hated for your beliefs and preaching the gospel in a hostile environment.
  • Political Observer (PO) (07/03/2019, 06:17) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    This rotating plan may be new and out of the sand box for the BVI but it is not new, for other governmental entities at other locales have used it with mixed results. The core/strength of the plan elsewhere is that personnel are put in higher level positions with increasing responsibilities. The plan(s) elsewhere provides the opportunity for attaining experience at higher levels. The rotating of ministers for 3 months as acting Deputy Premier does not seem to provide higher level responsibilities/experience, except when may be filling in for the Premier.

    This plan would yield better results if the Deputy Premier position had higher level specific duties(now it looks more like a title than anything else). In perusing the government organizational chart, the Deputy Premier is not even on it. Further, it is also my understanding that other ministers report directly to the Premier, not the designated Deputy Premier. True, someone must be designated to act as Premier when the Premier is out of the country or is otherwise not available for other reasons. The Premier should make the tough call and designate someone as Deputy Premier; it will be a long and stressful 4 years if try to make decisions that attains satisfy a 100% of the people. This rarely if ever happens. However, if the Honorable Fahie wants to share the wealth of the Deputy Premier title, he can rotate his primary ministers in 9-12 month increments. Experience gain in 3 months is probably marginal at best. The experience gain in 3 months will be if a crisis occured within that time frame and the Premier was out of pocket.

    Moreover, if the Premier wants ministers to gain experience from the Deputy Premier position, the position’s roles and responsibilities should be restructured. Further, for more cross functional training for ministers, at strategic points, rotate ministers in and out of ministries. The territory is faced with a myriad of challenging problems so the Premier should not be indecisive but brave about the minor details. In my view, the Deputy Premier issue would have been a settled issue before the election. Furthermore, it should have been be a settled issue before who is going to be Premier and Deputy before the election. Nonetheless, let’s avoid paralysis by over analysis. There is too much to do.

    Congrats to Dr. Hon Deputy Premier to Natalio Wheatley!

    1
  • Law Abiding citizen (07/03/2019, 08:11) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
    I see no sense in this.
  • Damon (07/03/2019, 08:41) Like (3) Dislike (1) Reply
    @Xxx- Amen!!. You all haters will not prevail.. the Premeir is bringing something fresh and different to the table.. it’s not that he isn’t trying to decide who will be his deputy.. I admire him for stepping “outside the box” and trying something different.. and He’s right; just choosing someone the others will never experience what it’s like to take on that role..even with the shake up of the Ministries-that was also a good move..it’s always good to bring fresh ideas to the table.. change can be a good thing..
  • ... (07/03/2019, 10:16) Like (4) Dislike (3) Reply
    Fahie stay on track the NDP will never get back in dey
  • Interested (08/03/2019, 15:05) Like (3) Dislike (1) Reply
    Simply afraid to make the call.Get a spine Premier.


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