HoA Speaker blasts ‘disrespectful’ CoI Commissioner
Hon Willock was using the occasion of the opening of the Virgin Islands Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Members Training today, Monday, June 14, 2021, to voice his concerns over the behaviour of United Kingdom national, Sir Gary R. Hickinbottom.
‘Blatant disregard for HoA’
After listing a number of concerns with the CoI, which he believes was called by ex-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert because he was not allowed to get his way with violating the VI Constitution, Hon Willock said what should be of greater concern is the “blatant disregard” by the Commission of Inquiry for the House of Assembly and its members.
"Take for example; the one-man commissioner had the audacity to ask the fifteen grown adult members of the Legislature to write him an essay on what is good governance?”
High-handness by CoI Commissioner
Hon Willock said even more insulting and disrespectful was for Hickinbottom to tell professional men and women that they are to use numbered paragraph with no less than 1.5 line spacing and a font size that is no less than 12 and that footnotes should be avoided.
The Speaker said Hickinbottom continued with his “disingenuous behaviour” by suggesting to HoA Members that the position statement must not be more than fifty (50) pages in length and it should not be submitted in PDF format.
“Could you imagine the further high handedness of this one-man commissioner, to tell big men and women in which thirteen (13) were elected by the people of this country that any statement that does not comply will be sent back for amendments? Students nowadays in high schools and colleges are not even given such insulting instructions for a term paper.”
Hickinbottom above the law?
Mr Willock was emphatic that the commissioner continues to violate the rights of members and has no regards for the schedule of the House of Assembly, “where in the British Westminster System it has long been established, almost five hundred (500) years now, that the parliament is sovereign and no other activity, including a commission of inquiry, shall not interrupt the work of parliament.”
The House of Assembly will be sitting this week on June 15, 16 and 17, 2021.
According to Mr Willock; however, Hickinbottom still violated parliamentary sovereignty, norms, traditions, convention and the rule of law by asking Honourable members to appear before him on those dates despite being told about the schedule of sittings.
“Even today many of our Members are not attending this workshop because again they are asked to appear before him on, the day of a Parliamentary activity after we told him in advance of this event.”
Notwithstanding, he said some House of Assembly members, “in the spirit of co-operation”, have decided to so appear before the CoI on the conflicting days.
Members of the UK House of Lords, BVI representative in London and the European Union, Ms Tracy Bradshaw, other Executives and staff of the CPA, were reportedly also in attendance at the workshop opening in a virtual capacity.
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47 Responses to “HoA Speaker blasts ‘disrespectful’ CoI Commissioner”
Willock has now been summoned to appear on Friday, and Counsel to the Inquiry will continue?
And the media ain't pick up on that to report.
The Counsel IS breaking BVI law but want to tell BVI legislators about obeying the law and deadlines and ignorance of the law is not an excuse.
One rule for Massa and one rule for the colonized.
In fact, it’s UnF’ing believable.
Although I do not always view this speaker positively, on this occasion I offer to you sir, a huge kudos for calling a spade a spade. How fitting it would be if the lady in the recent motorcade would step forward in calling for immediate sanctions against and expulsion of this racist sophmaniac from our shores.
2030 - An insult indeed to ALL BVIslanders. Sir Hickinbottom if this is true in addition to the other above comments, I respectfully ask that you refrain from such behavior. BVI has a very high level of intelligent people from the as young as those suckling on the breast. Maybe, you should task yourself with the request so that those of us (I am not a politician) you are insulting can see how great you are at writing an essay on what is good governance and therefore model you!!!
Previous Governor also had the last word.
The essay thing did it for me he out of order
Out of order, no doubt!
the plantation does not belong to them.
They belong to the plantation. How can you try to take
over something that's already yours. Wake up and
realize that this man is an agent of the matter so
he does not have to answer to anyone.
join arm in arm and stand up
no them run gone sit before the white boy
the defiant days of decastro; faulkner; fonseca are gone) a set of yes boys running our country
get up stand up for your rights
on every talk show chatting piss no action
i challenge the 13 members to over to the cay were CoI is hosted and protest(that will be a cold day in-hell)
If they keep it up they’ll be going back the the UK with new reputations & titles as the last governor did through his petty & incessant wrestling for power.
You as an unelected officer should not be fighting unprofessionally for the spotlight with those who were elected democratically.
The manner in which this COI was started was obviously to the public the result of this tit for tat. Upheld by the UK, upheld similarly to retaining places named after slave traffickers. History is what it is and we remain vigilant & conscious of your behavior to this very day.
In fact we continue to be oppressed as we await an end to this COI our people are delayed in receiving the therapeutic benefits of what our again democratically elected politicians have voted for over a year ago.
Messurs DeCastro and Fonseca and Mr. Noel Lloyd may not be here with us but they've mapped out the path of self-assertion against this type of neocolonism, abuse of power and bondage. Friends, we must take a STAND and step up and out in a unified dismissal of this man.
As Marley urges us, let us emancipate ourselves from mental slavery.
1. CLEAN UP YOUR OUR CORRUPT PRIME MINISTER IN THE UK THEN COME TALK TO US. Fifty pages of that.
2. GOOD GOVERNANCE IS NOT WHAT IS HAPPENNING IN THE UK - Fifty pages
3. WHAT IS GOOD GOVERNANCE? NOT WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AT THIS MOMENT - Fifty pages
4.CLEAN THE MOTT FROM YOUR OWN EYES BEFORE YOU TRY TO CLEAN OUR EYES - Fifty pages
5. IF YOU ARE INVESTIGATING CORRUPTION AS YOU CLAIM, WHY GO BACK ONLY SINCE THIS ADMINISTRATION - fifty pages
6. GTFOH - Fifty pages