Hon Turnbull peeved @ being searched @ TB Lettsome Airport
According to Hon Turnbull, no elected member on official government business should have to be searched in such manner and pointed to other islands where he said members of parliament on official travel are exempted from such searches.
Speaking under ‘Any Other Business’ at the continuation of the Sixth Sitting of the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands on September 2, 2019, Hon Turnbull said he wants to bring the matter to the Committee of Privileges to consider as it has the right and the platform to address it.
Relating his experience, Hon Turnbull said he was passing through the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Government assigned duty to travel to Trinidad in July 2019 with some of his honourable colleagues.
“Mr Speaker, I was randomly selected to be searched.”
Noting that he doesn’t have a problem with being searched “because I am not going to carry or do anything in contradiction to the office in which I was sworn in,” however, the Opposition Member believes certain respect is due to Members of Parliament travelling on official duty.
‘A load of nonsense’
Hon Turnbull pointed out that he is still familiar with a lot of the “employees” at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport “because I used to, in my past life, manage their finances and their investments,” but even now as an elected member he is subjected to searches.
“So even after being elected, I would go through, and they would say take off your belt and your shoes and there would be no problem even though I know at that time that wasn’t the case but I would just comply because it was the thing to do.
“But Mr Speaker, I have no problem with the search. What I have a problem with is, here I am, not travelling on my own behalf, travelling on the Government’s behalf, having to have my suitcase opened in the general public and searched, in front of everybody passing and I [am] like ‘this is a load of nonsense.’”
Hon Turnbull said he wishes to bring up the matter before the Committee of Privileges as he doesn’t wish for any of his colleagues to experience what he did.
“I tried to stay, and I did stay as calm as I possibly could but I want to bring it up now so that you know that it is something that we need to address because there is a list out and only the Premier and the Governor are on that list of exempted members, that is what I was told,” Hon Turnbull stated.
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27 Responses to “Hon Turnbull peeved @ being searched @ TB Lettsome Airport”
The people have spoken at the polls on Feb. 25, 2019
Ppļ
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The elected members deserve respect just like the judges are given
This search is done in a room which is open to be viewed by any passenger passing thru the departure lounge. I do not think that someone's luggage should be taken out from the checked baggage and then opened in that area for then what is the customs officer at the destination job after they are searched before leaving here? The "Random" search is mainly for the personal effects that you are passing thru the departure lounge with not your checked baggage.
I do not know where the B.V.I. has gotten this protocol from and I think that it should be revised for that type of treatment is invasive and insulting. In that view I think that the Hon. Turnbull is correct to feeling that it was embarrassing to have it done but if this is the protocol of the B.V.I. then so be it I think that they need to set it up in a better fashion so that it does not seem so embarrassing.
However, as I stated earlier usually this type of search of your checked baggage would usually be done at the destination point not the departure point and I will ask the question... Who at that point would have know who Hon. Turnbull is?