OT Minister wants ‘top priority’ given to outstanding CoI reform actions
The Minister’s statement came during a video posted on February 7, 2024, on the Facebook page of Government Information Service (GIS).
According to the minister, “I’ve been honored to pay my first visit to the British Virgin Islands this week and have been grateful for the very warm welcome that I've received during my visit. It's been good to see the progress being made to accelerate work on the Commission of Inquiry priorities.”
He said he had a series of productive meetings with the Premier, his Cabinet and several of the permanent secretaries, as well as the Governor's Office, as highlighted by the Premier in an earlier statement.
The Premier in a statement on February 7, 2024, said Minister Rutley listened carefully, gave sound advice, and offered support in the common goal of concluding obligations under the framework for the implementation of the recommendations of the CoI report and other reforms.
May 2024 deadline
However, the OT Minister has called for the outstanding actions to be completed by the end of May 2024.
“We've all worked extremely hard together over these past days to establish the progress that's been made already and what still needs to be done. It's clear that there are still outstanding actions to work through to deliver the agreed programme of reform by the end of May, as set out by the Premier. It must be a top priority to get this back on track,” he said.
According to the then-governor John J. Rankin in his last CoI Quarterly update in early January 2024, outstanding actions included an amended Register of Interests Act and a new education grants policy, a policy setting out the principles of how Statutory Boards should operate, a new Public Service Management Act, revised Criminal Procedure Rules, improvements to the way the discretionary powers of Ministers are exercised, a strengthened Integrity in Public Life Act, and a functioning Whistleblower Act.
Minister Rutley, while adding that the issues must be a priority, said Good governance is the foundation of a safer, fairer, and more prosperous VI, which is what the people of the VI deserve.
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15 Responses to “OT Minister wants ‘top priority’ given to outstanding CoI reform actions”
Are BVIslanders children? He came during Andrew’s trial because he knew that the verdict would be “guilty”. I don’t know when we will wake up as a people and see that these w*** people UK/US government do not have the interest of the people. Come on man, who is he talking to, we are not his children. Have some respect, They come here with their Royal Yacht and take all the drugs confiscated and sell it to fatten their pockets and talking mess about COI…run him out of here man.
It is true that are experiencing many problems, as do all countries in this world, but if you were to compare the population of the UK: millions, to BVI population: 33,000, lower estimate, 35,000 higher approximate, the UK wins over the BVI, because in the majority of comparison, in reference to government to people day by day services.
Our government leaders and people at large should understand that the New appointed UK's governor and the OT Minister are not in the BVI on a vacation trip. The OT Minister and the New governor are here force constitution reformation base on the CoI recommendations.
The majority of the people of the BVI need, not just want, but need swift political reforms in order better governance becomes a reality in the BVI, for betterment of, hopefully, all the people, friends and visitors.
We’re all struggling with rent, food, roads trashing veichles We need the money to be for the people not the people in power and family/cronies.
Human rights is a thing, google it.