Premier, Deputy Premier & Minister for Health off this week to Dubai & Aruba
It is our understanding that the Virgin Islands leader Dr Wheatley is expected to leave the Territory on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, and will be at the conference until Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
VI must be around the table
Minister for Health and Social Development Hon Vincent O. Wheatley (R9) will also attend the COP 28 Dubai meeting in two capacities- as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Ministers for Health Chairman and also in his own right as the Virgin Islands’ Health Minister. There will be important agenda items at COP 28 on global health issues that also affect small island states.
The VI delegation to the Dubai COP 28 meeting is expected to be the two Ministers and Angela Burnett Penn, the Climate Change Officer in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change. The Territory’s Special Envoy Mr E. Benito Wheatley will not attend the meeting. The Premier is also the Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change.
The global COP 28 meeting is important as climate change continues to have direct effects on the VI in more ways than one, from increased devastating hurricanes costing us billions in repairs to higher temperatures, which continue to drive up our electricity bills.
Deputy Premier off to CFATF
Meanwhile, Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade Hon Lorna G. Smith OBE (AL) will be heading to Aruba to attend a very critical Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) 56th meeting, which will take place from November 26, 2023 – December 1, 2023, in Oranjestad, the capital city.
Hon Smith is expected to depart the Virgin Islands (VI) on Tuesday of this week, November 28, 2023, and return on Saturday, December 2, 2023.
The CFATF is an organisation of twenty-four (24) states of the Caribbean Basin, including the VI, Central and South America, which have agreed to implement common countermeasures to address money laundering.
Over the years, the VI has played a leading role in CFATF and has led many of the committees in coming up with global standards.
It is unclear who will be the other persons making up the VI delegation to Aruba, as the Deputy Premier, Hon Smith, did not respond to our queries at the time of publication.
Minister Rymer will act as Premier
In recent months, critics have claimed that government Ministers are traveling too often; however, at a recent press conference, Premier Wheatley noted that it may be politically convenient to have a narrative that there's something wrong with officials representing the interests of the Virgin Islands internationally, but if we ever take that posture, it will hurt every single citizen and resident.
"Every government has to travel, not just the BVI government. The other overseas territory governments, some of them have to travel maybe two weeks to get to London... So everyone has to travel. You go to international meetings where you're fighting for your interests and your place in the world, and inevitably you have to pay for airplanes, and you have to pay for hotels. And the further you travel, the more expensive it gets,” Dr Wheatley stated during a November 10, 2023, press convenience on his participation in the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in London and other matters in the VI.
While both the Premier and Deputy Premier are away on duty travel, Minister for Communications and Works Hon Kye M. Rymer (R5) will be acting Premier and Minister of Finance, according to senior government sources.
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60 Responses to “Premier, Deputy Premier & Minister for Health off this week to Dubai & Aruba”
What would be really interesting, it to know how much money each minister spends per year on travel.
The big deal is these same leaders were just speaking of borrowing money. The big deal is there is a lot to be done here. Why waste money on unnecessary travel. World climate summit? Big fire burning pockwood pond. Trash all along the road sides. You telling me big a$$$ adults can’t see those issues? Going to the world climate summit will help in what way????
Every leader does NOT travel to the point their suitcase is never unpacked, is left in the car or at the door then on a plane again.
The senior staff in particular in each Ministry are the ones that have usually travelled not the Ministers every time the wind blows….THIS IS MADNESS!!!!
STOP USING MY NAME.
Zilch.
But no one will speak up at this meeting, so the beat goes on!
Then there's this BS: "The global COP 28 meeting is important as climate change continues to have direct effects on the VI in more ways than one, from increased devastating hurricanes costing us billions in repairs to higher temperatures, which continue to drive up our electricity bills." There's been one hurricane, Irma, 6 years ago. Climate change is a hoax, but let's assume you believe man is actually making the climate get warmer - what the bleep is the BVI going to do to impact it?
These appalling junkets that never end have to be STOPPED - immediately. The HOA should vote to defund and ban all further travel for the year 2024 - irrespective of its purpose. Tell these freeloaders to learn to use ZOOM....
Waste of time
Well “gossip” finally arrived and when you put the pieces together she could not resist throwing words for one of the guys who was present.
OMG anybody for money , no this cannot be .
But what is worse is you in thousand this is SICK, SICK
We have seen in the bvi Increasingly, climate change is causing irreversible losses in the bvi ecosystems. These developments are causing widespread disruptions including in the insurance sector as many decry our high insurance premiums
Come on bvi think outside the box it’s 2023
You get in and the people complain but it falls in deaf ears. You intend to do as you want. But not for long……thank God….not much longer. You cannot be acting like this and then talk about divine leadership… God does not approve when people suffer .
we want all the names of the persons on those trips
we want their qualifications and experience
we want to know where each will stay and what it is costing government
we want to know what you all gone to talk about and what benefits are there people getting
do not come and give us any photo where the real culprits are not in them
give us a complete list of the names of the delegations and the costs
Why the hell you need such details when the opposition went to Africa did you ask for that???
The election is over let the team govern in peace
United kingdom
New York
monaco
st lucia
st kitts
trinidad
surianme
paris
Dubai
Aruba
he gone again , less than 6 months and he covered more than 10 countries, WTF
when is this going to stop ? why the f&^&^K the opposition doing
is this why he take 100 thousand dollars SAP ......what the f%^%k going on ?
and now he want to borrow a BILLION dollars........ this is some lunatic shit ...I need my herbs
I couldn't go nowhere, now every minute I gone,
politics mek me ah don,
I used to get spare seat ticket, now its first class I on,
Politics mek me ah don,
No more motel 6, strictly 5* Hilton,
Politics mek me ah don
No matter the cost, cause I man is deh boss,
Politics mek me ah don, politics mek me ah don.
That is the best way for these VI to move forward economically.
See and learn how small countries manage immigration to benefit their Country and its people economically.
Build bridges with successful and its prosperous countries.
!!