STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER,

HONOURABLE DR. NATALIO D. WHEATLEY

PRESS CONFERENCE ON PROGRESS OF COMMISSION OF INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION

AUGUST 30, 2024

I am pleased to be joined by Governor Pruce to update you the public on the status of the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry and Other Reforms.

Let me express this morning how proud I am of the excellent progress we have made on this journey of governance reform.

In April 2022 the people of the Virgin Islands were faced with a crisis. Sir Gary Hickenbottom delivered a report with the first recommendation being the suspension of our constitution. We successfully argued that it was much better to deliver these recommendations under a democratic framework.

And with a lot of hard work by a number of individuals, we have been able to achieve what can only be considered the most robust governance reform in the history of these Virgin Islands. We Established a clear path to Residency and Belongership that is fair and transparent.

2. Provided for more equitable distribution of crown lands that honours our legacy.

3. Updated public assistance support to better care for the most vulnerable in our society.

4. Modernised the public service system to be more responsive and efficient in serving the public.

5. Implemented registers of interest and other safeguards for greater integrity in public life.

6. Strengthened statutory bodies for better performance and greater accountability.

7. Instituted vetting of police and other security officials to instil trust in law enforcement.

8. Reduced discretionary powers of officials and put controls on use where it is required.

9. Reviewed audits of abuses and put measures in place to prevent further abuses.

10. Structured grant programmes to curb abuse and help those in need.

As of today, the Government has completed forty-five of the 48 COI Recommendations (94%) and three are still in progress. Of the 115 Actions supporting those Recommendations, 112 (97%) have been completed and three are still in progress. The two remaining Recommendations require legislation that has already been introduced in the House of Assembly that will have final Readings by 6 September 2024.

When you consider all 50 Recommendations, as of today, the Government has completed forty-five of the 50 Recommendations (90%) and five are still in progress. Of the 131 Actions supporting those recommendations, 121 (92%) have been completed and 10 (8%) are still in progress. Of the five remaining Recommendations, two are Other Reforms and Good Governance Framework not required by the COI and those are slated for completion before the end of September.

So, Government work on the 48 COI Recommendation would be completed by 6 September 2024 or one week beyond the agreed deadline of 31st August and the Recommendations initiated by Government will be completed within one month of the deadline.

In the circumstances, particularly despite the disruption caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto in which the entirety of government was involved, I think we have done well and see a clear path to fully completing the COI Recommendations.

Some persons will be fixated on the August 31st deadline. And the deadlines we set for ourselves are important. They keep us focused, and give us ambitious targets that push us to achieve reform efficiently and effectively, but we must be ever mindful that we must not sacrifice the quality of reform just to meet a particular date and tick a box. For us, the work

of reform is about transforming our institutions and transforming the prospects for our people. And it must be done properly.

You will recall that Governor Pruce made a request to the form Overseas Territories Minister Hon. David Rutley that the final implementation deadline be extended to the 31 August 2024 based on our joint agreement that more time was needed to complete the remaining recommendations for which we are respectively responsible. However, before a response could be provided, a UK general election was called that took place on 4 July 2024. After the Labour Party’s landslide victory, Hon. Stephen Doughty was appointed the new Overseas Territories Minister. So this is a matter that must be discussed with the new Minister.

You should be aware, however, that over the past three months, our teams have worked collaboratively and tirelessly to complete the recommendations. This period included the legislative phase which has seen very robust debate which is a fundamental part of the democratic process. Our committee sessions where we got down to work to amend these bills were important and we took the time to consider things carefully.

8. I recognize that these Bills must be assented to by the Governor and that process must be completed before they become law. This is not factored into the statistics I have cited above as elected officials do not have control of that process. Certainly, there will be cases where there will be delays in assenting to Bills and in those circumstances, we must consider the reason, and this may require further actions on both sides.

9. The Governor mentioned that I will be going to London to meet with the Minister during the week of September 9th. At that meeting, I will be seeking to get clarity on the review process and timeline and getting the Constitution Suspension Order lifted. From the very beginning, we asserted that the Order in Council was a colonial coercive tool that had no place in a modern partnership. We have the opportunity with a new UK government and a new direction, to start a new era of partnership based on mutual respect and democratic values on our road to building a sustainable nation.

10. I will also be conveying my government’s commitment to ongoing governance reform and the modern partnership we wish to build with the United Kingdon. The UK has an obligation under UN convention to provide support for non-self-governing territories to get on the road to full self-government. We are committed to this journey and continue to build our governance strength. We welcome the UK as a partner in this regard.

11. We recognize that the massive amount of change we have implemented through legislation, policies and processes will require a strong programme of education and awareness building. We are committed to this as well as monitoring the impact of the changes to see if they are working in the best interest of the people. If it is not, we will build the case and make the necessary changes.

12. The work we have done thus far is no small feat. We have managed to sail the leaking ship whilst we made the repairs to the leak. I must therefore thank the civil servants for their unwavering support, hard work, and dedication to get us to where we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. In particular, I must thank the Attorney General and her team, the Cabinet Secretary and her team, the Permanent Secretaries and their team, the financial Secretary and his team, my Cabinet colleagues and the Speaker and her team and colleagues in the House of Assembly and the Governance Reform Delivery Manager and his team, and the numerous others who have been part of this journey.

Thank you