TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands (CMC) — Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley says his newly sworn-in National Unity government is fully committed to reform in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

“For the avoidance of doubt, I want to be perfectly clear, our top priority is the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report within a framework of democratic governance, and in close cooperation with the Governor and United Kingdom, our partners,” he said, on Thursday night, after the new administration was sworn into office.

“As I have previously said, implementation cannot simply be done within the existing structures of Government. An implementation body will have to be created to support and advance the work involved and there will have to be a partnership between the Virgin Islands and United Kingdom to achieve the desired outcome of a model democracy whose institutions and systems of Government are robust and whose economy provides opportunities for everyone to make a decent living.”

Wheatley said that he is well aware that a decision has not yet been made by the United Kingdom on the report’s recommendation for a partial suspension of the Constitution.

“Nonetheless, we will continue to engage the Governor on how best the National Unity Government can work in the best interest of the people of the Virgin Islands to deliver reform. We are a willing partner and ready to take the process forward in partnership without delay.”

The COI has outlined several recommendations including that the British Virgin Islands government cease to exist in its current format for at least two years.

Governor John Rankin said that the sole commissioner had recommended “a return to Ministerial Government and an elected House of Assembly as soon as practicable, with the Governor taking regular advice from the Advisory Council and others on the earliest practicable date on which such government can resume.

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“Secondly, the commissioner recommends an early and speedy review of the Constitution with the purpose of ensuring that abuses of the type he has identified do not recur, establishing a Constitution that will enable the people of the BVI to meet their aspirations, including those in respect of self-government within the context of a modern democracy.”

Rankin said overall, the commissioner in his report finds that the elected government, in successive administrations, “has sought to avoid good governance” and that “in terms of governance, the people of the BVI have been served very badly in recent years and that almost everywhere the principles of good governance such as openness, transparency and the rule of law are ignored”.

He concluded that it is highly likely that serious dishonesty may have taken place across a broad range of government and that there is information that a substantial number of elected officials may be involved. He makes recommendations for further investigations and possible criminal prosecution in several areas.

The Governor said that the COI made 45 specific recommendations on how to address each of the areas of concern that his report identifies.

Britain’s Minister for Overseas Territories, Amanda Milling, who BVI recently, said that the COI report that examined allegations of corruption and abuse of office by elected and statutory officials, had also raised very serious concerns about the failures of governance and dishonesty by elected officials.

“This is a challenging time for the people of the British Virgin Islands,” Milling said in a statement, adding that she had spent the last few days listening to how Virgin Islanders felt about the events.

“We discussed the recommendations from the report. And I heard what you think is needed — which is putting the best interests of the people of the BVI at the heart of any future decisions. Events are moving quickly and I would like to provide a short update on my trip and outline what will happen next.”

“Let’s be clear — the report highlighted significant concerns around corruption, transparency and accountability. There is no getting away from this. Like many people have told me, this isn’t a question of whether something should be done. It is a question of what is done.

“Action is needed now to: strengthen the foundations of the territory; deliver a better public service; maintain a strong and resilient economy; and create better opportunities for the people of the BVI,” Milling said, adding “this is what I heard you want during my visit”.

But leaders of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to which the BVI has associate membership, have condemned the move by London describing it as “a retrograde step”.

In a statement, the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts-Nevis and Montserrat said they had taken note of the position taken by the duly elected BVI government “which, while welcoming the recommendations arising from the Inquiry, rejects the intention of the British government to impose direct rule on the BVI”.

“It is clear to us that, in principle, it is ill-advised to impose direct colonial rule and the history of such imposition in the Caribbean has never delivered the desired result,” the OECS said in the statement.

READ: OECS regards as ‘retrograde step’ move to abolish Parliamentary rule in BVI

In his address, Premier Wheatley stated that change will be hard and that “tough decisions will have to be made, and people we know and care about will be affected. However, this is for the better, and in the end, we will emerge stronger as a society”.