Premier disagrees he is blindly siding with Governor on issues

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has denied charges that he has simply been siding with Governor John Rankin on issues concerning the constitutional review; to the detriment of residents.

The Premier was accused at a recent press conference of not listening to the concerns of the people and not involving them in the process of the constitutional review that is set to be taking place soon.

Premier Wheatley, in denying those claims, noted that he is the elected leader of the government and is here to represent the interests of the people.

He reminded persons that the Commission of Inquiry (COI) recommended that the constitution be suspended partially and temporarily and argued that this proposal did not represent democracy.

Dr Wheatley said the United Kingdom (UK) has the power to suspend the BVI’s constitution based on laws that are in place and said they would be making all of the decisions that are needed if this was to happen.

“That’s not democracy, that’s a dictatorship and that’s something that we were seeking to avoid. The actions we have taken have preserved democracy and we’re doing that on behalf of the people so that people can go to the House of Assembly and say whatever they want to, sometimes,” Premier Wheatley said.

He continued: “They (legislators) have the ability and the power to have a voice because we successfully negotiated with the United Kingdom to stay their hand and not suspend our constitution.”

The Premier further argued that the people of the BVI should not go without representation and said he was only concerned about the people and this was the reason he was serving in office.