BVI’s new Premier, Dr. Natalio Wheatley, has vowed to ensure the country’s ports are secure and free of corrupt officials.
The remarks by the Premier follow the resignation of the BVI Ports Authority Board chairperson, Kelvin Hodge.
Hodge’s departure, and the rest of the board’s replacement, comes two weeks after the BVI Ports Authority’s executive head, Oleanvine Maynard was arrested alongside former Premier Andrew Fahie, and her son Kadeem Maynard, on drug smuggling and money laundering charges in Miami, United States following a sting operation that began in October.
“I want to reassure you that the ports will continue to operate. The soon-to-be appointed board will be tasked with the appointment of an interim managing director while the recruitment of a substantive managing director is underway. I want to remind everyone what I said before. The change will be hard. It will be painful. People we know and care about will be affected. However, in the end, it will be for the better.
The National Unity Government is fully committed to good governance and will be making reforms accordingly. Let us stay hopeful. We are at the beginning of our march to renew our democracy and build the Virgin Islands into the society that we all want. Together we can achieve whatever we put our minds to,” said the Premier.
In addition, Dr. Wheatley also promised situations that lead to having one person sit on multiple boards will be avoided in the future, as necessary changes are being made in accordance with good practice.
“In several cases, change is urgently needed in terms of their current composition and how we deal with appointments more generally. It is not good practice to have the same person sitting on multiple statutory boards and we will make the necessary changes in accordance with best practice,” said Dr. Wheatley.
Last week, Governor, John Rankin, appointed Dr. Wheatley to serve as the BVI’s fourth Premier following a no-confidence vote by the House of Assembly against then Premier Andrew Fahie.
