BVI leadership rejects UK’s direct rule plan and suggests coalition government

The political rupture caused by the arrest of the British Virgin Islands’ leader is now leading to a debate about the relationship the overseas territory has with London at a turbulent time in Caribbean politics

Acting premier Natalio Wheatley and colleagues (BVI Government)

Political leaders in the British Virgin Islands have rejected Britain’s proposal to impose direct rule on the territory from London following the arrest of its premier Andrew Fahie in the US over alleged drug trafficking offences.

Acting premier Natalio Wheatley has instead suggested that a national unity coalition government be appointed to lead the territory comprised of politicians from the three main parties: the Virgin Islands Party, the National Democratic Party and the Peoples Virgin Islands Movement.

During meetings about the future of BVI with the UK’s overseas minister Amanda Milling, who arrived on the islands for crisis talks on Sunday, Mr Wheatley said he shared some ideas about addressing immediate concerns “without a partial suspension of the constitution”.

The BVI, which has a population of 35,000 people, has a 2007 constitution that gives it limited self-rule under a governor who is the ultimate executive authority as the representative of the Queen.

Days after the arrest of Mr Fahie, a report from an inquiry launched at the beginning of April recommended that the islands be governed from London for two years under governor John Rankin.

“I see the implementation of the recommendations as a path to achieving our national renewal, but this can be done successfully without resorting to direct rule,” Mr Wheatley told a press conference on Wednesday evening.

“My vision is to see us transform our society into a model democracy, undergirded by robust, transparent and efficient political institutions and systems of government, where confidence in the Virgin Islands as a jurisdiction and open economy is high.

“However, achieving this will require very strong support from the United Kingdom and very close cooperation between the governor and the elected government. The territory has also been offered technical assistance from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, our fellow Caribbean overseas territories and our partners throughout the Commonwealth.”

It is now up to the UK to respond to these proposals accordingly, Mr Wheatley added.

Mr Fahie was detained in Miami last Thursday by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) over drug and money laundering charges and is set to be released on bail, it emerged on Wednesday.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Government House in Tortola, Mr Rankin’s residence, on Monday in protest against the direct rule recommendation, which has been described as colonial, particularly in the context of the region’s history as a former British slave colony, and undemocratic, as there are no plans to put the matter to the public.

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) and a coalition of seven Eastern Caribbean states (OECS) have called the direct rule suggestion “retrograde”.

During an interview with BVI media on Tuesday, Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, suggested that the UK has no moral authority to lead the territory given recent allegations of dishonesty faced by the Conservative Party.

Speaking to The Independent, David Comissiong, Barbados’s ambassador to Caricom, said imposing direct rule is tantamount to drawing an indictment against a whole nation for the alleged actions of a few.

Suggesting that history is repeating itself through the UK’s response to the BVI crisis, he recalled how the first Barbados premier, Errol Barrow, condemned the British government in 1962 for suspending, not only the constitution of Grenada, but also for their earlier 1953 suspension of the constitution of the then colony of British Guyana.

“I am not sure that the British administration listened to Mr Barrow in 1962,” he said. “And now, in 2022, both the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) have addressed a similar message to the British government on this issue of suspending the constitution of the British Virgin Islands. Will it listen this time around?”

As her BVI trip concludes, Amanda Milling said she she had “a lot to consider” following “cordial but frank” discussions with local officials in the British Virgin Islands over the past three days.

“Let’s be clear: the report highlighted significant concerns around corruption, transparency and accountability. There is no getting away from this,” the minister said in a statement on Wednesday.

“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. This is what I heard you want during my visit.”