St Vincent and the Grenadines are among OECS member countries opposed to the proposal of the United Kingdom to impose direct rule on the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
The leaders of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States met on Monday.
Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, who chaired the meeting, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the OECS leaders felt they could not “support” London’s move, adding “in general, we are puzzled as to why the British are repeating such actions that they previously took in other countries” in the 21st century.
Mitchell said these decisions were “unsupported,” recalling that in Grenada in 1962, London “literally” took issue with the then Eric Gairy government “over certain issues now almost laughed at and essentially dismissed it on those grounds.”.
“We agree that for them to be making the same decision in the 21st century, given all the issues that have arisen, is not in their best interest, and certainly, having a colonial-type decision has never been in the best interest of the region”.
The statement will in fact send that clear message, said Mitchell, who is also chair of the subregional grouping that includes Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the BVI.
As Mitchell put it, the British Virgin Islands “should be united and there should be a nonpartisan approach to this British conclusion.”.
“The government needs to consult with the opposition on this fundamental issue, the people need to be able to resolve any problems that they have with their own premier. That issue should be resolved internally”.
“The OECS was in fact indicating that it was prepared to provide an advisory group to help the political organizations in the BVI to resolve that issue and maybe consider the course of action in light of the Commission of Inquiry’s report”.
“They should be able to deal with those issues within the country with the support, if they so wish, of the advisory group from the OECS,” Mitchell said.
The Grenada Prime Minister told CMC that the arrest of Premier Andrew Fahie in the United States last week on drug and money laundering charges, should not be used to cloud the issue surrounding the constitutionality of the BVI.
“The interdiction of the Premier of the Virgin Islands is a separate matter. In our statement, we will say that the judicial process must continue, and that one must be seen as innocent until found guilty, and that due process must be allowed and no attempt should be made to condemn or to assume that the Premier of the Virgin Islands is guilty until the judicial process is completed”.
Mitchell said, “I think that was the impression we got from today’s meeting.”.
The BVI residents protested outside the official residence of Governor John Rankin on Monday against the recommendation of a one-man Commission of Inquiry (COI) that examined allegations of corruption and abuse of office by elected and statutory officials.
