Sweeping anti-corruption reforms recommended by the recent Commission of Inquiry can be achieved by the new deadline of September, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said Friday.
Dr. Wheatley was speaking during a press conference held a week after Governor Daniel Pruce pushed the timeline for completing all 48 COI recommendations to Aug. 31.
The premier also welcomed the fact that Mr. Pruce had not adopted the stance of his predecessor, John Rankin, in calling for extra powers from London to get the task done.
In his first quarterly review on the situation, Mr. Pruce, who is responsible for some of the 19 recommendations yet to be implemented, said extra time is needed to carry through all the changes.
On Friday, the premier agreed and said the extension should be sufficient.
“I am confident that we will achieve the recommended deadline jointly agreed,” he said. “I am also pleased that we have continued our current working arrangement without additional powers being granted to the governor.”
The premier also signalled he has a good working relationship with Mr. Pruce, who took over the role in January.
“I endorse the review and its content which reflect the work of respective teams,” he said, adding, “The greater focus given to the delivery of the implementation of the recommendations since the establishment of the governance reform coordination centre … is evident in the review.”
More cooperative?
Mr. Rankin’s call in January for the governor to be given extra powers to force through the reforms provoked a political storm.
Dr. Wheatley branded it a “power grab” and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States condemned it as a throwback to the “colonial” era.
On Friday, the premier would not say explicitly if he found Mr. Pruce more cooperative than Mr. Rankin, but he spoke much more warmly of the new governor.
“The shared commitment by the governor and I to meeting the recommended August 31 deadline is grounded in advanced levels of cooperation, coordination and communication between our respective teams and also stakeholders,” he said.
Announcing the decision to extend the deadline, Mr. Pruce said that in September he will decide if he will ask for extra powers from London if the reform agenda has not been met by then.
Until then, he recommended leaving in place the controversial United Kingdom order in council that allows him to temporarily suspend parts of the Constitution in order to pursue the COI recommendations if the government drags its feet.