Runaway runway
Contention and lack of consultation collided this week at the heart of government. A Beaconite was intrigued by the logical gymnastics put on display by Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley as he tried to brush aside questions about the government’s decision to proceed with a major airport expansion without the promised public engagement or a completed business case. The reporter was told it was all perfectly fine to decide to extend the runway by at least 2,400 feet without the planned consultation as “We have, literally, been speaking about this as a community for decades.” If that’s the case, why did the government pledge recently to get the views of those impacted if their opinions had already been taken for granted? And why hire consultant KPMG (BVI) Ltd. to carry out the long-needed business case for the project and then decide to green light the massive runway extension before the study is done? The situation smacks of a runway runaway on accountability, if you will. Dr. Wheatley then spoke of “contentious” debates in Cabinet in order to complete the Commission of Inquiry recommendations by the end-of-August deadline. But at least ministers were able to air dissenting views — a decency not afforded to those under the flight path of the planned airport expansion.
Time limit
When a Beaconite was watching the House of Assembly sitting on July 16, she appreciated that Speaker of the House Corine George-Massicote imposed time limits for each member during the debate on the Virgin Islands Inquiry Bill, 2024. The speaker allotted 40 minutes to the opposition leader and 25 minutes for other members. Given HOA members’ tendency to stray off topic (to put it politely), the reporter commends the speaker for imposing such time limits. When administered fairly, they don’t prohibit HOA members from sharing their thoughts but rather encourage them to speak succinctly and stay focused on the matter at hand. The Beaconite felt that Ms. George-Massicote’s decision was a success in last week’s sitting. The HOA debated for about five hours on the bill and each member seemed able to sufficiently speak their mind. She hopes to see the practice continue. However, if any House member has an issue with such time ceilings, either in general or for a specific matter, she would expect that such arguments would be brought to the floor and properly heard by the speaker. HOA members, after all, do have a responsibility to speak their minds and be heard. For her part, the speaker has to carry out a delicate balancing act at times, but she appears to be doing a good job. Efficiency in HOA proceedings is particularly important now when leaders are pushing to meet an Aug. 31 deadline to complete the reform recommendations from the 2022 Commission of Inquiry report.
Meeting the press
In last week’s edition, a Beaconite complained that Deputy Premier Lorna Smith had explained the new minimum wage in an “interview” with the government communications director instead of calling a press conference with the actual news media. On Friday, however, Beaconites were pleased that Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley met with the press again and answered many questions on wide-ranging topics. When it comes to press conferences, Dr. Wheatley is one of the most transparent premiers in recent memory. He holds the sessions far more regularly than his immediate predecessor Andrew Fahie, who called them very rarely. Before that was Dr. Orlando Smith, who served as premier from 2011 to 2019 and as chief minister from 2003 to 2007. Dr. Smith, who came to power promising increased transparency, tended to go through phases: He would hold regular press conferences for a few months and then seemingly forget about them for long stretches of time. Nevertheless, he still held them much more frequently than his own predecessor, Ralph O’Neal, who served as chief minister from 1995 to 2003 and as premier from 2007 to 2011. Beaconites hope that Dr. Wheatley will continue to set an example in this regard, and that his ministers follow his example.