CAN THE BVI CHANGE THIS THREAT INTO AN OPPORTUNITY?

As the people of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) mull over the events of the last few days and question corruption and culpability, news of the scandal has spread rapidly, dominating regional and international headlines.

It’s not every day that the democratic leader of a country is arrested on drug trafficking and money laundering-related criminal charges—with mind-blowing revelations from what seems like a best-selling drama—which is sure to be etched in BVI’s history for generations to come. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the United Kingdom expedited the release of the BVI’s Commission of Inquiry report to the public—which was initially set for June—mere hours after the announcement of the arrest.

A Commission of Inquiry was established in January 2021 by the United Kingdom for the purpose of determining whether there was evidence of corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty that took place in public office in recent years. Based on the Commission’s investigation, the report concluded that “it is highly likely that serious dishonesty may have taken place across the broad range of government and that there is information that a substantial number of elected officials may be involved.” Based on these findings the following recommendations were made:

• Temporary partial suspension of the constitution for two years
• Constitutional review
• Curtailment of open-ended discretion by elected government officials and Cabinet
• Audits and investigations into areas of the government

So what’s next? What should the remaining government officials do, given the very precarious situation the BVI has found themselves in. Let’s start by stating the facts:

• The recent events that took place with the BVI Premier and the Director of the Port Authority, support suggestions of government corruption;
• The Commission of Inquiry report concluded that there are instances of serious dishonesty and abuse of power by BVI government officials;
• Due to recent events, the finding of the Commission of Inquiry is more compelling, thus, making the BVI’s situation worse than that of Turks and Caicos when they experienced similar circumstances.
• To rebuild the country’s reputation as a Territory that exhibits integrity and utilises good governance practices, as well as, to regain trust; oversight/partnership with the United Kingdom is needed.

So, here is our Public Relations opinion on what the leaders of the country and key organisations should do as the next steps to start picking up the pieces and salvaging whatever is left of the BVI’s reputation.

Be the leaders your people need

Government officials should put aside party lines and assimilate as one body with the sole focus of creating an acceptable plan for consideration by the UK. This plan may consider the following:

• Hold a meeting with key members of the community to gather feedback and develop possible solutions.
• Require government officials who are implicated in the recent events step down and not be a part of the solution.
• Take a serious look into the issues raised throughout the Commission of Inquiry and consider that some of the powers held by government officials will have to be sacrificed temporarily—keeping in mind that given the current state of affairs only relinquishing some powers is a hope and prayer compared to what the ultimate decision can be if no concessions are made—in order to hold on to others.
• Negotiate the terms of the dissolution of the House of Assembly and the cessation of ministerial government. This can include conceding to the dissolution but requiring that a BVI representative(s), selected by the people, act as more than an advisory council but maintain a key role in decision making.
• Request that the term of the partial suspension of the constitution be reduced to one (1) year.
• Suggest clear, effective methods in which structures, procedures and policies can be implemented to keep government officials accountable and honest.
• Take a humble approach of repentance and accountability when proposing an alternate way forward to UK officials.

Reinforce the independence and integrity of BVI Finance

BVI Finance should launch an internal and external public relations campaign to educate persons on the role, structure and processes, of BVI Finance, with a focus on dispelling any misconceptions about the independent operation of the department.

Remind visitors that the BVI is still a beautiful destination filled with unmatched experiences

The BVI Tourist Board should launch a PR campaign that disassociates the allure of the Territory from the actions of Premier Fahie. This campaign should remind visitors in every category that the BVI is still the same place that they know and love and that BVI has a strong heritage of generations of hard-working BVIslanders.

Restore confidence and promote integrity

The BVI leaders in partnership with the United Kingdom must work fervently to restore confidence in the Territory’s leadership and promote the implementation of high standards of integrity in processes and structures. In doing so, every new policy, structure and process that is implemented should be promoted heavily internationally.