Premier Announced New Ministerial Appointments in BVI Government

This week, BVI Premier Dr Orlando Smith appointed honourable Marlon Penn as the new Minister of Health and Social Development, and Honourable Hubert O’Neal as the new Junior Minister of Tourism. This happened after Ronnie Skelton was revoked from his post as Minister of Health and Social Development, and Archibald Christian lost his post of Junior Minister of Tourism.

Ronnie Skelton was terminated in his post after he reportedly told to local media that his was the leader of the breakaway political party known as the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement. This was named by Premier as a ‘clear conflict of interest’, as it is impossible to stay a member of Cabinet and form own party at the same time. The similar reason was for firing Archibald Christian from his post. 

Also, Second District Representative Melvin Turnbull, who wrote to the Speaker of the House of Assembly last week requesting to be seated on the Opposition side of parliament, left the NDP government. Christian and Turnbull have already announced their alliance with Progressive Virgin Islands Movement.

Director for Overseas Territories Paying Visit to BVI

The director for Overseas Territories in Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ben Merrick made a four day visit to the British Virgin Islands, during which he was focusing on governance, financial services of the territory, and the post-hurricane recovery. He was talking with the BVI Premier and Minister of Finance Dr Orlando Smith, the Cabinet, the leader of the opposition and representatives of the financial services industry.

One of the main purposes of the visit is to evaluate the influence of financial and technical support from the UK to the BVI after hurricanes, and to discuss further funding and loan guarantees for BVI recovery and development. Government departments and agencies visited by Merrick include the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, the Department of Disaster Management, the BVI Ports Authority, the BVI Airports Authority and the Recovery and Development Agency.