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  by pltm
• May 17, 2019
• 15

(PLTM) - Premier and Minister for Finance, Hon. Andrew Fahie has yielded to the protest of Virgin Islanders against the amending of the Passport and Immigration Act to facilitate the Clear Path to Regularization. The Premier had the second and third readings of the Bill suspended for another time.

The Bill, which has been the cause of a protest, lobbying and hurtful exchange between the indigenous and expatriate community, was scheduled to have all three of its readings in the House of Assembly today, May 17.

The readings were aimed at facilitating the two-weeks conferring of Residency and Belonger status on persons who have been living in the BVI for 15 years or more.

In making the announcement that his Government is not going to push the legislation through, Hon. Fahie said, I’ll never disenfranchise my people or do anything to destroy the BVI. I would not do anything outside the law. Mr. Speaker, I realized that we want more public dialogue on this matter and we are willing Mr. Speaker, based on the voice of the people, and sitting with the people for and against, to make sure that we hear the people a little more; especially this week with more public meetings, more collaborations on the issue on the way forward that can be agreeable by all.”

The Premier referenced that he promised a concerned group of Virgin Islanders that there was going to be amendments and he said that this was one of the amendments that he was referring to.

"I rose to say that the people’s voices, I promised them that amendments would be made and one of the amendments that I am asking to be made right now Mr. Speaker, is that there isn’t a second and third reading...I have heard their voices in terms of us having some more discussions in the coming week so that we can move forward as together as can be, given the nature of the issue."

Further, Hon. Fahie asked the Speaker to amend the Order Paper to delete the second and third readings of the Bill.

“…That the voices of the people can be heard a little more Mr. Speaker, that we as a Government can listen a little more and also make some decisions based on no compromises, so that we can find common ground on all sides without disenfranchising…"

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