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by pltm
(PLTM) - Honestly Speaking radio talk-show host Claude Skelton Cline has aired his discontentment with both His Excellency John Rankin, Governor of the Virgin Islands and the Hon. Premier Andrew Fahie for their treatment of the Virgin Islands Public in relation to the handling of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report.
Skelton-Cline called the public’s attention to the delay of the CoI report in reaching the public, even after the Governor has had the report in his possession for 22 days, up to the time of the talk show.
"Three weeks later and no report. Three weeks later, the Premier and leader of the country and government business, and no report,” Skelton Cline stated.
He notes the Governor has indicated that the Premier and three leaders of the Opposition will meet with political officials in the United Kingdom for discussions in the third week of May, despite the public being disregarded and excluded from these same discussions, at a national level.
The talk show host notified his audience that although, “We might see the report in June, when we see it we might not see it in its whole form but we might just see it in parts.”
In a press conference last week when asked if he had any objections to the public having full access to the report in its entirety, Hon. Fahie did not give a definitive answer. Instead, he advised members of the media to redirect any questions on the report distribution process to the Governor.
Skelton-Cline criticised Hon. Premier Andrew Fahie for stating that the constitution enables the Governor to operate in the manner in which he has been handling matters relating to the CoI report, including the timeline issued.
He stated, "The Governor’s constitutional right is a violation of our basic human rights, which means that the Governor’s constitutional right is an immoral and unjust right that is ascribed to him per our constitution.”
He further argued, "Not because something is in the constitution or in law means that it was right. It was law for White people to own slaves.”
He added, “Can you imagine we asked for a report, we are owed a report. The CoI was called on us the people and as a country, we are looking for the report over a year, after two extensions and you know what the Governor did? He gave us a graph.” Skelton Cline is referring to the timeline in the form of an image, where the Governor outlined the order in which the report will be shared. Skelton Cline drew parallels between a child’s treatment at primary school and the Governor’s approach to addressing the situation.
“It’s a blatant disregard and disrespect of the people of this country,” Skelton Cline stated. He continued by stating that “the Governor is wrong, and we would be wrong for accepting what is being proposed to us relative to this report becoming public”.
He also encouraged his viewers to source a BVI Belonger who is living in the United Kingdom to request the CoI report under the United Kingdom’s Freedom of Information Act., “for the sake of your country”.
