Keep and Strengthen Junior Ministers
Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn, the BVI’s first-ever Junior Minister, urged lawmakers to retain and clarify the role rather than abolish it. He called for constitutional reform modeled on Bermuda’s Section 63 and proposed adding a sixth minister to ease government workload and give junior ministers clear authority.
Marlon Penn, the Eighth District Representative and the British Virgin Islands’ first appointed Junior Minister, has urged the House of Assembly to retain and strengthen the junior minister role as elected leaders review constitutional arrangements. Speaking during recent parliamentary debate on constitutional matters, Penn said the office can be meaningful if it is properly defined and empowered. “I was the first one appointed to this position, and I support the role,” he told colleagues. “It gives you the opportunity to really support ministers in a meaningful way.
Once given the right direction and policy framework, a Junior Minister can function and be an asset to the territory.” Penn pointed to concrete outcomes from his tenure to underline his case. He said work on the Investment Promotion Act, the Trade Commission and the new Business Licensing Act happened while he served as Junior Minister, and that the government’s overall strategy during that period benefited from the additional portfolio support.
The representative urged lawmakers to consider Section 63 of the Bermuda Constitution as a model when drafting local provisions. Under Bermuda’s approach, the governor—acting on the premier’s advice—appoints junior ministers from both legislative chambers, a framework Penn said gives junior ministers a clearer mandate and recognised authority to assist senior ministers.
The call comes amid a wider conversation in the House about the usefulness of junior ministers. Several legislators have recently questioned whether the posts carry sufficient authority to warrant their existence, and some have suggested reforming the positions to grant clearer powers and responsibilities.
Penn rejected proposals to retire the office, arguing the focus should be on clarity and empowerment rather than elimination. He also recommended a constitutional update to allow for a sixth minister, which he believes would better distribute ministers’ workloads and improve government responsiveness.
For BVI residents, the debate has practical implications: sharper role definitions and additional ministerial capacity could speed policy implementation, improve oversight of business and investment reforms, and distribute responsibilities more evenly across the Cabinet. As constitutional reform talks continue, lawmakers will need to balance local accountability with the functional demands of modern governance to decide whether and how to enshrine junior ministers in law.
Primary source: BVI News