Rift Between Fahie, Governor Caused Coi
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn told the House of Assembly he believes the breakdown in relations between the Andrew Fahie administration and then‑Governor Augustus Jaspert was the principal factor leading to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) and the temporary erosion of elected authority. Walwyn warned that a healthy working relationship between Premier and Governor is essential to protect local decision‑making and described the COI as partly born of public disrespect and political rivalry.
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn has argued that the rift between the Andrew Fahie administration and the Governor’s Office under Augustus Jaspert was a central cause of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) that nearly removed powers from elected leaders. Speaking in the House of Assembly during a debate to mark the recent lifting of the Order in Council, Walwyn said the constitutional balance between the Premier and the Governor is fragile and was not respected during the Fahie‑Jaspert period.
He said public displays of disrespect between the two offices contributed to the decision to launch the COI. "If I want to hazard a guess — I’m ashamed to say, but I believe it to be so — that this COI was brought about more [because] the relationship between the Premier and the Governor at the time broke down to the point of disrespect publicly," Walwyn said.
He added that some current members of the House who served in the Fahie administration played a part in those tensions. Walwyn recalled visible examples of friction, including differences in tone and body language during COVID‑19 press briefings. He also pointed to substantive policy disputes, notably over national security and maritime border protection.
The Governor used his constitutional authority to bring in the UK naval vessel RFA Medway to assist with safeguarding the territory, a move that clashed with Fahie’s preference to use barges. Those disputes, Walwyn said, extended beyond optics to questions of who ultimately held decision‑making power in the territory.
The COI and the subsequent Order in Council prompted widespread concern that local governance had been undermined. Drawing on historical examples, Walwyn argued the BVI has fared better when strong Premiers worked alongside less assertive Governors, citing former leaders Ralph O'Neal and Lavity Stoutt.
Conversely, he warned that when Governors are stronger and Premiers weaker, decision‑making can tilt toward the UK. "That’s why it’s called a modern partnership," he said, urging that the relationship between the two offices must function smoothly. Walwyn’s remarks place fresh focus on the political dynamics that preceded the COI and on the need to rebuild mutual respect between elected officials and the Governor’s Office to protect the territory’s self‑government going forward.
Primary source: BVI News